Chapter Two


    The decrepit school bus rolled to a stop and Lila clambered out, giving the driver a mumbled thanks as she pulled her backpack on her shoulders. Looking down at her phone, she began to head in the direction of the Gilded Estate. Lila passed by it every day on the school bus but had never had reason to walk through here. Several homes lined the street, separated by several metres of grassland. Most of these homes were lofty, almost mansion-like in appearance and gave off the impression of certain opulence.


    She drew closer to her destination, which looked to be the biggest house around. A basalt stone pathway lead up to mammoth oak front doors, two brass traditional door-knockers affixed to each door. There were no cars in sight, though Lila conceded that they may be in the garage to the far left of her. She did hope that they wouldn’t be alone.


    Lila double-checked that she was at the right place before taking a deep breath and using the knocker on the right-hand door.


    Almost instantly, the door opened and there stood Asher, already changed into wrinkled grey sweatpants and a dark grey t-shirt that looked a size too small for him, also wrinkled.


    “Hello,” he said simply, opening the door wider to allow Lila inside. “Welcome, I guess.”


    Lila nodded at him in acknowledgement and made to take off her shoes in the entryway.


    “Yeah, you can just pop them to the side there,” said Asher, pointing to a shoe rack on the left-hand side of the expansive hallway with marbled tiles. Mirrors lined the wall leading to the kitchen that Lila could see in the far-off distance. The ceiling was at least three metres in height, making the house appear both airy and cathedral-like. Though Lila’s family weren’t the definition of poor, her father having a semi-successful private investigation firm that allowed her family to send herself, her sister Clare and her brother Daniel to a private school, they were undoubtedly squarely within the educated upper-middle class. However, it looked to her like Asher’s family might be in the upper class – they appeared at least far wealthier than her own family.


    “So, um, where’s everyone else?” asked Lila awkwardly shifting her weight between her feet, trying not to look at herself in the mirror.


    “Dad’s still working at the hospital, he’ll be home late. The chef is preparing dinner. Mum is… not home.”


    “Oh,” Lila merely said. She followed Asher’s lead towards the kitchen. She could hear someone bustling in the butler’s pantry as they approached the huge, speckled-grey granite island bench.


    “Gabriel, my friend is here,” Asher called out. Lila quickly whipped her head around to look at Asher’s expression however he seemed to be pointedly looking elsewhere. A portly man in his mid-to-late-30s quickly burst out of the butler’s pantry and gave Lila a beaming smile.


    “Hello Lila,” he said cheerily. “Asher has told me a lot about you.”


    Asher jerked a hand to the back of his neck, still looking away from Lila and almost imperceptibly mumbling something under his breath. He shoved his other hand firmly in his pocket. Lila didn’t bother to ask him to repeat himself. She returned Gabriel’s smile and made to shake his hand but he quickly jumped back, raising both hands in the air away from Lila.


    “Sorry, I would but I’ve got meat juices all over these bad boys. I’d rather not subject you to that messiness.”


    “Oh,” replied Lila, “no worries at all. Enjoy your cooking.”


    Gabriel nodded, his smile returning. “I certainly will. I suspect, though, you’ll want to hurry along to the library before you get left behind.”


    He gave her a wink before heading back into the butler’s pantry. Lila hastily followed Asher, who was rapidly walking towards another set of doors which, when Asher threw them open, revealed a private library. Countless books lined the floor-to-ceiling shelves that covered three walls, the height of which matched the foyer Lila had crossed to get here. Rolling ladders were affixed to each of the three walls and several mahogany tables with matching cushioned chairs were scattered around the library, making the perfect reading and study tables. The only bare wall showcased an ornate latticed window, underneath which laid a daybed that was gently dappled by the afternoon sun. A skylight hung in the centre of the room, scattering a mosaic of light across the room. One table already had Asher’s backpack on it and he took a seat before pulling out his school-issued laptop, notebook and The Great Gatsby.


    Lila slowly made her way over, sliding her own backpack off her shoulders.


    “I just wanted to make a head start on this,” said Asher stiffly, typing what Lila presumed was his password into the laptop.


    “That sounds sensible,” replied Lila, pulling her own study materials out of her backpack.


