A/N: My friend and I have decided to put the names of the character narrating the chapter (Kenneth/Isabella) so that it would be less confusing to read. :) We'll also mention who wrote that particular chapter, in case you've lost track or something. For now, please enjoy the first chapter of Masquerade! (Sorry if the story sounds a little cliched though)

Chapter 1 (Kenneth) - EternalSnow

It wasn’t more than five minutes after I snoozed my alarm clock that the door to my room creaked open – funny, I thought I always locked my door before I went to bed? Well whatever. – followed by the sound of heavy footsteps of someone sprinting across my room, whom apparently leapt and landed directly on top of my stomach. I felt my breath leave my lungs completely.

“Oof! Are you trying to break my ribs?! Get off me!” I growled angrily, gasping for air. Without even opening my eyes, I blindly shoved the person off me, pulled my comforter up to my neck, and continued to sleep away. However, the person in my room decided to be funny, and started prodding softly at first, then slowly progressed to jabbing furiously at my sides. I grunted and turned over, trying to ignore the annoying thing.

The room fell silent after that, which I blissfully enjoyed. Had the person finally left the room? Not that I’d care, just as long as they don’t disturb my sleep. But apparently I spoke too soon. The curtains of my room suddenly flew open, and the warm rays of the sun seeped through my eyelids and almost burned my eyeballs off its sockets from the sudden change in light intensity.

“Argh! Leave me alone would you?!” I growled again, this time pulling the sheets over my eyes. That’s it. I’m going to move my bed away from the bottom of the window to the darkest corner of the room once I’m fully awake later.

“Mom asked me to get you up at all costs,” the muffled sounds of my younger sister’s voice came through my sheets. I waved my hands lazily at her, hoping I could dismiss her. “Go away…”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Alexa said with a menacing edge to her voice. With that, I suddenly felt the sheets getting pulled away from under me, causing me to fall off my narrow bed, landing with a loud thud onto the floor.

“Ow! Why you little…!” I immediately shot up and tried to grab my devil of a sister, but I should’ve kept in mind that sitting up suddenly when you didn’t have enough sleep the previous night isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do. I groaned painfully as blood suddenly rushed to my brain and gave me a splitting headache. Great. Just great.

“Mom, Ken’s up!” my sister chirruped as she skipped down the stairs, evidently pleased with what she did to me just moments ago. I swear I’m going to murder her some day.

Still dazed, I reached for my clock that was perched on top of my desk to look at the time. My temper flared as I noticed that it was still freaking 7.30 in the morning. Why the hell did she wake me up this early for?! Cursing under my breath, I clambered back into my bed, hoping that I could resume my sleep. As soon as I’ve snuggled in comfortably in between my sheets, something in my mind clicked and I shot up again.

“Oh shit! I’m going to be late!”

A pair of glazed ice-blue eyes, framed by a pair of rimless spectacles looked back at me as I adjusted my necktie in front of the mirror. I’m not exactly one to like wearing collared, long-sleeved shirts and slacks, complete with dress shoes at that. Give me jeans and t-shirts anytime. Then I sighed resignedly as I glanced over to my desk, where a piece of paper – a very expensive piece of paper – with the words “Crevecoeur Medical University” emblazoned across the top of it looked back at me.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I’m dreading to go to the university. In fact, it’s all I’ve ever wanted. What’s more, I actually managed to get the elusive full scholarship to pursue my ambition to be a doctor. My family all but tackled me onto the floor when I received the offer letter. Truthfully, I myself am still awed by the fact that I made it. However, having to dress like this every single freaking day is certainly over the top. It certainly feels like a charade to me.

“That’s what you get for enrolling into a professional course,” a sound from the back of my head said smugly. Oh great, now I’m hearing voices. You’ve finally lost it, Kenneth Chevercourt. Too much studying for you. I chuckled silently as I ran my fingers through my burgundy hair. I then popped my contact lenses into my eyes and stored my spectacles away in the box, then deposited it in my backpack. Once I’ve made sure that I looked presentable, I picked up my laptop and backpack along with the admission letter, took one last look at my room, and closed the door behind me.

