Demetrius is on his way to his big break. The only thing standing in his way is a curious girl he can't quite figure out. There's something hidden deep inside Jamie, something even she isn't aware of. The charming liar of a boy is determined to uncover her hidden secret but the line between work and play begins to blur. He unapologetically inserts himself into her life however when the time comes, will he still be able to carry out his mission?
View More“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
Demetrius nodded at his mother’s question. It’d been two years in the official capacity of guardian and she was no less inclined to worry.
In truth, that night would be one of the easier investigations. The original target was out of town on business but it presented the opportunity for him to gain some secondary information. If things got sticky, he didn’t suspect he’d have a difficult time making an escape and returning with backup.
“The first sign of trouble, you contact your sister, understood?”
He nodded again.
“It’s getting late, go.”
The boy shrunk inward, taking his form as a black cat. Tail high, he trotted from the house and out into the cool October air. He’d been to the target residence once before to canvas the area and knew he would need to move in through the second-floor balcony.
Demetrius rounded the house, listening to ensure the secondary-target was alone before scaling the tree and leaping over to the balcony. The action startled the girl, forcing her up from her previous slouch. She calmed with the realisation he was only a cat, sinking into her chair once more.
“Oh, you again,” she said.
On his last visit, he’d befriended the younger sister. A harmless stray had an easy time impressing an eight-year-old and he’d been given free rein of the little girl’s room. The results had been disappointing to say the least.
She was decidedly human.
The jury was still out on this one.
Demetrius sat back on his haunches watching her. Sapphire eyes bore themselves into the unsuspecting girl. She didn’t appear strong, nor did she appear quick but looks could be deceiving with that sort. She may have already discovered his true nature. It wasn’t easily hidden from those with the senses to detect such differences. She could already be planning her counter strike; there was little time to waste.
Demetrius stretched back into the form of a boy, an action that sent her scrambling from the chair and bolting for the safety of her bedroom. It was the first of many peculiarities.
The boy watched her shove pieces of furniture before the door—a futile effort if nothing else.
Curious.
“Dad!” she called. “Dad!”
Demetrius nudged gently at the door, testing the integrity of the shield she’d created for herself. Flimsy. Surely, she didn’t think it would be enough.
She pressed against the door on the other side of the room, not daring to take her eyes off him for more than a second.
“You can stop screaming; he went out,” he said. “Now, open up; hunting’s hard enough without a door standing in the way.”
“S-Stay away from me.”
“Look, we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. What’s say we start over? Name’s Kyle, I just moved into the neighbourhood and was looking to make some friends. You seem alright so I—”
“Go away!”
“Right.” There would be no civilised discourse.
Demetrius shattered the fragile sense of security she’d been clinging so desperately to with one effortless shove that saw the door opening. It made a dull cracking noise, breaking at both the lock and the hinge so that the left door now sagged noticeably. With an equal lack of effort, the boy nudged the pieces of furniture clear of his path. He turned then to the now busted door with an exasperated sigh.
“Shame. Didn’t have to come to that.” He shook his head, arms folded as he appraised the damage. “Not sure how you’ll explain it to your parents. It’s not exactly something duct tape will fix, y’know?” He hadn’t been trying to leave evidence of his visit and the broken door certainly complicated that.
Demetrius turned to her, deciding he would deal with the door another time. “Jamie, right?”
She remained silent, her eyes darting from place to place in search of an escape. Rather than lash out and confront the danger he presented, she looked ready to pass out.
“I’m Jason.”
His second introduction wasn’t enough to coax any words from her lips. Demetrius considered it an abundance of caution. Perhaps she’d been better prepped for such a situation than he’d first thought. A mother as careful as hers had been, it only made sense that she would proceed with the same level of carefulness.
“You’ve got a nice room; the bed looks comfy,” he said. “May I?”
Without waiting for a reply that wouldn’t be coming, he flopped front first onto her bed. The boy rolled over, losing himself in the softness of the sheets, and for a time, it appeared that he had forgotten anyone and everyone outside of himself and the memory foam that bowed to his every contour. It was the scent he was after and short of getting close enough to get a big whiff from her, the bed was the next best option.
