Shattering Me

31~ the Excitable Daughter

"Oh, don't mind him," Arden smiled at Kyle as the brothers left the group.

They were a strange assortment to find in one group. Julie stood confidently with her light golden-brown hair and natural Spanish tan. Kiara's emerald eyes darted around the mall with her dark skin contrasting against the bright green skirt and white top she wore. Arden seemed to stand out the most with a delicate pink dress going down her slim frame and a vibrant purple scarf was expertly wrapped around her shoulders to match her violet purse and indigo heels. Then there was Kyle who wasn't easily overlooked either while wearing a tight sky-blue V-neck shirt and dark blue designer jeans.

Julie was the only one in the group that didn't dress in a singular color theme. A fact that she did not miss, "You guys look like designer rainbows. I just hope you know how weird that is."

The Maxi's store pulled them in for their first stop and employees immediately flocked toward them. Some people just give off the smell of wealth, and their group had it bad.

"Trust me, I know," Arden sighed as she pulled clothes off the racks to consider. "You should go to a Krag family gathering. The whole room fills up with color and they treat it like normal."

"Oh, no. Don't tell me that it's contagious," Julie laughed.

"I hate to say it, but I think it is. When I realized that Ryan always wears one of three colors only, I decided to jump on board. Now I wear pink and purple whenever I'm going to see him."

"So, that's how you keep him fawning over you. I wonder what color I have to wear to get Carman to make a move," Julie pondered out loud.

Kiara grabbed Kyle by the arm while the woman chatted and pulled him off to the teen fashion section. The 12-year-old looked like she was ready to die from over excitement.

"Slow down, they're not going to sell out a day after opening. We have time, Kiara." He tried pulling her back, but quickly realized that she was far stronger than a little girl should be. "You make it look live you've never been shopping before."

For a while Kyle had no choice but to play the role of manservant while the preteen tried on multiple outfits. She grabbed every green or white piece of clothing she could get her hands on off the shelves and reeled them back into the dressing room to try on. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing considering how fast she started moving through isles. She zipped around other customers before they could even lower their gaze to lock onto her. When a young woman tried racing her for a dressing room, Kiara literally growled at her till she backed down.

"Okay, hang on. Stop, stop, stop." He held out his arms wide to barricade the little girl as she exited the dressing room for like the tenth time. "This is a little much, don't you think? I can see you overheating."

The last statement forced Kiara to pause and instantly try to compose herself. "I'm not overheating. That's just the fan or something," she said quietly wrapping her arms around her body. "Only the boys overheat."

It was a lie, but Kyle didn't see the point in drawing more attention to something that clearly had her self-conscious. He could clearly see faint steam rising from her top. Even so, he wanted to change the subject. "Your dad is a world-famous detective and you have a platinum card. Even a sale like this one shouldn't get a girl of your status so riled up," he said plainly.

She looked a little offended. "A girl of my status? Kyle, you've seen where me and my brother live. Does it seem like we have special status?"

He didn't expect that response. Sure, he'd been to the twin's home and it was really nothing special, but Ryan had the same conditions. "Well, no...but you have it all to yourself at your age. Not many people can buy a place for each of their kids."

Hurt welled up in the girl's eyes as she looked up at him. It was almost like she was pleading for him to read her mind, but he couldn't.

"Or...am I missing something?" he asked.

"That's what everyone says. 'You must be rich' and 'wow, I wish I had my own place too!' even back in the UK." Kiara's shoulders slumped a bit and the clothes she'd been holding nearly sagged to the ground. "But it's not like that. I barely see daddy because he's always working.

"No one takes me shopping unless it's important and it's never for fun. Daddy doesn't want me to get rotten, so I'm not even allowed to spend much for anything. So what's so special about my status?" she asked him in an already defeated voice.

For a moment, they were both silent. Kiara stared at the floor and Kyle frowned thoughtfully. Then he took a step back and reached for something that was on a shelf that would have been out of her reach.

He held up a prim sea green vest with solid blue lacing. "In that case...we really need to take advantage of that limit being removed."

The little girl's face lit up and her eyes shone like polished emeralds. She'd worry about the bill later, but the daughter of Krag would make the most of her name today.