Operation 007 (SpyxFamily)

Chapter Twenty-Three

 Nothing.

The air stirred gently as wisps of a wind passed through. Chatter lifted from the gaggle of students as their voices discussed the elephant and the weather was pleasantly warm, ideal for a school field trip. It was the perfect day for it, the early afternoon sun slightly warmer than might have been comfortable if not for the cooling breeze that wasn't too chilling. It ruffled Anya's hair and played at her clothing. An invisible force lazily pushing and pulling at them in weightless motions. The small clouds of dirt at her feet, slid along every now and then, the skittering noises near imperceptible. The fence she clung to shone brilliantly in the light, gleaming brightly where the sun hit and made it sparkle. It almost looked pleasant against the animals and the natural beauty that surrounded them. Occasionally the birds that sang and called, would flit to it and rest until something disturbed them and they moved on. They'd fly into the clear blue sky that promised no clouds for a while yet, the day reminiscent of nostalgic sentiments and idyllic memories. A day that could not have been more soothing or picturesque.

But nothing.

It was of no consequence.

It laid in the background unseen, unnoticed. Anya comprehended none of it, a million miles away from all that could influence or affect her, a stillness she alone felt. A moment where nothing moved or was heard. She was paralyzed in a state of breathless terror, existing on another plane that silenced and phased reality away. A strangle hold on her heart so tight, she thought it might never move again. Her mind halted, and every thought dissipated to loop on the one that remained.

He was here.

She couldn't breathe as she spiralled into panic and fear at the sight of him. Her whole being was frozen and she couldn't come to terms with it. She couldn't understand it.

His dark clothing, the bright pink hair, his authoritative stance exuding power and intimidation. The unmistakable entitlement that everything was his if he wanted it to be.

If Anya could clamp the fence any tighter, she did. If she'd had the ability to, she would've run. But as it was, she was having a hard time processing to consider that notion.

This couldn't be real. She had to be hallucinating. It was too awful to be true.

But it was his mind she unmistakably felt, shattering that desperate wish, and it was the first time he'd turned off the device that blocked her telepathy. She had never felt it without that static, that warping signal that made his mental presence feel a little different now.

And it was so much worse.

She had her first look into Kai Forester's mind and it was seething anger and burning indignation. A froth of emotions she had only experienced through his actions and temper in the past. It transmitted exactly what and how deeply he was feeling, and the ferocity with which it assaulted her, rattled her to her core. It was so much scarier to feel the all consuming rage that wrapped her in a smothering cocoon. His temperament so intense, his jaw twitched from his tightly clenched teeth and his thumbs forcefully ran over his fisted fingers that itched to take her away from this place. To take her back.

He had never been more menacing and Anya could feel his presence looming over her even at this distance. It was overpowering just as he intended. A dooming weight falling upon her to make her easier to control. He was a dark figure that appeared to instil fear and taunt her. It didn't matter how far away he stood, it didn't matter how many times she ran, it didn't matter that in that moment he couldn't reach out and touch her, because in the end, he would always find her and she couldn't escape him.

He wasn't leaving here without her.

And he knew she would know it as he stood far off like a symbol of premonition. An indication that there would be no more of this life where she went on school trips, no more ideas that she had any family other than him, no more second chances.

It made him boil when he saw her, that ridiculous uniform. She had cost him so much and this how she. . .

He couldn't finish the thought.

Anya belonged to him. She lived for him. She lived because of him. How dare she run off like it was her choice? She had work to do. He had put in too much effort, more so than the other espers, for such traitorous behaviour. She was too valuable to allow her this sort of freedom.

Anya's hands slipped from the fence and the colour restored to them as she stumbled back, pale faced, like a ghost had returned to haunt her. It was all she could manage, though she wanted to run. She wanted to hide where he would never find her and a sense of doubt crippled the idea that it was even possible.

This couldn't be happening.

'Anya.'

She flinched when Kai's voice spoke in her head and even his words dripped with vehemence. A low tone like he would do if he was speaking aloud. A way to communicate without anyone the wiser, keeping his distance where no one would notice. 'I know you can hear me and you better listen if you know what's good for you.'

This couldn't be real. He couldn't be here, she thought. His voice was condemning and it grated against each nerve and impulse to shut him out.

'Say a word to anyone, disobey what I'm about to tell you, and your friends die.'

Anya took in a shaky breath.

'I have agents posted. One wrong move and that girl you like so much is dead. Your classmates are dead. Your teacher is dead.' He said with such rough firmness, his frustration with Anya's continual rebelliousness ending any amount of patience he might have had. He was done. This was it. Either she cooperated or he would kill every person here if he had to. He was fed up with this nonsense, and it would NEVER happen again. He would see to it.

Anya took another shaky breath and fought the tears that tried to come through. She couldn't lose it here, not now.

'Soon there's going be a distraction.'

Anya started to shake, her breaths deep and far between.

'When I tell you to, you're going to break off from the group.'

No matter how heavily Anya inhaled, it couldn't seem to make its' way to her lungs. She could feel the sobs rising in her throat and her body trying to hyperventilate, but she wouldn't let it. She couldn't. Not here. So much would go wrong.

'I'll tell you where to go when it happens. When you line up again, stay at the back.'

Anya gripped her uniform, knuckles white. She was sure her heart had died, though the sound of it beating like a drum roared in her head.

'Be ready.' And his voice disappeared. Gone. She couldn't even feel his mind, though she could still see him.

They had found a way to block her telepathy completely.

For the longest moment Anya stared at him as he walked out of sight and all she knew was the sharp fear that laced each breath and thought. She had gone cold and she didn't feel it, her hands shook and she didn't notice. She was lost in a maze and every direction led to terrible outcomes. It led to the worst times in her life that were happening all over again, it led to the many ways she couldn't get out of this, and it led off into dark ominous routes that promised horrible things she hadn't seen yet. She could feel herself crumpling under the weight of it, the fear of it. It was too much to think about, but she couldn't stop.

This couldn't be happening.