villain.

⑊ n i n e ⑊

F R O S T Y breath in the brisk dawn air, reddened ears and windblown hair. Salty spray on the old gray docks, blue waves kissing the cold gray rocks. Wet and dreary, it can be, but beauty is hidden, within the sea.

I compose a poem while we wait, huddling behind two crates. I can hardly keep still as the butterflies in my stomach swirl around. I calm myself with the sound of the waves on the shore. crash! breathe in...crash! breathe out.

"Remember, if anything goes wrong, you have to hide," Orion reminds me for the fourth time. "Don't try to do anything."

I sigh as another gust of wind tugs at my hat. "I know. I won't. There's nothing I could do anyway."

By now Orion is aware of my frustration at being an innocent. He squeezes my arm. "Even if you were a hero I'd still say you have to hide. This isn't because you're worthless, it's because you're priceless."

I meet his gaze and smile to show my thanks, my reddened cheeks hiding the blush creeping into them. I lean my head on his shoulder as the chill seeps through my jacket. Orion is looking off into the distance, his eyes glazed over. Finally he turns to me, an unreadable expression on his face. "River there's something else. I-"

He doesn't get to finish. His mother's shiny black car pulls up and she steps out of the car, pulling off her aviator shades slowly as she looks at the shipment. She holds a cellphone close to her ear, chewing out the person on the reviving end. "You're late. Where are you?"

She's so extra, Orion grumbles to me. It's cloudy for goodness sake. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"I'm right here," someone appears right next to my mother covered in a jet black cloak with cuts all down the sides. I frown. Something about the voice sounds familiar, and the cuts in the cloak almost look like...feathers.

My mother narrows her eyes suspiciously. "Warn me next time you're going to do that. But the way, what are you wearing?"

"Its made from high-end cloaking technology. Can't give away all my ideas at once, can I? Plus I have to have things that are only for me too, that's part of being the designer," the figure replies.

"I also brought this," she continues, pulling out a small blinking device. "It's a locator. We'll find them in no time. "

"Good," Mrs. Parker nods in acknowledgement."In the meantime, we'll start unloading the product and start the testing. This dock is mostly abandoned and we'll have no fear of discovery, which is why I always use it."

Raven presses the blinking device, and I can feel Orion's heartbeat speed up. He has guessed as I have, that the "them" Raven was talking about is us. His hands are faintly blue, but not because he isn't in control, it is to be ready for what may come. There is a steely look in his brown eyes and he clenches his jaw. I have not really seen the angry side of Orion before, and it scares me a bit.