"Is this a chest binder?" Thom asked, picking up a black vest-like garment from the pile on Alanna's bed.
"Yep," she said, as she threw clothes into her suitcase.
"You could make slightly better style choices," Thom said, peering over her shoulder. "Why is everything you own black?"
"Because I like black," Alanna snapped. "Shut up Thom."
"I know this is hard for you," Thom said, traces of guilt in his tone. "I'm sorry."
Alanna just shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "I'll be fine."
"I know," Thom said, but he didn't sound very convinced. "Haven't you left this a little late? We leave tomorrow."
" I had to buy all these boy clothes," Alanna asked, with a laugh. "And have I ever been prompt with anything?"
"Well that's going to change," Thom said, rifling through the Corus Academy prospectus. "You have to be up by five every morning. Apparently the day starts with an invigorating run."
Alanna groaned. "The things I do for you,' she said, with a shake of her head.
"You're doing this for yourself a little too aren't you?" Thom said. " You know you're going to have way more fun fencing and horse riding and running every morning."
"I am," Alanna admitted, with a small smile. She couldn't help it. Even though she knew she was potentially throwing away her whole future she was still quite excited.
The next day the twins said terse goodbyes to their father and got onto the train heading to Corus.
"We aren't coming back here for a while are we?" Alanna said, looking out of the window as her town became smaller and smaller.
"No thank god," Thom said, his head already full of visions of St. Agatha's.
"Yeah," Alanna agreed, a little listlessly. "Thank god."
"So Uncle Coram's coming to pick us up at the station right?" Thom said. "And then we're going to go to our respective schools on Monday."
"Yes," Alanna said, with a firm nod.
"So that gives you two days to convince our conservative, elderly uncle that cross-dressing is a good idea," Thom said.
"He isn't conservative," Alanna replied, stung.
"He hates me," Thom said. "He was probably the one who suggested this to Dad in the first place. Y'know…make a man out of me."
Uncle Coram adored Corus Academy. He had gone there as a child along with the twins' father. Once he had finished his army service he decided to go back and provide his services. Having always been a good horseman he was put in charge of the stables and spent his days with his horses, occasionally helping the fencing master. Despite sharing his brother's burly physique Coram was light on his feet and a skilful fencer.
"You know that isn't true," Alanna said, quickly coming to the defence of her favourite relative. "Firstly if he had suggested anything to Dad, you know our beloved father would've done exactly the opposite. And secondly, he doesn't hate you because you're gay. He hates you because you're pretentious and condescending and kind of a dick."
"Touché," Thom said. "But that still doesn't mean he'll be as okay with perpetrating a fraud as you are."
"Can you stop saying that?" Alanna asked. "Perpetrating a fraud. It's not like I'm robbing a bank or anything. Nothing I'm doing is hurting anyone else."
Thom just shook his head. "Well good luck," he said. "You're going to need it."
Alanna just glared at him, well aware she was going to need a great deal of luck over the next four years. For all her confidence in her abilities to convince her grizzled uncle that they should switch places there was still traces of doubt that haunted her. Uncle Coram was an honourable man, and even though he had very little time and patience for their father she knew he didn't like lying. But then again Alanna had always been his favourite. For all their dislike of each other Alan Trebond knew what family meant and he would dutifully send his children to Coram every summer. Both Thom and Coram weren't particularly enamoured by each other. Coram was unable to understand why a boy would prefer to stay inside and read rather than throw a ball or climb a tree and Thom disliked Coram's brusque and business-like manner. They treaded around each other warily and had polite but awkward conversations. On the other hand Coram was absolutely devoted to Alanna. He taught her how to climb a tree, how to ride a horse. He even taught her how to drive his broken down old truck, which, as she was thirteen years old, he should not have been doing.
It was dusk by the time they got to Corus. Alanna and Thom pulled their suitcases off the train.
"Alanna! Thom!" a gruff voice called.
"Uncle Coram!" Alanna said, dropping her suitcase to hug the grizzled old man.
"Hi Uncle Coram," Thom said awkwardly.
"Hello Thom," Uncle Coram said, patting his shoulder. "Looking forward to Corus Academy?"
Thom shot a pointed glance at Alanna.
Coram grunted.
