Chapter Ninety One
Leif Duke handed his test in and returned to his seat. Next to him, his identical twin brother Logan was still scribbling away, frowning in concentration. On his other side, his cousin Miles, who looked enough like him to be a triplet, was immersed in his book since he had finished his test a few minutes before. Behind Miles was his own twin sister, Mabon, also already done with her test and doodling in a notebook, her chin propped up on her hand, her long, sandy blond waves obscuring her face. Throughout the room was the scratching of pens and pencils.
Pulling out his notebook, he began to doodle as well; he didn’t have a book to read, and cell phones weren’t allowed. Tonight, he had promised his parents he and Logan would work on college applications. Since their older sister Aralyn had deferred college for a year and a half, his parents were anxious to get the twins started on the college path.
Leif wasn't sure he wanted to go to college. And he knew that wouldn’t go over well with his parents. He wanted to act. He and his brother had been in numerous plays, and Leif wanted to go for the movies. Sure, he knew it was hard, he had read all the stories about struggling actors and the overwhelming amount that never made it. And he didn't think studying theatre in college would really help.
Los Angles was the place to be for movies, unless they wanted to try for Broadway, Leif knew that much. But Bo and Trixie wouldn’t go for the twins moving to LA, unless they were in college out there, and they certainly wouldn’t pay for the twins to be out there, working. College was going to be expensive enough, and out of state tuition fees in California were ridiculous. But Julliard was here in New York, top notch for the arts. The twins had already auditioned over the summer for Julliard, and were waiting to hear about acceptance. But even that wouldn’t be all acting, Leif knew. It would still involve boring classes.
Maybe he should call his sister Aralyn and find out exactly how she finagled their parents into allowing that that cross-country drive and time off from school.
His twin and cousin finished their tests right as the bell rang and the seniors drifted towards their next class. The majority of their classes were together, it was unavoidable. The school wasn’t overly large and so many Belden-Dukes had passed through here, they were always seeing each other in the halls. Except now the twins and their twin cousins were seniors, and had expected to be the last. Their younger cousin Byron Frayne had started here this fall, to everyone’s surprise. He was driven every morning by Langley, the family au pair/housekeeper, and picked up every afternoon.
Taking their seats in the History/Government class, Leif had just pulled out his notebook when the door opened and a new student walked in. She doesn’t walk, Leif thought, perking up as he watched, she glides.
Handing a piece of paper to the teacher, the girl waited while Ms. Applegate read it.
"Welcome, dear. There’s an empty desk near the Duke boys. Leif," Ms. Applegate said.
Leif waved the new girl over; aware everyone was watching her. The boys with interest, the girls with that snotty look girls got when scoping out competition.
Leif guessed the new girl was tall, maybe five nine, a little shorter than him. Shoulder length, dark purple colored hair with tight curls wilder than his own, and big, pale, pale brown eyes. Amber colored, he thought with interest, probably enhanced by the purple hair. She’s built like Aralyn, he thought, wearing low rise jeans, combat boots and a black leather jacket that she shrugged off over the back of her chair, revealing a clingy, dark green short sleeved shirt that had been layered over a white one. Got that milky white skin, he thought, yep, even a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks. Almost Irish looking from the skin, I wonder if she’s a natural redhead. Definitely a nice mouth, he thought with appreciation, full, turned upright just a bit at the corners. She must really hate her hair to pick that grape color, he thought. She could lose the purple lipstick but she’s sure got a nice mouth. I’d definitely tap that.
A glance around the room told him a number of the boys agreed with the sentiment, and he recognized the look of jealousy on many of the girls faces. He had grown up with a dozen female cousins, he knew how to read them.
"Class this is Sarai Conant, please make her feel welcome today. Sarai, you’ll have to share a computer until I can get you one.”
“She can have mine, Ms. Applegate,” Leif said quickly. “I can share with Logan.”
“Thank you, Leif,” she nodded approvingly to the young man as he slid his chair over to his twin’s station. Sarai took his seat silently, giving him a tiny smile. Leif noticed the purple nail polish on her slender hands as she set her book bag on the floor. Her favorite color, maybe?
“Now, pop quiz time,” Ms. Applegate announced.
The class groaned. Leif sighed. Was every one on his teachers determined to give them a test today?
While trying to concentrate on the ins and out of the government, a gentle floral scent tickled his nose. Turning his head, he realized it was coming from the new girl, but her eyes were fastened firmly on the test and she was flying through the quiz with a look of grim determination. And Leif didn't miss the cold shoulder she was receiving from most of the girls. Pretty Girl Syndrome, he thought. Mabon had explained it to him a long time ago. They aren't even going to give her a chance.
Having gone to school with most of these girls, he knew their routines and cliques. And this girl had such a sense of loneliness to her that he was compelled to help. His cousin Mabon was popular and sweet, and likely to follow in the family tradition of being Homecoming Queen. If Mabon welcomed her, the others would too. Sarai certainly stood out in the school full of preppy, snotty students, especially with that purple hair.
