We Wear The Mask <<Zayden>>

[Kayden Anders R4]

"For the love of Merlin, would she shut the hell up," he said quietly to himself, trudging through the knee high snow to get to Hogsmeade. He hadn't intended for anyone to hear it and thought he was safe given the ruckus that they were making, but a face like his own turned and smiled mischievously at him; his brother caught what he said about Rebecca Stonesen and was in very obvious agreement; the girl's voice was so high and harsh sounding that anyone who spoke to her had to resist the urge to punch her in the mouth to shut her trap. Kayden returned the smile and then put his focus back into walking. To be honest, all he had really wanted to do today was relax and hang around in the castle. But Zayden got him to go to Hogsmeade with him so that he wouldn't have to hang out with the "Band of Bloody, Barmy Pikies" by himself; a name with which the people who followed Zayden had no idea that that's what they were called. They got back from Christmas Holiday yesterday to hugs, warm greetings and even presents from friends...well...Zayden's "friends." To Kayden they were just a bunch of useless waste, and he was sure that they meant even less to his twin. Everything that they gave him yesterday was given away anonymously to someone is his House with the exception of a moderate sized box of licorice wands, which was Kayden's favorite sweet.

Several minutes later they finally reached the Three Broomsticks, and Kayden wasted no time in walking the opposite way of his brother's group, picking an empty table near a wall in the back, knowing Zayden would follow him and hoping that the others would find somewhere else. He knew it was wishful thinking as he pulled off his Dragon Skin gloves, and before he could take off his jacket his table was full of people. He sighed and draped his coat over the back of his chair and sat down, pulling his scarf a little tighter around his neck. His brother nudged him gently in his side, his eyes clearly communicating, "Are you okay?" No, he thought, but he shook his head and nudged his brother's arm with his elbow. It was just like Zayden; before he could let loose and have a good time he had to make sure that Kayden was okay and comfortable. Sometimes he liked it, sometimes he didn't. It all depended on his mood, but he couldn't count how many times his brother made him feel thought about and loved.

"Oh I just love it when you two do that! So cute..."

Kayden winced. How in the world could someone be born with a voice like that? He entertained the thought that maybe someone cursed her voice box when she was a baby or something. If that were the case, then he himself would personally research to see if such a spell existed, and if so, the counter curse was next on the list.

"I mean, it's so cool how you two can talk to each other without actually talking to each other. It's like-"

"Rebecca!" Kayden spoke before he knew he did. He was on the verge of telling her off, but decided to be courteous instead. "How about you go on up to the bar and get our drinks? Please," he added. He expected her to protest or something of the sort. After all, he was at a table full of proud Slytherins, all of whom were used to being served and waited on including himself, a Ravenclaw. But Rebecca smiled and stood up, gracefully pulling off her expensive jacket and draping it on her own chair. Rebecca really was very pretty, but no one could ever get around the noise that escaped her mouth. She looked disgusted at the request at first and seemed as if she were insulted, but then her face changed as if she considered it.

"Sure thing. Be right back."

"Thank you," Kayden said, silently calling her an idiot. Of course she wouldn't get upset. It was a chance for her to show off by getting them all butterbeers. Sure, it was basically a kids drink and didn't cost very much, but "knowing" Rebecca, she would come back with two, possibly three butterbeers for everyone. No wonder his brother loved keeping them around; it was too easy to play with them and ease them into whatever you wanted to. Zayden loved the power. He loved having people around him who couldn't function without a leader of sorts, and how he loved being that leader.

"She is so bloody stupid!"

"I know! And that voice! If her family wasn't so well distinguished and loaded I wouldn't talk to the tosh pot. It's always the good looking ones who have something extra...no such thing as perfection I guess."

The whole table laughed and Kayden smiled, slightly rolling his eyes in exasperation. Here they go, he thought. Completely trashing someone behind their back and then acting as if they were kin when they see them; just tolerating them long enough to get what they want out of them in the future. But who was he to sit here and judge them when he was pretending to laugh, acting as if he were one of them? The thought straightened his forcefully smiling face out immediately.

