Meeting Jace Connors

Jace's back was on me while she sat on the stool by the kitchen counter. Aeron's jaw was set while listening at whatever she was saying. She was speaking in Japanese so I didn't have the faintest idea what the hell she was talking about. Elli was beside her and she looked worried.

I cleared my throat to let them know about my presence. Jace abruptly stopped talking and I saw her tensed up. Elli squeezed her arm reassuringly and Aeron beckoned me to join them.

I was hesitant at first but I was seriously curioused too, so, I sat beside Elli.

"Am I intruding?" I asked them feeling a little awkward. "I can just wait in the living room."

"It's fine," Elli said smiling at Jace who was now busy eating a peanut butter sandwich. "Besides, you're family too."

My heart warmed at what Elli just said. I never had a sibling because my mom had an operation when I was just a baby, and she wouldn't be able to have another child. And I was really that fortunate to meet the twins. With them I felt how it is to have siblings. Especially as rowdy as them.

"So," I said. "Is she going to go to our school too?" Start of class was just a week away, that was why the twins were enjoying the late hours as much as they could.

"Yeah," Aeron answered. "But we have to talk to mom first. Jace, uh, forgot to call her and tell her about her plans."

I lifted an eyebrow when I saw him scratched his elbow. That was his tell whenever he was lying, and he wasn't aware of it.

"She was actually an exchanged student," Elli piped in.

She was lying too. Elli's pitched was higher than her usual tone.

I just shrugged. "Okay."

If they weren't ready to tell me yet, that was fine. I understood that Jace just met me a few minutes ago, and she obviously didn't trust me.

Well, not yet.

We fell silent while the twins watched Jace finish her sandwich. I could tell that she was uncomfortable with me in there so I stood up and told them I would just wait for them in the living room.

I walked out of the kitchen and dropped down on the couch. I picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV. As I surfed for something to watch, I noticed Jace's backpack on the floor. I furrowed my brows. If she was going to stay here until she went to college, why did she pack lightly?

I looked over my shoulder to make sure they were not coming out yet. I could hear them still talking in hushed tones. I eyed Jace's backpack again. I knew what I was about to do was wrong, the twins would probably chop off my head if they caught me. But I was really curious about Jace Connors. My bestfriends were lying for her, and I wanted to know why.

Ugh. I'm such a hypocrite.

I reached for the pocket of her backpack and rummaged through it. There were a couple of pens, a crumpled tissue, a packet of gum and some candy wrappers. I glanced over my shoulder before opening the backpack.

There was another black jacket inside, another pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, and, uhm, underwears. There was another pocket inside so I reached in and found her passport. I pulled it out and looked at it. Her picture looked recent. I put her passport back inside and my hand grasped a wad of paper. I was shocked when I saw that it was in fact, a wad of bills. And there were a lot more inside.

I shoved the money back when I heard them coming out from the kitchen. I was back to flipping channels when Aeron joined me in the couch while Elli picked up the backpack.

"Jace's tired," Elli explained. "We're going to bed. Goodnight Tolky."

I nodded at her and looked over at Jace who was waiting by the stairs. She gave me a curt nod and climbed upstairs with Elli.

"What's up with her?" I asked Aeron curiously. I wasn't acting. I was really curious, more so when I saw the amount of money she was hiding in her bag.

Aeron shrugged. "Her plane was delayed that's why she came later than she expected." Scratch, scratch.

I just nodded again. If the twins were not ready to tell me about their cousin's sudden appearance, I'd respect that. But there was something in Jace that was nagging at me that I couldn't explain.

Aeron yawned and stood up. "I'm going to sleep, man."

I turned off the TV and switched the lights off. I followed Aeron into his room but I paused outside Elli's door and listened for any sound inside. It was silent. The girls were probably asleep. I made my way in Aeron's room and dropped on the futon.

Tomorrow I would make sure to know more about Jace Connors.

~~•~~•~~

I woke up late. Aeron was already gone. I squinted at his alarm clock on his end table and saw that it was ten in the morning.

I remembered about the twins' cousin. Jace Connors. She had Mrs. Wong's maiden name. Maybe she was the daughter of Mrs. Wong's brother.

And then I froze. She doesn't have a brother.

I remembered Elli telling me on their tenth birthday. The worst birthday the twins had because they were told about the death of their Aunt Jasmine, if I remembered correctly. Elli also said that she was her mom's only sister.

I sighed. Why the hell am I wasting my time thinking about the elusive Jace Connors? I got up and went in the bathroom to take a shower. Maybe the water would help me clear my thoughts away.

After showering, I went downstairs and straight to the kitchen, but stopped when I saw Jace rummaging in the fridge. She looked much better than last night. She was freshly showered too and she was wearing the clothes I had seen in her backpack. I swallowed and shook my head when I also remembered the underwears.

"Good morning," I greeted her as I walked in.

She whipped around in surprise, but she didn't say anything. She just stared at me.

"I'm sorry," I stepped towards her but she took a step back so I stopped. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

She took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth, as if calming herself down. "It's okay," she simply said and went back rummaging in the fridge and took a pack of bacon and some eggs.

I sat on the stool and watched her. "You can cook?" I asked, just trying to make small talk to make her ease up on me.

She nodded as she prepared everything. She adjusted in her surroundings that fast. She moved in the kitchen as if she lived here also.

"Aeron told me you're going to our school too."

"Yeah," she answered while making an omelet.

"Where did you learn to cook?" The moment I asked her that though, she tensed up. I saw the way she straightened her back.

"Morning," Elli entered the kitchen sleepily and sat beside me. "Where's Aeron?"

I shrugged. I was still watching Jace and I saw her shoulders relaxed. "He was gone when I woke up. Probably in his morning run."

Jace silently slid down a plate of bacon and omelet in front of me and another one for Elli.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Wow Jace," Elli mused as she started eating. "You really can cook."

"I just fried those," Jace answered as she slid in beside Elli and ate too. "No big deal. And don't think I'll cook everytime."

Elli snickered and elbowed me on the side. "She's half-joking. She's got a weird sense of humor, you know."

I didn't realize I was just staring at Jace until Elli elbowed me. I resumed eating as I glanced at her. I hadn't seen her smile since last night and I wouldn't know she was "half-joking" if Elli didn't point it out. Though I'm not sure if it was really a half joke.

Okay, now my curiousity to know more about Jace intensified. She was like a jigsaw puzzle that I wanted to solve. I just had to get the clues one piece at a time.