Transcend (2 page)

Mother would never approve of the match, but her harsh words and threats had pushed him to this point. She’d left him with no alternative. He would take control over his life—while he still could.

Mother had always been supportive of him. No, not supportive. Controlling. She held a specific dream for the family, a goal, and forced everyone else to fulfill it. Up until now, Ien hadn’t minded. He rather liked the power Mother infused in him, relishing the way people treated him like royalty. Her decisions had always been right in the long run, even when they squelched his desires.

“There is no future in that, Ien,” Mother would say every time he strayed too far from her ideals. He hated admitting she was right, but she had been. Every time.

That is, until now.  

Ien forced the images of Mother from his thoughts, returning his focus to the plan. The ring in his palm began to burn his skin as his nerves frayed.
Run through it again
, he told himself.

“Kiera,” he said to his empty room, his words nothing more than a faint whisper on his lips. “I know we’re too young for this, but I can’t imagine my life without you.” Each syllable caught in his throat.
This is stupid. Say something more clever!

Ien shook his head and stared at the reflection in the mirror. His blond hair, too long for Mother’s liking, was pulled back at his neck, revealing sharp cheekbones, full lips and a chiseled jaw. The Montgomery family features. He looked into his blue eyes, their intensity matching the tightness in his shoulders.
You can do this.
He practiced his speech again, trying to imagine the look on Kiera’s face when he slid the ring onto her finger. For a brief moment, his forehead creased with doubt. His shoulders curved in, weighted down with apprehension.   

Say yes, Kiera. Please say yes.   

A soft knock pulled him from his fear-riddled thoughts. He swallowed hard.
Now or never.
Giving one last look to his reflection, he opened the door.

James stood at the threshold, propped against the door jam. He was so different from Ien. Muscular, instead of lanky. Dark, instead of fair. James stretched every boundary to its limits, exuding a sense of danger Ien could never quite pull off, no matter how much he wanted to.

Why would you ever choose me, Kiera?

James and Ien had been friends for more than six years, bonding over the burden of expectations placed on their shoulders by their family names. Ien Montgomery and James Thoburn III—children born into two of the wealthiest families in America.

 “Are you ready for this?” James paced the floor.

Chadwick Academy for Boys, the most prestigious preparatory school in New York state, wasn’t hard to break out of. In fact, James had made it his goal to find the best ways in and out of the school. For the last six years, James had figured out how to break every rule at Chadwick, while Ien had provided the cover for each and every adventure. Now it was James’s turn to return the favor.

“Let’s go.” Ien stepped into the hallway with a deep sigh, closing the door on his old life.

Chadwick Academy looked like many of the more prestigious preparatory schools in New England—Georgian architecture modeled after many of the universities. Frederick Hall, Ien’s dormitory, was a long building made of brick with a slate roof. The interior featured mahogany paneling, gas-lit hallways and narrow winding staircases. Gilded frames adorned pictures of now-famous benefactors, a reminder of the future Chadwick boys were supposed to achieve. Even the rooms screamed opulence, with arched windows, gilded mirrors and 4 poster beds. To say the dorm was lavish was an understatement. Money practically seeped from the walls themselves.

“You know you can never come back from this, right?” James said in hushed tones, following Ien down the hallway. “Once you start down this road, your life will be forever changed. Ruined. Your parents won’t accept a union with her, no matter what you say to them.” His face carried no smile, none of the familiar mischievousness that usually accompanied him on his adventures. Instead, he was solemn and grim, pale despite his olive completion.

Ien ignored James’s words, refusing to submit to his own disquiet. He walked down the hall, his focus narrow.  

“I know you think you need to do this,” James called to him. “But it’s rash, Ien. Too rash. Even by my standards.”

Ien flinched, saying nothing.

“I fear you haven’t thought this through. Not completely.”

 Ien slowed and James grabbed his arm, stopping him completely.

“You’re only seventeen,” James said. “You aren’t ready for this.”

Ien pulled his arm free and walked further ahead, stoic.

