Tailor Made

Chapter Two

Aria’s head did in fact hurt. She had downed a few glasses of water before stumbling into bed, so the worst of the dehydration was probably prevented, but she still thought wistfully of sleeping the rest of the day away. But like anyone who partook of the alcohol, she would have to deal with the light headache and nausea for the rest of the day. It was like, she pondered, alcohol took happiness from the coming day.

Nora was already gone and, by the look of things, Aria had ignored her first few alarms. She’d missed breakfast, and it was time to get learning! Not a great start to the day. Or the week for that matter. She clambered into her uniform and grabbed her printed timetable, jamming it into her pocket as she left the dorm.

Back on the path between Shrew Hall and the main hall, it was deserted. Aria started to panic, would she be walking into her first class late? And why didn’t she spend yesterday wandering the school to work out where her classes were like she had planned? Nora, she thought bitterly, how could that girl force her to have fun instead of being prepared for academic achievement? And why was Aria asking herself so many questions?

Gak! She did have a map, but it was stuffed between pamphlets of How to Prepare for the End of the World (i.e. Returning to High School) and Strictly Pre-teen Golf Lessons in her welcome bag. But it was too late to head back now. She would just need to look for signs pointing to the Forrest building for her first French lesson. She was pretty sure ‘Bonjour’ was hello, or ‘salut’ if she wanted to be a rebellious teen and show her Madame no respect. But what was ‘sorry, I accidentally started drinking on my first night at this school’?

She spotted some signposts in her mad dash, and thanked her lucky stars that the Forrest building was one of the signs. There was also a clock above it with its hands reading 9:20 like a disappointed frown. Aria yelped and pelted down the path. She dashed up the stairs, taking three steps at a time, and barrelled into her classroom finally.

By now she had started to accept her bad luck and was not wholly surprised to find it empty. Did she get the wrong room? Aria pulled her timetable out, and it confirmed the room number. Building name too. This wasn’t some weird situation where she’d slept all day and it was 9pm, was it?

In the light she caught a glimpse of some writing on the back and flipped it over to find a note.

Hey girl,

Classes aren’t on today. I know I said they were, but I lied. Ha, you’ll get used to that. It’s Open Day, you get to pick your club and sport for the semester. You’d know this if you read through the welcome pack, or, I dunno, gone to the Opening Ceremony. Oh well.

I could have written this in a better place for you to find. But I didn’t want to. This is what you get for calling me nice.

Nora

Aria threw her hands up in frustration. When she found that girl she would… well, she would probably do something lame. She had trouble with revenge fantasies.

Glancing out the south-most window, Aria felt like banging her head against the wall. The whole school was out there on one of the lawns, and making so much noise she was shocked she didn’t hear them sooner. There were pavilions to display all the different clubs, a few display tents, and loud music to advertise some sports drink.

Aria headed back down to the lawns and steeled herself. This was it. She would find the perfect club to join, make some amazing friends who would last a lifetime, and graduate surrounded by admirers. Or something. Whatever, the fine details could be worked out later.

The clubs was what Aria had been most excited about for Smartwood. The students were always on campus, so to keep them entertained clubs were run between 3 and 5pm after classes. The clubs often became involved in competitions state and country-wide, but right now the bit Aria was most interested in is the part where she would get to meet a bunch of people who were forced to be around her for two hours a day. There would be no escaping her charms!

Aria joined the crowds and wandered up and down the rows of clubs, taking pamphlets and listening to the spiels with interest. There were plenty of clubs that looked interesting enough, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to commit two hours a day to any of them. The first row was all sporting clubs; team sports she cared little for like football and cricket. But also things like rowing, gymnastics, yoga and taichi, martial arts, archery, dance; the tents went on and on. Aria loved to run; it was her favourite way to wake herself up when not suffering from a hangover. However it was extremely personal to her, and she mostly used it as a chance to be alone. Joining an athletic team probably wasn’t quite what she was after.

She sneaked past the politics clubs, feeling like she’d probably end up all angry and impassioned if she joined with them. The language and culture ones looked like a useful idea to supplement her studies, but the two people at the French booth seemed painfully posh. She could hear the scorn in their words when she tried a French greeting in a painfully non-French accent. She moved on quickly from that one.