Leif gave Sarai a welcoming smile the one time she glanced up at him, but she looked away and kept her eyes focused on her book. Leif knew she must be feeling overwhelmed. A new school and catty girls couldn’t be easy to deal with.
When the bell rang and everyone leapt up to dash from the room, he stepped over to her, signaling his brother and cousins.
"Hi, I'm Leif Duke. This is my brother Logan, and my cousins Miles and Mabon Belden."
The girl stared at the four, blue-eyed, curly headed blonde students, and Leif’s outstretched hand. Mabon’s curls were pulled into long waves by the weight of her hair but the three boys let their curls go wild.
"Hi," she finally said, shaking his hand. "Sure you're cousins and not quadruplets?"
Logan laughed. "Yeah. We're twins, and they’re twins. Their dad is our mother's brother. And they look like twins as well."
The girl nodded in understanding as Leif motioned her to walk with them.
"Where are you from?" he asked easily, ignoring the stares of other students as they walked.
"DC, most recently." She didn't look at the other students.
"What's your schedule? We'll get you to your next class."
Silently she handed it to him and he smiled.
"Your morning classes are all with us, and one of your afternoon classes is with me and Mabon. Stick close to us, we'll keep you on the right track."
Logan watched his twin with a bit of curiosity. Neither of them lacked for female attention, but he knew Leif generally was bored stupid by most of the girls they knew beyond the physical, other than a casual date here and there to the movies or a school dance. It was hard to be attracted to girls you had known since playing in the sandbox with. What is it about this one that has his attention? She’s pretty enough but there are lots of pretty girls in school. And her eyes are shielded, something Mom always said to look for and never trust, and she’s obviously nervous. She’s ready to bolt at any moment. Of course, he thought with a smirk, being surrounded by four of the Belden-Duke cousins makes everyone nervous.
By lunchtime word moved through the senior class that the strange new girl had been taken into the Belden-Duke clan, which meant the icy greetings thawed. Most of the girls pined to date one of the boys, and more than a few boys had their eye on pretty Mabon.
Sarai joined them for lunch as well, quietly and reluctantly answering questions about herself. An Army brat, she had moved around a lot, having been born in Wales and raised in London. Her father had been Hebrew and American descent, her mother Welsh, and she rarely spent more than year in any place. She had just turned eighteen the week before, and her mother’s most recent base transfer to Ft. Hamilton in Brooklyn landed them here.
Leif was grateful to his cousin Mabon’s outgoing demeanor and ability to put people at ease. Sarai responded to her questions more easily than his or Logan’s. He wished his twin would stop staring at her. At one point Leif kicked his twin under the table and frowned at him. Logan smirked and looked away from the new girl.
Leif waved over a slender young man with short black hair and dark, almost black eyes, who clearly several years younger. He walked with attitude, and was scowling.
"This is our cousin Byron," Leif made quick work of the introductions. "You wanna join us?"
"No, my friends are waiting," the boy spoke softly.
Leif knew how shy his cousin was, and following in the footsteps of so many cousins, who had all excelled at a sport or academic was rough. He tried to smooth it out for the boy by talking to him in the hall or at lunch, letting people know the dark haired and sullen boy was a part of their family, even though his last name wasn’t Duke, Belden or Mangan. Thanks to his sister and older cousins, their clan carried a fair amount of prestige among the students. Many of his fellow students were the younger siblings of his cousins friends.
"How many more of you are there?" Sarai finally asked, still amazed at how many people said hello to the cousins when they had taken a table.
Logan snorted. "Loads."
"A lot,” Leif replied with a smile. “You'll get a headache if we try to explain it. Logan and I are numbers two and three of four, and Matt and Mabon are numbers three and four of four. Plus, there are other cousins already graduated, and Byron there has two younger siblings."
"Are you Mormon or Catholic?" she asked, which caused them to laugh. She blanched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend—”
"No, it’s okay. Twins run in our family, and all our parents wanted big families. Our dad was an orphan, as well as his two cousins, plus Dan, Byron's dad Jim—" Logan was ticking them off on his fingers.
"Regan, our grandmother on mom's side—" Miles continued.
"A lot," Leif interrupted. "So, family's kind of big deal for us."
"What's the girl to boy ratio?" Sarai asked.
"Six to ten," Mabon sighed dramatically, "so we got outnumbered. No, it's seven, with Natala."
"Trust me, those seven are like having twenty," Logan rolled his eyes. "Especially with our older sister, Aralyn. She might as well have been three by herself. "
"Dad claims his gray hairs are from her," Leif added.
Sarai smiled at Leif, marveling at the family dynamic, but her eyes were sad.
"Trust me, our family life would make a great book," Miles stretched his arms.
Sarai noticed several girls at the next table admiring him. His hoodie was draped over the back of his seat, and his t-shirt hugged a well-cared for chest. He was a bit sturdier than his cousins, who were both lean and all three in good shape.
"They sound interesting." She took a sip of her soda.
"That's one way to put it," Mabon giggled, batting her china blue eyes at a boy at another table. He promptly dropped his soda. Mabon snorted in amusement. “Predictable,” she muttered, picking up her sandwich.
