WARNINGS: a little bit of randy teenage lovers, a little bit of bickering and irony, a little bit of sadness and reference to tragic events. Nothing graphic, but I wanted you to know.
27 (III).
"Oh my god, you're a vision…" breathed Five in awe when Marben finally reached him through the sea of chit-chatting people; she didn't say anything, though, just grabbed him by a hand and dragged him away, looking around to detect prying eyes to avoid. When they at last reached a secluded corner of the private entrance of the Theatre, the girl spared a last look to their surroundings and then, deeming them secure, threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck, pulling him into a passionate and urgent kiss which stole both their breaths away.
"Finally…" panted Marben when she let Five go, catching some breath, "Finally it's over!". Five smiled at her, glad that she was at last feeling relieved from all the unpleasant pressures the concert had encumbered her with.
"It is. And as I was trying to say before you kidnapped me…" he said on his girlfriend's lips, holding her tightly, "You're beyond gorgeous". He really meant that, and wanted to remember her long, blue velvet dress and her softly gathered ringlets for the rest of his life.
Marben pecked him languidly and pulled back.
"You too, my love. Sorry, I jumped you without even saying hello" she murmured softly, and had on her face the tender smile with which she always woke up after a night spent in Five's arms, and opening her eyes he was the first thing she saw. It was such a beautiful and intimate sight that Five felt himself melt; he raised a hand to lovingly stroke her cheek.
"You can tell it now, if it's of such great importance" the boy huffed a laugh. "I definitely preferred the kiss, though".
The two giggled together, leaning their foreheads against one another, and for a moment more conceded themselves the luxury of pretending to be alone, and free to simply love each other. Sadly, however, it was brief.
"Beware, lovebirds, there are a lot of minors or old Peeping Toms nearby!" drawled Klaus, nonchalantly sweeping past them. Marben ignored him in favor of nestling her face in the crook of her boyfriend's neck, Five instead followed his wayward brother with his gaze.
"Where are you going, dimwit?". Klaus whirled on himself in something akin to a pirouette and plainly showed them a fat joint hanging from his big smile and an antique looking lighter in his hand. Five rolled his eyes.
"Oh, great…are you seriously still faffing about with that? And is that Father's linchpin?".
"Of course I'm still 'faffing about with it', are you done being pedantic? And by the way, this precious old linchpin it's gonna be mine, one day, when the old man will snuff it, so basically I'm not stealing it, just using something which is mine by legitimate succession". Marben couldn't help a snicker hearing that, which made Five snort and Klaus smile.
"Want some, Marben?" the taller boy asked, waving the still unlit joint in her direction. The girl resurfaced from her hiding place in Five's neck to politely refuse.
"Thanks, Klaus, but I've already been caught snogging an Umbrella Kid, so I've exceeded my level of forbidden for tonight!". Klaus moued.
"Oh, come one, you two, just let yourself go a little…".
"Klaus, fuck off" said Five dryly, tightening his grip around Marben's waist, and so, huffing in distaste Klaus turned around and went straight for the doors.
"A real awesome possum, indeed!" he yelled as a conclusion, and then was out of the Theatre.
"What?" mumbled Marben, confused.
"You, love" answered Five, finally tearing his eyes from the doors to look down at his girlfriend, his eyes getting soft. "He was talking about you, and being wrong as always: you've not been simply great, on that stage. You've ben divine".
.oO°Oo.
Marben and Five had agreed not to show themselves together in public (not to let Sir Hargreeves understand they were together, mainly, but in secret Marben had agreed to it also because she didn't want Five to know his father was spying on her). So going back to the crowd was awful. Feeling Five's warm, dear hand slip out of hers when they reached the Theatre threw Marben in a visceral distress in equal parts due to having to avoid her beloved for who knew how long more and to know that that absurd situation burdened him too.
Headmaster Pembroke became her shadow as soon as the wealthy auditors began to converge on her, thrilled by the opportunity of meeting the First Chair: between a handshake to a rich banker who asked her if her violin was a Stradivarius and another one to a lady with a glittering evening dress who told her she was very pretty as well as talented, Marben entertained herself throwing a few fleeting glances at Five. He really had looks to die for, that night. He always had it, she thought, but without the whimsical uniform of the Academy, wearing a real tailcoat and a white bowtie, Five gave the impression of being much older than his age, and with the tuft swept backwards and his usual lopsided smile emanated the charm of an Old Hollywood actor. All Marben wanted was to be near him, to hold his hand and enjoy his company without the bulky figure of Sir Arsegreeves dulling it. She wanted to go back to spending the evenings with him carefree, and instead she found herself trapped in a sea of rich people who pampered her as if she had been some exotic and rare animal, with Headmaster Pembroke showing her off with the attitude of the proud mentor. An idea struck her with the force of a slap, at that point: they were treating her like something cute and talented to manipulate to their liking the same way the Umbrella Kids had been treated by their 'father' all their lives. She hated it instantly.
"Stop being morose, dumpling! The Girls are taking you to visit your beau!" someone cheerfully whispered in her ear, and turning abruptly, Marben found herself staring straight into Diana's blue eyes.
"Wha'?" she drawled, but before she could say anything else, her lifelong friend had discreetly pulled her out of the circle of wealthy magnates and benefactors - as well of Headmaster Pembroke's avid grasp - and was now walking them straight to where the Umbrella Kids stood.
"NO!" Marben whimpered in horror, trying to wriggle free. "Diana, I can't, you know! If their father…".
