Heartbreakers

"Seen"

How was school, sweetie? " Leila enquired the second I got in through the door. Jane, I told myself firmly. Here she is cousin Jane.

Cousin Jane was standing in a flowery apron, stirring something brown and murky in a pot on the stove. I almost laughed.

This home, and scenario was very different from the ones that we had usually acquired. Everything was so vastly different, it would seem like someone had pulled us out of a fairytale and plonked us down here. In real life.

The house was small, and creaky, the kitchen was a tiny room with a tiled floor that had mould sprouting, just a little in the corners. The walls were painted yellow, as if to bring some cheer to a place this drab. The counters were wooden and old, coloured in wispy green, with a stove wedged in between them and a small fridge squeezed into their merry company.

There was a glass door, that slid open into an over grown back garden, and two windows ruled the far wall, with frilly pink curtains to block out the sun. It was all so ridiculously candy like, as if we were trying to seem so innocent and dainty. We actually weren't.

When Leila got whiff of the new information, a transfer was necessary. We were being looked for. It was a bit drastic, but we needed to integrate into the community, before one of our secret agents slipped a hint to the enemy as bait, as to where we were located. We get them to come to us, then we kill.We knew it wouldn't take them long to come.

It was Alex, who they had chosen to send. The headquarters got a report from one of the agents living withing a forty mile radius that she had sighted him, before he even got close. The whole forty miles surrounding this little town, was bugged, with cameras and agents, all watching.

And he had been seen.

I kicked of my shoes, irritated, letting them thump off the wall, nearly upsetting a crooked picture that hung on it. My feet hurt. We knew of course, that after Daniel, wearing heels would be a dead give away, so they were gotten rid of. Well not exactly. Leila had a pair for each of us, locked away in her room. Emergencies happened, we were told.

"It was fine, " I said, my bare feet sliding on the wood as I skidded to the kitchen " I think I need new shoes, "

Leila looked exasperated. Her brow was crinkled in a way that made me want to come over and smooth out the wrinkles on her paper white skin. Heartbreakers hated imperfection.

Usually we had a housekeeper who took care of all our chores for us. Leila took on the role of an older sister, a cousin, or an aunt, looking after her nieces/ sisters/ cousins. The reasons were numerous, and the stories elaborate, compiled over the years. But the point was, she was always an independent woman, working on her business, or such like.

Having her look after us for once was a change.

"Fine sweetie, we'll get you new shoes, but how was school? "

It was easy to miss the strain in her voice. I heard it. The word sweetie sounded forced on her lips. She wasn't being a concerned cousin, not really. She was putting up the pretenses, in case we were being watched. What she really was asking had I seen him.

I was certain that she already had all the updates before I even got in through the door. She just wanted to hear it confirmed by me.

"Fine, " I repeated, and reached for the spoon as she set the dish of brown glob in front of me " thanks for your book, "

That was code for : yes.

Her face relaxed a little. Gingerly, I plunged the spoon into the broth. And I swear to God, that thing moved! Like legitimately moved. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen, and I've killed some pretty gross monsters. I reached for the ketchup. There was only one way to power through this. Whatever this was.