We Are One

[Keevan White]

Several miles from the city of Wellington, a picturesque manor shone brilliantly under the new September sun. It was a crisp Sunday morning, and a lazy day for many of the inhabitants of New Zealand. Keevan White, however, had been awake since the dawn had broken, ticking ruthlessly at his checklist in a battle to get everything done before the clock struck twelve. For Keevan, the spluttering exhaust of a reversing truck on the gravel driveway outside only signified that another three hours' work was about to commence. He placed his coffee down on the counter top, having only had time to drink half before the arrival of the movers. He appreciated that his brothers would have come to help out had they been able to, but they had been tied up in conveniently timed affairs that required their presence elsewhere. Keevan didn't mind. A hard day's toil was standard in his line of work, albeit a little less hot and laborious. Undeterred, the man withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket, patting his forehead dry before throwing it into a glossy white bin. With the exception of Keevan's armpits, everything in the house smelt fresh and clean. The manor was brand new, having been built especially for the Whites. The entire build had been funded solely by Keevan, since Lucan was unemployed and Regius's job provided barely enough for himself, but this wasn't an issue. True, it would have been beneficial if his brothers could have contributed, but he had long since taken on the level responsibility that he had once hoped for the entire family. Many years had passed since the White Manor fire, which had mercilessly killed their sister, Synnove, and Regius's wife, but his brothers still had yet to overcome their grief. It hadn't helped that their Uncle Frederick had just taken off with the family's savings, leaving the brothers with little more than a few galleons under their belt. But whilst Keevan had been just as devastated by the events, his resilience had led him to great success and fortune, while his brothers had been driven to poverty and despair. The three had lived together for a long time after the fire, but had eventually parted and gone their very separate ways. Now seemed as good a time as any for a family reunion, what with Regius finally choosing to man up and Lucan needing a place to stay. It had simply been in good fortune that Keevan had been planning to rebuilt the White Manor at the time he had received Regius's owl.

Keevan, a little displeased that his morning coffee had been so brusquely interrupted, headed for the front door to greet the movers. "Hey, all right? You can put that over there," Keevan said, gesturing with his hand to the location he wanted them to place the dresser they were carrying. A second sweat broke out on his forehead as he prayed he'd remember to hide all of his magical items before inviting them inside. It seemed bizarre to have to use Muggle means to transport his brothers' furniture to the Manor, but they had mutually agreed it was the safest way to do it. Although the Manor was set in the middle of fifty acres of countryside, Muggles were still a very real threat, and Keevan liked to err on the side of caution. The hours dragged by as the lorries were gradually emptied, their contents scattered around the various rooms of the manor. Keevan thanked the men, stuffing a twenty dollar note into each of their hands for their troubles. They seemed a little disappointed, perhaps having hoped that their efforts would be more generously rewarded, but Keevan was far from concerned by this. He was a man of business, and his money was valuable.

By the time Regius arrived, the sun was high in the sky, beating down over the beautiful fountain which accented the driveway. The water droplets reflected the golden light, sparkling and dancing in mid air before falling graciously to the bottom of the pool. It was hard to deny that the White Manor and its location were completely stunning. Keevan felt his chest puff up in pride as he stood before it, finally able to reap the rewards of his hard work. The Manor looked very inconspicuous. Without proof it would have been difficult to believe that its owner was a man like Keevan, whose career and success were primarily thanks to his uncanny ability to get away with dirty dealings. "Regius!" Keevan called, beaming as his brother appeared at the gates with a loud crack. He waved them open with his wand, heading over to greet him. The moment he was directly in front of him, he stopped in his tracks, wondering what his brother would consider a polite greeting. After a moment's hesitation, Keevan went in for a hug. It had, after all, been over a decade since they had seen each other. "You haven't changed a bit," Keevan observed playfully as he withdrew from their embrace. Besides a few extra wrinkles and a couple of grey hairs, it was true."You always were the looker," He added with a wink.

