Closed The Hideaway Club

[Wendy Bell]

Anyone can post!​

Wendy escorted Raphael Corelli until she stopped right in front of the fireplace. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Corelli. I’m sure Kace will come around eventually,” Wendy tells him whatever she believes sounded comforting to the man. He paused as if he was going to say something, his mouth hangs open. Raphael turns back to the fireplace, it was ready for him to get back home. Kace will stay with Wendy for the holidays, that was the plan. If he wanted to go home, he was more than welcome to. Raphael Corelli couldn’t find the right words to make any of this better, after all, he did lie to his son pretty much his entire life. He just never thought the boys would meet until they were of proper age. Until they were mature enough to understand the separation agreement. “Thank you, Wendy. And please,” the man begins to say, quite regretful of his actions. “If he wants to come back home, let him know I’ll be waiting,” the man would say then walks into the green, emerald flames after tossing in some floo powder. Mr. Corelli speaks of his destination then he was gone. Wendy sighs, turning around in place. Kace was currently hiding somewhere in the mansion, Wendy will let him be for the moment. If Mr. Corelli was home, then she was legally connected to the floo network. Wendy sat down on a loveseat to wait for the others to arrive to come keep Kace and her company. Wendy went the extra mile to even invite Baron, Kace's brother if he received the invitation that is. Now all she had to do was wait, this will either be the best idea she ever thought or the worst. Only time will tell.

 

[Baron Corelli]

Having settled home for the holidays, Baron went downstairs to find her mother to tell her he was home. Eleanor Torres was sitting in her study, looking so quiet and serious. The Slytherin knocked on the door, already knew why her mother was like that. He had sent mail about what transpired in Yule Ball. The woman looked up, stood up and went over to him with open arms. "Baron, you're home." He returned her hug, still grateful to see her after a semester. "Hey, mum." The woman pulled back to look at him with a sad smile. She directed him to sit on the couch. He knew where this was heading. On the table was an envelope beside an unfamiliar owl. "Baron, sweetheart. I'm sorry you have to find it this way." The ice champ just looked at his mother with an understanding look. He may be devastated to be kept from the truth but he did not know what came over him to be so calm and collected. They talked for a long time. Cried, Hugged. Until they came at an understanding. After a few moments, Eleanor handed him the envelope. "You have an invite to go hang out with your friends. I'll let you go if you want to.", she said with a smile. "Your brother, Kace, might be there. Just a heads up, young man. Now, be the older twin you are." she gave him a stern look but with a smile. Baron looked down at the invite from a girl named Wendy Bell. "Alright, mum. For you. For me and Kace." He met her look with a smile and his trademark wink.​

​

Under Eleanor Torres' supervision, Baron took the Floo network and landed squarely in Wendy Bell's fireplace. He stepped out and looked around as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. The place was huge and looked so immaculate. "Hello?", he called, hoping this Wendy would appear soon enough so that he would not be standing there like a sore thumb for a long time.​

 

[Katy Miller]

Katy hadn't needed to be asked twice when Wendy offered to have and Elliot come hang out over the holidays. Hanging out with Wendy had been super cool so far and it was easy to drag Elliot along with her when Wendy had mentioned a friend of Elliot's should also be there too. Elliot had made a weird face when she'd mentioned his friend Kace would be there, and Katy and spent the rest of the evening pestering him until he finally clued her in on the Corelli family drama. Elliot wasn't super fond of sharing other people's secrets, which she could respect, but Katy had her methods and now she had double the incentive to go hang out at Wendy's place. With a few repeated reassurances to El's mom that they'd be careful, the pair of them stepped into the fireplace, Katy already wondering what sort of house Wendy might have as they stepped out of the hearth and she brushed some stray soot from her face.

She'd been hoping to spot Wendy first, but there was another kid already standing near the fireplace and Katy peered at him curiously before looking to Elliot with raised eyebrows. "Is that Kace?" She asked in a hushed whisper, jabbing a thumb at the other boy.