“My! You look dashing, Kenneth!” Mum went wide-eyed the moment I reached the last flight of the stairs, and immediately started to fuss around me, making sure that there were no creases on my shirt. I rolled my eyes, a smile forming on my lips, and I decided to just let her be. Then I caught sight of my younger sister sitting at the dining table, evidently trying hard to suppress her smirk. I glared at her furiously, eyes twitching at the memory from earlier. And she had the nerve to stick out her tongue at me. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be able to maul that devil-in-disguise right about now.

Before I managed to convert my thoughts into action, dad appeared through the front door. “Ken, are you ready to go? You’ll run late if we don’t move now,” he said while he appraised his son that would only dress up so formally once in a blue moon from top to toe, letting out a low whistle as he did so.

“Not you too, old man,” I groaned, not used to all the sudden massive attention that I’ve been getting for the past few months. “Let’s go?” I said as I picked up my laptop from the steps, and headed out of the door of my small but cozy townhouse.

“Dad, where’s your car?” I raised an eyebrow at my old man when I couldn’t find his trusty old Jeep around.

“It’s just right there,” he nudged to my right with his chin.

“Where?” I took in the entire view of the street, but not even the shadow of his Jeep was to be found. Is he trying to prank me? If he was, he wasn’t doing a good job. Coupled with the rude wake-up call I had today morning, I was just completely befuddled.

Dad let out a sigh, and my eyes followed him as he walked towards his non-existent car. Or so I thought. He stopped right next to a car that I wasn’t familiar with, grinning widely as he leaned against it. “Like it?”

My eyes went wide at the sight of it, and “What the hell?!” was all I could say. There it was, gleaming in the morning sun – a Porsche Panamera Turbo, parked at the side of the road. It was too damned conspicuous to be seen in a middle-class neighbourhood as mine, and I noticed that the neighbours are already whispering at low voices when they saw the car. I myself am at a loss of words.

“B… but dad, h… how on earth did you afford it?!” I stammered, still not believing what I’m seeing. Even though I don’t do much research on these fancy sports cars – I knew very well that I had no chance in hell to be able to afford it – I know enough that it was bloody expensive. It’s a freaking Porsche for cryin’ out loud! I had the urge to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but remembered the painful incident I experienced in the morning, and was instantly sure that I was awake. Wide awake.

“Of course I couldn’t afford it. Your Uncle Agustin borrowed it to me so that I could drop you at the university. Thought you might want to blend in with the crowd,” he was still grinning.

Oh, since we’re on the subject of ‘blending in with the crowd’, did I mention that Crevecoeur Medical University mostly consists of freaking wealthy kids? And the scholarship holder is hailed as the “charity case”? Guess not. Well, now you know.

I blinked. “Since when Uncle Agustin became so kind?” I asked cynically. My uncle was surprisingly well-to-do, and also surprisingly distant from our family. I’ve only seen him once or twice in my entire nineteen years of existence. Guess it’s because of the difference in financial status.

“Give him the benefit of the doubt, will you? C’mon, hop in,” dad gestured as he eased himself into the driver’s seat. I followed suit and planted myself in the front seat, as my mum and sister shuffled into the back seats. The instant that I entered the car, the soft aroma of leather wafted through my nose. Dad turned the key in the ignition, and the engine quietly came to life – a stark contrast with dad’s Jeep which could scare a heart patient to death. Literally.

I smiled wistfully, admiring the posh car as we cruised down the streets, farther away from my home which I won’t be seeing for a year. Too bad the car was only ours for today. Just for show. My perfect masquerade.

Half an hour later, we’ve finally reached our – or my – destination, Crevecoeur Medical University, which was situated at a mountainous area. I stepped out of the car and stretched lazily before turning my attention at my campus.

My jaw nearly fell off at the sight of it. It’s humongous! And that could easily be the understatement of the century. The main campus of the university stood majestically in front of me, sunlight reflecting off its walls constructed of glass panes. I squinted and tried to focus on the second floor of the building which was full of shelves, eyes widening when I realized what it was. Dear Lord, they have a library that spans the entire second floor?! Time to knock myself out with all the books there.