    “I’ve already clarified with Ms Shard that we will be marked both individually and as a pair,” said Asher matter-of-factly, his eyes not lifting from his laptop screen. “And I’m not willing to sacrifice my grades for this, so you’ll need to put in a lot of work.”


    Lila’s eyes flashed in anger which quickly subsided after taking a deep breath. He was the Dux, after all, and while Lila’s grades were excellent in English, she wasn’t about to challenge him for the title.


    “That’s fine,” she said quietly as her own laptop booted up. She picked at her nails while she waited, the sounds of Asher’s furious typing failing to alleviate the feeling of awkward silence pressing in on her windpipe.


    “So…” Asher attempted to break the silence but trailed off as quickly as he’d started.


    “Yeah…” Lila replied, acknowledging his attempt but faltering to add anything of substance.


    “Do… do you have a boyfriend?” Asher’s eyes remained glued to his computer, but he’d stopped typing. “Shit, sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”


    Lila chuckled awkwardly but her mind quickly turned to her best friends’ lunchtime assertions. “No, haven’t since Isaac.”


    The silence seemed even more suffocating than before. Finally, Lila’s laptop requested her password which she eagerly typed in. Why did she bring up Isaac? Isaac Fisher was Asher’s best friend after all. And they’d only dated two years ago for a couple of months… hardly a relationship at all.


    “I see…” said Asher softly, beginning to type again.


    “Um… w-what about you?”


    “What about me what?” asked Asher, his eyes flickering to meet Lila’s.


    “Uh, d-do you have a girlfriend? O-Or boyfriend, I don’t judge.”


    Asher paused, looking down again and fluffing the back of his hair. “Yeah.”


    Lila couldn’t help but let out a gasp and quickly switched to a yawn in an attempt to hide it.


    “She goes to a different school.”


    Lila nodded, unable to find a response to Asher’s statement. She opened a Word document and started to jot down notes in response to the task criteria. They continued to work in silence for a while longer until a knock at the door interrupted their typing. They both looked up and saw Gabriel standing in the doorway, offering a tray that held a juice jug, cups and a plate of cheese and crackers.


    “Something to nibble on while you’re working,” he said with another almost trademark grin, setting the tray down in the middle of their table.


    “Thank you, Gabriel,” said Asher, hardly looking any further at Gabriel as he continued to work.


    “Looks great!” said Lila chirpily, pouring herself a cup of juice. “Thank you for thinking of us.”


    Gabriel simply bowed himself out of the room and the door closed with a gentle click.


    “He’s nice,” said Lila, sipping on her juice. It tasted of cranberries and apples, with a hint of lime, and distinctly fresh.


    “He’s been working for our family since I could remember,” said Asher simply, not bothering to touch the tray. “I wouldn’t know if he’s especially nice.”


    “O-Oh.”


    Lila’s phone buzzed. Asher let out a heavy sigh, and she quickly picked up her phone and had a look. It was Elise, asking if she was still alive.


    Yep… Still alive. Asher has a girlfriend, Lila replied.


    BOOO he does NOT, Elise replied instantly, a shocked emoji following it. A second passed and she sent through a whole bunch of emojis in various stages of shock and grief.


    “Sorry,” Asher’s voice cut Lila’s grin down to size. “I’ll have to ask you to leave if you’re not taking this seriously.”


    Lila quickly turned her phone off from vibrate and set it face down on the table, her ears turning red. “Sorry.”


    They continued for another hour before Asher stretched his arms up towards the ceiling, cracking his neck on either side.


    “I think that’s enough time to get our thoughts together. Let’s firm up what points we want to say.”


    Lila stared at him in surprise. She wasn’t that far into her own personal analysis of Daisy, but Asher continued to look at her expectantly.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    “W-Well, we could at least discuss the division of labour?”


    “Ah, yes, good idea. I’m happy to pull the points together on our PowerPoint if you’d like to design it and make it look good. I reckon you could also write the author’s intent and current interpretation of Daisy. I can handle the intro and our original analysis. Oh, and the conclusion too, I suppose.”


    Lila nodded, though she was somewhat perturbed that his division of tasks matched what she was thinking. “Sure, I have no complaints.”


