Owned by the Ocean Read Free Page A

to say.
    Getting up, he
walked by where Sarah was standing near the bar, and as he passed,
he slipped her a ten pound note.

Chapter
Two
     
    Brant opened
his eyes slightly as Leo stumbled into their room. Robert remained
fast asleep as far as Brant could tell but Leo was making a real
racket, crashing into a dresser and then his bedpost as he felt his
way blindly in the dark.
    “ You okay?” Brant whispered.
    Leo fell onto
his bed and sighed. “Do I look okay?”
    “ I’m sorry," and they both knew he wasn’t talking about the
bruises that Leo was sure to have in the morning.
    “ But you’re right and I hate it.”
    Brant didn’t
reply so the two boys lay in silence. Brant waited until he heard
Leo snoring, then got up and left the room. It was expressly
against the rules to be out of the dorms after ten but he left
anyway. He needed time to think, time away from the supressing
darkness and heavy breathing that filled his room.
    Making his way
to the study lounge, Brant stepped lightly in stocking feet, all
the while listening for anyone that may be patrolling the halls. He
didn’t know what would happen if he was caught, but he didn’t
really want to provoke his father’s anger, and there was no sense
in being careless.
    Sitting down
in one of the large easy chairs beside the ever burning fireplace
in the cozy and quiet room, Brant sighed and rested his head in his
hands. He hated seeing Leo unhappy because of his own stupidity,
but he was no different. How many times had his friend urged him to
embrace the life he'd been given? And yet he chose to be miserable
as he strove for the one life he couldn't have.
    He would be
going home soon for Christmas and then he would be back here again
to finish off the school year. He had four years of school to
endure and after only a few months he was beginning to wonder if he
could do it. Already he had lost interest completely. He found
himself fighting the urge to walk out of class and keep walking
until he found himself a ship and was sailing beyond his father’s
grasp. He could do it, it wouldn’t be very hard. All it took was a
little resolve. But as much as Brant knew what he wanted, he
couldn’t bring himself to go against his father. In small ways
sure, breaking rules, drinking and smoking, playing pranks on the
teachers; it all didn’t matter. He hated to admit it but the small
acts of rebellion were to get his father’s attention. It was his
way of showing his father how incredibly unhappy he was with his
life, and at the young age of sixteen he shouldn’t be so unhappy.
He shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not he was going to be
miserable all his life. He was too young to have that kind of
weight. Was it too much to want the approval of his father for his
life choices?
    Pulling a
cigarette out from the pack he always kept in his jacket pocket,
Brant lit it and drew slowly back on the paper stick, letting the
sweet, acrid smoke fill his mouth and filter down into his lungs,
then curling and caressing his lips and nostrils as he exhaled.
Instantly he felt his muscles relax.
    “ Brant Foxton?”
    Brant quickly
hid his cigarette and looked over to see who the voice belonged to.
It was well past one in the morning and no one should have been
walking around. “Hello, Headmaster Mansfield.”
    “ You do realize that it is well past curfew?”
    “ Yes sir,” Brant replied, not a hint of apology in his voice,
just simple admittance. He had learned quickly that the man was
soft and would likely not do anything unless there was some serious
harm in a boy's actions.
    "It is also
against the rules to smoke on school property.”
    “ Would you like to join me?”
    Headmaster
Mansfield chuckled. “You know, I really would. I won’t tell anyone
if you won’t.”
    "Deal.” Brant
handed the Headmaster a cigarette and his box of matches.
    They sat in
silence for quite some time, staring into the smouldering fire and
smoking the forbidden cigarettes.