Touch

4 - Harper

"Darling, this is Elliot."

My mother coughed, attempting to catch my attention. I glanced up from my book, folding the corner of the page.

"Mhmm?" My attention was waning.

"Elliot's going to be your partner. Do you remember? We discussed this?" Partner... Yeah I remember her saying something about that.

"Yeah... I remember... Vaguely." I hadn't moved from my pillow palace. I was surrounded by beanbags and books, as per usual. I lifted my head up and saw my mother standing in the doorway with a boy about my age. He had coal-black hair which contrasted against pale skin, with light grey eyes. He had been staring at me since I looked up, absorbing my details.

"You two are going to spend the next month together. We'll see where it goes from there." My mother was grinning from ear to ear.

"I... Selected him specially. You'll find out why soon enough. For now, get to know each other." She gave me a final smirk, then led Elliot into the room. She quietly slipped out afterwards.

"Umm... I'm Elliot. What's your name?" He seemed so awkward and shy. I suppose he'd been forced into this situation just like me. I started to giggle, which turned into a fully-fledged laughing fit. I couldn't help it, this was just too weird.

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is just so strange, and I can't help laughing! I'm sorry." I continued to laugh, and after about two minutes of staring at me like I was a lunatic, Elliot began to laugh as well.

I wiped my eyes as the laughter faded. Elliot had made his way a bit closer to my pillow palace, and was now sitting on the floor cross-legged. He looked at my numerous bookshelves, crammed with books, and smiled.

"So you like to read?" He asked. I chuckled internally.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. See anything you like?" He looked around a bit, then focused his gaze on the floor in front of him.

"I- there wasn't exactly much reading material around when I was growing up. I guess... What I'm trying to say is... I can't read." My eyes widened in shock. Someone who couldn't read?! How did he survive?! Teach me your secrets strange, un-privelaged man!

"I- I guess I could teach you. I mean, if you want me to?" He nodded vigorously, then smiled.

"And I can teach you something in return. Like friends." We both grinned when he said that.

I gestured for him to come closer. He stood up and walked right up to me, then sunk into the beanbags.

"Step 1: learn how to sit on a beanbag, partner. You need to shift it completely, then jump on it so that you don't sink too far down. It's a very complicated process." He laughed, then wiggled around, trying to get comfortable.

"Ok. I think I'm good." I laughed again as he fixed his hair, before grabbing the closest book.

"Ok, 26 letters. A,B,C..."

•••

"And that's the first page! Congratulations, you now know how to read, at least a little bit." We had been sitting there for what felt like minutes, but had been a couple of hours. It was now past midday, and the sun was shining through my window.

"So, now it's my turn to teach you something. Umm... Do you do... Sports or anything?" Elliot looked up at me from behind his fringe. He was such a dork. I hadn't realised it but, I was actually slightly taller than him.

"No, I've never actually been outside the estates. The four big households? This is one of them, and I kind of just travel between them in carriages and stuff. I don't really know what life is like out- outside." Now it was his turn to look surprised.