“Alright, that’s enough of that.” He pulled himself up into a sitting position and his gaze locked on her once more. It was time to get to business. “Where’s your mother?”
“What…?”
“The woman who gave birth to you? Ring any bells?”
Jamie shook her head, trying to dispel the haze that had fallen over her. If she persisted in her reluctance to cooperate, he would have to employ more…assertive methods. It was something he’d rather avoid until he learned her true strength but it was becoming a greater certainty.
“Look, my boyfriend texted that he’s on his way,” she said. “He’ll be here any minute now so you’d better—”
“You don’t have a boyfriend,” he interjected. “Would you like to try another lie? I’d be happy to help you. Lemme just grabbed a pen and some paper.”
Demetrius launched off the bed and began making his way around her room, shuffling things about in his search for the stationery items.
“You’re messy, for a girl,” he said, organising as he went. When he got to her book bag, the boy pried it open and began his search anew. “Ah, here we go.” He sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes turning to her expectantly. “We’ve already got boyfriend that you don’t have being on his way…” He scribbled while he spoke, seeing the exercise as a means of breaking through the ice that kept her tight-lipped. “Hmm…we could add security cameras that your parents haven’t installed—your neighbour’s a policeman! I reckon most would be deterred by that one. You could threaten that just one scream would send him over here—conveniently this would be his night off so you’d be sure he was home. I like that one.” He went on scribbling, talking more to himself than her as he mused on about the different excuses that would send the average trespasser running.
Was there ever a more helpful and docile home invader?
“Hurry up or we’ll miss it!” Megan pulled Jamie through the crowd of students that gathered near the football field. “He’ll be in detention until he graduates, I know it.”Megan shoved and elbowed the pair up into the bleachers where several other students had also managed to climb their way up. All eyes were cast toward the recently manicured lawn—the one the principal had paid landscapers to prepare for the upcoming track events to be held at the school.The entire student body had been abuzz from the moment the rumours first began spreading and those rumours had endured long enough to draw the crowd that they had.In the centre, sitting atop one of the school’s riding mowers was none other than Demetrius Nicholai Finley. He wore the widest Cheshire grin, overly pleased with the work of his hands and the crowd he’d managed to draw. The boy climbed atop the machine he’d stolen from the old shed, facing
“You didn’t tell me you’d be coming over.” Demetrius watched Jamie scale her way onto the roof, taking great care with her footing before she made her way over to him. The boy’s gaze followed her as she took the spot next to him laced with questions he decided against asking. “I’d have come get you; we could’ve walked together.”Despite his extreme vigilance, the boy hadn’t found dangers lurking around each corner. That, however, did little to assuage his anxieties where she, or anyone else in his family was concerned. The boy had allowed himself to drop his guard and that was when disaster had struck.He wouldn’t be making that mistake again any time soon. Jamie shrugged. “It was spur of the moment. I didn’t wanna stare at my ceiling anymore or listen to my mother ask me how I’m feeling for the millionth time.” She looked out at the guard house, its figure silhouett
“You didn’t need to say that.” Scarlet nudged Phoenix further behind her.“I don’t care.” Demetrius turned to face them. “Let my sister go.”“Alexiel…” the queen said, slowly rising from her chair. She shot the prince a sceptical look, uncertain who she was meant to believe. “Is it true…?” she asked Scarlet.His sister dug deep into her silence, choosing to set her eyes on the queen’s middle rather than lifting her gaze for them to meet. In the uncomfortable silence that followed, the woman asked that the chains be removed. Free of these constraints, his sister took her child into her arms but otherwise gave no acknowledge to king or queen…or prince.As was her right.“It can’t be,” Alexiel said, shaking his head.“No,” the queen said, reaching out to take Phoenix by her chin. She tilted the little girl&rsquo
“We’re leaving.” His mother’s words were sharp, final; they brokered no room for argument or negotiation. She’d barely gotten done listening to Demetrius’ account of the night when the women made the executive decision that they were all done with the follies of court and wouldn’t suffer another moment of it.“I need to find him first,” Demetrius said.“You’ll do no such thing,” she said, dismissing the idea the moment it left his lips. The woman turned to her husband. “Get my daughter or I will, but none of us is spending a single night beneath this roof.”His father’s face was drawn, worn thin by the events of the earlier evening and the truths he was forced to face. Demetrius hadn’t, at first, understood why the man wasn’t back in the banquet hall kissing the asses of all present while he begged their forgiveness for his son’s youthful obstinacy. It was