The Japanese society seemed lovely dressed in their authentic ‘kimono’ as they excitedly explained to her, but she felt weird taking part in their group without any intention to speak the language. Most of the members looked like they were from European descent, but there were a few who actually looked Japanese. Maybe they were homesick.

Booths like Programming, Robotics, Mathematics and the Chess club she passed by, but had to admit they were all defying the stereotypes by having some very attractive members. Attractive members wouldn’t make her choose a club though. Probably. She also knocked the Choral society, Debating, and Pride off her list, feeling she had little in common with them.

Aria stopped at the Tea Appreciation to sample some they had prepared, and listened with interest as a preppy girl explained the difference between white, green, black and oolong teas, and the proper temperature to brew them. She was tempted to stay, but felt a little awkward when she noticed members of the Coffee Lovers club next door were glaring occasionally through the gap in the canvas.

She ran into Alton as she left that tent. “Alton!” she cried excitedly.

“Oh hey,” he replied. “It’s been almost 24 hours since I last saw you. It’s been such an incredible experience.”

“I miiiissed you. I have so much to tell you about!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm.

Alton laughed. “There will be time for that soon enough. So, any luck finding a club? Not this one, right? People are saying there’s some massive feud between them.”

“Eh, tea is nice, but in the end it’s kind of just hot leaf juice. I’ll find something a little more engaging.”

The sweet smiles of the Tea Appreciation Society turned sour at her words. Alton pulled her away from them quickly.

“You’re being picky, I can hear it on your voice,” he replied.

“There are still plenty of clubs to look at.”

“Right, speaking of. Just so you know, I’m picking a different club to you.”

Aria gaped. “What? Why? The best reason to be a twin is to always have someone I know around!”

“Because we’ve finally escaped our parents, and it’s time for me to grow up a bit. And I can’t do that under the watchful gaze of my little sister!” Alton explained.

“We’re the same age!” she argued.

“Yes, but I’m taller so I’m the alpha. Alpha twin, alpha twin!” he chanted.

“I’m leaving you for someone less crazy.” Aria said, and continued down her path.

“That’ll never happen. The more you know someone, the crazier they are!” Alton called after her.

Truth was; Aria was hurt. She and Alton had been so close up until they were pre-teens. It was like having a built-in friend. But now he wanted to start making new connections, and though Aria couldn’t fault that, it had been nice knowing at the end of the day she could always rely on her brother to be there for her. But hey, they were growing up.

Aria was a little more down beat as she explored the next few. Film, Theatre, Photography, Writers, all of them involved so many people coming in and judging, and right now Aria didn’t feel like being judged. Perhaps that was a bad method of deciding her hobby for the next six months, but she moved past them without hesitation.

Next was the Historical Society, and while they were awkward in speaking to interested newcomers, they grew impassioned talking about how they recreated the lifestyles of people anywhere from the 6th century to the 16th century. They were like a patchwork quilt; a Viking stood next to some from the Renaissance, but the students explained that it was up to them to decide which period and which area to research, and they would make their own clothing based on the research, often recreating period techniques for authenticity. Aria loved their passion, but couldn’t help but think they seemed a little dorky. She couldn’t see herself taking part as shamelessly as their current members.

At one of the final booths in the aisle, Aria’s heart nearly stopped. She didn’t even have a chance to glance at what club the booth was for; she was too busy staring at one of the two guys sitting at the table. He was talking and laughing with his friend, so Aria had plenty of time to freeze and drink in the sight.

Aria first noticed his smile; it was wide but slightly crooked, and the laugh that accompanied it made her heart sing. He had a thin face and smooth skin, and his sandy blonde hair looked like it had been lazily combed back by his fingers. He wore a faun brown, light jacket over a white button-up shirt; somehow looking neat but not stupidly so at the same time. Between his broad shoulders and narrow waist, Aria wanted desperately to draw him.

Aria barely glanced at the boy’s friend. He had a mop of hair that was probably brown, but she didn’t really care. He noticed her though, and nudged the blonde boy to attention. The blonde boy turned his dazzling smile towards Aria and beckoned her over. “Hey! Come over here, don’t be shy,” he called. Aria desperately hoped her eyes were not replaced by enormous love hearts like in the cartoons.