 

[Regius Kendall-White]

Under a canopy of trees, all that could be heard was the gentle tweeting of birds, singing in their joyful celebration of the morning sunrise. In the middle of the thicket, on a mossy log surrounded by a colourful array of ferns and brambles, sat Regius White. He stretched his tired muscles in the dappled orange sunlight, feeling the warmth of it against his skin. He savoured the moment. Regius was certain that Keevan would be buzzing with excitement by now, if he was anything like the man he was ten years ago. It had been quite the shock to discover his brother's success. Keevan was the last member of the White family that Regius would expect to rise to glory, what with his lack of academical intelligence and his kleptomaniac tendencies. Regius smiled to himself. Had he been there to defend himself, his brother would have denied any such a thing, despite the fact they both knew it to be true. Keevan was hardly known for his honesty and fair play. At that moment, a deer materialised from the foliage, snapping Regius out of his thoughts. She was close enough that he could see the glossiness of her elegant coat, and the beautiful markings on her back. They regarded each other for a few seconds before the deer came to the conclusion that he wasn't a threat, and strutted away with her head held high. Regius sighed. He knew that before long he would be greeting his over confident brother and being ushered around his new Manor. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was working for Keevan; the man couldn't even justify his own dodgy claims, but what choice was there? His own career as an author had been getting him nowhere, and it was a good opportunity to work for a company.

It took almost an hour for Regius to rise from the fallen tree, by which time his jeans were damp from the moisture of the decaying wood. As much as he longed to delay his arrival further, Keevan would be starting to wonder where he was. Regius didn't want to leave the shelter of the thriving forest. Once he did, it would be days before he had another moment to himself. Despite his hesitance, he couldn't deny that he was excited to see his brother again, if a little apprehensive. How the years had flown by since they had been living together with Lucan. They say time flies when you're having fun, but for Regius time had flown by regardless of how little fun he'd been having. Taking one last look at the world around him, he closed his eyes, visualising the place he had been told to arrive at. As quickly as the deer, Regius disappeared into the air.

One slightly uncomfortable journey later, Regius had arrived at the gates of the White Manor. Keevan certainly hadn't been exaggerating when he'd described the place. It was huge, and from the outside looked luxurious enough for royalty. Perfectly trimmed shrubbery lined the driveway, in the middle of which stood a gorgeous marble fountain. The Manor itself was vast, with gorgeous, tall windows which were clean enough to be mistaken as empty holes in the walls. In all, it was stunning. Regius's attention was snatched abruptly away from the house as a familiar voice called his name. The metal gates in front of him swung open, and he was at once embraced by his brother. Since when did he get so affectionate? Regius thought, but he smiled back all the same as they pulled away. "Oh, please," He dismissed, raising his eyebrows slightly. "As if this shambling old mound could ever compare to your undying beauty, Keevan," Regius mocked, ruffling his brother's hair the way he'd done when they were children. He'd been kidding, but it was obvious that Keevan found himself obnoxiously gorgeous. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for you. Is this hair a new trend or just a mid life crisis?"

 

[Keevan White]

There was a brief moment of discomfort for Keevan, for the last time his hair had been ruffled he had been ten years old. It seemed a very long time ago that the three brothers had been darting around their Father's manor, skidding precariously across the marble floors and playing hide and seek in the vast number of rooms. What care free days those had been, before the fire. It didn't bear thinking about any more; not since Keevan had worked his way up the rungs of the ladder of success and built himself his very own manor, but the act of Regius ruffling his hair brought back the memories he had tried so hard to forget. He batted Regius away softly, carefully brushing a hand through his jostled curls. Keevan laughed. There was a difference between arrogance and simply paying good attention to personal appearance, of which Regius had mastered neither. Fortunately for his brother, Regius was annoyingly good looking without even having to try. The years had done little to his brother's personality, though he seemed a little more at ease than he used to be. The death of his wife had done strange things to his once lively aura. Of course, Regius had always been far more serious and level headed than himself, but the decades of grief had clearly subdued him further. It did cross the man's mind that perhaps Regius had just matured in ways that Keevan should have been keen to follow, but where would he have been without his charismatic charm? It was his cheek and tenacity which had landed him such a successful job in the first place. Looks didn't mean much in the wizarding world. "Hey, I'll have you know it's called being stylish. Besides, I had my mid life crisis at thirty," Keevan said sullenly, referring to the time he, Regius and Lucan had gone their separate ways. That day had been an emotional time for them all, considering they had never been apart from each other before.