    “Great. I guess in that case, I don’t have to hear what you have to say about Daisy.”


    “Well, hang on,” said Lila, anger flaring yet again. “What if I’ve got something good?”


    Asher blinked slowly, which further inflamed Lila’s anger.


    “Let me hear it then.”


    Lila grew quiet and began picking at her fingers again. “I-I’m not done yet.”


    Asher sighed heavily again, seeming annoyed. “You can send me what you think by the end of the week. I’ll think about adding your points in.”


    Lila nodded, not wanting to open her mouth again in case she said something else that was stupid. She started to conduct some research into the author’s intent and current interpretation of Daisy, and they continued to work for some time more until another knock at the door rang out.


    “Yes?” asked Asher, not bothering to look at who was knocking. It was Gabriel again, and he crossed the room towards them, chest-first, a smug smile on his face.


    “Will Lila be staying for dinner?” he asked.


    “Oh crap,” said Lila, picking up her phone again. She hadn’t asked her parents if it was okay to stay this late. Right on cue, a phone call from her Mum came through.


    “Sorry, I have to take this,” she said, apologetically getting up from the table and walking to a corner for a sense of privacy. With her back turned to Asher and Gabriel, she braced herself for her Mum’s wrath.


    “Lila, where on God’s green earth are you?” her Mum asked sternly. “You have three seconds to explain before I lose it.”


    “Sorry Mum,” Lila said hurriedly, “I’m still at Asher’s for that project I told you about. Uh, he- um, his chef asked if I will be staying for dinner.”


    There was silence for a moment as Lila imagined her Mum was pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.


    “Wait… Did you just say chef?”


    “Uh huh. They have a private chef here.”


    “… I suppose it’s not every day that you go to someone’s house and they have a private chef… I’ve met Asher, haven’t I? His father, Ivaan, is the CEO of the Forestglade Private Hospital, correct?”


    “Yes.”


    “Is he there now?”


    “No, Asher said he’ll be home late.”


    “What about his mother, Tabitha?”


    “Also not here. B-But he’s got a girlfriend.” Lila’s voice dropped to a very low whisper, as if this was a horrid secret. “And his chef is here.”


    “Hmm… alright, I’ll allow it. You are in Grade 11 after all, and it seems like you won’t be getting into trouble.”


    “Thanks Mum,” replied Lila with a small smile.


    “Let me know when you’d like to be picked up.”


    “Thanks, see you later.”


    Lila hung up the phone and returned to Asher and Gabriel, who seemed engrossed in a discussion that they ceased when she approached.


    “My Mum said I can stay for dinner.”


    “Wonderful!” cried Gabriel, clapping his hands in exuberance. “I’ll plate it up and place it in the dining room.”


    Asher dropped the lid of his laptop as he stretched again, standing up.


    “Come on,” he gestured to Lila to follow him. She closed her laptop down and followed Asher and Gabriel out of the library.


    The dining room had a large, solid wooden table that matched the tables within the library. It was surrounded by exquisitely carved chairs and a large chandelier reflected flecks of light across it. A centrepiece of candles was alight, and three plates of food were placed neatly around the table, ensuring no one was sitting too close to the other. The silverware glinted under the chandelier in a way that hinted to Lila that it was certainly high class.


    Lila inhaled the delicious scent of slow-cooked beef with a red wine jus, perfectly cooked potatoes, honeyed carrots and broccoli pieces.


    “Dig in,” beamed Gabriel as he tucked himself into a spot at the far-right end of the table. Lila picked the seat closest to herself and began eagerly eating, complimenting Gabriel here and there. It tasted even better than it smelt, that was for sure.


    Unlike at Lila’s own house, dinner was not peppered with conversation or jovial jokes. Despite the delectable food, there seemed to be no joy shared between Asher and Gabriel as they ate. Perhaps it was because Lila was there, or because there were only the three of them, but Lila tried with difficulty not to pay it any further mind.


    Once dinner was finished, Gabriel brought out small ramekins of crème br?lée and Lila felt as though she was in food heaven. The delicate crunch of the caramelised sugar gave Lila a delight she hadn’t yet known whilst in Asher’s home thus far.


