Why do we even have to find their secret identities before we recruit them? Why not just walk up to them our costumes and tell them that Ace loves them?" Olli questioned from her seat next to me. "And if that doesn't work, we just kidnap them," Eve inputed from next to Olli.
I resisted the urge to bang my head against the window I was facing.
"Beats me. But seriously guys, shut up," Sky told them from the passenger seat.
"They're just complaining cause they have to go to school," Noah teased from behind the wheel.
"You guys have to along with us, remember?" Eve reminded us. "Yeah, but we've all done it before," I shrugged. Olli and Eve sighed as Sky and I fist-bumped.
"On the bright side, you'll get to see Jordan," Noah grinned at them through the rear-view mirror. "He has an awesome collection of books," Eve grinned. She was something of a book obsessed freak. The tiniest bend and she goes ballistic. It's slightly scary. But, I love her like a little sister.
"Why can't you guys stay with us?" Olli asked. "Cause it'll be too obvious if 5 kids move in at the same time as Elite comes to the city," I answer like she's stupid. I mean come on, that was a pretty dumbass question. It just insults my intelligence.
"Who cares? Eve's right. If bad comes to worse, we'll kidnap them next time they go to save someone," Olli shrugged. I turned to her bemused. "You really worry me, Olive," Noah mumbled. "I try," Olli drawled sarcastically.
"This place is posh," Sky muttered distastefully. "At least where Noah and I are gonna live , it's more mundane," I agreed with her. "Stop complaining. You're acting like little children," Eve chided.
Doing the mature thing, Sky pouted at her. Noah snorted.
He turned and rounded the corner. Silently, we looked around at the neighborhood. "Well here it is" Noah said pulling up in the driveway. "Woah," Eve breathed. Sky hummed in agreement. "Okay so maybe this won't be so bad," Olli admitted. The house was a three storey one and... Holy mother of Zeus, that was a big garage. The front door opened and out came bounding Jordan Lightwood. "You're here!" He said happily. I raised my eyebrows and smiled at him.
Then, he wrapped us up in a hug. It was big hug. And he managed to wrap up 5 people in it.
There we go, that's Jordan's superpower. He can wrap up bad guys in giant hugs and choke them to death after making them feel awkwardly uncomfortable. All hail the Lightwood. If he ever tries to take over the world, I'm siding with him.
"Come in, you guys. Easton hasn't reached yet but when he does, he'll give a call," Jordan herded us in through the front door. We entered the and I hummed in approval. Noah whistled.
"We're living here for a year," Eve said happily. Olli raced over and sank into the sofa with an expression that suggested that she wanted to live in it.
Sky rushed to the windows and stick her head out happily. "I'm glad you like it. I designed this place myself, you know, as practice for the whole interior designer cover up thing," Jordan said proudly.
"I didn't know that you were some sort of undercover interior designor. What else have you hidden from us Jordy?" I turned to him with a small smile playing on my lips. "Secret agent by day and interior designor by night... While being a secret agent at night too...?" Noah mused. I snorted slightly. "Hilarious guys," Jordan rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have us any other way," Noah and I smiled cheekily.
"Ermagawd! You have cheese!" Sky yelled, running in to the room while clutching a packet of cheese strings. There's her cheese enthusiast shining through.
"How could I forget my best girl's fav food group?" Jordan smiled at her. He was something of her surrogate brother or something. Sky in the meantime had tackled Jordan in a hug. "Eve! It's hug time,"Olli announced, wrapping her arms around her best friend in an octopus hug.
I laughed. Noah wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side. The hug fest was interrupted when Jordan's phone started belting Bruno Mars's Just the Way You Are.
We turned to him as he listened to the person on the other end. I knew who it was - Easton. Easton was Noah and I's godfather. He was dad's best friend and took us in upon their death. Unfortunately, Ace was a butt and kept Easton super busy all the time. He was a pretty important field agent and was usually über busy. We knew he loved us... But yeah. You get the gist.
Jordan turned to us after hanging up and shrugged. "As you've probably guessed, that was Easton. So... Get out before your godfather convinces himself that I've kidnapped you cause he'll come up with reasons that sound so legit, I'll turn myself in," Jordan jerked his thumb towards the door.
I raised my eyebrows. "So hospitable," Noah muttered under his breath. "We'll see you guys later, yeah?" Noah smiled at them like he didn't just insult them mentally. "Later," Sky waved through a mouthful of cheese. Eve smiled at us before returning to her book and Olli flashed a peace sign.
