Different Light

Chapter Two

“How was your day?”

Strolling through the front door, a voice of her mother greeted her. Faith was surprised, she couldn’t remember the last time one of her parents ever been home when she got back from school. She didn’t let the surprise show on her face, however, only lifted one brow at the question. “Fine.” She answered and headed up the stairs.

The new house was nice, though she had liked the old house where the street was further away from the front door and there was big yard, this one house was right up the main street, upper east side, and as high class as could be. Took her less than thirty second to walk from the street up to the house and she didn’t like that one bit.

“Anyone interesting? Making any friends?”

Seemed like she would not be able to just disappeared into her room like usual, Faith sighed and dropped her backpack. “Friends?” She repeated, “not really, someone interesting, definitely.”

“Oh really?”

Faith internally groaned, her mom was on a roll now and she wouldn’t leave, it wasn’t hard to tell from the way that she settled into one of the chairs in her room.

“Yeah, the queen bee herself.” Faith answered, unbuttoning her navy blue sweater and tossed it aside, somewhere, she didn’t really care where it landed. “Kathryn Merteuil. You probably know her parents or something.”

“Merteuil,” Watching her mom tapping the arm of a chair that she was sitting on Faith settled into another. “Oh, Merteuil, that would be the Valmont.”

The younger Spencer shrugged, not caring either way.

“We invited them for the party this weekend.”

“Sure, mother.”

Dear god, a party with a bunch of snobs, granted I’m a snob, too. But to have them all gather in one place, talking about nothing, but how rich they are, what they have… that is just a pure torture. Faith wanted to scream. Or maybe I can pretend to forget and just run out before the first of them get here. Oh yeah, I can do that. Run out and disappear till midnight, there, leave my cell phone too so they can’t reach me, Yup..

And the weekend arrived; Saturday morning, the youngest Spencer, and the least enthusiastic about the party got up extra early, she raced through her closet, pulling out her favorite leather pants and leather jacket, tossed them on her bed then quickly changed. She had to get out of the house before her mother and father decided to exit their bedroom, before they had the chance to check on their only daughter.

Faith was caught trying to leave just before the appointed time for the party. Her mom had caught on what she was trying to do while she raced down the stairs and grabbed her helmet on the way out. Now here she was, standing next to the entrance with a fake smile plastered to her face, greeting each of the guests that arrived. Being a good host, like her mom had wanted her to be.

And there, walking down the corridor leading to the great room, where the party was being held, was Kathryn Merteuil and – Faith assumed—her parents and her brother. Though, her brother didn’t seem to be looking anything like her. He was blonde, curly hair, while Kathryn was a brunette -- though, Faith couldn’t be sure, the only person that would be able to tell what her exact real hair color was probably her hairdresser – with straight hair.

The lithe brunette was dressed in small black dress with matching heels and handbag. Faith smirked at the image, it was so much like what she thought the smaller girl would be wearing that it was funny. Faith schooled her feature into the pleasant mask as the family came closer to her. She could feel her mother came closer to her, and glad that she would not be the one that had to face them all alone.

She didn’t like the thought of having to introduce them to anyone.

Kathryn smiled pleasantly as her parents talked to each other, beside her, Sebastian, her step-brother, didn’t even pretend to be interest in anything their parents were talking about, he looked down right bored. In actuality, Kathryn did not want to be here, and she would have come up with some excuse not to be here, except that this was Spencer’s house.

Once it hit her that this would be the new rich in town, the Spencer, Faith Spencer, she changed her mind.

There she was; Kathryn could see her as she walked toward the room ahead of them, her parents were paying no attention to anything else, or so they seemed, but she knew better. Her mother would be looking for the hosts and probably try to charm them later, get them to join her club and such. It was the same old routine. And she had seen it done millions time already. Kathryn felt strange stirring inside as she took in the host.

Faith was dressed in black slack and black silk top, both form fitting, just enough to show off her figure, but not too tight to be in bad taste. Her long dark hair waved and tumbled down her back, her full lips were painted dark red the corners lifted up in a smile, dark eyes expressive and at the moment looking at them as they slowly approaching her.

“Good afternoon,” Faith greeted them, a smile fixed firmly on her face, trying hard not to wince. Oh god, I think I pulled a muscle.

Kathryn eyes were on her, smile dripping with honey and Faith stared back, refused to look at away, well aware that her mother wasn’t going to be pleased about this, but did not care. She didn’t have to wait long for her mother to take the guests inside, well aware that her classmate was still there with her.

“So,” Faith started.

“You know my step-brother Sebastian.” Kathryn gestured behind her, where a taller teenager stood, dressed in dark suit with sunglasses still on his nose.

Faith smirked at the way he seemed to stretch taller and a look that came to his face. “No, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Sebastian Valmont,” he offered a hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

Faith took his hand, squeezed and shook it firmly three times. “Likewise,” then she let go, turning her attention to the small brunette standing next to her.

Sebastian had met a lot of women, and most if not all of them bored him. They were easily played, couldn’t seem to resist his charm and he usually could capture their attention with just a smile. But here was a girl, new in town, knew nothing of his reputation, yet she paid him no attention, cared not for the way he smiled at her. Instead she turned away and dismissed him entirely.

As if he was nothing of consequence.

Rubbing his hand lightly, he noticed the sting he felt after his hand had been let go and frowned. What the hell? He thought to himself as he made a fist and then stretched out his fingers a couple of times, working out the sting he felt.