    Soon, however, that was finished as well, and Asher stood up with a yawn.


    “We’d better finish up,” he said, “before I fall asleep.”


    For the first time, Lila felt as though she could relate to Asher as she trudged along behind him to the library. They began to work again for a few minutes before Lila spoke.


    “What time should I be leaving?”


    “Whenever you’d like,” said Asher simply. “I’ve got a spare room made up as well if you need.”


    He had said it so casually that Lila felt as though she misheard him.


    “I thought you had a girlfriend.”


    Asher’s eyes met Lila’s, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Yes… I’m not inviting you into my own bed,” he said drily before looking down and continuing to type away while Lila struggled to come up with a response. After having no success, she instead sent a message to her Mum to come collect her.


    “My Mum will be here in half an hour,” said Lila, putting her phone face down on the desk.


    “Okay. I’ll let the maid know.”


    “You… you have a maid as well?”


    “She’s only part-time. She comes through after dinner to take care of the dishes left by the chef and any nighttime arrangements during the week. She’s here all weekend, though, to clean the house generally and makes our meals while the chef gets a rest. They both stay in the worker’s cottage a little ways away in the back.”


    “Uh huh…” drawled Lila, trying to relate but wholly unable to. Her Mum was a housewife, though sometimes she helped with Lila’s Dad’s business here and there, having been an accountant by trade, so it was somewhat similar, though Lila and her siblings definitely had chores too. ‘Many hands make light work’ was her Mum’s favourite saying, after all.


    “Say…” Lila said slowly, unsure where the courage was suddenly coming from. “Why do you seem so… different now?”


    Asher’s typing continued as he replied, “What do you mean?”


    “Well, you… you used to be very particular with your uniform, and appearance in general.”


    Asher stopped typing and he gave Lila a hard stare before sighing and looking away.


    “I was… told that looking like I care too much made me look like a nerd.”


    “Oh. Is that all?”


    Asher shifted in his seat, a grimace flashing across his face before returning to a neutral expression.


    “No, but you don’t need to know.”


    “Is it because of your girlfriend?”


    “She does have a habit of messing up my clothes a bit,” said Asher, a deep blush on his cheeks. “But I just don’t have the time to keep up with appearances anymore.”


    For a split second, Lila’s mind wandered to a feasible scenario where Asher’s clothes could get messed up, but quickly dispelled the thought before it could go any further. “Why?”


    Asher sighed, closing the lid of his laptop once more.


    “I guess since we’ve known each other for so long, I could tell you. As long as you don’t tell anyone else.”


    ‘It’s not like we’ve ever been friends though’, Lila thought, but nodded for Asher to continue, curiosity in command of her body as she leaned in.


    “My Mum’s missing. Since a couple of weeks ago, just after Christmas. I’ve been spending all my nights and mornings trying to find her.”


    Whatever Lila had been expecting, it definitely wasn’t that.


    “Missing?” she whispered, her mind reeling, eyes fixated on his. In an instant, Asher’s normally proud, straight-laced form seemed to wither before her, his eyes darkening with uncharacteristically open emotion. Lila’s hands jumped reflexively to clutch his clenched, trembling fists. Asher closed his eyes and took a shuddering gulp of air and it was in this moment, now that they were so close, with Asher’s guard fully down, that Lila could see how absolutely exhausted the boy before her was. The dark circles under his eyes, ragged hair, skinnier frame, pallid face and dishevelled clothes now pooled together to form an explanation as to his odd transformation since returning to school for the new year.


    “I’m terrified.” His words hung in the air, their significance constricting Lila’s throat as she tried to think of what to say, as if there was anything she could say.


    “Asher… I-”


    “Sorry Lila,” said Asher, abruptly taking his hands out of her grasp and rubbing his face, as if to wipe away the fatigue marring his face. “It’s… a lot, I know. I didn’t mean to-”


    “No,” Lila shook her head firmly. “Don’t be sorry. At least, not to me. You didn’t do anything wrong. Look, thank you for telling me. Is there anything I can do to help?”


    Asher stiffened, eyes wide with what looked like fear and uncertainty.


