This is the start of the action! Now that the story is established, I will be adding more scenes which deviate from the movie script. This chapter is also a little shorter than usual, but there was no way to add anything else without messing up the timeline of events.

'Heav'n from all creatures hides the book of fate,

All but the page prescrib'd, their present state:

From brutes what men, from men what spirits know:

Or who could suffer being here below?'

~ An Essay on Man: Epistle I by Alexander Pope (1733)

Chapter Five - A day of revelation

"TODD!" Kat threw open the heavy, common room door. It hit the wall with a resounding bang. She hurtled forwards, almost vaulting across the table in her haste to slam an object down in front of the boy. Todd remained frozen in an image of bewilderment as she continued to shriek. "IT CAME!"

"I-I see," he stuttered, unable to form sentences in his current state of shock.

Knox propped his elbows on the arm of his chair, leaning forwards to see the cause of the commotion. "What came?"

"My letter from Nancy!" She clutched the pale blue envelope to her chest. Knox winced at her volume.

"You're blocking my light," Cameron said, gesturing for Kathleen to move aside. She glanced down and saw her shadow cast over his textbook and she obliged, moving to take the spare seat across from Meeks and Pitts' chess game.

"So, what did it say?" Neil prompted, giving his roommate a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he joined the group. Todd shot him a placating smile, having shaken himself out of his surprise.

"I haven't read it yet," she frowned, tearing it open.

Her facial expressions were comical as her eyes flittered across the page of compacted calligraphy. She laughed, frowned, and gasped in shock like a one woman show; oblivious to the attentions of her audience.

"What's wrong?" Todd leaned in closer to see the letter. Kathleen looked up, her eyes were wide, and her cheeks flushed.

"Knox," she breathed, "what is did you say Chris's surname was?"

He glanced up from Cameron's trig notes. "Noel, why?"

She stared unblinkingly at him for a moment. "Christine Noel," she said slowly, her eyes never straying from his face. "The daughter of Joseph and Linda Noel."

"Yeah, how did you know."

Kathleen bit her lip as she glanced down. The fragile paper crinkled under her tight grip as she read the words over and over again until they were imprinted on her brain. "The family Nancy's staying with," she gushed, "are her maternal aunt and uncle. She's staying with them next month, and her cousin Chris." Sharp breaths were drawn around her, but the reaction she sought was inaudible. For the first time, Knox was rendered speechless. His face mirrored those of her younger brothers on Christmas morning. His dark eyes searched hers for confirmation.

She nodded.

"YES!" He jumped up, sending his chair crashing to the ground. "You can get me in. YOU CAN GET ME IN WITH CHRIS!" His arms flew out, nearly knocking over a lamp in his glee.

"What the hell is going on."

Charlie's grip tightened on the door frame where he stood unanswered. "Knoxious?"

Knox ran over to his friend, seizing him by the shoulders. "Kathleen's best friend is Chris' cousin!" He laughed wildly, "I've got my way in." He fist bumped Charlie who remained stiff, stunned at the scene unfolding before him. Knox crossed the room in a matter of seconds, tackling Kathleen into a hug. She laughed at his succession of 'thank yous' which rained down upon her with a squeeze stealing her breath from any reply. She merely exchanged a look with Todd, who was sat with Neil reading over Nancy's letter.

"I didn't know that you spend Sunday evenings with Nolan," stated Neil, looking up from the delicate paper.

Crossing her arms, she muttered sarcastically, "it's the highlight of my week."

"Is it that bad?" Todd asked quietly.

She shrugged. "We make small talk over drinks, move on to discuss my studies, and then he lectures me on life, or whatever else he sees as relevant. Then I leave."

"Ouch," Charlie winced, "an evening a week of Nolan's one on one company. I can't believe you're actually related."

Kathleen smirked. "At home we like to think his crazy skips a few generations. Why do you think my Mother moved to Scotland - in the height of war - with a man he didn't approve of?"

"Your parents were rebels," Meeks grinned at her before turning to Charlie, "she's got a double dose of rebellion."

XXXX

"A man is NOT very tired, he is exhausted," declared Keating, closer in action to bouncing across the length of the classroom than pacing it. "And don't use very sad. Use...come on, Mr Overstreet, you twerp."

"Morose?"

"Exactly, morose. Now language was developed for one endeavour, and that is?" Mr Keating asked. His eyes swept the classroom search of a student who had not yet spoken. "Mr Anderson. Come on! Are you a man or an amoeba?"

Todd looked up wearily but stayed silent, hands clutching the harsh desk edge in a prayer for Keating to move on.

After a pause, the Captain's eyes softened. He spoke again, "Miss Murray?"

"Uh, to communicate?"

