He's Just a Kid (Marcus Davenport X OC Book 1)

Secrets

After my date with Abby, she was the only thing I could think about. Yes, I thought about the way she looked at me, the way her small dimple appeared on her right cheek when she smiled, the way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she was amused.

But I was also thinking about her panic attack.

I was so genuinely terrified for her, I had never experienced anything like it. You see, I don't get afraid. Because of my bionics (yes I have those) I've never had a reason for it. But that was one of the only times I have ever felt powerless. I couldn't actually do anything and that terrified me. The way her entire body tensed, how she couldn't breathe properly, the panic in her eyes.

If I could have just snatched it away from her I would have. And I wouldn't have regretted any second of taking it myself, just so she could be safe and away from harm.

Gosh, what was wrong with me? This was probably the most ridiculous I've ever felt. There was no reason for me to be afraid like that.

But I like her.

I caught myself smiling and shook my head violently to try to shake the feeling away. She was distracting me. That's all she was doing. I needed to capture Adam, Bree, and Chase. That was it. No side quests. No extra girlfriend on the side, no measly crushes.

That's what you think.

I ignored my inner self and trudged on to my dad's house. He was so going to be angry with me when I got home for not getting any work done today like I said I was going to. So what? Let him be mad.

I told you I had bionics, right? Yeah . . . So, basically, I have everything Adam, Bree, and Chase have combined into one chip. Pretty cool, right? Super speed, strength, intelligence, heat vision, molecular kinesis, the list goes on. There was no way Adam, Bree, and Chase could beat me when the time came for them to fight me. I knew that time would come. Eventually.

My house could be seen a while away, its light blue paint job standing out brightly against the sun. It was a normal looking house for the most part, and that was why it was so special. You could never judge a book by its cover.

You see, my house hides something pretty important right underneath the surface: A lab. Not a lab like Mr. Davenport's pristine, clean, and well-kept one, but it gets the job done. And I rather enjoy the creepy vibe it gives off. Makes it feel more like a lair than a lab. I love it.

I walked up the small driveway and walked around the red minivan in the driveway. The grill was around the back of the house. You may be asking why that's important, but just be patient. I'll tell you in a second.

I walked around the house and stepped up to the grill, checking around me before I did anything. Even though I was behind the house and surrounded by woods I didn't want anyone to see this.

I reached out and lifted the lid of the grill carefully, letting it stand open. In the back right corner of the lid was a keypad. This keypad was why this grill was important. I entered the code and waited, watching the bare blue wall behind the grill patiently. It shimmered steadily, lowering the cloak my dad put on it, and revealed a hole, an entrance.

I walked in confidently. The wall closed behind me and I heard the shimmer of the cloak being raised again, as well as the grill closing automatically.

I was now alone in the dimly lit hallway.

I turned right and opened a door at the end, descending a set of stairs into the basement where our lab was. Anticipation pricked at the back of my neck. I wasn't nervous, I knew that much. I understood what nervousness was from what I heard from other people, and I knew I didn't get nervous. I don't know what I was feeling here.

Maybe I was expecting something?

When I got to the bottom of the stairs I heard a voice beckoning me forward. "You're late."

I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know," I sighed. "Got hung up, I'm sorry."

The inside of the lab looked like a warehouse, and that's because it was. It used to be a meat factory where they prepped different cuts of steak and pork. Yeah, it was brown and rusty-looking, but there were a few things in the lab that were more modern. Like my dad's electronic desk or my capsule. I never understood why my capsule looked more like a cage than a glass tub like Adam, Bree, and Chase's did, but it gets the job done.

And there my dad was, sitting at his desk across the room and staring at me with his hard brown eyes. He looked exactly like Chase. Or, Chase looked exactly like him. With the brown spiky hair, the eyes, and the facial structure, Chase was my dad's spitting image. Add a few years to Chase and they could be twins.

You could see some resemblance with Bree and Adam, but not as much.

I wonder why I don't look like my dad . . .

I shook the thought away. It was probably nothing. I never heard a thing about who my mom was or when she married my dad. All I know is that she died and left my dad to raise me, Adam, Bree and Chase. Of course, though, my uncle Donald stole my brothers and sister away from me when I was little. At least that's what my dad told me.

"Am I in trouble?" I asked my dad, crossing my arms as I approached him in his swivel chair.

"You're not quite in trouble," Dad responded with his rough, smokey voice. "But I do want an update."

I clenched my jaw. "Not much change." I hoped he didn't catch my lie. The truth was I didn't get anymore information yet.

Dad narrowed his eyes at me. "You sure?"

"Yes. Why?"

He smirked. "Because I just flagged something on your little girlfriend."

My heart dropped. "How do you know about Abby?" I accused.

He folded his own arms. "I installed a bionic chip in your neck, do you really think I can't install a camera in your eye?"

"You're joking. Tell me you're joking." I couldn't believe my ears.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

My mind was spinning. There was a camera in my eyeball. I rubbed both of my eyes, trying to see if I could find it but found nothing out of the ordinary. My own father . . .

No.

"Oh, wipe that flabbergasted look off of your face, it makes you look stupid," Dad snapped. He picked up the iPad on the desk and started pushing buttons. "Do you want to know what I found on Abby?"

I gave a slight nod. If there was something about Abby out of the ordinary, I wanted to know. I needed to make sure . . .

I need to make sure she's safe.

"Your little girlfriend," Dad continued, "has a little secret. There's something abnormal I noticed in her eyes when she had that little episode at the ice cream shop. Look."

He handed me the iPad and I looked down at the screen. It was an image of Abby's eyes and it was super zoomed in. And yes, it was from my point of view. The thought made me sick.

But the thing I saw in her eyes made me even sicker.

"Yep," Dad affirmed. "Those are cat eyes. They were only there for a brief second, but I caught it." He smiled when he saw my dumbfounded face. "Your girlfriend has bionic abilities."