    “Help?” he croaked, as if he’d never heard the word before, his eyes boring into her soul as if searching for the punchline.


    “Yes, of course,” replied Lila earnestly. “My Dad’s a PI, I’m sure he could-”


    Asher stood suddenly, his chair squeaking loudly across the tiles. “No thanks.”


    “W-Well,” faltered Lila, “if you don’t want a PI, I can still help if you need me to.”


    “No one knows about this, outside of my Dad, Gabriel and the maid. I didn’t mean to drag you into this. My Dad specifically forbade me to talk to anyone about it. We haven’t even contacted the police…” Asher trailed off, his eyes becoming misty. He raised his left arm to his eyes and rubbed them fiercely, before shaking his hands aggressively, as if to dry them.


    “That must be really tough on you, Asher,” Lila said with a forlorn smile. “Sharing the burden can lighten the load, you know.”


    Asher ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding her gaze now.


    “Just forget I said anything,” he said with a heavy sigh. “There’s nothing you could do for me anyway.”


    Though Lila wanted to object, she began solemnly packing away her things. Who was she, really, to interfere?


    The silence enveloped them tightly as Asher stood, staring at her and biting his bottom lip contemplatively whilst she zipped up her backpack.


    “My Mum will be here any minute now,” Lila said quietly, inspecting the table as though it had the most interesting woodgrain she’d ever seen. “I’ll wait outside so she knows which house. See you at school, Asher.”


    Lila hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders and began to walk to the door when Asher stood in front of her, immovable.


    “Lila, I-”


    “No, no, honestly. You’re all good. It’s your personal matter, I don’t need to meddle. Thank you for telling me, though. If you need help, you can let me know, but otherwise I won’t mention it at all. Your secret is safe with me.”


    Asher’s mouth set into a hard line before he clenched his jaw and looked up at the ceiling.


    “Yeah… thanks for listening.”


    “You need to get some sleep, you look awful. And for the record, there’s nothing nerdy about a well-dressed man,” Lila smiled at him gently, before stepping around him and opening the door back into the hallway. The lights were still on, though Lila couldn’t see or hear Gabriel in the vicinity.


    Carefully retracing her steps to the front door, Lila glanced at her reflection in the mirror and saw she looked just as dishevelled as Asher. ‘Must be from all that thinking’, she thought with a wry smile before smoothing down her straight black hair and tucking her uniform shirt properly into her skirt. Satisfied, she crossed the hall and was about to open the front doors when Asher appeared behind her, having seemingly jogged to catch up to her.


    “I need to let you out,” he said, looking even more haggard than before. “We’ve got a security code.”


    “I see,” replied Lila, stepping aside to let him approach the security box to the right of the doors. After a few monotone beeps, a musical tone indicated Lila could leave and she wasted no time in opening the front doors.


    “I’ll send you my notes on Friday,” she said awkwardly before closing the doors behind her.


    ***


    “So…” Grace smiled at Lila teasingly the next morning, waggling her sculpted eyebrows. “How’d it go?”


    Lila shrugged, shoving her emptied backpack into her locker. “As well as any study session, I suppose.”


    “Did you find out why he seems so… odd, at least?” Elise asked, slamming her own locker door shut before twisting the dial on her lock.


    “Well, he’s got a girlfriend-”


    “Lies,” insisted Grace, shaking her head. “You told us this last night but I insist it’s a lie. He doesn’t even have time to leave our own school with all that studying, let alone visit another to find a girlfriend.”


    “It’s what he told me,” Lila said flatly, closing her own locker softly. “And he even said she messes up his clothes sometimes. Whatever that means.”


    “Oh GOD,” cried Elise dramatically, “he’s trying to say he’s not a virgin.”


    “Not that I needed to know that,” Lila rolled her eyes playfully at Elise.


    “Sure you did,” giggled Grace, “how else is he supposed to entice his long-time crush? Make her jealous, of course!”


    “Well, it didn’t work. And I’m not his long-time crush.”


    The trio began to bemoan the fact that they would be assigned their first piece of Modern History assessment that afternoon during their shared class as they walked together as far as they could before splitting off to their separate morning classes.