"Yeah..." I muttered. Then, Noah and I walked out of the house. "They're just oozing with love," Noah commented as he started up the engine of the Cadillac Escalade. I hummed in agreement. "How long has it been since we've seen East?" I mused. Noah went silent. "A couple of months," he answered after a pause. "He missed our birthdays last year. Yours this year,too, " I commented. Noah sighed. "It doesn't matter. We're seeing him now, aren't we?" He said. I sighed. "Yeah"
We rode in silence for the rest of the ride. When we finally pulled up in the neighborhood that we were gonna stay in, I smiled at our house for the next year. I shuffled out of the passenger seat and shut the door behind me. Noah appeared next to me as we gazed up at the house that we'd give anything to stay in. It was so... Normal. I follwed my brother as he strided up to the door. He stepped back after knocking and I stood next to him. Easton Sylvain opened the door with a large smile on his face. "Come on in, guys," he grinned. Noah and I smiled back before moving inside. No matter what, East would love us and that's all that matters.
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I sighed as I stared up at the ceiling of my room. The lights were definitely distracting but my room in general was awesome.
Jordan should have seriously become an interior designer instead of a field agent. I mean, it is a ten times safer choice of a career. Stupid idiot.
With a huff, I pushed myself off the bouncy castle/bed and swiftly walked over to the door of my room. I'd finished unpacking long ago but I'd been lazing around cause... I got nothing. I was feeling lazy and that's it.
Exiting the room, I climbed down the stairs and paused for a bit before entering the living room. Jordan wanted us to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood budget so, he settled for making everything picture perfect cutsie. I didn't mind, I mean that couch looked pretty inviting to me but I was worried that we'd end up trashing the place and Jordan might hulk out.... He loves us though. I heard someone climb the stairs from behind me and judging by the heavy footfalls, it was Easton. I turned around just in time to see him wrinkling his nose in distaste. "It's all so..." He trialed in lack of wording. "Surreal and perfect?" I offered. He nodded, making a noise in the back of his throat.
I wasn't holding a grudge or anything against East. I understood the fact that he had a job to do and was a highly responsible man but at the same time, I would appreciate if we got more bonding time. I'm not blaming him cause it's not his fault. If it was... Well, I'm a pretty stubborn person.
As Olli puts it, I'm determined and stubborn enough to hold a grudge against something someone said, even if they've forgotten having said it. (AN: Shoutout to Stray Arrow for having said at some point).
He smiled at me with a hidden sort of guilt in his eyes. I felt obliged to smile back and had to fight the sudden urge to give him a hug... When the doorbell rang. I whirled around and stared accusingly at the dark oak wood door. East walked past me and towards the door, opening it and leaving me standing on the third step of the stairs. I had a perfect view of the people in the doorway but I moved forward anyways.
Standing in the doorway were two people - a woman in her 50s and a guy my age. The lady was holding a plate full of double of choco chip cookies like a peace offering. For a moment, I had a bizzare mental image of all of us on Jupiter or something with a weird green complexion. (Rise mortal and hand over the cookies lest we eat you? Muahahahaha).
Anywho...
The lady smiled brightly. She might as well as had sent up a solar flare saying 'I'm sweet enough to give you diabetes!'
Easton played the part perfectly and smiled back like a charming nice middle aged dude with a normal job working as a police inspector.
"Hi! We live next door and it's so rare that we get new neighbors, we decided to come over and say hello," the lady said, briefly gesturing to the house -gasp!- next door. It looked pretty much identical to ours... So really, no imaginative creativity needed.
"Well then, hello. I'm Easton Richards and this is my goddaughter, Cameron Winston," East introduced us. We got to keep the same first names because a) we haven't used those on a mission yet, so... b) it gave us less room to screw up and c) why not?
"Hi," I smiled at her, trying -and succeeding- to keep the awkwardness out of my voice. I'll give you a hint- I don't tolerate unnecessary chattering such as small talk.
"My name is Anne and this here is Aiden, my nephew!" Okay, so obviously this woman was one of those preppy and ever happy go lucky people. She just seemed so warm and matriarchal. So, Easton and the lady talked politely, like friendly neighbors while I decided to quickly analyze them. Anne seemed to be one of those nice and friendly people who couldn't hurt a fly, but if you were down and were craving for cookies, you go to her.
Aiden, on the hand was analyzing me. ... Uncomfortable moment. So, he seemed slightly distrustful, a bit closed off really. Once his eyes met mine, I raised an eyebrow slightly before shooting him a small smile. He smiled back but there was something hesitant about it. I didn't have much time to dwell on it because my darling brother decided to scream for me.
"Cam! I can't find my charger! Do you have it?!" Noah yelled from his room upstairs.
I rolled my eyes. "It's his charger, why would I have it?" I asked East, incredulously. He shrugged with a grin.
I sighed. Then, I turned to Anne and Aiden. "It was nice meeting you," I said before turning around and heading off to my idiot brother's room.