 

[Elliot Briar]

It was rare that Elliot spent the Christmas break in the US, but his parents' schedule had lined up better with him Stateside this year and Elliot was excited for a little change of pace. Katy had been thrilled to have him visiting in winter for once too, even more so when Wendy had invited them both to come visit for a bit at her place. Elliot hadn't realized Katy knew Wendy, listening idly as she'd filled him in before trying to avoid her own pointed questions about Kace. He didn't know if Wendy had told her anything about Kace and his family stuff, but it felt weird discussing it with some Kace didn't really know. But Elliot had never been able to successfully keep anything from Katy and it had taken an almost embarrassingly short time for her to crack his resolve and fill her in.

Now, arm hooked with Katy's as she enthusiastically lead them through the fireplace, Elliot suddenly wondered if this whole thing might be a terrible idea. It would be nice to catch up with Kace and visit for the holiday, but her couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to go wrong somehow. As they stepped into Wendy's place, Elliot winced at Katy's attempt at a whisper as he got his bearings, giving Kace an apologetic wave before slowly lowering his hand. Travelling by floo always made Elliot's head feel wonky and he was grateful to have at least a familiar face to arrive to. He and Kace hadn't had a chance to speak much after the ball, and Elliot suddenly felt bad he hadn't checked in on his friend. The whole discovery of Baron and long lost family was probably a lot to deal with and Elliot probably wasn't a good friend for letting Kace just run off like that. Kace had had Amaya with him at least, but Elliot was relieved that he'd have a chance to check in with Kace now over the holidays. "Hey Kace, how're things.." He asked slowly hoping Kace wasn't mad at him or anything, ignoring Katy's probing stare as they stepped further out from the fireplace.

 

[Tomas Wode]

Tomas found himself pleasantly surprised to be invited to spend time with Wendy over the holidays. They had had fun during the ball which he was happy about because he didn't end up spending the evening alone in the common room, and had told one another that they wouldn't be opposed to spending more time with each other afterwards. It was nice to have a friend again with whom he could talk about Quidditch without being reminded that he left the team midseason. Tomas would've taken the floor network if he could to travel all the way to America, but it would mean that he would have to ask permission from the British Ministry of Magic to connect the fireplace in his house to that of Wendy's, which would surely take a very long time to get done. Instead, he had decided to apparate to the address she gave him in the letter. He didn't know if it was even possible to apparate from such a distance so could only hope that he wouldn't splinch himself - splinching was supposed to be rather painful. Spinning on the spot still, the boy began to check if everything was still where it was supposed to be and that nothing was hanging loose. A sigh of relief and moment of finding his bearings later, as this had been the first time he tried apparition outside of the lessons at Hogwarts, Tomas turned around to head for the front door. ''Christ on a bike, Wendy,'' the boy muttered whilst looking up at the mansion in front of him. His house would fit into it at least three times. Walking up to the front door, Tomas pressed his index finger on the doorbell and waited while he continued to check the house out.

 

[Kace Corelli]

Kace hid from his father the entire time the man was working on getting the floo network up and going. Since Wendy lives among muggles, the connection will only be temporary. After the holidays the fireplace will revert to normal. Wendy was okay with that, she didn’t need someone from her family getting lost in the wizarding world. It would be too much for them, Kace agreed though just picturing that happening made him laugh. It was the first time he laughed since discovering that he had a twin brother. Which is why he was hiding from the man and was spending the holidays with Wendy. Once his father was gone, Kace popped out of hiding with a pair of heelys on. He took to gliding around the second biggest room the mansion had, it was adjacent to the living room with the fireplace.

Kace stops blading, he hears the others come through the grand fireplace. It was Elliot and two others he didn’t recognize. Kace rolled right in to catch his twin and a girl who looked to be related to Elliot. He assumed they were related, there was something familiar about her that made him think Elliot. Kace glared at his best friend, “Can’t you tell the difference? And what’s he doing here?” Kace wasn’t clued on that he was coming, he had no idea how Wendy even knew where his brother lived. “Yo, seriously? You can’t tell the difference?” Baron looked posh and well mannered compared to Kace. It was like seeing an alternative universe of himself and it freaked him out a little. Kace ignored the tingling, uncomfortable sensation riding up his back and went back to gliding along the mansion floor. He was mad at Wendy for not telling him that he was coming, but what can he do? It was her mansion and he was just lucky to be able to stay here while he wasn't talking to his dad.