Keevan clapped his hands together, eager to get down to business. Home was a place Keevan had learned many things, but there was also a plethora of less cheerful memories he was happy to leave behind. The gravel crunched beneath their feet as Keevan lead Regius up the driveway toward the manor. "I hope you're not expecting this to be a holiday," Keevan warned, eyeing his brother up suspiciously. Being an author didn't sound like particularly hard work, so the man was going to have to get used to his new life, and quickly. As beautiful as the manor was, it definitely wasn't a place of rest. The White Manor was going to be the heart of the inner workings of his business, where the majority of his conferences would take place. Regius and Lucan were expected to attend these meetings to ensure that everything ran smoothly. In short, they were his assistants. Their current knowledge of the business's workings was limited, since he hadn't been confident they would agree to work for him if they understood what it involved, but they would soon find out. "I've got several jobs for you to do before Lucan gets here. First of all, there's a list in the kitchen of all the staff we need to hire to keep the place up to scratch. You're in charge of interviewing the possible candidates for each position. I trust you won't have any trouble with that," Keevan said, pushing open the front door and welcoming his brother inside. He was apprehensive about leaving such an important job to Regius, but his hands were tied.

 

[Regius Kendall-White]

At the mention of a mid-life crisis, Regius felt his blood run cold. Ten years had passed since the brothers had left the home they shared in England to pursue their careers. What different outcomes they had had. Regius, despite not being a jealous man, could not help but feel a little envy at the way Keevan had turned his life around. What would life have been like for Regius if he had been so strong? If he had simply accepted the unfortunate events that had occurred, picked himself up and found a job like his brother had? The only solace he could find was in Lucan, who had been just as - if not more - traumatised by the events as he. Though he would never have wished Lucan to be unhappy, Regius felt a little less guilty knowing that he was not the only one shattered by the unforeseen circumstances. He sighed. How did Keevan do it? It was almost as though the fire had had no effect on him at all. Then again, Keevan was not famous for admitting his feelings. Even as a child, he had used his charisma to conceal what he had really been feeling inside. He could fool most people, it seemed, but not Regius. Seeing his brother's eyes glaze over, Regius quickly snapped out of his daydream. "Do you plan on dying at sixty, Keevan?" Regius asked, the corner of his mouth turning up in a jesting smile. "That's rather a shame. Please, do leave some of this to me in your will, won't you?" He grinned, gesturing to the manor with an outstretched arm.

The sudden clap made Regius wince slightly as he braced himself for what was coming next. He shook his head in amusement. Did Keevan really think he hadn't been preparing for this lecture all morning? If there was one thing Regius knew for sure about his mysterious brother, it was that he worked hard, and had very little respect for those who didn't. Regius's eyebrows raised at the mention of his first task. This place was going to be kept in line by wizards, and there were plenty of those who would be jealous of Keevan's new found fortune. Especially if Regius's suspicions were correct, and Keevan was going to be getting up to his old tricks again. Surely employing the staff was a job that needed to be done by someone with a sharper eye? Not wishing to disappoint his brother so soon, Regius simply smiled and stepped into the Manor's foyer. "Of course. I'll get started with the interviews tomorrow morning after I've had a chance to go over the list," He said, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it over a nearby stand. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Speaking of Lucan, when is he getting here?" Regius asked, frowning as he wandered into what he could only assume was the kitchen.

