Hidden and Silent (SpyxFamily)

Ch. 14: Part Two

       Damian had to deal with this today.

He resolved when Forger had failed to disembark the bus. Meaning she had either skipped school, or was driven here earlier, which meant she was already on school grounds. Probably hiding from Damian. She wasn't in class when he arrived and she showed up seconds before school would start.

Damian wasn't sure if he wanted to try approaching her again. She had repeatedly run away from him and he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt.

Yesterday, he'd thought he had some chance of fixing this, and that confidence dwindled by the second. If this wasn't dealt with today, maybe he shouldn't be trying to. Forger certainly wasn't.

Damian exited the changing room in his gym clothes, followed by his friends. He immediately spotted Forger with the rest of the kids and noticed her bandages were gone. She was participating this time and her hands fidgeted uneasily by her chest. Had her medical excuse to get out of gym run out, or was she finally rejoining the living of her own volition?

He ignored the surprised spark that bloomed in his chest, deciding to keep his distance and melded into the loose group some ways away from her.

Professor Henderson took a central position and blew his whistle. He let it drop against his bright, red track sweater. "Today, we are participating in an elegant game of capture the flag. The two teams will compete to retrieve their opponents flag and deliver it to their own side." The floor was divided equally into two by a black line, and he signalled to the hoops on either side and the small flags inside them that sat in short tubes, holding them upright. "If a player is tagged outside of their territory, they are sentenced to jail and cannot leave unless a team mate can rescue them. Only one person can be rescued at a time." He gestured to the back walls outside of the black border lining the gym floor. "If a flag is stolen and the player is caught before they return to their territory, the flag is restored to it's place. Once a team has both flags, the game is over. Flags cannot be passed between hands once they are stolen and the flag zones are safety zones. You cannot be tagged once inside them." Professor Henderson's eyes skimmed briefly over the children. "Damian. Becky. You are the captains of your respective teams. You may take turns recruiting members." The professor fished a two dollar coin from his pocket and had Damian walk to the other side of the gym. "Becky. Heads or tails?" He asked.

"Heads."

He tossed the coin and the children's gazes lifted to watch it flip several times before it landed on the professor's palm. He immediately turned it over onto the back of his other hand. It lifted.

"Tails." He announced and Blackbell clicked her tongue. "Damian, you may choose first." He said and a light bulb lit up in Damian's head.

He could use this to his advantage.

"Forger." He called without hesitation and she froze on the spot, blinking at him in surprise. Ewen and Emile shared her shock and gaped at him. Damian had skipped over them. For Forger. He would have felt bad if this wasn't so important.

For some reason, Blackbell found this highly interesting and her hands made a tepee over her mouth. Her eyes danced excitedly between him and Forger.

"Anya, you are on Damian's team. Head to the other side, please." The professor prodded when she made no move, her face tightening in quiet panic. Her hands clenched anxiously at the hem of her shirt. Looking back at her best friend, she made a tentative step forward while Blackbell not so subtly shooed her on behind a smile poorly hid by a hand.

What the heck was wrong with Blackbell? Damian wondered.

Forger eventually came to stand several feet away from Damian and he sweat-dropped.

Was this a good idea?

Becky made her choice and Ewen and Emile were Damian's next picks. They took turns until no one was left and Professor Henderson blew his whistle.

The gym erupted in squeaky shoes and feet pounding for the line dividing the two teams. Damian naturally wanted to race into the fray and snatch up the red flag across the room, but he held himself back. He couldn't risk getting caught yet. Instead, as he came up to the line, he lurched to the right and tagged a girl just as she invaded their territory.

"Ahh!" She growled in disappointment and trudged to the jail with a pout on her face.

Damian hovered in place for a moment, taking stock of the situation.

On each side, a few kids protected their flag, ready to arrest any offenders who came near. Several others were spread around and a few kids watched the other team nervously, waiting for a chance to streak in and reach the safety zone of the flag.

A burst of movement sprouted from Damian's left and his heart jumped as he turned and raced for a boy sprinting past the line. The boy was fast, dodging a tagger who reacted slowly, but that was okay, because he was right in Damian's path. The boy made it halfway in before Damian tagged him.

"Someone catch her!"

Already, there was another trespasser and Damian's head whipped to the girl flying and zigging and zagging past the kids. Damian was on the chase, but he was too far left, he wasn't going to make it. Ewen was hot on her heels and it looked like he was going to catch her, but he nearly tripped over his own feet when the girl veered away sharply out of his grasp. Right into Forger.