Chapter Text
Sebastian waited for about an hour before he gave up on ever seeing his sister again.
‘I’ll get the gas,’ she said. ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes,’ she said. He should’ve figured she would’ve just left. What was even the point of doing this together if she was just going to run off at the first sign of failure?
Sebastian kicked the tire of their dad’s car with the toe of his sneakers. They’d figured he wouldn’t miss this car much, considering it was at least a decade old and he had his shiny sportscars to worry about. Now, he was wishing they had taken another car. Maybe one that got more miles out of the gallon. Almost all of their money had gone into gas, and they weren’t even halfway to LA. Now that Viola had run off and probably wasn’t coming back, they probably wouldn’t make it there at all. At least, Sebastian wouldn’t. Viola had taken all the cash.
This was so like her. She had always been the evil twin. She broke things, she snuck out, she created problems, and Sebastian cleaned them up. Why was he even surprised? He should’ve known better than to let her run out with what little money they had left. She had probably bought a new pair of sunglasses and gotten a ride from a creepy guy.
Sebastian locked the car and started the walk towards the gas station, just to make sure Viola had actually screwed him over again before getting genuinely angry. She could just be lost or something. He shouldn’t think the worst of her. Though, if she was lost, she would’ve called.
The gas station was easy to find, and there was no Viola. He opened his phone and showed the cashier in the convenience store a photo of Viola. “Yeah, she was in here. She bought a Monster and left.”
“She didn’t buy gas?”
The cashier shook his head. Sebastian left and sunk down onto the curb. Typical. She didn’t even try.
“You okay?”
Sebastian looked up and shaded his eyes. He could only somewhat make out the face of a woman, her hair up in a baseball cap, her shoes covered in mud.
“My sister just took all our money and ran off. So, I’m stuck here with about fifty-two cents to my name.”
She snorted. “That sucks. You sure she ran off?”
“Pretty sure. She’s like that sometimes.”
“I see. Well, guess you could get some work here.”
"Any suggestions?”
She thought about it. Then she shrugged. “You could check with the Duke family? Though, that might not work well.”
“Why not?”
“It’s pretty much just the youngest son now, Oliver. Ever since his father passed, he’s been sort of a recluse. Shuts himself up in that house and doesn’t talk to anyone except occasionally the Dortches.”
“What about them? The Dortches?”
“Oh, they’re kooks. The head of the house died some time ago, and his wife hasn’t ever gotten over it. It’s pretty much run completely by the eldest daughter, Olivia. She’s very sweet, but sort of tightly wound.”
“Would she hire me?”
The woman snorted. “Absolutely not. She has young siblings and pretty much only hires nannies and housekeepers. So, it’s all women.”
“Why wouldn’t she hire me? At this point, I’d clean a sewer.”
“Trust me,” the woman said. “She’ll take one look at you and slam the door shut. Men don’t do that type of work.”
“Well,” Sebastian said, feeling defeated, “thanks anyway.”
She left, and Sebastian pulled himself up, heading back to the car. Surely, there was somewhere he could get a job in this town, just enough for gas and food. As he walked, he scanned the shops along the street. No ‘Help Wanted’ signs. Just his luck.
He reached the car and opened the door, sliding into the driver’s seat and just sighing, staring straight ahead without seeing anything. He had no idea what to do. No clue.
He looked up into the rearview mirror, hoping to see Viola walking up behind the car with a canister of gas, her ‘I told you so’ look on her face. He would’ve taken anything.
Instead, he saw her suitcase sitting in the back seat.
Olivia Dortch only hired women, and Sebastian wasn’t that at all. But he had a suitcase full of his twin sister’s clothes. He wasn’t very tall, and he had been growing out his hair as an attempt at teenage rebellion, a way to piss his father off. Maybe he could pass as a woman? Not perfectly, but enough that Olivia would let him clean her house once or twice.
Sebastian grabbed the suitcase and opened it up, holding up each piece of clothing against his chest until he found a blouse that might work, might fit. He undressed in the backseat, throwing the jeans and t-shirt into the suitcase, and tried the blouse on. It fit. He dug out a skirt and a pair of leggings, trying those on. He should probably keep his legs covered. Viola didn’t shave her legs, but Viola also was female and didn’t have to worry about her femininity being questioned.
He got out of the car and studied himself in the side-view mirror. Not bad. He took his hair out of his man-bun and pulled it down around his cheeks. It could pass as a bob, he thought. He very much still looked like a boy wearing his sister’s clothes though.
Sebastian got back to work, digging through Viola’s bag. He found a bra, tossed it away in disgust, then realized he’d probably need it. What could he put in it? He ended up choosing a couple of socks, hoping they would function well enough. Then he opened the makeup bag and tested her foundation against his own skin. Almost a perfect match. Thank God they were twins.
Sebastian opened his phone and looked up makeup tutorials to look more feminine. He found a trans makeup artist and followed her lead, clumsily applying foundation and powder. When he was done and looked at himself, he was shocked. Not bad. Not bad at all. He almost looked like Viola, if taller, skinnier, and more uncomfortable. This might work. This really might work.
When Sebastian asked for a job, one of Olivia Dortch's employees looked him over. He was worried his ploy had failed, that he would immediately be identified as a boy and kicked out. But then she let him in. “We’re looking for help with the housework. I’ll go tell Ms. Dortch.”
“Thank you,” he said in his practiced falsetto. It had taken some time to get it right, and he still wasn’t happy with it. He just hoped it was good enough.
The house was huge, with a glittering entrance hall, expensive-looking art lining the walls. The light-fixture somewhat resembled a chandelier, but not perfectly. He studied the hall, trying to decide how much of this was for show and how much of it was rich people being rich people.
“Mariah said you were looking for a job,” a voice said. Sebastian turned around and blinked in amazement. The woman standing before him on the staircase, her hand rested on the banister, was like something out of a fairy tale. Her dark curls were clipped atop her head, and she wore a pink sundress and heels that matched the rosy color of her cheeks. If the Dorcht Manor was a castle, she was its princess. Hell no, she was its queen.
“Yes, ma’am,” Sebastian said quickly, his voice cracking.
“’Ma’am’? You’re not much older than me.”
“Sorry, you just descended with such authority. Are you Olivia?”
“I am. And you are?”
“Cecilia. Nice to meet you.”
“You as well,” she said, looking him up and down. “I like your blouse. Do you remember where you got it?”
"I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask my sister to know for sure. I’m borrowing it from her.”
“You have a sister?”
“I do. We’re currently trying to move to LA, but money got a little tight on the way there.”
“What will you do in LA?”
For some reason, Sebastian was tempted to tell her the truth. “My sister is convinced she’ll be a model,” Sebastian said. “I’m just along for moral support.”
“There has to be more than that,” she said. “What do you want, Cecilia?”
Sebastian was taken aback by the question. He had never really thought about it. He was too busy fixing Viola’s mistakes to focus on himself. “I guess figure that out,” he said.
She smiled then. Something about his answer must’ve been unusually smart or comically stupid. He couldn’t tell which one. “Well, we’re deep cleaning some of the unused rooms right now. I suppose you can help with that. I can pay you fifteen an hour.”
“That’s fair,” Sebastian said. “When can I get started?”