 

[Keevan White]

Keevan's expression remained placid, but there was a flicker of guilt somewhere behind his brilliant blue eyes that was almost impossible to read. His brother, of course, had probably already sensed his discomfort. Regius had a sharpness for reading emotions not dissimilar to the way a hawk had an eye for spotting rodents in the long grass. It was unnerving, to say the least, to know that his brother could decipher a person's feelings, often before they had slotted the pieces together themselves. Still, Keevan stood with a bold aura, unwilling to make the task of decoding his expression an easy one. But somewhere, kindling behind the stony mask he wore, there was a furtiveness about him. He did not turn when his brother spoke, for he could hear the smile in the bobbing tone of his playful remarks. Had Keevan been a little less proud, he might have thanked Regius for that. He ran a slender hand through his thick, dark hair. An inconspicuous gesture that lasted only a second, but subsequently hung above him like a bad smell. "I can't claim to want to grow old," Keevan said at last as the brothers reached the manor. He eased the heavy front door closed behind them with a gentle click. "But don't worry, I don't plan on turning up my toes before my financial affairs have been settled," He said flatly, as though his brother's comment had struck some kind of nerve. In truth... No, it didn't matter what the truth was. Regius already knew it, didn't he?

Pushing this thought to the back of his mind, Keevan followed Regius into the kitchen. If it could be called that; the room was practically as bare as the rest of the house, barring its marble counters and five piece dining set. He lifted an eyebrow at his brother, retrieving the list of candidates and pulling up a pine wood chair. He motioned with a long fingered hand for Regius to join him. "Well, we might as well make a start now, mmn?" He said, as though distrusting of his brother's claims. His blue eyes swanned across the parchment, coming to rest on an intriguing name he had circled in blood red ink. "I don't cast any of these wizards in a particularly favourable light," There was a pause as Keevan interpreted the erratic scribbles he had written beside the circled name. "Although McKinley has a considerable amount of culinary experience, and Blackmoore a dabbling of groundskeeping," He went on to say, sliding the parchment across the pale table with two pointed fingers for Regius to look at.

The further discussion of Lucan's arrival lit Keevan's face considerably, though in regular fashion, he did his best to conceal it. He glanced up at the bare wall, his eyes unrewarded in their endeavour to find a clock. "I don't know. He told me he'd be here for twelve, but that must be long gone by now," Keevan took a moment to shoot his brother a resigned look. Despite the lack of importance his brothers placed on showing the hell up on time, he couldn't bring himself to feel genuinely angry about it. The biggest frustration was that Lucan was prolonging his unbearable excitement, which grew at a quickening pace. It had not been quite so long since he and his younger brother had spent time together, but he was thrilled at the prospect of living with him again all the same.

Nervous, but thrilled.

 

[Regius Kendall-White]

Regius watched his younger brother intently as he spoke, but decided not to comment. Years of experience had taught him better than to retort to Keevan's defensive remarks. Besides, not five minutes had passed since his arrival at the manor, and Regius was far from in the mood to argue. He leaned into the table to listen carefully, though he needn't have. Keevan spoke with enough coherence to make the Queen of England herself proud. Regius lifted a slender arm to pull the parchment closer, squinting at the hurried scribbles next to each name. "Odd," He mused as the pale brown paper flopped sadly in his hand. He shook it a little until it straightened again. "Only two people sent in resumes for the groundskeeping job?" Regius looked up for long enough to catch Keevan's nonchalant shrug. The eldest brother sighed, flicking the parchment down onto the pine wood table in a defeated gesture. "Look Keevan, I admire your enthusiasm, but I just got here, and I haven't seen you in ten years. Could you at least give me a tour of this place before we start work?"

Ten minutes later, Regius's tour of the White manor was well under way. Amongst the plethora of empty and unfurnished rooms, he had been introduced to the dining room, living room, ball room, games room and conservatory. "No basement?" Regius questioned curiously as he followed Keevan up the marble staircase, but bit his cheek immediately afterwards. No, of course there wasn't a basement. In fact, the entire layout of the manor was considerably different to that of their first home, and Regius had no doubts as to why. Willing his brother not to respond, he allowed himself to be led to the sleeping quarters and pushed open the door to what he had been informed was his room. He stepped inside, the light of his western facing room pouring in through the vast window. It was bright and airy, and clearly built with Regius in mind. The Irishman turned at the window, smiling affectionately at his brother across the room. He would have thanked him then, if a shrill bell hadn't taken that very opportunity to ring out through the manor. For a moment, Keevan and Regius regarded each other with the same, hopeful look, before heading swiftly for the stairs. As excited as he was, there was a lump forming in Regius's throat that he could not shift. His only consolation was that Keevan had also turned a pale shade of grey as they neared the front door. "Keevan?" Regius held out a hand, stopping his brother a few feet from the door. "It's going to be fine."

