Young Writers Society

Joshua stood near the parlor, with fellow businessmen. This was his crowd, where he belonged. He would make it through life as a successful railroad owner, with nothing limiting him. Not even his brother.

He glanced over his shoulder at the thought. The younger man was somewhere in the congregation behind him, in the dusty, loud bar across the foyer. Undoubtedly, he was drinking and playing cards with his rogue friends, the wrestlers and gunfighters...

It is ironic that two people so closely related are so different, people said all the time, observing Joshua and Lucas whenever one or both were near. Joshua will be a great business leader; Lucas will probably end up in jail before he's twenty-one.

Joshua just shrugged and joined the conversation again, forsaking thoughts of his younger brother.

Briseis, also known as Bri to her friends, let herself swirl lazily around the dance floor of the elegant ball room, twirling with the Count of Withshire. He was a pourtly old man, and she was quite dear of him. The song ended and she was led back to her mothers side to await another dance.

"Are you having fun my dear?" her mother, the Viscountess, asked.

"Yes, mother, I'm havign a glorious time." she replied, sarcasticly. Her mother sent her an icy stare, then turned as a young man approached. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. Lu...Liam...Liaz.... Her mother bowed, guesturing for her to do the same.

"Lucas, my dear, how are you?" So this was Lucas, Joshua's little brother. He resembled him in away, but she could tell he was different from Josh. He turned to Bri.

"Shall we?" She laid her hand on his extended arm and was whirled away onto the dance floor.

Lucas had been watching Bri the entire time. She was a beauty, that much was obvious to any man's eye. But Lucas saw deeper...he saw the sarcasm in her eyes, the long for adventure, the boredom with a sheltered and classy life.

He caught Joshua's wicked glare from across the room; Lucas and Joshua never did get along well, much less in such a populated space. He smirked at him, which only made Joshua even angrier, speaking to Bri the entire time. "So, fair mistress, what brings you to such a gathering? Your mother...or your own desire?" He shrugged while Bri twirled with the waltz. "Or something else?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just trying to have a conversation. Or is that too bold an approach on someone with such an established family background?"

She thoguth a moment before replying "What brings me here is cause my mother forces me to come to such abnoxious gatherings in hope I shall snag a suitor."

He laughed.

"What happens to be so funny?" He shook his head as he twriled he to th+e side of the dance floor.

"Nothing. It's just good to have a laugh every now and then." She glared at him, not believing a word.



*sorry have to get to practice*

***Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! SORRY!!! I've been so busy with school I kept forgetting to post!!***



Lucas smiled and shrugged again. "Fine. I was merely laughing at how such a well-bred beauty acts so scornfully toward events suitable to no lower class. Nothing more."

He felt a hand on his shoulder then, a hard clasp. "I do believe it's my turn with the lady."

Lucas growled to himself. It was Joshua, intervening as usual. He stopped dancing with fair Bri and turned toward his brother. "Ah, if it isn't the scholarly, family favorite Joshua Leander Hamilton, a graduate of Harvard from back east." Lucas was sure to make every syllable as spiteful as possible.

Bri watched the exchange between the two brothers. Seh sighed, turning away and headed towards her mother. Seh was not about to eb the subjject of gossip. A hand landed on her shoulder and she was turned into teh arms of Joshua, adn wisked away into teh Waltz. Seh looked around for the otehr brother, but he seemed to have disappeared. She sighed adn let Joshua lead.

Joshua watched Bri closely, but not lustfully. He would not be his brother, bedding girls left and right like people suspected the younger man did. He would be much better than that, a gentleman.

"You'll have to excuse my brother," he said softly, sincerely. "He tends to get very bold and unruly at times. I hope he wasn't a bother."