"How's Chubby doing?" Alanna said, quickly changing the subject.
"Getting old," Coram grunted.
They piled into Coram's broken down old truck and he drove them to his house, which was on the outskirts of the Corus Academy grounds. Coram helped the children take their bags up to their respective rooms and went down the stairs to start making dinner. Alanna, deciding that it would be better if she had this conversation with their uncle alone, told Thom to stay in his room while she went to help with dinner.
"Dad sent this for you," Alanna said, holding a bottle of her father's finest brandy. "He wanted to thank you for helping us out."
Their uncle took the bottle. "Never knew Alan to be so generous," he said. "Must be feeling guilty about sending you two away."
"Dad never feels guilty about anything," Alanna said, steel in her voice. "If he had an ounce of anything resembling feelings he wouldn't send Thom to Corus Academy."
"Now lass," Coram said mildly. "The place might do your brother some good. It made me the man I am today."
"It'll kill him and you know it," Alanna said bluntly. "That's why Thom isn't going."
Coram let out a chuckle. "A bit late for that isn't it?" he asked.
"Thom isn't going," Alanna said firmly. "I am."
At that statement Coram let out a loud throaty laugh. "You're crazy," he said, giving her a knock on her shoulder.
"Maybe," Alanna said, going to the cupboard and pulling out two glasses. "But I'm going to Corus Academy. And Thom's going to St. Agatha's."
She poured out two glasses of brandy, putting only a sip in one glass and being much liberal in the other.
"But you're a girl," Coram said, as she handed him the second glass.
"I look far more masculine than Thom does," she said. "And you know I'll be better at all of this. Thom can barely ride a horse. He just clings on and hopes it won't throw him. He can't run without getting winded, he has zero hand-eye coordination-"
"Not every boy at Corus is a sportsman," Coram said, taking a deep swig from his drink.
"Thom can't throw a punch," Alanna said frankly. "He can't defend himself. And you know they'll find out about him. He's never been able to hide who he is."
"Being gay isn't who he is," Coram said, his brow wrinkling. "It's a part of who he is but-"
"And they'll kill him for it," Alanna said. "You know these boys. They're teenagers. They're cruel."
"So what are you going to do?" Coram asked. "Dress up as a boy and pretend to be him? While he wears skirts and goes to St. Agatha's?"
"I am going to dress as a boy," Alanna said. "But I'm going to pretend to be Alan Trebond Jr. The younger son of Alan Trebond Sr. Thom's going to go to St. Agatha's as himself. We've sorted out the forms and the report cards are going to come to you, not Dad."
"Madness," Coram said, shaking his head. "Pure madness."
"It's done already," Alanna said. "All you have to do is say you'll help us."
"Your father will have my head," Coram muttered.
"Come on Uncle Coram," Alanna said cajolingly. "You know I'll do far better at Corus Academy than Thom ever would. He'd never be able to keep up. And for that matter I'd crash and burn at St. Agatha's. It makes much more sense for at least one of us to do well."
Coram looked at her, a hint of pity in his eyes. He drank whatever was left in his glass and set it down on the table. Alanna quickly refilled it.
"You're throwing away your whole life on this lie," Coram said gently. "You don't want to be a boy forever."
"I'll cross that hurdle when I get to it," Alanna said resolutely. "Say you'll help us please."
He took a sip of brandy and sighed. "I can't do that Alanna," he said. "It's just not right."
"It's the only right thing to do," Alanna cried. "If you don't help us we'll disappear. That's the only other option."
"Now don't going being dramatic," he cautioned. "I told your father not to send you to St. Agatha's. He thinks he's going to make a scholar out of you. You know he never enjoyed Corus Academy. Always wrapped up in his books."
"He's just sending Thom there because he thinks it'll beat the gay out of him," Alanna said bitterly. "I told you we have no choice."
"Maybe you don't," Coram said with a sigh. "Fine I'll help you and your brother. But you have to be careful Alanna."
Alanna threw herself and her uncle, hugging him tight. "Thank you thank you thank you," she said. "You won't regret this, I promise."
"I already do," Coram muttered. "So I take it I'm to call you Alan now?"
a/n: Hope you like the chapter. Sorry about the slowness. She goes to the school in the next one! Please tell me what you think!