 

[Lucan White]

Fawn and fog.

Sand and smog.

Lucan's lips curled into his first smile of the coming morning. His quill, which had been poised over a small piece of parchment for close to an hour, exploded into action. He scribbled with deliberate haste, determined to atone for his sleepless night with the sudden stroke of serendipity that had befallen him. At last, he had done it! Lucan placed his quill down on the desk and leaned back, stretching the slender fingers of his writing hand to relieve their cramping muscles. Sure, it was nudging five in the morning, and the pale blue light of the imminent sunrise was beginning to illuminate the walls of his hotel bedroom, but Lucan too pleased about finishing his poem to mind.

After watching curiously out of the window for a moment, the slim man rose from his desk and padded across the plush carpet to his en suite bathroom. The cold tiles delivered a shock to his bare feet, but by the time he had reached the mirror, the coolness against his skin had become more pleasant than uncomfortable. Catching sight of his pallid complexion, Lucan sighed and lifted a finger to rub his temple. Was it worth going to bed now? His glassy eyes, bereft of their usual, bright shine, certainly thought so. He speculated for a moment, toying with the idea of pulling an all nighter, but then quickly abandoning any such thought. Tomorrow - no, today, was moving in day. Or, to be more precise, moving back in day.

A certain level of nerves threatened to repress Lucan's fragile excitement. There were hundreds of questions, doubts, and reasons not to go ahead with the move, but none of them could completely quell his happiness. Some of the questions he had only strengthened his excitement; what was Regius like these days? What would his first day of work involve? What would his new bedroom be like? But there were other, less cheerful matters on the small man's mind, too. The most pressing of them all: When would his night terrors return?

Eventually, Lucan retreated to his bed, feeling every one of his thirty four years as he clambered under the thick duvet. Even cocooned under his blankets, Lucan felt unshakably cold. He pulled himself into the foetal position and closed his eyes, blocking out the room's emptiness. It was only for one night, Lucan reminded himself, nestling his face into the pillow, but the gesture did little to ease his discomfort. He could have been lying on a bed of feathers and still felt uneasy.

A sharp rapping on the door roused him almost exactly six hours later.

"Ten minutes til check-out time!" A muffled voice called somewhere from the hallway.

Lucan sat bolt upright, reaching instinctively for his wand. Bugger. Fortunately, there was very little to be done, since unpacking for an overnight stay would have been a pointless endeavour. "Awright, thank you!" He called back after a moment, acknowledging the comment in raspy tones. Then, he stumbled groggily into the bathroom, where he proceeded to take the quickest shower of his life.

After a slight misunderstanding at the reception desk ("Sir, I don't know what a galleon is, but we only accept New Zealand dollars, here."), Lucan was pushing open the glass doors of the hotel and stepping onto the busy streets of Napier. He looked this way and that, slightly disorientated by the flocks of muggles as they hurried past. When he finally came to his bearings, he motioned for a taxi and began the short ride to the manor. Taking muggle transport seemed a little extreme, but with no idea what the road looked like, Lucan was left with very little choice. Still, the taxi driver seemed pleasant enough, and dropped him off a short distance from the ornate front gates.

Lucan crunched across the gravelled driveway, too awestruck by the manor's grandeur to notice that the wheels of his suitcase were leaving muddy tracks in the pale stones behind him. When he finally reached the door, he drew an unnecessarily deep breath. This was it. After he rang the bell, there was no going back. Shakily, he lifted a hand and pressed a finger into the button. He took a step back, his eyes wandering restlessly across the door frame. Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Maybe they weren't here yet? He tapped his foot nervously on the porch step.

The front door opened.

Lucan's mouth formed a shy, sheepish smile. "'Ello! Bloody big this place, int it?"