He’d suffered all he could. Demetrius had tried and had made concessions; he’d held his tongue when they screamed hard enough; he played along when they insisted forcefully enough.He was done.Demetrius offered his hand to Jamie, allowing her as much time as she needed to talk it. The girl clung to his hand, drawing close as she sought to shield herself from the piercing gazes that followed the boy from the stage. With her secured, the boy walked across the room to the table set for his family. He momentarily released Jamie’s hand to hoist Phoenix up from the table. He placed her in Cassidy’s arm before taking her free hand and reclaiming Jamie’s.The path to the main door was clear for him, despite the many guests and guards that sat or stood in his way. They simply didn’t matter.“Where are you going?” The presenter called to him from the stage, encouraging back to receive the prestigious award made speci
Applause rang out from within the banquet hall, some guests rising to their feet in exuberance when Demetrius’ name was called. Those seated around him on the stage reached out to give him congratulatory pats on his shoulders or back and a few even hooted in encouragement.The presenter in charge of handing him his reward played up the work the boy had done in the last few months and the impact it had had on the Avendale Tower and wider mythical realm. The man was intentionally vague about his contributions at Central Bureau, but it left the audience no less impressed with what they did get to hear.It was everything Demetrius had ever dreamed of from the moment he first walked into the guard tower with his father all those years ago. The boy aspired for greatness, knowing he would someday be on that very stage by his father’s side. Back then, he knew he would hold his head high and feign modesty while he thanked everyone for their acknowledgements.
Leave it to his father to want to mingle while his family waited for him back in the apartment. Within ten minutes of realising his father was getting comfortable with some of his former partners, Demetrius excused himself from the company of the men and started back. The rehearsals ran longer than he thought necessary, and he could only imagine his sister crawling out of her skin with impatience. In another mood, the idea would’ve amused him enough to slow his steps. He knew, of course, that with his mother around it was unlikely anything would happen, but it did little to quiet the erratic pounding in his chest. “I’m running out of options, Caspian.” Demetrius drew to a dead stop at the sound of the prince’s voice and the mention of the man who managed to keep him rattled despite his extended absence. The boy crept over to the door. “You could try releasing her.” Carlton’s dispassionate response rang as clearly from behind the door. “I’m sure her fa
The palace was beautifully decorated for what would be four nights of ceremonies and celebrations before the prince’s wedding. The halls were filled with guests being ushered to one wing or the other. Those who’d received special invitation to remain within the royal halls for any—let alone all—the days were the most envied.Demetrius thought differently.The moment his family entered the palace, he felt his nerves begin to fry. The boy was openly on edge, looking around every corner for the danger he’d convinced himself would be coming. The servants smiled warmly, welcoming them with platitudes that were no doubt rehearsed weeks in advance. His family returned their smiles with varying degrees of ease, but Demetrius could scarcely coax the corners of his lips to rise. His muscles hurt from the constant tension that ran through them and he could feel the joints of his jaw tightening from the unrestrained teeth clenching, but
“Jerry…what…what’s this about?” “You’ve got some nerve,” he said, pushing past her to enter the living room. Behind him, four other men entered. They all did their best to avoid making eye contact with the woman despite having let themselves into her home. “Who are these people?” “The movers. Get the books off the second and third shelves,” he said. “Honey, I—” “Don’t call me that,” he said, snapping despite the lack of necessity for such hostility. “You don’t get to call me that, not after what you’ve done.” “Daddy,” Valerie tried, too cautious this time to reach out for him. “Where are you going?” The man gritted his teeth. “I’m not your father, despite what your whore of a mother’s led you to believe—the things in the third bedroom from the stairs, too, men. I want the nightstand, the dresser—leave the bed. That slut’s done too many things on there while I was at work. She can keep that for the next time she runs into
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments