Hidden and Silent (SpyxFamily)

Ch. 11: Part Two

        "Hello, welcome!" A middle-aged lady greeted them as the overhanging bell rang their arrival. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"No, I think were just gonna look around." Demetrius led Damian further inside. The walls were generously supplied and the ceiling dripped with brightly coloured cloth, kite tails, and the occasional decorative ribbon. "See anything you like?" Demetrius ran a hand over a couple of them.

Damian pointed to the largest one in the store. It was in the shape of a wide triangle with an extra point on the bottom, decorated with rich blues and greens. "What about that one?"

"Too expensive. Pick another." Demetrius said with a quick glance.

Well, that was something Damian never expected to hear.

"This one?" He reached to hold a kite away from the wall—a standard, quadrilateral culmination of cloth and wood—a large triangle on the bottom attached to a smaller one on top. This one was smaller than the last and painted with a snake. The kite tail was designed to be a continuation of the snake's body.

"Sure." Demetrius said and picked a simple red one. They paid the lady and went on to ask passerbys for directions to the nearest open park.

Ringed by carefully maintained trees in perfect equidistance, the boys found a thick-grassed area laid open to the winds, blades rolling in shiny waves. People pocked the otherwise empty field, a couple with their own kites, picnicking, or lounging on the sun-warmed ground. The boys picked their own space away from the others.

"Now what?" Damian looked into the sky with the wind on his face, kite held ready for further instruction.

"Um. . ." Demetrius held his kite in front of him and fiddled with the strings and handle.

"You haven't done this before, have you?"

"Nope." He said, but undid the bit that kept it all together and tidy for display. Damian copied him.

Demetrius gave his kite one last look over and held it up over his head so it might catch the breeze. Damian was pretty sure it took more than that and he was right. The wind whooshed by, the red paper wobbling, but not rising.

Demetrius lowered the kite. "It's broken." He said. Damian couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Demetrius?" The voice of an unfamiliar girl cut loud and clear through the wind, followed by several footsteps. Four teenagers, two girls and two boys, had halted when they noticed Demetrius and the girl who spoke waved to him. She had a big, friendly smile on her face and brown eyes to match her hair.

An infinitesimal change set in Demetrius' eyes and line of his mouth. They were near undetectable, the smallest differences, and Damian wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been looking at him. It was enough to darken Demetrius' attitude, harden his gaze, and the Eden students were oblivious to the sudden murderous intent behind his otherwise expressionless face.

They started towards them, the girls keeping a hand on their uniform skirts in case the breeze decided to swoop down on them and trod the twenty metres that lay between them.

"What are you doing here?" Demetrius said as they approached holding drinks in their hands and pushed designer sunglasses up on their heads.

The brunette, the shortest of the group, gently shook the to-go cup in her hand. "We came out to get milk-shakes. They're just sooo good." She took a sip. "What a coincidence you're here too, what are you up to?"

"Yeah, what's that sad excuse for a kite?" A blonde boy laughed. "Oof." He bent inward as the brunette's hand slapped across his stomach so fast, Damian almost missed it. She kept the smile on her face.

"Oh my gosh, is this your brother?" The other girl, raven haired with olive skin, spotted him. "He's adorable, he looks just like you."

Maybe Damian was supposed to find that flattering, but it was more irritating. He might have told her what a cow she looked like in comparison if Demetrius didn't speak first.

"Yeah. . ." He said coldly, clearly unimpressed. He didn't seem to like that either and Damian was the only one who saw the glower beneath his deceptively unbothered appearance. When Demetrius trained his dead eyes on the girl and kept it there, it was kind of unsettling.

They may not have seen the irritation on his face, but they heard his tone. "Oh. . .are you upset we didn't ask you to come out with us? If we knew you were up for it, we would have invited you." The other black-haired boy said.

"No. I had plans, anyway." Demetrius said pointedly at him, maintaining a detached tone.

"Oh, sure. . .kite flying. . ." The boy's uncertain smile wasn't intentionally condescending or mocking, but rather confused why Demetrius would choose to spend his time this way.

"I'm surprised to see you all out together." Demetrius said with a bite of accusation.

"Oh." The brunette laughed, not noticing. "We figured it out. Everything's good now."

"Does Fallon know?" Demetrius responded and her face froze.

"Well. . . no. . ."

"If she finds out about this, she's gonna be furious. She'll feel betrayed. Again. Maybe you should go and sort this out with her now before things get worse."

"She won't find out." The olive-skinned girl rolled her eyes. "Not unless someone tells her and none of us are going to. Besides, it's an innocent hang-out. It doesn't matter." She studied her nails.

"Then why didn't you invite her?"

She blinked a few times at her nails, ran her thumb over them, and cleared her throat, turning to Damian to completely ignore Demetrius. "So how's the kite flying going? Have you ever done it before?"

Damian glanced at Demetrius' whose eyelids had half-closed and watched the girl like a predator who'd pounced and missed, waiting for another shot.

What was going on with him?

"No." Damian simply replied.

"Well, give it here then." She handed her milkshake to the black-haired boy behind her, beckoning for the kite with her other fingers.

"Um. . ."

"You keep the handle, I'll help you get it flying." She insisted and Damian reluctantly handed it over.

"Great. Now let some more string out."

Damian did as instructed. She walked a bit away and held it up as high as she could. "Now run." She called and Damian ran. She ran with him, holding the kite aloft until it found purchase on the breeze. The girl let it slip from her hand and it rose higher and higher.

"There ya go." She said and made her way over with the others. Forgetting the sunglasses on her head, she shielded her face as she came to stand next to Damian to look up at the kite.

"Great. Thanks." Demetrius said flatly. "You should get going now before Fallon finds out about this."

"Aw, c'mon." The blonde said. "Let us hang here for a bit. It'll be fun. Fallon will be fine."

"Who's Fallon?" Damian took his attention from the kite now high in the sky. He was starting to get pulled in and Demetrius gave him a stink eye