 

[Wendy Bell]

Wendy got up from the leather loveseat as Kace went back to blading around the mansion. “Hey, don’t pay any mind to him. He just acting like the grumpy cat who once was an internet sensation years ago. May she rest in peace,” Wendy excused Kace’s behavior. Sometimes she felt like a big sister to him. Kace on his off days wasn’t always pleasant to be around, she witnesses those days firsthand back in the dance studio they used to attend together. As unpleasant he was behaving at the moment, Wendy wanted to make this get together work. If Kace saw them all having fun, perhaps he would get bored being moody and join in the fun with the rest of them. “Katy, I can’t believe you came! Hi Baron and Elliot, welcome to my humble abode,” Wendy held her arms out to emphasis space and showcase portraits and arts hanging up all over the walls. Some pictures included her nana when she was younger and just starting out in the music industry. Tracy Bell all glamorous and looking like the coolest cat ever. By them being here she was pretty much exposing herself to this other life she has as a muggle, which wasn’t so ordinary and made her family vulnerable. Wendy was willing to take that risk and trust her guests. And if anything was to happen that was out of her control, she can always call on Mr. Corelli for help.

Wendy hears the doorbell ringing, “Hold on, be right back,” the Hufflepuff went running to answer the front door. Her steps echoed as she ran. Wendy looks through the peek hole before she unlocked it for Tomas. “Hey, come in,” she ushered him inside quickly. Wendy looks out the front door making sure nobody was lurking about. The coast was clear and Wendy locked the front door behind her. “Um, I should explain myself right? Well, sometimes we have unwanted guests coming by the house. I wanted to make sure there weren’t any, anyways come meet the others,” Wendy pulled Tomas over to the enormous living room. “Everyone this is Tomas, he a Gryffindor,” Wendy smiles introducing her new friend to the rest of the group. Wendy sure that was all of them, except they were missing one more guest. Amaya, Kace’s friend, Wendy wasn’t sure if the girl was able to make the trip or not.

 

[Amethyst Michaels]

Amaya wasn't sure about this. At all. She was terrible with people. And kace had barely spoken to her since the ball. She sighed, standing outside the mansions gate. Eventually, she managed to talk herself into going inside. She held her bag over her shoulder, hand on the strap and the other in her pocket. She walked inside, chewing the inside of her lip. She came to a stop as she saw someone gliding towards her on wheelies. She paused, twisting the strap on her shoulder nervously. "Hi, Kace." She greeted softly. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Or what he would do. She bit her lip, not quite meeting his eye.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot's stomach dropped at the hurt in Kace's voice, fumbling for a way to apologize. He hadn't been expecting Baron to be here, so the the subtle differences in the way the twins carried themselves and dressed didn't even occur to him. "Kace, wait up-" Elliot said, hurrying after Kace as he skated out of the room. He paused in the hallway though when he saw Amaya again. This whole twin thing was making Elliot feel like a terrible friend, it was easy to think Amaya would do a way better job at comforting Kace than he ever could and Elliot, lingering in the hallway didn't want to third wheel. The idea of having to go back into the living room with Baron, Wendy, and more importantly, Katy's knowing stare was enough to propel him further. "Kace, I'm sorry, I didn't even know he'd be here. I can tell the difference." He said in what he hoped was a firm voice. Honestly, if Kace and Baron swapped clothes or hairstyles or something, Elliot wasn't sure he really could tell the difference, but Kace was his friend, and Elliot wanted to believe he'd know.

 

[Amethyst Michaels]

Amaya looked up as Elliot entered the hall. Ah. Right, Kace had friends that knew how to handle these things. She didn't. She'd made that alarmingly clear at the ball. She hiked her bag on her shoulder and brushed carefully past the boys. If there was one other thing she knew, aside from the fact she was hopelessly inept at friendship, was that Kace certainly didn't need her. He'd not come to a single lesson since the ball.