"Relax, dear, we're coming with you" told her Myery, joining them; one moment later Lear was there too, with a combative glint in her eyes.
"We're going to play the part of the fans who finally get to meet their idols, nobody should suspect anything this way" explained Diana, still half dragging Marben toward their targets.
"And this time one of them will explain why Vanya's never out of that fucking Academy of theirs!".
Meanwhile, the Umbrella Kids had noticed them and turned to look their way, acting like they didn't know what to do; Marben wondered if Five had told his siblings to stay away from them, or about what they had discovered on Sir Arsegreeves.
"Hello, folks!" chirped Diana when at last the two little groups met. "Forgive us for using you as an excuse to escape those ravenous wolves over there, but we could no longer bear to hear them blather!".
"Indeed, a lot of chit-chat and little spirit of charity, I fear" smiled Myery, a bright but disdainful smile.
"Oh, don't worry, those like my Father use checks as spare change" Five readily spoke to break the ice on behalf of his family. "At the end of the evening the donations will be exorbitant". Diana threw her arms in the air.
"Yeeeeees, that's the spirit, awfully rich people!". That snatched a snicker from Allison, which until then had been silent and a bit standoffish; she looked beautiful and sophisticated in her black, strapless dress and unexpectedly straight and coiffed hair, and she perfectly knew.
"So sorry to interrupt, but would someone of you deign to explain why Vanya never takes part in your public outings?". Lear barged in the precarious conversation with the force of a charging rhinoceros, then, and several things happened at once: Myery rolled her eyes, Diana and Klaus turned their heads at the same time and in the same way - preparing to enjoy a little bit of drama - Luther put himself in front of Allison and Marben grabbed impulsively Five's hand, seeking reassurance.
"He-hey, how do you know about Vanya?" asked Diego reaching for his knives, while Myery brought a hand to her forehead.
"I really didn't need this other headache…".
"They know each other because Vanya's taking violin lessons from me" intervened Marben. "Seriously, how the fuck have I even been able to think that this talking among ourselves could have been a good idea it's the biggest mystery after crop circles!" she blurted then, pissed; Five looked her way fondly, caressing her knuckles with his thumb.
"I was going to put all the blame on us, but then your friend came in all red-faced and started to be unpleasant…".
"Don't mess with me, chicken legs!" Lear ranted at him. "I'm serious: I wanna know where's Vanya!".
"Wait, is Vanya taking private le-ssons?" Diego muttered to Klaus.
"At home!" answered Allison hurriedly, sidestepping Luther to come forward.
"'Chicken legs'?".
"At home?" repeated Lear, incredulous. Allison nodded eagerly, looking like she thought she owed Lear an apology.
"Chicken legs?".
"There are lots of things in life that will never get explained. For instance, why do men have crooked legs" proclaimed Marben, bypassing all matters and suddenly attracting everyone's attention. Five rushed to bow his head to check. "Yes babe, yours are crooked too, and skinny. Hence Lear's insult".
"Well, then someone should really tell her she's a horrendous hag and…".
"Five. Please". Marben looked exhausted, all of a sudden everybody could see it, so Five and Lear shut their mouths.
"Well, it seems clear to me that we have some issues to resolve…but if avoiding to cause a scene stays the most important thing, we'd better postpone to another time" sighed Myery after a moment of embarrassed silence that felt endless.
"Right, it's better if we leave. I just need to say a few words to Allison". The girl in question looked confused and even a bit alarmed that Marben wanted to talk to her in private; however, she didn't flinch, and answered to Luther's worried hand on her shoulder with a firm nod, before all the others got dispersed in the crowd again.
Standing in front of each other, Marben in simple blue velvet while Allison with her great celebrity-like outfit, their roles almost looked reversed from the ones of their first meeting. This time, however, neither of them appeared sloppy: Marben wore her simple dress - identical to those of the other musicians - with elegance and modesty, Allison proudly sported her ample one, suitable perhaps for a grown-up woman rather than her, but beautiful nonetheless. In that moment, they could not have been more different from each other, and yet they were united by being two young women still searching for their own identity. Marben noticed it, and forced herself to be humbled by their connection, rather than get irked.
"So?". Allison tried to act defiant, but it was obvious she feared the confrontation; Marben decided to take care of the matter as quickly as possible.
"Considering that this soirée is a memorial for people who sadly are no longer among us...I wanted to thank you for having helped them to depart without suffering. Five told me what you did, and it was very merciful of you". Allison's shoulders sagged then, and her eyes filled with an emotion so raw that she felt compelled to hide it from Marben, lowering her gaze.
"I…I came to know that one of the victims had a younger sister in your same class". Marben thought about poor Nell and pretended not to notice Allison's broken voice. "Will she be okay?".
"She will never be the same, but…one day she'll manage to breathe again, I hope. And to heal too, with time". Allison nodded. "What I wanted to say is that…this sad moment doesn't belong to me and it's not my intention to act as if it were, but I am sure that if Nell knew...she would tell you what I said". Allison looked up at her, stricken.
"Thanks" she said feebly.
"No. Thank you, Allison. They would all tell you, if they had the chance. I…I know". And with that, Marben left.
A/N: Sadly, I won't be able to post the last part of this chapter on Friday: unfortunately, I'll be working an additional 12-hour shift. But I'll make it up to you ASAP, promised! ;)
Wow, visualizations keep skyrocketing! THANK YOU!