ashton

chapter three

chandler's pov

"What are you so happy about?" my sister, Charlotte asks skeptically as she jots a note down. "I haven't seen you like this since father said we're having a masquerade." 

"What do you mean?" I ask flatly, attempting to skim a text. Unable to focus, I flip over and look up at Charlotte. I have all of the break to study, anyway. 

"Well, you're smiling slightly, and I just feel it." She lightly taps her head with a finger as if to enunciate our twin telepathy skills- which are mostly nonexistent but we like to imagine. I finger my lower face and find the corners of my mouth slightly lifted. Promptly, I turn them down again. "So spill," 

I hesitate at first, but I know that sooner or later she'll figure it out. Charlotte just knows me too well. "Don't laugh at me," I warn her, flashing a pointed look. She holds her hands up in defense, already smiling. "Well at lunch I was in the restroom because I needed to clear my head-" 

"Ah, so that's where you were, I was looking for you." She interrupts, nodding, she knows about my tendencies to escape. Today was a better day, and I was able to control my breathing enough to stop my world from spiraling out of hands. 

I ignore her. "And this one boy spilled something pungent as hell, and later another boy came back to clean it up. And goodness, he had the best voice I've ever heard- he started singing that song mother would always sing and I joined him." He sang like an angel, his voice soft and lyrically soprano. 

"Hold on, you sang along to a stranger in a bathroom? Did you even see him? And why was he cleaning after someone?" 

"Tch tch, so many questions. I couldn't help but sing along- it was just like our mother was there for a second." Sometimes I miss her so much and I'd do anything for her to come back, but other times I wonder about her shiny new life, the life she achieved after leaving us behind.

Charlotte tips off her arm and rests her head on my shoulder, urging me to continue. "He didn't see me, and I didn't see him either- I was hiding in the stalls. I'm not sure why he was cleaning up, but I know he was a student. Someone so precious shouldn't be on the floors scrubbing after someone else." I sit up straight, knocking over Charlotte and suddenly angry at the events. He shouldn't be scrubbing the floors after someone else.

"And...? What happened next? Don't tell me you guys just left it at that." 

"We didn't, I asked and found out he might be coming to our birthday this upcoming Monday. Well not explicitly so, I didn't tell him it was our birthday." My voice trails off, and I feel a warm happy glow spread throughout my body. I realise that this is the first time I've truly been excited about the masquerade. 

It's kind of foolish, now that I think about it. That I would meet the very same person amongst the hundreds of masked students that will be at our main events room this weekend. And even if we did meet, what would happen then? Just because he has a beautiful voice doesn't mean he can't be a drug dealer or something.

Three loud knocks come from outside the door, followed by the sound of rustling papers. Charlotte and I shoot each other worried looks, wondering if the person outside my bedroom door heard anything. 

"Chandler, Charlotte, the maid delivered these to me and I got up here as quickly as I could." Our shoulders relax, Domie would never eavesdrop on us. "I have letters from the colleges you applied to. May I come in?" 

"Please do," Charlotte responds, her eyes glittering. Domie lets himself in. The letters in his hands would determine our future, everything we've worked so hard for thus far. Both of us had applied for Stanford in California- approximately 1,468 miles away. In addition to some Ivies, Charlotte applied to MIT to pursue technology. We both applied to some safety schools just in case we all get rejection letters. The truth is I'm still not sure what I want to major in, how I'll an impact on the world. The only thing I know is that I will never do business like my father.