She was probably the last person he wanted to speak to. She chewed on her lip as she saw the people gathered in the room. And here were more people she didn't think would care to see her. Why had she come again? Right. Because she wanted Kace to know she was still on his side if he needed her. She rubbed her neck. A nice sentiment, sure. But now what?

 

[Katy Miller]

Katy grinned at Wendy as she greeted them, laughing at her word choice. "Humble's a word for it," She said, taking in the lavish decorations for the first time after they'd stepped through the fireplace. "This place is amazing, Wendy, I wouldn't miss it," Elliot however, didn't seem so taken with Wendy's place, distracted when another boy, the doppelganger of the one already in the room, slid in. "Oh so that one's Kace," Katy said, somewhat unnecessarily, eyebrows raised as Elliot hurried out of the room after the other boy. The resemblance really was remarkable and Katy was a little put out she hadn't been around to see the two boys run into each for the first time. What kind of parents just didn't mention you had a brother, let alone a twin one out and about. Katy's attention was pulled away from the twins for the moment though when Wendy came back with another boy in tow. "Hi Tomas," She said, waving to the boy. "And you must been Baron," She added, waving at Baron as well. "I've heard enough about you to need to know more, what's up with your brother?" She asked, already making her way over to Baron, hoping he was less inclined to flee the scene like his brother had.

 

[Tomas Wode]

He smiled at Wendy when she opened the door and hurriedly walked past her into the mansion with his bag. It was even bigger in the inside. With burrowed frows, the boy listened as she began to explain that they would often have unwanted quests coming by the house. Was there something about Wendy that he didn't know? He wondered if she was the daughter of someone famous. ''Jesus Christ, Wendy, you didn't tell me that lived in a bloody castle,'' Tomas said while his friend took him into the gigantic living room. If he had trouble with navigating his way through Hogwarts still then how the hell was he supposed to find the bathroom in here. He waved at the people present and thought that he recognised some of them as people who had seen walking through the corridors of Hogwarts. With people running in and out of the living room, the boy was starting the wonder whether or not there was something going on that he wasn't aware of, so while the other girl walked over to one of the twins, Tomas turned his attention back to Wendy. ''You mind telling me what the hell is going on?'' he asked

 

[Kace Corelli]

Whatever bull Wendy was spewing went in one ear and out the other. Kace kept on blading keeping his mouth shut as he maneuvers to the next room to be alone. This whole get together seems to be a complete waste of time, he didn’t know why the Hufflepuff even bother trying. He needed time and space away from everyone, not to be holed up in a mansion with the very people he was trying to avoid. Kace, rolling to release a bit of the hostility building up would stop right in front of Amaya. He gave her a small wave and then kept blading unfazed by her company. Elliot was winning for the worst friend of the year. Kace blade circles around him before pivoting a random direction. “That makes the two of us. Do you get why I’m feeling this way?” Kace's words echoed. It’s not fun being left out of the dark, to have been lied to his entire life. “It’s not cool man...He should’ve told me…”

 

[Baron Corelli]

Baron just shifted in his stance and turned to just stare at Elliot. Clearly, this boy needed to distinguish them apart. He wanted to point it out but did not want to be rude to Wendy and Elliot's companion. It did not even help when Kace skated into view and snapped at his friend. Baron just rolled his eyes as he settled his bag in the nearby corner. "Thanks for the invite Wendy.", he smiled at the girl. He decided to ignore Kace for now, heeding his mother's advice. Amaya even arrived which made everything interesting to the third year. With Elliot and Amaya going after Kace, he turned his attention to the other girl who came with Elliot. He waved a hand in response. "Yup, that's me. I did not catch your name." He smiled before he glanced at where Kace disappeared to. "Kace? You tell me. We still haven't talked since we discovered each other and he freaked out." He chuckled at his own answer. "You know Elliot then? Are you related?", he asked. When they arrived, there was some resemblance in them.​

 

[Katy Miller]

