king

As hard as it was, sobriety was something Paige found necessary for the moment. Not for her, though–for Pascal. She knew her twin felt the pain she carried with her that was left from their parents neglect, and she felt guilty that he had to share it. She loved him, more than anything and anyone, and he had to know that.

So cutting the cocaine out of her daily routine was the first step of business. Then she’d made it her responsibility to get all of his favorites–favorite movie, favorite cologne, favorite snacks, favorite music, favorite novels–and compile them into one box with a short yet sweet hand written note on top.

Letting herself into his room on the night of Christmas Eve, she dropped the box on the ground gently before running straight for him. “Hey, Pasc.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck, her face buried in his hair. No matter what, they would always have each other. And even though the last few months had separated the two of them, he was still her other half. He was still the only one able to bring a genuine smile to her lips without doing anything.

@pascal-andean

Never before in his life had Pascal experienced such a deep feeling of loneliness, and it terrified him more than anything else could. Even before birth he’d been close to Paige, his twin sister and his other half. At the tender age of just a few hours hold they’d been placed in the same cot, and they’d never been separated since. His sister stood for everything good in Pascal’s world; All the warmth, kindness and joy. She was his rock, the thing that kept him strong during days on which he felt like breaking down. 

The days, weeks and months after the Halloween nightmare were the loneliest and most difficult of his life. 

He’d stopped eating properly, stopped leaving his room unless he had a class to attend. Even when surrounded by people he never spoke, the usual self-confidence missing from his stride. In his heart he felt the pain Paige had experienced, the horror she’d been subjected to. But he hadn’t been strong enough to protect her, and the fear that E would use her to get to him was strong enough to keep him away. 

He expected Christmas to be as lonesome and cold as the past few weeks had been, curled up on his bed with a book in his lap. He hadn’t spoken to his roommate since Halloween either, the atmosphere between the two boys tense and unwelcoming. Leo had disappeared off somewhere after waking up and Pascal was left alone in their room, alternating between reading and staring out the window to watch a group of students enjoy a snowball fight in the gardens below. He didn’t realise the door had opened until he hear the thud of something hitting the ground, and a second later he felt Paige’s arms around him, the familiar weight of her hugging onto him tearing him from his dreams. 

Dropping the book, Pascal immediately wrapped his arms around his sister, holding her close with the intent of never letting go again. 

Upon hearing the word no, Harlow blinked a few times. It took a few seconds to realise what he had said, and in all honesty it left her speechless for once. She stared at him as he sat next to her, trying to hide the shock that had flashed across her features.  “Pascal.. of course E just wants to mess with you, she’s messing with all of us.. I..” cutting herself off, she shook her head. Hearing that he was scared, Harlow’s expression softened. She understood what it was like to be scared, especially when it came to family.  “I understand that.. but I’m not asking you just because I picked someone at random. She named you. She told me to get you to help and if you don’t help me she’s going to tell Kace we spiked the punch-” rolling her lips inwards she paused. “I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal but Kace.. he wasn’t okay with it, he despises the person who did it and I care about him too much to let some anonymous bitch to put a wedge between us. I know this is asking a lot, but I need you to help me with this.. please.” 

Nonplussed, Pascal raised an eyebrow. He thought he might someday get used to being taken advantage of - be it for money, recognition or someone to push the blame on, but hearing the words come from Harlow’s mouth was a blow even he struggled to stomach. Kace, whoever he was, would always outrank Pascal, simply because Pascal always remained the second, less important choice. 

“Do you even know what happened to Paige?” He wasn’t sure anyone knew the full extent of what had happened to his sister, besides Adrien, someone whose mere existence Pascal liked to pretend didn’t exist. “I don’t know why your boyfriend is so angry at someone spiking the punch. Even without E, it was bound to happen. This is a school, after all. But I’m done being a pawn.”

He could feel himself start to get angry, the unpleasant feeling all too familiar. He’d promised himself in the dead of night that he’d change, that he’d become a better and more likeable person. That he would no longer allow his rage to control him. What a miserable time to fall back on his promise. 

Pascal stood up, sliding his hands back into the pockets of his jacket. “You can’t expect me to risk everything for the sake of a boy I neither know, nor care for. Have a good night, Harlow. I hope you find someone else willing to assist you.”

Hearing Pascal’s voice, Harlow looked up slowly, a small but almost sad smile pulling at her lips. “Hey,” she replied. “I got a text from E.” she said instantly, not wasting any time beating around the bush. “She wants us to vandalise Headmistress Patterson’s office.. you in?”  Harlow wasn’t too upset with the task, it was more the threat behind it. Messing up an office was going to be easy, and with Pascal by her side she knew it’d probably be fun, as long as neither of them got caught, and considering he was here she was assuming, and seriously hoping, he would agree. “Her suite backs on to her office so we can’t do it while she’s asleep because she’ll hear us, but she’s actually at a staff meeting in the mess hall tonight. We have to get in and out and back to our dorms before she gets back because once she does all hell is going to break loose and she’ll probably call an emergency assembly.. she’s also got cameras in there so we need some sort of mask..”