He really was tired of this. He couldn't take it anymore, but he also couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. All he really wanted to do if anything was hang out with his brother, not all of these people. Whenever he was around them, he felt so artificial...like he wasn't real. But then, Kayden felt that way almost all the time, even around Zayden, who was probably one of the only people he felt comfortable around. After a very disrespectful remark from Denver Navell, a short, not so good looking bloke, Kayden had had enough. He casually got up and decided he would go and help Rebecca carry the drinks. He wasn't three strides away when the table erupted into laughter again, and he walked faster.

"Oh, hey Kayden!"

"Hey......you," he said with a fake smile. It was hard to pretend to be nice, but given what was happening back at the table, he felt like she deserved it. "Just wanted to help you carry these butterbeers. Two for each person, I presume?" There were fourteen cold bottles sitting on the counter. He widened his eyes a little, needing to express his annoyance at her predictability in some way.

"Yeah. Just showing how much I love you guys!"

"Well, we....uh....care about you too Rebecca," he said glancing back at the table. "Lots...yeah. Loads and loads," he said scooping up the butterbeers.

[Zayden Anders S4]

He observed his brother through squinted, wondering eyes as he got up and walked over to the bar; although, he gave up trying to understand and analyze him a while ago. It was crazy. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't ever tell what Kayden was thinking or feeling unless he actually said it, and yet Kayden could read him almost as effortlessly as he read any of his school books. He knew the main reason as to why that was; he held nothing back when it came to his twin, and he was completely unashamed of doing so, but shouldn't there be more of a connection between them? Kayden was his very heart, the person he felt, or thought he knew the best. But as of late it just seemed as if Kayden were a close friend, not a twin. The table started laughing again, interrupting his thoughts, but he missed what was said. He felt like Kayden was irritated, though he had to admit that he wasn't completely sure. He didn't like his brother to be anything but happy, so what could he do to change his mood? He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, thinking and formulating...

"Ah, that's nice of him," Denver said making an exaggerated face. "Helping squeaky with the drinks."

"Watch it, Navell." He spoke with a venom and firmness that changed the mood of the entire table instantly, his eyes not leaving Kayden's back. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw that Denver seemed hesitant to speak.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just-"

"I don't care. Just make sure you watch how you speak about my brother, you great oaf." The mood turned again as they all laughed at Denver, who went red and settled into his chair. They all knew not to ever even inadvertently speak bad about Kayden in front of him, and they all knew he had a bad temper. Maybe that was uncalled for, but he sincerely didn't care. Kayden and Rebecca were making their way back to the table when he heard a murmur come from Denver's direction. "What did you say?" Everyone fell silent again. Denver went even redder, but stared at the table top as if wishing it would suck him into it's surface. Zayden turned in his seat so that he was facing the now plum-colored boy directly, fists balled and his blue eyes staring a fiery hole through his chubby head. "What did you say, Navell?! Huh? Don't be a pansy, speak up!"

"We're back," Rebecca said handing out the butterbeers that she was carrying, oblivious to what was going on.

He leaned in closer, but a hand was placed on his chest, and he looked up up to see Kayden looking stern. Their eyes met for a second, and Zayden backed up and let it go though he was still angry. Kayden placed two butterbeers in front of him and went to give Denver two, but Zayden took them both and sat them in front of himself. "I'll take those, bro. Thanks." He really didn't even want one butterbeer as he pulled the cap off, but he would drink all four if it would help him feel better and piss Navell off even more. As he was drinking obnoxiously, he felt warm breath on his ear.

"Was Navell being a bad boy again?"

At first, he thought it was his brother, so the light voice came as a surprise. Then, that sweet smell hit his nostrils and he knew who it was. Stephanie Hinton, a Slytherin in his Year and one of the most beautiful girls at school, pulled up a chair and went to sit it between he and his brother but Zayden stopped her. "Sit on my other side, please," he added, his bad mood practically eradicated. He straightened up and suddenly became more aware of himself. "Uh, butterbeer?"

"Yes, thank you." She took the bottle from his hand, careful to graze the back of it with her index finger. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, unable to stop the little bit of color that flew to his cheeks. He liked her, and he didn't doubt for a second that she liked him as well. They had been flirting since the first half of the school year, but nothing had ever come of it, though he wished it had.