"No! To woo women. Or, possibly in your case, woo men. Although," he began to stage whisper, "between you and me, I think a couple of boys in this classroom are already infatuated with you." She blushed and shook her head as Keating turned back to the class, "today we're going to be talking about William Shakespeare."

A collective groan echoed around the room, even Neil and Kathleen - the biggest literature fans in the class- grimaced.

"I know. A lot of you look forward to this as much as you look forward to root canal work. Now, we're going to talk about Shakespeare as someone who wrote some very interesting things. Many of you have seen Shakespeare done very much like this," he began contort his arms, folding in on himself and emerging as seemingly a different entity altogether as he acted out an exaggerated scene. "Oh Titus, bring your friend hither." But if any of you have seen Mr Marlon Brando, you know that Shakespeare can be very different…"

The class ended with a dramatic reading. Its content drew on canine humour, but Kathleen was too caught up in the sensation of joy thrumming through her being to translate it. Tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks until her mascara transformed her into Shakespearean spirit worthy of joining the spectacle. She giggled through the few lines bestowed upon her with as much decorum as her Grandfather's strict lessons could summon. His methods were no match. Keating's class was always exciting, never failing to break the cycle of monotonous classes at Welton.

Unfortunately, monotony ruled the region. Kathleen found herself in the library with enough papers to suffocate herself beneath. Yet as she entered the ancient space, she let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure. The Welton library truly was exquisite. Dark, oak wood shelves lined the room and created a labyrinth of literary walkways under the high domed ceiling. Dazzling glimmers of light streaked the dusty space, illuminating the mysteries of the collection. Hidden alcoves contained desks in each section, and larger, more communal tables were located by the librarian's desk. The room was lit by a mixture of natural daylight from tall windows, and a number of dim lamps which adorned the walls. It was a like a piece of heaven hidden away at Hellton.

Kathleen found an alcove desk in the history section. After wrestling down some heavy volumes from the surrounding shelves, she cast her mind away from the dreary weather outside, and envisioned the passionate battles of the past as she considered the effects of the American civil war. Her pen mapped paths of ink down the page as the hour ticked by. She was just finishing her conclusion when a real shadow fell over her page. Looking up, she saw Fraser standing behind her.

"What do you want, Fraser?" Her tone remained flat. Her eyes abruptly sought the half-finished closing statement of her essay.

"To know if it's true?"

"To know if what?" She replied, still concentrating on her work.

"If it's true," he repeated, leaning back against the shelves.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I got that. You still haven't told me what I'm supposed to be confirming."

"Kathleen?"

She looked up at him, "that's the first time you've used my name."

He studied her for a moment before pushing off the shelves and walking away.

She watched Fraser go, more confused than she had been before. What on earth had that been about?

XXXX

Dear Nancy,

You have no idea how much I needed your letter! Life at Welton differs vastly from the routines at St. Mary's, not just because of the boys, but because I can't so much as sneeze without word getting to my grandfather that I have caught a cold. Such conditions are most inconvenient for our usual mischief, but also the entertainment of the gossip mill. I must confess how unsettling it is to be the topic of choice in the teacher's lounge. Fear not, all hope for fun is not yet lost! A few of the boys and I have found a way around the totalitarian rules. Not only have Meeks and Pitts built a radio so that we can listen to music and dance (which grandfather frowns upon unless the event calls for it), but we have found an escape through poetry. The credit belongs to the most intriguing man we have ever met, our English teacher. You must swear not to utter a single word. I'll fill you in on the details the minute you arrive in Vermont, and I'll persuade the boys to let me bring you along to a meeting. That at least will be simple. They're starved of female presence. There are no female staff, and other than myself there is only a rare female visitor temporarily on site.

Most amazingly of all, your cousin Chris is a bit of a celebrity at Welton. In fact, a friend of mine, Knox Overstreet, fancies her. He's positively lovesick, always rambling about how she is the most beautiful girl in the world. The problem of her boyfriend remains, as I'm sure you know. I'm trusting you not to say anything to her. I've promised Knox that I'll arrange a way for him to see her again. We need a plan. I haven't promised him that she will give him a chance, only that I'll give him one to impress her. I refuse to wreck her relationship, but Knox needs to either succeed or have his heartbroken. If not, I fear he will never get over her.

Enough about me. How are you? When are you coming? When will I see you?

I'm so glad that your parents decided on home school instead of a temporary school place. Is that selfish? I will happily be labelled such if it means that I can see you. I won't let you get too lonely! I heard from Mother that Tara has been moved to another school in Wales so that she will be closer to home. How many other girls won't be returning in the new year? Things will be so different when we return, and whenever I think about it, I get this ache in my stomach because as much as I look forward to going back, I'm going to miss these boys a lot. I've made friends who I want to know my entire life.

I can't wait to see you. I need my best friend!

Love

Kat xxx

Actions