Under different, less dangerous circumstances, Pascal might have immediately agreed to her proposition. A little fun never went amiss; Anything to brighten up the dull routine of school-work-bed was a welcome thing in his books. Until his sister almost died, E tried to murder half the student body and some nights he couldn’t stop throwing up - wishing he’d choked on the words he’d yelled at Leo. But no matter how hard he scrubbed, it seemed he’d never be able to rid himself of the guilt. 

“No. I can’t, Har. I’m sorry. Not if E’s involved again.”

He took a seat on the bleachers beside her, sliding his hands deep into his pockets. His self-assured, positive shell was crumbling and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep it up. 

“I haven’t.. I haven’t spoken to Paige since then. What if E just wants to mess with me? What if I dragged her into this mess, and what if she’s better off without me in her life? Everyone would be better off without me in their lives.”

The self-pity tasted foul in his mouth but he couldn’t hold it back any longer, a heavy weight lifting off his chest and dissipating in the cold winter air alongside his breath. 

“I’m scared. I don’t want to give E any more ammunition than they already have. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with this.”

Waiting for seven o’clock was like waiting for paint to dry. Harlow had been anxious and on edge all day. She felt like she was on a time restraint.. like every second that passed was another second closer to Kace finding out what she had done. 

As she walked towards the ovals in the dark, she couldn’t help but remember how much he had freaked out when he’d caught her out in the dark the other night and she couldn’t help but wonder if he would still care that much if he knew.. shaking off the thought as best she could, Harlow quickened her pace a little. She had a job to do tonight, and she was going to do it with a clear head.  Finally reaching the bleachers, Harlow took a seat while she waited for Pascal to show up. She was confident he would after she had helped him recently, but she still felt bad that E was dragging him into yet another problem.  @pascal-andean

Pascal liked Harlow. He liked spending time with her, and spiking the punch together had been fun - despite the disastrous outcome. He didn’t spare her text message a second thought after reading it, and come seven, he was en route to the oval bleachers with a torch in hand. 

“Harlow?” 

The winter evenings in Scotland were cold and dark and Pascal wrapped himself further in the thick jacket he’d grabbed on his way from the gym, the beam of the torch travelling across the bleachers before falling upon her hunched up figure. 

Keeping the beam trained on her, he started to climb the stairs, absentmindedly watching the way his breath curled and twisted through the cold winter air. 

“Hey. What’s so important it can’t be discussed inside, where it’s warm?”

“Oh, here and there. Austrailia mostly.” She answered honestly but with a cheeky grin on her lips, making it seem as if it might have been a joke. She was open about most things but the things that happened in Austrailia made her uncomfortable and she just wanted to forget most of it… Even though she did so love Aussie. “Oh, so a zombie figherfoghter crown bearer who also hands out party favours to strangers? What else do you have stashed in those poockets, do tell.” 

She let him lead her through the crowd of people, trying not to bump into anyone herself. They all seemed very cheery and not too bothered about hitting her arm with theirs but she didn’t get into any trouble. “I’m planning on it, it does sound very delicious.” Adam paused to look up at Pasc, her brows furrowing. “I am curious though, what did you expect as a thank you?” 

“Australia, huh? I’ve been there. It’s nice. A bit too hot.” Hastily shrugging off the memories of a very disastrous family trip, he released her arm as they reached the drinks table. With skilled and nimble hands, Pascal filled up a cup with dark red liquid, handing it over to Fallon. 

“What do I expect? Nothing. I make it a habit never to expect anything from anyone, that’s how I save myself disappointment, when it inevitably happens. Don’t worry, you don’t have to give me anything. Your mere company is rewarding enough.” He refilled his own cup a few moments later, chewing on one of the floating apple pieces. 

“You really want to know what I have in my pockets? I’d love to tell you, but I’m afraid that’s classified. Secret of the trade, you know. I can’t just go around giving my crown making manual to anyone. I’d be out of a job in days.”

The crown making business seemed like a wonderful niche, probably something that people actually made a lot of money from on etsy or ebay. “Follow your dreams, good sir.” Her lips were grinning with her permission, she thought this boy was nice. She was glad the people here were as friendly as she’d remembered. 

