Curse of Rose de Winter

Chapter 9

The next day we all woke up without any deaths, not that there would be. I woke before Ruby.

Irene applied my make-up and a simpler dark purple dress that counted as half-mourning, and with my hair ironed straight again, I went downstairs.

Downstairs only Vaughn, Dylan, and Calvin were there. With a smile and greeting I asked if I should wake Ruby up.

"No, it's fine," Calvin said. "She prefers eating alone, or with me. You can join too, Blanche. She's taking a liking to you."

"I can kind of sympathize," I whispered. Vaughn looked at me but I didn't return his gaze.

And I really did. I thought of being the lesser sibling, never really going to school. The whispers of those girls, too, simply calling me retarded because I was dressed strange and looking up at the buildings without talking. Why were such words thrown around? Why was it a word to insult others?

But through my years living in the city, I had grown calmer. Cunning. My strength was that; I didn't care for people and thought of them as ants.

"It's different for us," Calvin said softly. "We can't be westerners, and yet we are not easterners. Isn't it lonely?"

"Is Claribel, I mean, Mrs.de Winter, like that too?"

"Our mom came from Hong Kong," Calvin explained. "Her real name is Kai Li Bai. It sounds like Claribel, but Bai was her surname. My Chinese name would be Kai, and Ruby's name is Ruyi."

"Ruyi. That's beautiful." It suited her, and somehow the topic of names made me sad. There was no greater lie than to lie about your name: it meant denying your identity.

"It's suits her. I can't write the characters, but the sound is so gentle, like her."

"Calvin, you're still overprotective of her and always talking about her." Dylan, who was reading the news, folded it nearly silently without our notice. He caught my face and looked at my outfit before giving a nod. "As always, too, you say too much before thinking."

"It's the sister we've been looking for for years, Dylan! I'm overjoyed to share things about us." Calvin was so easy to fool. "Now I thought of something more interesting, want to hear some things about Dylan, Blanche?"

Dylan frowned quickly. "No! Don't you dare, Calvin!"

"I'm only joking, Jesus!" He held his hands up in defeat.

"I'm surprised Ruby got along with you, Blanche, but I am very pleased for you," Dylan said, leaning back into his chair. He gestured subtlety at a certain seat so I sat there. I realized from now on I was sitting next to him, always across Ruby.

"Ruby is a very polite girl, not to mention her beauty."

"Nonsense," Calvin laughed, "she's got miles to go before catching up with you, Blanche. She's just young-looking, and she never eats enough to grow taller."

"Here we go again," Dylan sighed.

"Now, I thought they'd be arriving," Vaughn cut in quickly.

Without a moment's delay the adult entourage arrived together, as though they gathered in the hall to talk before coming. Austen was flustered as he sat down with an oomph.

"I'm embarrassed at how drunk I was! I pray I haven't said anything offensive," he said, sneaking a peek at me.

"No—" Dylan began, but Scarlett interjected.

"Oh, we were all a bit heated, of course, even me! But we did talk out our stress and that, as always, calms one down. You didn't take offense, did you, Blanche?" She smiled my way.