"So how was your holiday, Zayden Anders?" She had been calling him that since they first started speaking. He thought it odd at first, but found that he really didn't mind because Stephanie was one of those girls where she could call a guy anything she wanted and he wouldn't care because she was so pretty.

"It was good. Nice and relaxing. Did a bit of traveling, got into some mischeif-"

"I bet you did," she said winking. Zayden smiled even brighter and thought about winking back, but dismissed the urge. "And what about you, Kayden Anders?" She leaned over Zayden ever-so-slightly, and he softly inhaled the smell of her long, silvery blonde hair.

[Kayden Anders R4]

He purposefully busied himself with his drink as she pulled her chair up. Merlin don't let her sit beside me, he thought, and like that, Zayden asked her to sit on his other side. He was sure his brother didn't know that he didn't much like Stephanie, so it made him feel a little better that he didn't want her to sit in between them. He wasn't sure what had happened while he was up at the bar, but Denver looked livid and refused to look at anything but the table. Kayden thought about asking what him what went down, but decided that Navell wasn't worth it; he was nothing more than a mean, trash-talking git who thought he was better than everybody just because he belonged to one of the wealthiest families in the wizarding world. But now that Kayden thought about it, he could say the same about Zayden, and was now sure that nothing serious had happened; it was just his twin's temper. And besides...it would be "out of character" for him to talk to Denver anyway. And then those feelings came back. He leaned back in his chair, fresh frustration balled up in his chest. But then he heard his name.

"What?" He looked to his left to see Stephanie looking at him politely. He glanced at his brother, and saw that he looked as if he were in complete and total bliss. His cheeks were even somewhat flushed, and his behavior was not unnoticed by those around the table who were whispering and snickering to each other. He somewhat liked that fact that Zayden was embarrassing himself....especially over her.

"Oh, I was just asking how your break was," she said tucking a loc of her perfect hair behind her ear. If he didn't know any better, and based off of the smile she was giving him, Kayden would say she was flirting with him. It took him a minute to be sure, though; he was terrible at picking up signals. She flirted with everybody, he knew that much, but it was no secret that she was into his brother. So why would she do that when both of them were sitting right here? He took another swig of butterbeer, covering his annoyance.

"Well, what did Zayden say?" At the mention of his name, he looked at Kayden as if he snapped out of a Confundus charm.

"He said that it was relaxing and that you guys' did a bit of traveling-"

"Well then," he interrupted her. "There you go." Some people at the table snickered, but stopped when they saw the look on her face as she turned to glare at those who dared to laugh. He would give Stephanie that; she was not only popular because of her beauty, but known for her temper as well. He often thought about how fun it would be to see her and Zayden go at it, but knew it would never happen...not while they both were in "fancy-mode."

"I guess I should have figured," she said effortlessly replacing her smile and friendly demeanor. She returned to speaking to Zayden, and he was glad, but only because that meant she didn't want to speak to him anymore. He would jump with joy if she got up and walked away, but not before declaring that she would never speak to the Anders' brothers again.

He had good reasons for not liking Stephanie. Her beauty and temper were only two things that she was known for; there had been many stories circulating around about her, and most of them were true. He wanted her to have nothing to do with him or Zayden, but had a feeling that that was just a futile hope or wish. Kayden knew that the real reason that he didn't like Stephanie was because of her potential to become a problem. He didn't want her to interfere in his relationship with Zayden, and even as he thought it, he knew he sounded childish. But his brother was childish all the time; if someone looked at Kayden wrong or tried to talk to him, Zayden would damn near want to rip their heads off. But, he wasn't Zayden, he was the mature one. So why was he having all these problems?

His thoughts were interrupted by a wild cackle from Rebecca, which sounded as about as good as a bird rubbing it's beak against a chalkboard. That was it. He stood up, and put on his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

He wasn't sure who spoke. "Don't worry about it."

