Masks

Chapter 2

Freedom:
Something many take for granted,
Something others long for.

~~~

"Into the shopping district? What for?"

"I have to go buy something." Violet answered. "I couldn't find it in my luggage, so I'm gonna be out to get one."

"Oh, okay, just make sure to be back before supper, it's getting late." Irene, one of the maids, reminded. Violet nodded, leaving the house.

The shopping district was nearly empty, but the lights from the windows of the shops still shone brightly onto the streets. Violet couldn't avoid looking at everything displayed, admiring all the things she'd never seen in Paris before. Almost forgetting why she came to the shopping district in the first place, she ran to the store before she could forget.

"Found it!" She cheered, picking up a stationery set. "I told Mr. and Mrs. Vallet I'd write back soon. I can't believe I even left the house without something to write on."

She was about to leave and pay when something else caught her attention. I guess this can be useful too...

~~~

Quinn woke up early the next morning. Sitting up on his bed, he looked around the dark room for his clock, which read 7:30am. Groaning, he fell back onto his bed to sleep. Not long after he dropped back onto his mattress, he was disturbed by a knock on the window from the house next door.

He was wide awake now. Taking his notebook and pen, he rushed to his desk and pulled up the blinds.

"Good morning," Violet wrote from her room. "Look what I got yesterday, this'll save a lot of trees."

Quinn nodded. "Getting a dry erase board was a great idea, I should probably go get one of my own."

"Yeah," she replied. "You were using that notebook before I came huh? I'm sorry you had to use it to talk to me."

"Don't worry about it, I haven't used it much in the first place. Plus, I already like talking to you more than doing summer homework."

"Summer homework?" She asked. "Does the school you go to assign students that?"

"Oh, no, my parents are making me finish it over the summer. I take A.P. classes at school, so they want me to make sure I'm on top of my work, even in the summer."

"Must be harsh," she replied. "Well, I don't want to disturb you. Maybe we can talk again when you get yourself a dry erase board, so you don't have to keep using that notebook of yours."

They simply waved back to each other before leaving their windows. Quinn hid his notebook in his desk, but now couldn't fall back asleep. Violet on the other hand, made her bed, humming and smiling to herself.

~~~

"Miss Chatelain, you are exactly 73 seconds late to supper." Mrs. Waters scolded harshly. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior. Is there anything you'd like to say as to why you are late?"

"N-No, ma'am." Violet looked down. "I promise it will never happen again."

"She's only been here for a day." Mr. Waters said, having pity on Violet. "She's only a child. Don't expect her to do things perfectly."

"Violet being a child nor the fact that she only lived in this house for a day should not be an excuse for tardiness." Mrs. Waters snapped. "The rules of this household must be followed by everyone residing in it, including Violet."

Mr. Waters' eyes returned to Violet, silently apologizing. She allowed a small smile in reply, clearly knowing now who had the larger authority over the house. Sighing and looking down at her meal, not another word came from her mouth.

~~~

"What did you get that for?"

"I-I just needed it to help me remember what I had left to study." Quinn replied.

"After the calendar, planner, and like a billion sticky notes you already have?"

Quinn nodded anxiously. Ian eyed his older brother closely, Quinn avoiding his eyes. A knocking sound came from the other window, making him more nervous. He had tried to ignore it, but the sound repeated itself multiple times. Giving up, he raised his blinds and wrote something on his board.

"Could you wait a bit? I have something to deal with. It shouldn't take long."

Violet nodded, and Quinn dropped the blinds. Ian snickered behind him, looking at him evilly.

"You're gonna be so dead when Mother and Father find out." Ian smirked. "Moth—"

"You absolutely cannot tell Mother and Father." Quinn warned, covering Ian's mouth with his hand.

"Hmm, I'll think about it." Ian replied, still smirking. "Only if you do what I say."

Quinn huffed. "Alright. Just this once."

"Buy me ten chocolate bars. The expensive ones."

"... Fine."

Ian happily pumped his fist into the air and left Quinn alone. He sighed, pulling up the blinds again. Thankfully, Violet waited patiently for him to finish his conversation with his brother.

"Sorry, my brother was bothering me."

Violet laughed. "Siblings are a hassle after all, don't you think?"

"Tell me about it," he replied. "Having two isn't any better than one."

"Who are your siblings?" Violet asked.

"My younger brother Ian is twelve. The youngest is Keith, who's six."

"Must be interesting to live with them," Violet said. "I never had any siblings, so things were usually boring back home."

"Interesting? More like annoying," he sighed. "They never leave me alone. What about your family?"

Quinn couldn't see her face very clearly from his window. She replied:

"My mom was a nurse. She was home taking care of me when I was younger. My dad was a pianist, and he taught me how to play." She said. "But now, Mom works a lot of late shifts and Dad travels, so I didn't see them often."

"Must be lonely. My family almost never leaves me alone, it's kind of bothersome."

  Violet learned to control her emotions when talking about her family, but now, for some reason, tears were about to fall.

"At least you have one."