Masquerade

Chapter Five

I creep back into the bakery, closing the front door softly and praying it won't squeak like always. Thankfully, I'm lucky this time, so I'll probably be able to get to my room undetected.

"Ah, there you are."

Well, there goes that idea. The deep voice makes me stumble, almost tripping over a barrel of apples. I look up, hoping it's not my father. I'll never see the light of day if he discovers I went out at night.

Once I've gathered my composure, I look up to see that it's not him. However, it is my brother, which could be just as bad if he decides to tell on me.

Kendry looks over at me and cocks an eyebrow, taking a short break from kneading dough. I'm not sure why he's doing a chore so late at night, but then again I can't judge him. I was up late as well.

"Rough night of sleep?" I ask casually, hoping to divert his attention from me and my past whereabouts.

"No." He leaves it there, choosing not to elaborate. He does that often, causing many of our conversations to be quite confusing. I still wouldn't change a thing about him, though.

I'm suddenly very aware of how hot and suffocating the room is. Maybe it's due to my nerves, but I feel the urgent need to take my mask off.

"I've heard women's cheeks get rosy when they've just met with a beau. Is that where you've been?" Kendry blurts, staring me down.

My eyes widen. That's a bold statement – especially for Kendry.

"Er...yes!" I say quickly, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as I try to come up with a convincing explanation. I don't want Kendry to think I'm sneaking out to see a man, but it's better than him knowing about what I'm actually doing. "I...met a man at the ball."

"No you didn't."

"Whatever do you mean?" I gape, surprised at how quickly he denied it. I mean, my response may have been a little lackluster, but I was hoping he'd at least consider it.

Kendry shrugs and turns his attention back to the dough. "I know you, Fawn, and I don't doubt that you met someone at the ball. But you would never sneak out to see a man, especially at night. You would ask Mother and Father about him first, and even if they said yes you'd probably be too shy to continue the relationship."

I blink. He really does know me. He may not be my biological brother, but he may as well be with all the information he has compiled about me.

"Alright," I sigh, giving up. No one can outsmart Kendry. "I wasn't with a man. Well, I was, actually...but it's not what you think."

I walk further into the kitchen and take my place next to him, grabbing a chunk of dough and beginning to knead it so my hands are kept busy. I need to put my energy into something, or my nerves will get the best of me.

I tell Kendry everything, all the way from the ball to being told about my adoption to making the deal with Jac. The whole time, I'm keeping my fingers crossed in between kneading, hoping it will somehow keep him from telling our parents.

Once I finish, a stale silence falls between us. Kendry stops kneading and looks down at the dough, thinking through everything I just told him.

"I'm going with you," he decides, finally lifting his gaze and looking at me steadily. "I may not be your biological brother, but I still want to take care of you. And I may not understand people well, but I know that there are evil people out there. I'm afraid this Jac you speak of is one of them, so I'm not leaving you two alone. I'm coming along."