“I’m Chris, club president,” he said, rising slightly out of his char and offering his hand. Aria accepted it, and felt a buzzing in her hand at his warm touch. “This is Mathias,” he indicated to his friend, who only nodded in return. “You were staring for a bit, not sure what couture is?” he asked.

Aria finally looked up at the sign with a start. Right, she was here for clubs. “Yeah, it’s like high-end fashion, isn’t it?” she replied uncertainly.

“Not quite; it’s made-to-measure fashion,” Chris replied with an easy smile.

“So ah,” Aria began with a small grin, “your club is about prancing around in fashionable clothing? Doesn’t that seem silly when we have to wear the uniform five days a week?”

“We’re the Couturier’s club, emphasis on the ‘ier’. We make the clothing,” Mathias explained. His gaze wasn’t exactly hostile, but Aria felt there was a bit of dislike in there. Strange, she didn’t think she’d met him before.

Chris evidentially had been waiting for this moment and enthusiastically jumped into his spiel. “Minimal prancing, I assure you. Made-to-measure clothing is more important than simply looking good. It can change who you are. Have you ever worn a dress so fine that it’s made you feel like you need to stand straighter to be worthy of it? Or worn something that has made you feel more daring, or smarter? Fashion isn’t just for girls looking to attract a date. It’s a visual conversation with everyone who sees you, and it gives everyone a glimpse into who you are. We’re having a conversation right now; you with your school uniform, bold choice, considering we’re free to wear what we want today,” Damn you Nora! “And Mat and I in the clothing we made. It’s in how you maintain it, how you hold your body when you wear it. We’re dedicated to making the clothing that makes people feel more like themselves than anything else they’ve worn before.”

Chris was right: Aria thought his clothing would look good on anyone originally, but his upright posture was helping a lot. Mathias however sat with a slouch as he leaned on the table, and wasn’t going to be turning heads anytime soon. His hair was brushing low into his eyes a little, but it was the disinterested stare that made Aria edge away slightly. Chris’s obvious enthusiasm made sense as president, but Mathias didn’t look like he thought much about it at all. Maybe he was just brought along for company?

“Our club teaches designing, patterning, and sewing techniques.” Mathias added in. “Mostly we work on our own projects, but occasionally work alongside other clubs to outfit them for competitions and performances.”

“Yeah, the Historical society learned their skills from us,” Chris agreed, “And we made the kimono that the Japanese club members are wearing today. Do you know how easy it is to make a kimono? It’s all rectangles. The intricacy is in the fabric pattern, rather than the design itself, so it’s a great first project. Unfortunately they don’t fit as well on western women because they look best when they make the body look more like a tube, and western women are a bit too curvy to achieve that most of the time. Oh, did you know that the manner of tying the knot around the waist sash is decided by the situation the kimono is worn in?” Chris grinned and looked like he was just about to launch into another topic.

“Chris,” Mathias cut in.

“Right. So yes, we work alongside the theatre and dance clubs too. They commission us, which gives us experience in making clothing to order. People often want things without any concept of how it will move, so we need to juggle expectations with reality,” Chris explained.

“We’ve also compete yearly in a state-wide fashion show. That’s not until the term break though, in April,” Mathias said.

“Mid-April, right?” Chris asked.

“End of the break. Friday the thirteenth, such an auspicious occasion,” Mathias reminded him, and turned back to Aria, “You probably wouldn’t be able to enter in it yourself this year, but you would be allowed to assist someone in their entry with the skills you learn.”

“Wow, you two seem pretty passionate about this. That’s really nice to see,” Aria replied. “But I’ll be honest, I’m a little surprised it’s you two running the booth, I thought there would be more girls than guys in this sort of club?”

Chris and Mathias glanced at each other.

“What?” Aria asked.

“Aside from one girl in her final year along with us, we’re the only members of the Couturier club,” Chris admitted. “Most of our members graduated at the end of last year. I took up the mantle of president, but I’m a little nervous about being able to bring up our numbers before we leave. We’ve been pretty desperate encouraging people in, to be honest.”

It probably helps that you’ve got a poster-boy like you, Aria thought, trying not to be distracted by Chris’s eyes. But aloud she said; “That’s terrible. I can imagine how much it would hurt to see something you love end.”