He stood there while his step-sister and the taller brunette walked away from him. Watching the way Kathryn seemed to be laying it thick on the flirtation and the charm as she seemed to be leaning toward the taller girl with a hand resting on her forearm while they talked, and he wondered why.

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Walking through the door into the great room where people were everywhere, talking, laughing at something or the other, acting as if they were the best of friends. It was like some sort of reunion, except none of them had known anyone for that long, with the exception of the old money. Those were the ones that been friends or at least acquaintances. Faith grabbed a glass of champagne from the waiter nearby, and handed it to Kathryn, then another for herself. She guided the smaller brunette out the door open into the courtyard, greeting at the guests along the way.

People seemed to be staying inside and she was glad. Too many people just set her teeth on edge. Not that Faith was claustrophobic; she just didn’t like the type of conversation that would be flowing in the room. From beside her Kathryn Merteuil looked like she was in her element and even a little surprised that the taller girl led her out into the garden. She assumed that they would be inside, mingling about.

“It’s stifling inside.” Husky voice answered her unasked question.

“Yes it is.” Kathryn agreed readily.

Faith took a long zip of her drink, her eyes trailed from her companion to the inside, distaste came over briefly on her brown eyes and she turned back. Kathryn seemed amused at her expression. “You like party,” it wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

A smile was the only thing she got from the smaller girl.

In truth, Kathryn didn’t really care for them, but she was raise in the middle of all this, her world was a whirl wind of high society gatherings, parties, brunches, country clubs. Nothing about this was new to her, she had taught herself to except it, and eventually used it to her advantage. After all, one’s status in society depended as much on money as how many people one knew.

Apparently the other, taller brunette did not feel the same way, and showed it by staying as far away from it all as possible. She suspected that Faith Spencer probably tried some sort of get away already. Didn’t seem to work, Kathryn stifled a giggle that came.

Faith was about to ask what Kathryn seemed to be amused about. Nothing interesting was happened, let alone funny, and yet the smaller girl had this amused glint in her clear green eyes, like there was a private comedy on the show just for her and no one else could understand. Faith certainly couldn’t.

But before she could say anything someone else walked right toward them.

It was Sebastian.

“Staying away from the crowd?”

The boy did not seem to notice that he was interrupting something, else he did not care.

Now that she thought about it, she had heard of him, or rather his reputation. Considered that she was only there not even a month yet and she even heard about this was amazing, it amused her, for someone to be so careless in their endeavors.

It was like putting their dirty laundry out for the world to see.

What even funnier was that, he seemed to boasted it with his posture, his attitude. Faith was having inkling that he may thought he had a shot with her. Only because she was new, not only in school but to the city itself, she supposed he thought if he was charming he could earn a spot in her bed.

Not a chance in hell. She thought wryly. The boy needs to get a clue.

“So, what are you ladies doing out here and not inside?” Sebastian started conversationally, grinning widely; eyes sparkled in the way that he knew girls would fall all over themselves for him whenever he directed them their way. He had watched his step-sister followed their host into the room, then out the double door that seemed to be open into some sort of courtyard. He only lingered long enough to say hello to a few people that his father knew, behaving himself.

Like he was expected to by his parents.

And as soon as he could get away from those people he tried to follow them outside, if only to annoy Kathryn. He knew her better than anyone, he knew what made her tick, well, most of the time he knew what made her tick, and the other time, he couldn’t really tell what she was thinking, like right now.

When they learned of the invitation to the Spencer’s party Kathryn had rolled her eyes and snorted-- in that elegant way that only her knew how-- and expressed her disdain of yet another mindless social gathering and with their parents no less. Then after the name was being read again, by him –only because he loved her expression—that she gave a noticeable pause, and said she would go.

He couldn’t figure out why then, but now, he starting to see the reason, though still not understood.

She had taken longer to get ready, well, she usually took a while to get ready to go anywhere, there would never be time that Kathryn Merteuil showed her face outside that she was not perfect, but this time she was meticulously dressed in her best, not a single hair out of place, her jewelry was tasteful and understatedly elegant. Sebastian couldn’t remember the last time that she made that much effort for anything.

Then as soon as they arrived, Kathryn was noticeably excited, he could see that, and it was strange. For someone that kept her emotions as closed off as his step-sister to show anything as such. And it wasn’t to manipulate anyone to top that off. A matter of fact was that, he had never seen her like that, in all the time that they first met till now, and he reduced from the conversations that flew around them during the ride that the Spencer had a daughter who was attending at Manchester.

He wasn’t aware of that.

That until his step-sister mentioned Faith, then he remembered how Kathryn had been talking about a new girl with an attitude the third week of school. He sort of tuned her out after the initial mention; he wasn’t interested in her politic after all, what did it matter if a new student was in Kathryn’s flock or not.

As soon as they got inside and he saw the focus of Kathryn’s excitement, his curiosity piqued. Well, he had a reason for that. The girl was beautiful, in the dark and with a hint of danger, with a killer body – and he noticed in the first few moments—she had attitude to support the dark look, whether or not it was what she was going for.

He intended to follow them outside, as soon as they walked away from him, but he was intercepted by none other than his own aunt. Sebastian nearly bit his own tongue out in an effort not to swear in front of her. To her he was a sweetest nephew, never did anything wrong, her favorite. So he couldn’t just walk away, instead he stood there, chatted with her and as soon as her attention was caught by someone else he made an excuse and left.

And quickly.

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