“I didn’t technically hear it… Your cup smells like alochol and you’re a little wobbly.” At first she thought he might have just been clumsy, but the faint aroma of some kind of spirit had hit her when he’d picked up his cup again. She’d smelt it before but hadn’t conected the dots. “If it isn’t the punch then it’s your personal stash. It’d be rude to deny a princess of her desires.”She was aware of how openly she was flirtng and only hoped that he wouldn’t take it the wrong way or be offended. When he agreed she let her teeth rake over her bottom lip before a smile broke out and she stood, too soberly, and reached for his am. “That’s a good idea, I wouldn’t want to lose my crown bearer.” 

“Not just a pretty face, but also a skilled Detective. Where have you been hiding all these years?” Shrugging sheepishly, he stepped a little closer towards her after she took his arm. “Fair enough. It isn’t my personal stash, but I was one of the people goodnatured enough to dish out cash and make sure the whole school has a good time. Feel free to thank me any time.”

Stepping away from the wall, he tired to bump into as few people as possible as they weaved their way through the crowd. Whatever Katie had decided to pour into the bowl was strong enough to make even him, a seasoned drinker, unsteady on his feet. “No no no, that’d be an absolute tragedy. Mhm, you should definitely try the punch. It’s exquisite.”

Adam shook her head at his question and started to laugh again as he played the part of the horrified teenager. “No, I guess I haven’t lived yet. Do demons even really live?” It was a valid question despite her sarcasm and their mutual joking. As he ventured into the crowd, she sat with her herself, considering the idea of getting her own cup of punch. He seemed pretty jolly, as did everyone here, she figured that someone had spiked it… it just made her want it more. 

“Six cups? Should I be worried about that number?” Her eyes followed the stack as he held them and began working, sticking them together in a makeshift circle form. It didn’t seem so bad. His intoxication didn’t seem to be hindering his all that much. “Oh, it does fit!” She exclaimed a little too excitedly as she adjusted the crown a little. “You’re pretty good at this, sir.” she paused for a moment before changing the subject, her curiosity about the punch taking over. “Now… do your skills extend to showing ladie’s to the punch table? I hear it’s got a little something extra in it.”  

“Oh no, don’t be worried. The more cups it takes, the bigger your head. The bigger your head, the bigger your brain. You see where I’m going with this.” Stepping back to admire his handiwork, he offered her a slightly drunken lopsided grin. “Fits perfectly. Man, I should go into the crown making business.”

Abandoning the rest of the cups and the sellotape on a nearby table, he reached out to pick up his own empty cup. “A little extra? Now, where on earth did you hear that?” In his defence, it had been Katie’s idea to spike the bowl. He hadn’t seen just how much she’d poured into it, being preoccupied with distracting the on-site teacher, but it was certainly enough to get most of the attending kids mildly intoxicated. “I have many skills, and showing ladies to the punch table is definitely one of them.” Made bold by the alcohol in his system, he offered her his arm to hold onto. “Just so you don’t get lost in the crowd.”

“Ohh, excuse me, zombie firefighter.” She couldn’t help but laugh, letting her head drop a little to hide it. She didn’t want to give him too much credit for being funny, sometimes it was fun to make them work for it. “No, it would be a super bad idea to give people nightmares. Especially on Halloween.” As her eyes returned to him so did her laugh, which she didn’t bother trying to conceal this time. His offer to make her a crown definitely sparked her interest. “Oh you can? Is it bad that I really wanna see what a plastic crown cup would look like…?” She’d never heard of something like that. The closet she’d seen was at a chouse party back in the Us where one of the stupid jock guys put a red solo cup on his head and called himself the king od the beers… his nickname was already Bud, so it fit. “Okay, how many cups do you need? We can get the jackets if your cup crown works.”

“You’ve never seen a plastic cup crown? Blasphemy. You haven’t lived.” Feeling the sudden urge to be overdramatic, Pascal clutched his chest, feigning deep horror. “Don’t worry, Demon Princess. I just so happen to be the Zombie Firefighter King of plastic cup crowns. All I need is.. One second.” Setting down his empty cup, he vanished into the massive crowd trudging around the haunted house. With a great big goofy smile on his lips, he realised Katie and he might have gone a little overboard with the spiking of the punch. 

Returning to Fallon’s side a moment later, he held up a stack of clean plastic cups and a roll of sellotape. “Let’s see.. I’m no expert, but I reckon your head is about.. six cups wide? Give or take.” Getting down to it, he made quick work of sticking the cups together in a circle-like shape, eventually setting the deformed looking crown upon her head. “A perfect fit. You look stunning.”

fallon-adams:

pascal-andean:

He was right, it was pretty fun to see everyone trying so hard and working as a team on something. This school wasn’t bad, she’d mainly come back for Claire but had actually been excited to be here again. The teachers were good and it got great results every year. 