“Ien! You’re headed for a disaster. Even
if
Kiera says yes, no good will ever come from this arrangement.”

He stopped and spun around, eyes ablaze. “I won’t give her up, James. I won’t! Mother isn’t going to chase her away from me. Not this time.” Ien turned away and stormed further down the wood-paneled hallway, pushed forward by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He eased down the stairs, careful to make no sounds. With his luck, Headmaster Billings would catch him and send word to Mother about his most recent indiscretion. Then what would he do?

Balling his hands into fists, Ien chewed on James’s words. He was right; Ien’s family would never accept the betrothal to Kiera or anyone else. Not yet. At best, all Ien could expect was another fight with Mother.

He pictured the scene in exquisite detail. Mother would walk into the library at their estate. Her penetrating glare would go straight through him, stripping away his resolve and confirming every fear, that he was nothing more than a disappointment. She would ask, no demand, that he break it off with Kiera and forget all of his
nonsense
.

Anger welled inside as he pictured his mother’s tirade. He tightened his fists. His pulse quickened. He wouldn’t allow her to destroy his dreams this time, wouldn’t cave into her expectations.

Not again.

Taking one last deep breath, Ien opened the door to the mudroom at the back of Frederick Hall. “Let’s go,” he whispered over his shoulder as he fingered the ring once more.

James hesitated at the threshold. “Ien?”

The worry in James’s voice clung to the air, adding to the weight already bearing down on Ien.

“Aren’t you the one always telling me to ignore Mother’s ranting? Aren’t you the one saying I need to get a life—my own life? This is me, getting the life I want.”

“This isn’t some little school prank, Ien. Or you sneaking into the conservatory to play your music. This is marriage. Outside of your parents’ wishes. This is big. And it’s going to get ugly. Far uglier than you’re willing to admit, I think.”

“No it won’t. Mother will come to her senses. I just need to stand up to her for once. She’ll come around. I’m the only one who can take over Father’s businesses. So, to get me, they have to accept Kiera.”

James looked down, shaking his head.

“Trust me.” Ien sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as James.

“I pray you’re right. But, what if Kiera says no? Have you taken a moment to consider that outcome?”

“She won’t,” Ien said through a strained smile. “Trust me. It’s going to work out.”

James’s brow crinkled.

“It will. I know it.” Ien wanted to believe the lie pouring from his lips, but deep inside he knew James was right. Mother would never forgive this betrayal. He and Kiera would never be accepted. Not now. Maybe not ever.

Ien was past caring. He wasn’t willing to give up the only person he’d ever loved, the one that quieted the turmoil in his soul and chased away the noise and the chaos. The only person that could free him from Mother.

Ien turned away from James and started down the path away from Chadwick. “Are you coming?” he called back to James.

“Yes,” James said as he released a sigh. “Of course I’m coming.”

~

Tense silence gathered between Ien and James as they forged their way through the overgrown woods that separated the two schools. Ferns and vines littered the ground, coated with a sprinkling of pine needles. The air smelled of evergreens, clean and vastly different from the noxious construction odors that seemed to define the growing township of Rutherford Park.

The Montgomery family had moved from New York City more than fifty years earlier, creating a Mecca for the wealthiest families. But the recent expansion and construction in the town made Ien miss the quiet country life he had associated with the world outside of the city. Fortunately, Chadwick and Whitehall were both surrounded by the rich forests of Upstate New York, quelling Ien’s needs for escape.

Most of the time.

“You know I’m just looking out for you,” James said as they continued to walk. “I don’t want anything to ruin your life, even if you are going to a horrible college next year.” He punched Ien playfully in the arm, relieving some of the tension weighing down the air.

“Horrible? I think you have it all wrong. Harvard is the fraud. Not Yale.” Ien threw a light punch as James dodged out of the way.

The boys teased and joked, talking about school, upcoming graduation plans, and life after Chadwick. Ien released a heavy breath and smiled.

The respite didn’t last for long and Ien again lost himself to the thoughts of maintaining the status quo and living up to Mother’s incessant expectations.