[Zayden Anders S4]

He snapped out of his fantasy and squinted his eyes at his brother's response to Stephanie. No way, he thought. Zayden might not have been able to read Kayden as well as Kayden read him, but he definitely knew when Kayden didn't like someone. How could any bloke not like Stephanie Hinton unless she killed his family, or something unforgivable like that? She hadn't done anything to Kayden except ask how his holiday was, and he answers her like that? Words came to his mouth but he did not let them pass, and the little tinge of temper he felt creeping up on him quickly went away. If his brother didn't like one of the prettiest girls in school, then he must have had good reason. Unlike himself who only needed the smallest inclination, Kayden wasn't one to just "not like" someone if he knew he had no real reason to do so. Had something happened between he and Stephanie that he didn't tell him about? No way, he thought again. They may not be as close as he would like, but they were still close. Zayden told his brother everything and vice versa. Now that he thought about it, Zayden had told Kayden a few stories about his little "adventures," and as far as he knew, Kayden had no "adventures" to speak of. So, if something had happened between the two of them, he definitely would have known. Unless.....something did happen and his brother was too embarrassed to say anything. But even then Zayden knew that wasn't true; there was no such thing as embarrassment when it came to the two of them.

"So what are you getting into tonight?"

There it was...that sweet, sweet voice. He momentarily forgot where he was and who he was with, and straightened up immediately. Once again, words came to his mouth, only this time they were inappropriate, and he once again did not let them pass. "I don't know. I haven't made any plans or anything yet." But even as he spoke, all kinds of "plans" formed in his head.

"Good," she said moving some of her hair off the side of her face. "We should hang out."

She really was beautiful. Long, silvery blonde hair, bright green eyes, perfect bone structure....

"Is that okay?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah...yeah that's fine. What time did you have in mind?" He sat up straight and grabbed the butterbeer that he forgot that he was drinking.

"Right after dinner."

"After dinner it is, then. Can't wait," he said taking a swig of his drink. He only realized how warm he was when the butterbeer hit his tongue and seemed to be colder than when he first got it.

"Great," she said getting up from the table. Zayden casually let his eyes wander. "I'll see you then. I'm here with some friends, and I think I've been away for too long. See you later," she said turning with a smile.

"Later, Stephanie," he said placing his drink back down on the table. The moment she was out of ear shot, the table erupted with questions and accolades, but when he turned his head sharply to the right, he was surprised to see an empty chair. "Where is my brother?" They all stopped talking.

"I don't know. We tried to ask him-"

"Rebecca, shut up." Merlin, that damn voice, he thought. "Someone else, please." Through a laugh, another boy at the table, Harvey Skalder, answered as he turned red from trying to control himself.

"I t-tried to ask him where he was going mate, but he said not to worry about it and left."

He quickly put on his jacket and went for the door. He heard the scuffle of chairs and yelled over his shoulder, "Don't follow me. I'll be back." He doubted that Rebecca or Denver got up, seeing as how they were both probably pissed with him, but he didn't care; they would get over it like they always did. All that mattered right now was his brother.

He got outside and looked up and down the street; he didn't see Kayden anywhere. He thought about yelling, but decided against it. He walked to the end of the street and started to peer into the shop windows hoping to see him. Why did he get up and leave? Did someone say something? Did he do something that Kayden didn't like? He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek in frustration. Why did he have to do all of this guess work lately? Why couldn't he just know the way that Kayden just knew stuff? It just wasn't fair.

A few minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of him, and Zayden was freezing; in his haste he left his scarf, hat and gloves inside the Three Broomsticks, and his shaggy blonde hair was full of snow. Shivering, he started to make his way back. Maybe he should not have even got up to come look. Maybe that was the problem. Zayden was smothering him. Zayden was so overbearing that Kayden felt the need to get up and leave. But that didn't make any sense though. The two didn't even talk at the table. Maybe it was what he did to Denver. He knew his brother didn't like it when he was "mean" to people, but then why would that make him angry when Kayden didn't even like his "friends?" He gritted his teeth in literal cold and irritation. Here he was, guessing again. As he neared the Three Broomsticks, he became resolute; no matter how much he would hate it, and he knew he would, he had to give Kayden space. And that space, he supposed, started now.