"Forever?" she asked.
"Forever." he said.
In which two twin sisters join an agency run by two teenage boys, who seem to think they have everything figured out.
or
In which Elara Carlyle falls for the charming Anthony Lockwood, whom seems to have...
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"Who's Arif?" the twins said in unison, glancing sheepishly at each other.
"Runs the corner shop and usually sends round' donuts about now. But you two don't have any donuts, so you'll be more candidates," the boy with glasses observed the two girls. "I thought we'd finished. Names?" He looked between them. "Lucy and Elara Carlyle. Are you Mr. Lockwood?" Lucy replied awkwardly, looking around expectantly. "Me? No." The boy looked offended, and Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.
"Well, can we see him, then?" She asked, wanting to get to the point. "Don't see why not. The last one's just gone in, but from the looks of her, she won't be long." He smiled, quirking his head behind him.
The two girls entered, looking around the townhome. It was homey with the smell of burnt toast, tea, cleaning supplies, and salt filling their noses. There were boot scuffs littered on the floor, and coats askew among coat hangers. Muffled voices from a nearby room were heard, along with a girl shrieking followed by an 'Oh my God! Get that away from me!' The girl pushed past the twins and out the door, leaving Elara's mouth agape as she wondered what the hell just happened.
"See? Told you so. Okey-dokey, if you'd like to follow me?" The curly-haired boy cut off Elara's thoughts as her focus snapped to him. The two girls nodded, following him into what looked like a living room. Lucy eagerly followed the boy as Elara did. The brunette girl crossed her arms, letting out a sigh. A tall, nicely dressed man stood in front of them. Seemed to be their age, maybe a bit older... taller too. He had quite nice hair, combed back and soft-looking.
"You win. There was one more. Well, two more," the boy with glasses quipped.
"No, you win. I checked the list. That was the last one," the tall boy replied. "Then who are they?" The boy with nice hair turned around, laying his eyes on the two girls. "Hello. I'm Anthony Lockwood." He smiled cheekily.
"I'm Lucy Carlyle," Lucy responded quickly, turning to look at her sister. "This is my sister, Elara. We don't have an appointment, but we saw your advert in the paper, and we were in the area."
"You've heard of us?" Lockwood asked. He seemed surprised. "No," Lucy said plainly. Lockwood scoffed quietly, looking at his friend. "Our CVs." Lucy handed Lockwood their paperwork and nudged her sister. "Lighten up, will ya? Why are you so cheesed off? You look annoyed," she whispered to Elara.
"I'm just tired and hungry, Lu. That's all," Elara muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Would you like some tea? Or has George already offered?" Lockwood motioned to his friend. "I thought I'd wait until after the first test. See if they're still here," George muttered to Lockwood. "We've wasted enough tea bags today."
"Well, let's give them the benefit of the doubt and pop the kettle on." He glared, but then smiled at the twins. "All right, but I reckon she's a bolter," He looked to Lucy, "And she's a shouter," He looked to Elara. Lockwood elbowed George, and the boy rushed off to the kitchen. "Sorry about him. He gets very tetchy when he's hungry. Take a seat," Lockwood apologized as the two girls sat down on a nice couch. It was very soft and plush. Nice pillows too. Crockery clattered in the background as their interview began.
"So you've got the sight and the touch, but primarily, you're both Listeners?" He asked while reading their papers. "Hmm. I've got good touch, but it sometimes merges with what I hear. Touch sometimes triggers the sounds. Elara's got sharper senses than me though," She glanced at her sister. "But we're a team." Elara bit her cheek, laying her head appreciatively on her sister's shoulder.
"George can do a bit of that. Not me. Sight's my thing. Death-glows, trails, all the ghoulish residues of death," Lockwood cracked a grin, and Elara couldn't help but smile back. "It says here you two trained up north with a local operative named Jacobs. Got your grades one to four, I presume?" He asked. "Hmm. That's right," Lucy nodded, fiddling with her fingers. Lying probably wasn't the best way to get into an 'agency', but it would have to do. "Did he give you a reference?"
"No," Elara cut in, making Lockwood glance up at the girl. "Our last employment ended... uh... abruptly." He looked interested, his eyebrows raised. "I could tell you the whole story if you want, but it's just not something we like dwelling on," She finished, smiling awkwardly. "Some other time then," He nodded. "Hmm," She murmured.
Footsteps emerged from the kitchen behind them, "Ah! Finally," Quipped a gobby Lockwood. George placed a tray of tea and biscuits on a side table next to the girls. "Shall we get on with the tests?" Lockwood asked.
"What tests? The advert didn't say anything about tests," Lucy nervously bit the inside of her lip. "Well, frankly, I don't see much store by references or referrals. I prefer to see talent with my own eyes," He picked up a plate full of biscuits, offering them to the twins. "Please, take a biscuit. George will only eat them all."
The two girls grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. The taste was euphoric. Sweet salty goodness. Elara scarfed down the biscuit as her sister did the same. The glances shared between the two boys, and their worried faces only made Elara realize how embarrassing they were acting. She poked her sister and cleared her throat. Elara could only sit there silently and wish she was invisible.
★・・・★・・・★・・・★
A/N
hey hey!! I know this chapter isn't much, but I really had to get something out. I promise I will try to stay on schedule. Chapter four WILL be out tomorrow or the day after that. I PROMISE.