As I was still admiring my shiny new campus, a lady with her hair tied in a tight bun approached me. “Excuse me, may I help you?” she smiled. It took me a while to snap out of my trance-like state. This day has proven to be too much of a shock for me, and it isn’t even halfway through yet.

“Oh- uh, yeah, I’m a new student here. May I know where am I supposed to head to right now?”

“May I take a look at your offer letter?” she asked in an overly polite manner. But I guess public relations officers are trained to be that way. I obliged her request, and handed her the expensive parchment. She speed-read through it, nodded thoughtfully at one of the lines, and then looked at me once again. “I see; you’re the scholarship recipient. Follow me please. The dean would like to see you in his office.”

The dean’s office was located on the 5th floor of the building, along with the other lecturers of the university, but his working space was situated at the end of a carpeted hallway, behind a set of intricately carved – and no doubt very expensive – wooden doors.

“Good morning, Professor Streatfield. This is Kenneth Chevercourt, the scholarship recipient,” the lady announced politely.

“Ah, yes, thank you Heather. Come in and take a seat, Mr. Chevercourt. I’ve been expecting you,” the Dean said. It took me a while before I realized he was talking to me – I wasn’t quite used to others addressing me by my surname – and entered through the doors. I glanced around his office, and noticed that it wasn’t elaborately decorated. Professor Streatfield was seated behind a glass desk, where a computer was perched on top of it, along with a gold plate with the words “Professor Dr. Harper Streatfield” and his array of academic qualifications carved on it. There were leather sofas arranged around a small coffee table in the middle of the room, and bookshelves full with medical books adorned the walls.

I took a seat on the chair in front of his desk, and observed him, just as he did with me. He was rather aged, considering the fact that his beard and hair were both white. Professor Streatfield then took off his spectacles and laid it on the table.

“So, how do you find the campus so far? It’s not too intimidating, is it?” he leaned into his leather chair and turned sideways to allow me to admire the view outside with him, resting his chin on his crossed fingers.

“Oh, no sir. It’s very big and modern,” I admitted. And very breakable too. But I kept that to myself.

He nodded thoughtfully before continuing, “I certainly hope that you manage to fit in here. Consider yourself the cream of the crop in terms of studying abilities. I’m glad that you’ve decided to apply to this humble university of ours.”

Humble is not exactly what I would call this place, I thought. But in any case, I was flattered by his compliments. “Likewise, sir. I’m honored that I was given a chance to pursue my studies here.”

We smiled politely at one another, very conscious of what my words meant. It was more of a subtle way to indirectly mean that I wasn’t affluent. Compared to the other students of the university, that is.

“Well, I expect great things from you, Mr. Chevercourt. You may return to your dormitory now,” he said, as he stood up and held out his hand. I gladly shook it, and then left the room. I let out a sigh of relief the moment I closed the door, and then slowly shuffled to the dormitory that would be my ‘home’ for the entire duration of my studies here.

“Room 3H… Ah, here it is,” I muttered absentmindedly as I glanced at the golden plates bolted to the doors of the dormitory rooms. I inserted my keycard into the slot of the door, which emitted a green light before the lock clicked open.

I nearly dropped my laptop for the umpteenth time today at the sight of the lavishly decorated room. Two four-poster beds were placed at opposite corners of the room, and the curtains draping the window looked like they were made of the finest silk around. And – I can’t believe my eyes – they have a freaking 48-inch plasma TV in the room! What is this? An expensive 5-star hotel of sorts?

If I had one thing to be thankful about, it was the fact that my roommate wasn’t here yet, otherwise he’ll think I’m some sort of weird dude that would get shocked by something so normal – of course, not my kind of normal, but you get the picture. I don’t exactly wish to broadcast the fact that I’m the scholar of the new batch. At least not yet. For now, I’ll need to learn not to get a heart attack whenever I see something out of my norm, and act like a rich kid that I’m not.

“Kenneth Chevercourt, welcome to the extravagant lifestyle of the rich and famous,” I muttered drily, and closed the door behind me.