“But you could help if you’re interested,” Chris smiled hopefully, and Aria had to fight to not immediately say yes. “Are you interested in joining?”

“I don’t know,” Aria hesitated. “I’m good at drawing, but I’ve never been particularly dexterous in fine movements like sewing.”

“Oh yeah, initially me neither,” Chris laughed. “It’s amazing what a few years of practice can do to your coordination. I actually caught a ball the other day.”

“Wow?” Aria replied uncertainly.

“Seriously, it is actually an achievement for him,” Mathias responded to her look of confusion.

“Hmm,” Aria pondered aloud.

Not much later Aria was leaving the clubs section because she still needed to decide her sport for the semester. Apparently if she reached the end of the day without choosing one, she would be assigned randomly. She shuddered at the idea of six months of netball, or something equally ridiculous.

Just after asking at the information booth where to head next, she heard the familiar tones of her brother

“Al!” she cried, jumping on him and completely interrupting the conversation he was having with another boy.

“Girlfriend?” the boy asked.

“Worse. Sister,” Alton replied.

“I’ll see you around then, man,” And he left.

“Oops sorry,” Aria said, but Alton waved her apologies away.

“Never mind that, you’re practically glowing. Clearly something good happened. Out with it.”

“I’ve found the club I want to join!” Aria exclaimed.

“Judging by your flushed cheeks and overwhelming enthusiasm… was it the Couturier club?” Alton asked.

“How the-”

“Because one of the guys manning that booth is the hottest guys I’ve seen all day. And trust me, I’ve looked.”

“Aww jeez,” she replied.

“Be less adorably predictable, Aria,” he said affectionately.

“Hey, you don’t know me; I could just want to look fabulous!”

“Oh honey, no. I know how you dress outside of school. And come this weekend, so will everyone else. They’ll know you’re a sham. ‘Joined a club for a boy’, they’ll scoff,” Alton said.

“Nooooo!” Aria cried.

“So melodramatic. Chill yourself. Your motives for joining may have been impure, but there’s nothing saying you won’t be good at it. Apply yourself like you do with any other skill, you’ll pick it up. Come on, where’s that annoyingly positive spirit?” he smirked.

“Aww,” Aria replied, “Are you trying to be my cheerleader?”

“I’ve always been your cheerleader. Now shoo, go do the stuff you’re meant to do. You’ve already scared off one of my friends.”

“To be replaced by one of mine,” Aria replied, watching the approach of Nora who was coming from their other side, opposite of the clubs. Perhaps she’d been choosing her sport?

Nora seemed unusually downcast, but after spotting them she put on her cocky grin. She draped her arm around Aria’s shoulders and said; “Oh, flirting with a different guy so soon? My, you do get around.” Nora looked Alton up and down. “And flirting with someone who looks so like you. I didn’t peg you for the narcissistic type, but you do you, friend.”

“Nora, this is my twin brother Alton,” Aria said pointedly. “And Al, this is Nora, the roommate.”

“Wow, he’s like you but pretty!” Nora exclaimed. “Alton, has anyone ever told you you’re pretty in a rather girlish way?” She narrowed her eyes, clearly waiting to judge his reaction.

Aria gaped at her comment, but Alton simply smiled. “Plenty of people like that in a guy.”

“That they do. Hey Alton, how much do you adore your sister?” Nora asked.

“Eh, she’s pretty cool.”

“Do you love her enough to die for her?”

“Enough to suffer a small injury. Maybe even some light emotional wounding.”

“Cool, cool,” Nora said, “So… do you love her enough to grab food from your dorm for her and her delightful roommate to share?”

“Nora!” Aria admonished her, “We can just go back to our dorm for lunch!”

“Yeah, but it’s crazy far. The guys’ dorms are up this end of campus.”

To Aria’s surprise, Alton smiled. “Asking someone you just met to do you a favour and not even trying to use your boobs to get what you want. I can respect that. Sure, why not. Find a patch of grass and I’ll get us some stuff. Then we can complain about how annoying Aria is to live with.” Alton nodded to them and headed off towards his dorm.

Nora laughed, “That’s your brother? I like him. Talk about two sides of the coin.”

