Mixed Messages ~ {d.w}

➵Eighteen

"Maks!" Echo says, frowning. "It's the fair! I wanna go!" she begs like a child. She bounces up and down, waving the flyer for the fair in his face.

He swats at her hands, pushing away the flyer. "No. Cyber said that you aren't aloud to leave until work is done!" he scolds, giving her a glare. For a teenager, she sure acts like a child.

"Please! Please! PLEASE!" she screams, knowing that eventually she'd wear him down. This had been going on for hours on end. Echo had a high tolerance for stuff like this, Maks, not so much.

"Alice Mirez-Todd! NO! We are not going to the fair!" he suddenly bursts at last. Maks throws his hands up in defeat once seeing Echo's face. It was contorted into a look of pure shock. It was blank for a moment before he knew what was coming. That look meant that she would either give up, which was unlikely, or throw a fit until she got what she wanted. He pulled out the full name, which is never something Echo appreciates. He looks away in guilt. Maks hated depriving Echo of a fun childhood, something that he never got. "Fine.... Three hours, max. Then it's back to work, understood?"

She squeals, jumping up and down. The flyer falls out of her hands as she wraps herself around Mak's tall and broad body. "Thank you, Marky!" she says, skipping away from him. Another one of his nicknames.

Sighing, a small grin comes to Mark's face. He liked the kid but he would never willingly admit that.

OUTGOING MESSAGES
11: 54 am

Echo:

"OH MY GOD!"
"I'm going to the fair!!!"

Damian:

"This is something I need to know, why?"

Echo:

"Because!"
"I never get to do stuff like this"
"Maks' is kinda grumpy about it but whatever"
"He's a HUGE softie underneath that thick skull of his"

Damian:

"Whatever"
"Where is this fair?"

Echo:

"Trying to find me, huh? ;)"
"Don't worry. It's the one in town by the boardwalks near the park"
"I'll make it a tad easier for ya"

Damian:

"You may not be able to see it, but I'm rolling my eyes at you."

Echo:

"I can see, ;)"
"You interested in coming?"

Damian:

"Grayson and I are already there."
"As you can see."

Echo:

"Ha!"
"I meant to the Ferris Wheel or the Merry Go 'Round? Maks and I finally got here."
"See ya in there, babbbyyyyy"

"Are you done texting?" Mark asks, hands resting on the wheel. He glances next to him, seeing Alice giggle and text on her phone. He never knew who she was texting but guessed it had something to do with blackmail. Mark tries to grab her phone but she pulls it out of the way just before he can.

Alice doesn't look up from her phone but gives him the middle finger. "I'm done," she tucks her phone into her back pocket. "Let's go!" she squeals, excitedly getting out of the car.

Mark rolls his eyes at Alice and follows her. "Wait up, Alice!" he shouts, jogging after Alice's sprint. He finally catches her at the gate, being stopped by a ticket counter. Rolling his eyes, he tries to spot Alice while tossing enough cash at him for two tickets. He's sprinting after her, weaving through the crowd to find her. "Alice!" he shouts, getting lost in the crowd. He could no longer see her auburn hair. Mark looks around, quickly moving in the direction he last saw her in.

Suddenly, he bumps into a person. "Watch it, asshole!" he yells, trying to get around him.

"Asshole? You're a lowlife peasant that has no purpose in this world-"

"Damian!" someone interrupts him, smacking him on the shoulder. He then turns to Mark. "I'm sorry about him. My name's Richard but you can call me Dick," he introduces, offering Mark a firm handshake.

Mark raises a brow, glancing over his shoulder to try and see if Alice was there. "Uh yeah, name's Marcus," he says, quickly shaking his hand. He looks at the grouchy Damian. "Sorry, kid, I was trying to find my kid. Damn child outran me," he curses, running a hand through his thick hair.

Damian raises a brow and nudges Dick. "Child? You don't look that old. Are you perhaps trying to kidnap someone?" he abruptly asks, earning another slap to the shoulder from Dick.

"Damian!" he scolds once again, "I'm sure that's not the case," he apologizes, turning to Mark. "If you'd like, we'll help you find them!"

Mark thinks for a moment, deciding if this was the best idea. "Sure. Her name's Stacy. She's a devil bit- girl," he jokingly says, grinning at them to cover up the fact he almost called her something.