Operation 007 (SpyxFamily)

Ch. 22: Part Three

This confused Anya and she spoke without thinking. "She's not. . . sad. . . "

And when Damian looked at her in surprise, which he tried to hide, she understood too late what he was doing.

'Wait, seriously?' She heard him think when she tuned back in. Damian had half-expected he was wrong about her, despite his confidence. That it had all been in his head and he was looking for something that wasn't there. But she actually knew what the deer were thinking just by looking at them, how did she do that? Why she didn't want him to know about it?"Oh?" He said simply, thoughts racing in a jumbled mess and feeling smug at the same time.

"She. . ." Anya began to sweat. "Doesn't act the same way." She said, but it was too late. He knew she was lying, he was completely convinced he was on the right track, that he was right. That Anya had some sort of sixth sense.

"Huh." He said and Anya could have sworn she saw him smirk, but then it was gone.

CRAP! She thought.

Anya had to get out of there before he said anything else that was on his mind. He had too many questions and not enough answers, so she grabbed Becky's hand ready to drag her somewhere else.

"Huh? What?" Becky looked at her from the deer she'd been enraptured with.

"This way children." Mr. Gable called and swept his arm for them to follow before Anya could go anywhere, the teachers counting heads as the students formed into loose lines.

As it was, Damian ended up right behind her.

He was feeling triumphant over the victory, and also baffled. It eased the doubt he'd been having, while entirely confounded on how Anya did what she did.

Anya broke away from him as soon as they spread out to study the next animals, pulling Becky with her. She skirted around Damian through the next couple stops and prevented him from getting a glimpse of her if she could help it. And before Anya knew it, they were stopping for lunch in a picnic area that looked like a barn without walls. The two girls found a table as far away from Damian and his friends as they could and Anya felt calmer.

It's not like he would actually find out. Who in their right mind would seriously think telepathy was possible? Even her Papa hadn't considered it until he saw hard evidence, and Damian wasn't going to get that. Anya refused to stay in a state of anxiety because Damian was curious. She would just have to be more careful, more alert. He wouldn't ever find out.

Anya used this to comfort herself and relaxed.

He wouldn't ever find out. He wouldn't.

She pulled out her pre-packed lunch as everyone else did, and many of them were unaccustomed to food that hadn't been made just minutes before they ate it.

"I can't believe I wasn't allowed to bring my chef and a barbecue." Becky was saying. "Would it really be so bad to have some freshly cooked meat?" She said as she brought out her fancy cuisine.

"That's not enough?" Anya referred to the decadent meal of generous proportions that had fit in her bag against all odds.

"Of course it is, but it's . . . .it's not the same."

"Are you going to eat all of it?" Anya asked, eyeing the sausages, any interest lost in Becky's plight.

"Of course not, I'd explode. Here. You can have some." Becky shared it with Anya, and Anya shared her's with Becky.

They had a lively discussion on the animals they saw while they ate, and which ones they'd want as pets. Anya was sure she'd want a gorilla, and Becky was adamant it was a bad idea.

The thirty minutes designated for eating went quickly and the teachers gathered them all up to continue on to the sumatran elephant.

The kids flocked to a fence yet again and marvelled at the size of the large mammal. The elephant paid them no attention as the guide rattled off facts about her and it was immediately clear to Anya that the elephant was annoyed these noisy pink flesh bags were disturbing her once peaceful afternoon. She was a cranky old lady who had used up all her patience in her long life and would much rather enjoy some peace and quiet than deal with squealing, rambunctious balls of chaos. She very obviously turned away from Mr. Gable and walked in the other direction when he called her name. A grouchy attitude as she ambled off into the large pen that led Anya to catch sight of something in the distance.

The pen was viewable from multiple angles and Anya noticed someone standing on the opposite side a good fifty metres away. She didn't mean to give them another thought, but there was a familiar aspect to them. She felt compelled to identify this person who stood shadowed under a tree. She strained to make them out against the sun glaring in her eyes and the distance that muddled their image. She used a hand as a visor and it helped to see their stance that even looked familiar, the way they held themself. Their dark clothing was obvious in the bright afternoon, and it was hard to tell, but she was sure they were looking at her too.

She didn't need to see the face then, because she saw the hair and why they felt familiar. Why she couldn't stop looking.

Why she knew them.

Her hand lowered almost unknowingly. Her fingertips turned white from the pressure applied to the fence.

She wasn't sure she was breathing when the world stopped.