The two headed to sit under a tree nearby where they would have a good vantage point for Alton’s return.

“Have you picked your club yet?” Aria asked while they waited.

“Nah, that’s an after-food problem. I just went and sorted out what sport I’ll be taking this semester.”

“Oh yeah? What’d you pick?”

“Dance,” Nora replied simply.

“What, just dance? I’ve come to expect some sort of ridiculous follow up to anything you say,” Aria joked.

“Oh, ah, yeah, I’ve got this theory to do with that. I think being a celebrity is the real way to earn power in this world. And naturally my end-goal is to rule the world, so, y’know. Logical,” Nora explained, but she seemed a little off.

“Right…” Aria agreed dubiously.

They sat in silence until Alton returned with a small plastic tub filled with sandwiches and fruit. Aria dug in, realising she was ravenous. Since arriving at the school she had managed to miss every scheduled meal and had been surviving off vending machine purchases and cookies from home. Finally, ham and lettuce! Non-packaged food! Nora seemed to perk up a lot from this, and conversation continued naturally.

“So I already told Alton, but the club I’ve decided to join is-” Aria began, but Nora cut across her.

“Yeah, I’m going to cut you off there. No offense, but I get the feeling you’re someone who’s going to talk a lot about what they do during the day. I’m just going to enjoy my last day of club-free life before you talk my ear off about it.”

Alton snorted mid-bite. “She’s got you pegged.”

Aria made a face of displeasure.

“What about you, friend-by-association?” Nora asked Alton, “What’re you signed up for?”

Alton shrugged faintly, “For my sport I chose rowing. Yeah, pretty standard posh boy club, but I figure doing that a few times a week should earn me the abs that people will want to write home about.”

Nora nodded seriously. “Oh yeah, respect the abs. They make the world go ‘round.”

“And I decided on theatre for my club. Gotta be the centre of attention.”

“Shocking no one,” Aria smiled.

“Heyy!” Nora exclaimed, “Putting yourself out there in the public eye, just like me. It’s like I said; the performers will rule the world. Are you also gunning for world domination?”

“What other purpose is there in life?” Alton asked seriously.

Aria could only shake her head.

Aria had left choosing her sport for later because she knew exactly what she would pick. From the moment she saw the pamphlet for Smartwood she was beyond excitement about her options. That's right, in addition to still snuggling stuffed toys when she fell asleep, Aria loved horses. It was pretty girly, no denying that, but she wasn’t yet convinced that was a bad thing.

She left Nora and Alton to their own devices and headed to the corner of the school where all the gymnasium, ovals, and courts were. A little beyond them was the equestrian centre.

It was an impressive building: a third of it was used as stalls for the school horses and a few empty ones for visiting competitors. The other two thirds was a huge indoor arena, mostly for dressage and training on rainy days from what she’d heard. Outside was an arena twice the size which was used for larger groups and show jumping.

Aria was blown away when she was finally able to see the stable in person. It was a tall building with an arched roof, just like she’d seen in the movies. The walls for the box stalls, the supporting beams for the structure, and the roof were all made from the same light brown wood, which contrasted beautifully with the black metal gates and hinges. It gave Aria the impression that it was very clean, which must have been difficult considering horses could naturally be dirty creatures unless a lot of effort was spent caring for them. Underfoot it was tiled, so horses walking on it made a pleasant clopping noise.

Aria entered the building and couldn’t help but edge towards the horses. There was no one in sight, so why not? She peered into the first stall and found a stocky white horse perking his ears up intelligently at her. She held out a hand and made encouraging noises to the horse, who moved closer. He stretched out his neck, sniffing at her fingers, and in an instant his ears snapped back and he lashed out. His teeth snapped the empty space her hand had just been.

She had been taken completely unaware by the horse, but a hand had grabbed the collar of her jacket and pulled her back just in time. She fell back slightly into the arms of a severe-looking woman.

“Prospective students typically visit the office first,” the woman said flatly.

“Why did he try to bite me?” Aria gasped.

“Because he’s my watchdog,” she replied. “My students know not to touch him.”

That seemed a little ridiculous to Aria, but she nodded faintly and followed the woman to the office. “Sorry,” she began.