The one class Sarai didn't have with the cousins was Physics, her favorite. More of the students had warmed to her, saying hello or nodding. A few still ignored her but Sarai didn't care. It had become apparent the Belden-Dukes, as they called themselves, were popular and friendly. Not to mention good looking. She had wanted to stay out of the spotlight, and try to blend in, but it felt good to be accepted so quickly by the popular kids. And they all seemed genuinely nice.
The twins were right at six feet, she figured, Miles maybe an inch shorter but his curly, sandy hair made up the difference. Mabon was just a bit shorter than Miles. All four had bright blue eyes and curly, sandy blond hair. Where Miles was sturdy, Mabon was curvy, the twins lean. She'd be interested to see the rest of the family. Sarai wondered if the rest were blonde. Genetics was her passion, and with such a large family, surely there would be some interesting gene patterns.
Leif’s smile was easy going with a decided sexy hint to it, she thought as she glanced at the periodic table, even though she had it memorized. Logan was friendly, and she was surprised neither seemed to have a girlfriend, nor Miles. Mabon was very popular; people were always saying hello. The cousins joked with each other, pulled each other’s hair in affection, and she could tell Leif was the leader of the boys, but she sensed no one told Mabon what to do. It was in the way Leif had brought his cousin Byron over, to include him. Leif looked out for the others, she noted with admiration.
There was a pop quiz that class as well, but Sarai eagerly flew through it.
The class went by quickly, and she was disappointed when it ended. Several boys had introduced themselves to her, and a couple of girls had approached haltingly. Trying to be friendly, Sarai greeted them and then went on her way after someone told her where her next class was. It was easier hiding, keeping her head down but her purple hair definitely made her stand out, she had realized too late. She should have gone for dark brown to blend in better.
The cousins were already in English, and Leif waved her over to an empty desk next to him, moving his backpack off of it. Clearly, he had saved it for her.
"How'd Physics go?" he asked.
"Good," she smiled at him, feeling warm for the first time that day.
At the final bell of the day rang, Leif turned to her and asked how she was getting home.
"Oh, I was uh, going to take the bus," she answered.
Leif caught the wince in her tone. "Where do you live?"
"Rose Hill neighborhood."
"You're right around the corner from us. I can take you home."
"Oh no, I don't want to—"
"It's no trouble," the older twin smiled at her. "You're literally within walking distance to our place. Besides, the bus sucks."
Sarai laughed for the first time that day. "Yes, it does. I don't like crowds."
"No wonder you looked so spooked in the hallways," he murmured. "Let me give you a ride home. I promise I’m not a seral killer. My mom is a P.I. and my dad is a federal law enforcement. You will be safe." He gave a theatrical bow, making her laugh as Logan rolled his eyes.
"All right," she agreed.
Leif helped her find her locker, which was in the same hallway as his, and surprised her by handing her a motorcycle helmet.
"Always keep a spare," he grinned.
"You ride a motorcycle?" she asked.
"Yeah, after our sister finagled her way into one, we decided they were way cooler than cars," Logan grinned.
"And cheaper," Leif laughed. "C'mon. It’s our neighborhood too, so you’re likely just a couple streets over.”
The bikes were beautiful, she thought. Leif’s was emerald green, her favorite color, while Logan had gone for all black. Sleek, she thought, slipping the helmet on. Straddling the bike behind Leif, she hesitantly held onto his jacket, but he shook his head, and with a smile over his shoulder, reached back and securely wrapped her arms around his waist.
Winking at his twin, Leif slid his helmet on and started the engine.
Cliche, she thought, enjoying leaning against his back, but fun. The twins drove well together, keeping time to the other's movements.
She was sorry when the ride neared to an end, and she pointed to her house. The twins pulled into the driveway and waited while she stepped off. Leif pulled his helmet off, blue eyes sparkling at her.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," she smiled at him.
"Anytime. Want me to pick you up tomorrow?"
"Oh no—"
"It's no trouble," he repeated. "We're three streets over. Walking distance," he grinned.
"I—"
"Tell you what, I'll pick you up at seven-ten. If you really change your mind and want to ride the bus," he grabbed her hand and pulled a pen from his inside jacket pocket and wrote on her hand, "there's my number."
With another wink to her, he slipped the helmet back on and the twins backed out of the driveway.
Stunned, Sarai watched them for a minute before walking to her front door.
"Wanna tell me why you're playing Sir Galahad?" Logan asked through the radio in the helmet.
"She looked so lonely and scared this morning. I mean come on, a girl looks like that and walks into a new school? You saw those girls freeze her out."
"You gonna ask her out?"
"Maybe. She's interesting, that's for sure," Leif replied.
"You always were a sucker for a hurt animal, big brother," Logan laughed.
"Yeah, well, when they've got eyes like hers, who wouldn't be?"
"Or hips," Logan muttered as his brother laughed. Something about the girl bothered him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
Author’s Notes
- A huge yee-haa to the fabulous and lovely Ronda, for editing!
- Word Count, 3,132
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