S.P.Y.

Chapter 9: P.I.C.

"He, my ex, has always been like this," Lilin explained. "I don't know how to protect my family." Lilin sighed deep into her chair at the dining table. "I'm sorry that I cannot give you any more information." She then went to cut Piper's omelet. All three of there's had onions, tomatoes, and spinach.

"That's fine," Sylis said, cutting a piece off of his egg. He stabbed it and placed it in his mouth. He watched as Piper pushed her plate forward successfully making it known she didn't want to eat it.

"Come on, Piper. Spinach isn't that bad," Lilin tried to persuade her daughter. She shook her head and field her arms then glared at her mother. Lilin made a short gasp and retorted, "Piper Irene Cozbi, you cannot say that about Sylis."

What did she say? Sylis had no idea. The girl didn't even open her mouth. It was otherworldly that the two couldn't understand each other when only one of them spoke.

"Fine, you don't get to eat your peanuts from yesterday," Lilin threatened. That made Piper furious and she up and left. "Come back here!" yelled Lilin, but ultimately gave up. She sighed. "I think that this is because of her father. She needs a better role model."

"I don't think I would make the best role model," Sylis argued. Sylis who never had children before didn't exactly qualify as the loving father type that he assumed Piper needed. The poor girl had gone through more than enough since she barely talked and she had presumably seen so many guns and bullets shot that she wasn't phased by it anymore.

"You don't have to be the best role model," Lilin said, inching closer to him. "You just have to be better than my ex." She returned to her seat with a smile on her face. "How about you try and recoil Piper and I'll think about it?"

"Think about what?" he asked getting up from his seat even though he only finished about half of his omelet.

"You'll see."

So then Sylis made his way to Piper's room. He had never seen it before, but it was somewhat as he expected. There was a twin-sized bed in the corner, a small dresser at the opposite end of the bed, two, small, brown rugs that vaguely resemble nuts of some kind, and Piper's name hung on the wall.

Piper was sitting on her bed, crocodile tears falling down her cheeks. "I know why you're here," was the first thing she said. She didn't even look up from the ground nor did she move her lips.

"She must have heard us through the wall," Sylis internally reasoned.

"No, that's not it."

"Did I say that out loud?" he questioned his brain.

"No, not that either."

Sylis got closer to Piper. This was getting weird. "Are you okay?" he asked verbally."

Piper looked up at him. The air seemed to grow cold. "Can you keep a secret?"

Sylis nodded his head slowly. His job was all about secrets. He already had many secrets that he would keep to the grave stored in his head until the right moment arrived to spill the tea. "Of course."

"I'm a telepath."

Sylis blinked twice; his eyes wide. It all made sense now though people like her we're only functional. She never talked with her mouth or at least Sylis had never witnessed it before, she seemed to have conversations without talking, and she had just read his mind.

"What are you going to do with this information?"

"Nothing," replied Sylis. "I won't even tell your mother."

"Mama already knows," she said. She looked up at Sylis who took a step closer to Piper. "Strangers are scary. I don't like talking to them."

"Telepathy or physically?" Sylis enquired.

"Both."

"Am I a stranger to you?" Sylis said, sitting down next to Piper on her bed.

"No; you're my papa now." Piper hugged Sylis. Her arms barely encircled his waist, but he couldn't move a muscle. He was equal if not more awestruck now by a simple child's hug than learning that the same girl was a telepathy something that moments before he thought, was a mere fantasy.

Piper looked up at Sylis. "Please don't leave me. I'm always alone."

Sylis looked down at Piper, she read his mind again. He was thinking about seeing what Lilin was doing. "I won't." Piper just laid her head on Sylis' side. Though it was uncomfortable it felt right. In the past, he would glare at families who did this, but now he allowed it to happen to him.

After a while, he eventually had to get up. Before he could say, "Come on, let's go." Piper beat him to it by saying, "Let's go find Mama." Piper jumped from her bed and Sylis stood up. "Can you hold my hand?"

"Sure." Sylis held onto her hand which felt as delicate and soft as flower petals. The two walked to the dining room where Lilin was nowhere to be seen.

Sylis went to the dining table where their plates were no longer there. He then checked a drawer and opened the refrigerator. The final place he checked was the front door. All the locks were unlocked but the front door was locked; if they wanted to leave they would have to use the fire escape now. "She left," Sylis said, but Piper was quite literally following his train of thought and understood what he meant.

Piper let go of Sylis' hand and took a deep breath. Sylis noticed the detachment of fingers and silently watched her. Her eyes were closed and would get tensed a few times as if she were blinking. Piper opened her eyes. "I found her. She buying something very important."

Sylis went down on one knee, getting closer to the same level as Piper. "How do you know?"

"Because." And in a perfect replica, Piper mimicked her mother's voice. "I need to make it believable by sealing the deal. I need to buy them."

"How—how can you do that?" Sylis shuddered, losing his balance for a second and having to place his hand behind him for support.

Piper (now in her normal voice) told him, "Mama calls it Im-i-ta-tive Mind Reading. Yeah, that's what it's called."

Sylis didn't know what to do. Moments before he just learned that his client has a superpower and now he is learning more about it. "Maybe that's why Lilin is so secretive and maybe also the motive of why their Ex is trying to murder the Cozbi family," Sylis thought to himself (?) He looked down at Piper who only had a bright smile for him. "I would definitely risk my life for something as precious and gifted as Piper any day."

Sylis picked up Piper with his two hands and placed her on his shoulders for a piggy ride. "So you know where Mama is?" he asked.

"Yup," was all Piper said as Sylis excitedly went down the fire escape down to the first floor. "I have only seen her go to this store once with old papa once."

"What the store?" Sylis asked. As they transverse through the street watching all the people, cars, trees, and shops go by.

"That one!" she said, pointing above Sylis' head to a store across the street.

He was in perfect view of the store, but it seemed like an odd spot to place a store of its kind right in the middle of ordinary transaction buildings. Part of Sylis didn't want to go near the store because inside held something that he never thought he would own.

Piper slid down her father-to-be with elegance and grace. She looked at him—all 6 feet of him—up and down, sizing him up. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

Sylis who was at first opposed to the idea said, "Yes please." The two walked to the crosswalk and when it was their turn to go, walked to the other side and to the entrance of the jewel store. Stlis took a deep breath. "Here we go." Sylis pushed open a door and they were in.