The woman ignored her as she entered the office and sat down at her desk. “Girl, this isn’t some silly sport where you can just sign a little form and become part of the elite world of equestrian. You need to pass a few tests and you’ve already failed the first one. I don’t like your chances.”

“What? No!” Aria cried, “I need to-”

“And that’s the second test failed.”

“What, talking back?” Aria asked incredulously.

“No. Crying out like that. Horses startle easily, and they can be dangerous when spooked. In these stables you will speak with a quieter voice, if you can,” the woman said.

“Oh,” Aria replied in a small voice. She was silent while the woman flipped through a few papers on a clipboard. The woman had her long grey hair tied out of her way, but looking at her face, Aria wondered if she was prematurely grey because her face still looked youthful. She looked like she was in her late thirties. She was short and stocky, not dissimilar to the white horse who tried to bite Aria. She was dressed a neat jacket, but there were small white hairs all over it, and a pair of jodhpurs and riding boots as if she expected to jump on a horse at any moment.

“Is there any chance I could hear what the tests are before I fail the next one?” Aria asked.

The woman shrugged. “Sure, let’s change it up. There’s only one thing I want you to do to earn a spot, and that’s to introduce yourself to each of the horses. Excluding Bill of course. He’s the one who tried to nip you.”

“Ah, sure. But… why?”

“Horses are smart creatures, and they have an innate sense for people and reflect the emotions you feel. They’ll sense your emotions even better if you’re on their back. If you’re riding a horse and feeling nervous, they’ll pick up on that and become jumpy themselves, which will put all my horses in danger. I will not tolerate anyone acting silly around them. So if they act well-behaved when they meet you, I’ll know you have what you need to work among them.”

“Doesn’t this seem sort of unorthodox? Shouldn’t you teach me something before expecting me to know how to act?” Aria asked.

The woman’s eyes narrowed and approached Aria slowly. “Know this, girl, these horses are more important to me than any of you students, and I am well within my rights to do anything I feel necessary to keep them safe. You will do this, or you will get out and join some team sport with everyone else.”

Just like when Nora tried to intimidate Aria and made the mistake of thinking she was a weak target, something snapped inside her. Aria drew herself to her full height to match the woman and said steadily; “My name is Aria. Not ‘girl’. I’ll do this, so be ready to let me join.” She stepped out of the office, and after skipping Bill, she held a hand out to each of the horses in turn.

She’d ridden horses just a few times when she was young, so she knew not to put her fingers too close to their mouths, or stand directly ahead of them in case they tossed their heads up suddenly. She spied a large bag of carrots and grabbed a few ready to bribe reluctant horses. She needn’t have worried though, most appeared quite gentle and happily stood still in exchange for a carrot. She looked back at the woman waiting by the office, feeling there must be some sort of trick if this was a test. But there were no surprises.

After making the complete round of the stable, Aria returned. The woman nodded and handed her a clipboard to sign her school details on. She felt a bit perplexed overall, but was pleased when the woman said “I am Diane Elwin, but just call me Diane. I’ll see you back here on the hour when your timetable says you have sport. You’ll be in the beginner’s class where you will stay until you prove yourself ready to move forwards. First week’s sessions are not running, you’ll attend study period in the meantime.”

Aria nodded, grateful to be able to call Diane something other than ‘the woman’ in her mind.

Aria collapsed on her bed.

“Something wrong, dear?” Nora asked, not looking up from her work which she had resumed.

“I was just so excited to learn horse riding but the instructor seems bonkers. I feel like half the people I’ve met at this school so far have been bonkers,” Aria complained.

“Who’s been strange so far besides her?” Nora asked, looking across the room at her.

Aria paused. “Uh, no one special.”

“That was a test, I know you were talking about me,” Nora replied.

“Ugh, tests. You and Diane would get along well. I dunno what was with all that stuff about ‘meet the horses before you join my class’. Made no sense.”

“You know some people know they’re weird so they act crazy from the get go. You know, weed out the people who would be offended by that. I mean, TV does keep telling us it’s ok to be ourselves now,” Nora said.

“You’re probably right. You would know,” Aria agreed.

“Damn skippy. And while we’re on it, everyone is crazy. With people, the question is never if they are crazy, but when they will show it. Be grateful, at least the people you think are crazy are being upfront.”