"How much do you know about my sister?!" Harvey huffed, eyes turned into narrow slits as he took threatening steps towards the boy.
Instinctively, he backed away.
"Just who on Earth are you?"
"Excuse me... I don't think I know yo-" the boy was rudely cut off when Harvey slammed his palm beside the boy's head, the book shelf rattled with force and Ansel scrunched his eyes shut, cowering. "Pardon..."
"Aren't you ashamed? Lusting after a woman who is set to be married?" Harvey thrust the letter in the smaller boy's face, and his eyes widened in recognition.
"That... that's my..."
"You rotten iguana, it's my sister that you fantasize about!"
"I am sorry but I don't know who you-" Ansel ducked down, cowering from under Harvey's stretched arm to escape; but the taller boy caught his back collar. "Or your sister, I am harmless I swear!"
"Then why did you use my brother-in-law's name to write to my sister?" Harvey chuckled dryly, "In fact, you used his name to write to the Mayor's daughter- just how many women do you desire? How old are you? You look like a child for Christ's sake-"
"Excuse me but I am older than you!" Ansel squeaked, struggling to get off. "And it's really not your business how much I desire. Please put me down?"
"Older than me? Really I have no manners when it comes to people like you-"
"Good Sire I don't even know your sister! Or you... or any of your family I swear, please let me down, eh?" Ansel heaved a sigh once his feet touched the ground once more. "I think you'd have had a terrible case of misunderstanding; I have never been with any woman before!"
"Look here, you-" Harvey paused, the looks of this boy, quite remarkable- "Ansel Dawson, isn't this your penmanship? And this," Harvey stabbed a finger to the letter, "This is my sister's name. You've been writing letters to her for the past six months, yet you lie?!"
"Drusilla..." Ansel rubbed the back of his neck, while narrowing his eyes at the name. Suddenly, he smiled brightly, as if a fire lamp went off in his head, "that would be for Michael Fletcher! I wrote that for Michael Fletcher!"
"And?" Harvey cocked a brow.
"And... ?"
"Why did you do it?"
"Because he asked me?" Ansel looked unsure of his own answer.
"Asked you?"
"Well I do write letters instead of people sometimes..." Ansel bit his lip in hesitation, and dragged out a chair, "you see you shouldn't have created so much chaos in here, but we could have resolved it quietly." The boy kept on rubbing his neck, and Harvey felt a little bad for him.
"Let's sit and talk."
"Why would you write in Michael's stead? And why..." Harvey paused, when he saw Ansel's bright smile droop down, "did you do it?"
"Eh... money?" He laughed.
Harvey saw through it- the shame.
"The seniors don't often have time to write, you know. They get so many letters, especially the ones in mechanics and Surgery... so they pay me to write for them."
"And you basically lie to earn money. What a thing to do!" Harvey cocked his head, eyes full of disrespect for this boy.
"Well, it helps me practise language, and earn money... I don't see the harm in it." Ansel looked away, his bright eyes losing the certain charm of his.
"You know, because of you, my sister back at home thinks she's been cheated on, and-"
"Before coming to me, you knew that Senior Fletcher wasn't cheating on her, didn't you?" Ansel raised a perfectly arched brow, his lips parted in a sad smile.
"Yes, that was quite clear-"
"And instead of first telling your sister, you chose to come and insult me."
Harvey's mouth felt dry. "That's because... because I thought that you're after my sister. Or else I wouldn't have said so,"
"You can't control your anger..."
"Harvey." Harvey bowed his head down.
"Yes Harvey, it's a nice name." Ansel smiled, and once again, his face lit up. "But you see you destroy things when you are angry. It's not a good thing to do."
Somehow, this Ansel Dawson or whatever his name was, his voice was addictive. Listening to it, made one want to listen more. "Yes... it was a misunderstanding on my part."
Harvey couldn't quite put a name to what he wanted to call this boy.
"I am not affected," radiant, bright and peaceful- that was how he looked when he smiled. "But you definitively are."
"I just thought it wrong, now would you please excuse me?" No... Harvey wasn't spending time with this boy- no matter how peaceful he looked...
"You know, I am a pretty good listener."
There must be a word- which perfectly describes him.
It was like a spiral, his words. They kept drawing Harvey in and in... soothing, calming and...
"I thought that- that he'd leave Drusilla... and that she'd be left alone..." Harvey admitted, not quite able to look at him in the eyes, "that she'd have to... have to live like..."
"Like your mother?" Ansel put his hand on Harvey's shoulder, and it was so warm, Harvey had to physically restrain himself from leaning in.
"How'd you know...?"
"Premonition." Ansel whispered, "I am sorry for creating this confusion and sorry I reprimanded you, I didn't know about you, Harvey."
Apology? And then it struck his head, that he hadn't even apologised for almost beating this boy up.
"No offense taken," yet, his pride didn't quite allow him to bow down and apologise. "Then, I'll take my leave."
"Before you go, I want you to know something," Ansel's eyes, icy blue ones full of warmth... seemed to sparkle. "Senior Fletcher really adores your sister, and I testify that."
"How?" Again, everything about this Ansel Dawson was so in place, knowing what and when to speak, exactly at the right moment... Harvey couldn't help but feel calm.
"She's all he ever talks about- when he not studying or not on duties, he is dull the whole day long, but he brightens up when he speaks of her... keeps telling me how beautiful she is, when he tells me to write in his stead. Senior Fletcher is a good man, Harvey. He isn't the same."
He isn't the same.
"Are you... saying the truth?" Harvey tried hard to not stutter.
"Yes I am."
His long curls, gently touching his shoulder, fanned his pale face and the red freckles on his nose boldly stood apart- and it was at that moment Harvey realised the perfect word for this boy.