Katy watched the interactions around her curiously, trying to piece together the details Elliot had either left out or didn't know. It seemed like Tomas was pretty out of the loop, Kace was clearly upset, and Baron was taking this all rather well, all things considered. Then she heard another voice near the front door and peered through the doorway at yet another girl who seemed to know Kace. Man, the plot thickened. But Katy decided to leave Kace to Elliot, turning her attention back to the other kids in the room with her right now. "Oh right, sorry, I'm Katy. I'm Elliot's cousin," She said, raising an eyebrow at Wendy about all the drama. Had Wendy purposely instigated this little intervention on her own? Very devious. "Well you seem to be taking this whole long lost twin thing pretty well, did your parents seriously never tell you guys?" She asked, dropping herself contentedly on a nearby sofa and steepling her fingers.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot's shoulders slumped when Kace slipped out of the room again, sighing and giving Amaya a pleading look. He wasn't sure if Kace even wanted to talk to him now, but maybe Amaya would have better luck. At least she looked like she might at as much of a loss with this situation with Kace as he felt, though that didn't really help Kace much. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the others in the other room, and at Amaya, Elliot tried to follow Kace again, hoping he hadn't lost him in the massive house in his hesitation. "You're totally justified to be upset, Kace," He called down the hall, peering through any opens doors. "If you don't want to talk about it though, with me at least, I get it." Elliot added. If Kace would tell him to go away at least then he'd know to give up, but it didn't seem right to let Kace wallow in all the confusing feelings he probably had all alone right now.

 

[Baron Corelli]

Baron just shrugged at Katy's statement. He settled at the chair next to where Katy sat. "Pleasure meeting you, Katy." He looked on at Elliot desperately trying to talk to Kace. If he was the calm one, he was sure his twin was the sulky one. Turning to Katy, he flashed him a grin. "Honestly, I also freaked out when I met Kace. It happened on the Yule Ball which I know not the perfect moment.", he shrugged helplessly. "I already talked to my mum. It seemed like it was her and Dad's agreement upon separating." He still questioned that part though. Judging from Kace's reaction, Baron figured his twin still had not talked to their father.​

 

[Wendy Bell]

Wendy was on the verge of freaking out because she thought some random stranger just walked in like it was nobodies business. Lucky her, the random stranger turned out to be Kace’s friend, the one he has dance lessons with back at Hogwarts. Still wary about unknown strangers breaking in, Wendy ran back to the front door and double-locked it this time. All worries decrease by the minute, she had been most worried about her parents coming home unannounced. They would accuse her of throwing a party without their permission, this was friends hanging out there was a difference. Wendy returns to her friends, slightly out of breath from going back and forth. “Alright,” Wendy smiles at Tomas, “What, it's not Hogwarts? It’s not that big, is it?” Wendy felt strongly Hogwarts was way bigger and she accustom to living in big homes it was normal to her. Wendy shrugs and explains the situation, “Um, twin problems. Mainly these two,” she points to Baron and she gestured to the other room to where Kace ran off to. “They found out about each other at the Yule Ball, weird I know,” Wendy glanced over at Katy, at least her best friend felt right at home. Wendy was delighted to have Katy over and Tomas. “Amaya,” Wendy beckons over the Slytherin to join them, “Guys I have pizzas and drinks waiting for us in the back room. Anyone hungry?”

 

[Kace Corelli]

Kace reached a set of stairs that went up to the second floor that was off-limits to guests. Right at the foot of the stairs, he sat down taking a break from blading all over the house. There were some rough marks left behind from his blades. His dad will have to return and work some magic on these floors or else Wendy going to have a hard time explaining the marks. Kace pushed them inside his kicks while he heard Elliot called after him. He did not want to talk to anyone, especially a friend who can’t tell a difference from his posh, doppelganger. He would be mad if his subconscious wasn’t telling him it’s not Elliot’s fault. Kace’s displaced anger was messing up friendships he grown to cherish over the years. It was stupid to be mad at Elliot or Amaya, or Baron, whatever his name is. Kace sighs, leaning against the wall as he sat quiet and alone.