A smile appeared at his guess as she shook her head. “No, but that would have looked awesome. I’m a demon princess. But I couldn’t find a crown so last minute.” She looked down at her own costume, still happy with it. Even if no one else was. Her eyes made their way back up to him, skimming over his outfit before she spoke again “I’m guessing you’re a firefighter. Not very scary.” 

“Hey, I’m a zombie firefighter. I wanted to add the whole fake blood effect, but the kitchens were out of Ketchup. Guess I’m a vegan zombie firefighter. Sticking to the healthy life-style. Besides, I didn’t want to go around giving people nightmares and stuff.”

He took his time examining her own costume, inclining his head a little. “Demon princess, huh? I like it. You definitely have that don’t mess with me thing going on. Very spooky. Too bad you’re missing a crown.. I can make you one, if you want. A recycled crown made out of paper cups. Look at us. A vegan zombie and the demon princess of recycling. I’m liking this whole The Environmentally Aware Undead movement. We should get jackets.”

fallon-adams:

“Well, this is… new.” Adam turned to the person beside her. She hadn’t been to a haunted house hosted by a school before, it wasn’t frightening which was disappointing, but at least it was entertaining. She’d invited herself down to the events having no one else to go with yet. Sure she knew a few people here but knowing that she was going to have to stay here for the next few years made her a little nervous about being so confident. She was usually unapologetic because she knew she could move on and probably never see her fellow students again, that was starting to change a little now. “I guess it’s nice they’re trying though, right?” 

“Not living up to your expectations? I don’t blame you. I’ve been to family Christmas dinners scarier than this place. But still, it’s all good fun.” 

Leaning back against the wall, Pascal reached down to undo the high-vis jacket he’d donned as a part of his firefighter costume. Paige had practically threatened him into dressing up and he’d complied, albeit grudgingly, to let her choose a costume. He still all too vividly remembered the year she’d stuffed him into Where’s Wally? jumper. Compared to the itch of the fleece, being a firefighter wasn’t all that bad. 

He raised his glass of (spiked) punch to his lips, getting more comfortable against the wall. “What you supposed to be, then? A sexy Legolas?”

“Let’s see if you can pick up on this and figure it out for yourself. If I’m clean and constantly protected against STDs and I actually take the liberty to make sure I’m good, how can there be a trail of STDs?” he questioned with a swift laugh. It was true; he was a hoe, but a smart and safe hoe. Adrian raised his brows, completely amused at this point. “If I were you, Pascal, I’d watch what I say. Remember… your sister was a part of the endless list of girls I’ve bedded.” He had to keep himself from saying more, as well as withhold a cackle. Whatever game the other male was playing currently had both he and his sister borderline in the way of an oncoming bus in which Adrian theoretically drove. “Pick a wiser argument, Andean clone. You’re looking pretty stupid at this point.”

“It must really pain you to take a jab at calling me anything less than smart when you know I’m quite up there in the academic ranks. But good try; your effort in attempting to do so is duly noted.” He was actually quite proud of not following the alleged lines of being a jock. It made him feel that much more powerful and he felt like his out-of-syllabus reading came in handy a lot which was why Adrian had to remain on his side of the room. Adrenaline was ready to kick in if needed. “Careful again,” he warned. “You’re calling your sister a moron… Who’s side are you on? Mine or your sister’s?” Adrian applauded mockingly. “Wow. What a good insult. Might actually bring a tear to my eye.” 

It was a rule that he never hit first, having been taught only to retaliate. 

“You’re wasting my time. I’ve got to go,” Adrian commented in a bored voice, making his way towards the door, guard up and ready to attack if need be. “Nice talking with you, Chameleon.”

No matter how many times he mentally reprimanded himself to stay calm and not take the bait, Pascal could feel himself get more and more irritated by the second. How could one boy, arrogant and foolish, be so absolutely obnoxious? It made him sick to the stomach - the fact that Paige had actually cared about Adrian becoming almost laughable. “Sleeping with you is something she regrets more than you could ever know, trust me. You repulse her, and most other people in this school. You can insult me all you want, call me all the names in the world. It won’t change just how utterly disgusting you are.”

“I’m on my sister’s side, of course. I always will be. And that’s where you lose. You’ll be alone your entire life. No friends, certainly no family. I don’t think any woman is desperate enough to stick around someone as arrogant as you. They say loneliness makes people go mad.. I don’t envy you. You’re in for an utterly miserable existence. I suggest you make the most of your time here.” Shrugging, he stepped to the side to let Adrian pass, gesturing towards the door with his head.

“I wish I could say the same about you, but it wasn’t at all a pleasure. I feel sorry for you Cipriani. High School isn’t going to last forever, and once we graduate.. Well, I have a life to go back to. Who knows. Maybe you’ll be working as my janitor some day. But let’s not get overambitious.”