He had always followed Mother’s instructions in the past. She would assume nothing less from him this time. When she told him to focus on economics and science, he did—even though he despised both subjects. When she said that Yale was to follow Chadwick, he acquiesced, even though his dream was to study music abroad. That’s how it always was with New York’s elite. Decisions never belonged to the children—only to the parents. And always for the betterment of the family.

This new rule, however—the forget about Kiera and music and do your duty rule—was unacceptable. Ien simply couldn’t play along this time, regardless of the cost. Too much had changed. Kiera was part of him now. And to her, he was never a disappointment.

Mother’s voice echoed through Ien’s mind. “You will not see her again, Ien. Promise me.”

He never did make that promise. Instead he confided in James, and although James didn’t approve of what Ien wanted to do, he’d agreed to help.  It was James’s idea to leave as the rest of Chadwick went to dinner, walking through the wooded hills that separated Chadwick and Whitehall. It certainly wasn’t the quickest way between the schools, but it was the safest, at least before the sun went down.

At night, gypsies seemed to pour from the trees themselves, making camp in the forest. Mother warned Ien never to cross the ragtag band of vagabonds, calling them nothing more than thieves and scoundrels. It was the only warning Ien heeded. Something about the gypsies reminded him of his worst nightmares, and he’d do anything to avoid them.

Anything.

Ien would have to stick to the roads through town and risk being seen to get home. Mother’s spies were everywhere, especially now that she saw how close she was to losing him. Being born into the wealthiest and most famous family in New England had one major drawback, privacy was a luxury seldom given. Everyone watched the Montgomerys, waiting for one of them to do something of ill repute. Mother refused for any of her children to be at the center of rumor.

“Ien, have you heard anything I’ve said?” A hint of annoyance coated James’s voice and Ien pulled up short, not realizing James had stopped walking. “Ien?”

“Sorry,” Ien mumbled, desperately attempting to reclaim a conversation he hadn’t heard. James started walking again, his shoulders stiff, his jaw set. He hated being ignored.

The path through the woods was well worn, forged years earlier by boys and girls finding their way between the two schools, hidden from suspecting eyes. Ien broke into a clearing after several yards of silence. The marble pillars of Whitehall came into view, sending a tremor through him. Like Chadwick, Whitehall was considered an elite school, known for turning out the very best girls. Educated in art, music and literature, Whitehall girls were well prepared to take on their roles as loyal wives to New York’s royalty. Every family expected their Chadwick sons to marry Whitehall daughters.

 “Thank you for helping me. I know you don’t approve.” Fear tightened Ien’s cells.

 “You’re right, I don’t approve,” James said. “You’re committing social suicide. But…”

“But?”

“You’ve helped me out enough times. I guess this is the least I can do. Besides, someone has to be around to pick up the pieces when this whole thing blows up.”

Ien smiled. “Nothing’s going to go wrong. Trust me.”

“If you say so.”

 Ien and James stopped at the edge of the school’s great lawn, near the main building. Ien’s nerves continued to explode through his body. “So, what’s your plan? How are you sneaking me in?” 

“How about through the front door,” James said through a mischievous smile, his previous annoyances forgotten.

A frown formed on Ien’s face. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve decided to call on Miss Kiera this evening.” James pulled out a small piece of parchment with his name embossed in the center.

“When did you get those?” Ien asked, his laughter releasing a measure of tension.

 “My father practically ordered me to start thinking about
the rest of my life
—marriage, obligations and such.” James said. “Like courting someone I have no interest in will somehow do that.” James shook his head. “But, it suits our purposes tonight beautifully. Kiera makes a great call, don’t you think? Particularly since all three of our families will hear about it before the sun sets.”

Ien laughed again. “Brilliant,” he said. “But, what about me? Why, exactly, am I with you?”

“You aren’t.” James smiled and explained his plan. “You go and hide near the conservatory window. I’ll let you in once we figure out how to get rid of Kiera’s chaperone.”

“Nice.” Ien knew his friend’s unquestioning loyalty was enough to ensure success.