 

[Tomas Wode]

He listened to Wendy and the other two as the situation got explained to him and found himself very much bewildered. ''Wait, you actually didn't know that you had a twin running about? Bloody hell, mate, that's messed up.'' He would've lost his marbles if his parents revealed to him that he had a twin somewhere in the world. Looking back over his shoulder to where he just walked past the other twin, who seemed to be rather upset about it, he agreed with Katy that Baron was taking it rather well for a boy who only recently discovered such news. He seated himself next to Katy on the couch and put his backpack down in front of him. He couldn't imagine the shock both brothers must've had when they saw each other for the first time. ''No, thank you,'' Tomas replied, who felt a bit queasy still from apparating his way here. ''I don't think apparating all the way here from England was such a good idea.'' If only the boy had practised it a bit more before attempting apparating such a distance.

 

[Katy Miller]

Katy was still impressed Baron seemed to be taking this whole thing so well, still curious for details as Baron and Tomas sat down with her. "Okay, but even if that was their arrangement, they never thought to mention it? 'Oh, hey son, you have an identical twin brother somewhere out there, thought you should know!'" She said with mock cheeriness. She could get why Kace was so upset, if her parents had hid a secret sibling for so long she'd be furious. She smiled when Wendy offered them pizza, of course Wendy would be an awesome host. "Oh wow you apparated all the way here from England, Tomas? That's so cool, I can't wait till I can just travel like that," She said excitedly, snapping her fingers before returning her attention to Wendy. "Maybe we can grab a drink? I feel like I'm going to need a lot of sugar to wrap my brain around all this."

 

[Amethyst Michaels]

Amaya took a few steps into the room, looking around at the other uncertainly. She sighed as the others talked to Baron and set her bag by the couch. What was she even doing? She turned and left the room again after grabbing some food. She followed the wheelie tracks to see Kace sitting alone on the stairs. She dropped down next to him, offering him a slice of pizza while she took a bite of hers. He could pout all he wanted, but he still needed to eat.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot sighed when he finally spotted Kace on the stairs, still unsure if his presence was welcome. He lingered by a nearby doorway, stepping aside sheepishly when Amaya went past, walking straight up to Kace and sitting next to him. He wished he could be as bold as her, but now he doubly didn't know if he should join them. It would be weird if they were going to have some sort of heart to heart, and Elliot felt like he'd already put his foot in it enough. Elliot stood for a moment longer, fidgeting with the doorframe and trying to rehearse a few apologies or advice options he could offer Kace before attempting to go over there. He was worried he'd just say something stupid again if he tried it without some sort of plan. At least Amaya seemed to have brought food with her.

 

[Wendy Bell]

Wendy was beginning to feel awful for thrusting the twins in the spotlight like that. Instead of making it better, she was openly discussing their business like it’s no big deal without considering their feelings. This is not what she had in mind when she decided to invite everyone over. “I think it’s a lot more complicated than what we know...Mr. Corelli may have his reasons for not telling him. Since I’ve known him and Kace, he loves Kace and supports him in many ways…”Wendy tries to defend Mr. Corelli and then excuse herself to get some drinks and pizzas over to the living room. If she wasn’t going to be that friend Kace runs to for support, she at least knows he had friends that were there trying to talk him out of his foul mood. Wendy returns with food and drinks, setting everything up on her mother’s expensive glass table. “Dig in girl,” she hands Katy a drink and sat down across from them. “Too bad Toto not here, Kace absolutely adores him. He with my grans keeping her company.”

 

[Kace Corelli]

Kace remains quiet when Amaya sat next to him and he eventually took the slice from her hand. The smell of pizza was hard to pass up and he was hungry, so he caved in. Again, his issues are with his dad and less with Amaya or Elliot. Kace finished off the pizza, then taps her hand. “Thanks and I’m sorry,” he spoke in a low murmur. He is not afraid to admit he was wrong, there could’ve been a better way to express himself at the Yule Ball. It’s easier said than done. Surely, they must understand why he gave such a knee jerk reaction. “I’m not mad at you if that’s what you’re thinking. I know you were trying to help…” Kace drops his head, his elbows resting on his knees. Until he talks with his dad, there not much he could say about the situation unless he gave his twin a chance.