Operation 007 (SpyxFamily)

Chapter Twenty-Six

 It was inevitable and yet Anya could not accept it. She had delusional hopes that Damian would remain ignorant, that they'd be rescued before he could figure it out, which was ridiculous. She was desperate to keep her secrets to herself, to prevent Damian from piecing things together. She should have been more careful. He'd learned things over the past few weeks and she should have hampered it. But how could she prevent him from overhearing that story, from noticing her little ticks, from going out of his way to dig into, what anyone else would call, her weird personality?

She didn't know, but she should have. He wouldn't know what this place was if she had.

He'd said those six little words, unsteadily, quietly, and the impact of it was stronger than he could ever understand.

What did she do now? He was in the heart of all her secrets, all she kept hidden, and she felt as if her walls, her life, her entire being, was peeling off to lay vulnerable her dearest secrets. She found herself cold. Her layers and layers of protection were stripped away and she didn't know what to do without them. How did she defend against coming attacks when she had no more shields? How did she protect what she had left when, now, they were only veiled by a screen door?

Damian was smart. She was well aware. It wouldn't take much to tip him off to her most preciously guarded truth that she had surrounded with lies, redirects, subtle manipulations, and more lies. How was it possible she'd kept it so carefully safe for so long and now everyone held a key to the chest it was carried in to show Damian at any second?

He was ready to flee, escape on his mind, and at least she had that. The distraction of fear and franticness to halt his processes however twisted it was. He wasn't thinking clearly and if he was, he might deduce more from the situation. She just had to hold out until her parents got here. Until they were free and her secrets were safe again.

No. It wouldn't work like that. In fact it might be worse. He'd be more calm. He'd have time to sort things through, and while he might not get to the core of it, he'd discover things that even her parents didn't know. They didn't matter as much, but they still mattered.

After this, Damian would be on an escalator guaranteed to reach the top and Anya didn't think she could stop it. She was in a lose-lose situation and it terrified her.

What did she do? What could she do?

It seized her tightly, hoping against hope against hope that she could ward this off. She clung to any vestige of composure remaining before she threw herself into another panic attack and stuffed her thoughts deep, deep, down out of sight. Her chest shuddered when she breathed and her hands shook terribly. They pressed each other into her lap and then Kai yelled her name.

"ANYA!"

She jumped and nearly fell from her seat, her thoughts swept away in new fears.

WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Kai yelled as if it was the force of his words that burst the door open, and the kids collectively shrank from his enraged entrance. He gripped the doorknob as if he might tear it off, while the other braced on the frame. His fast march to the cafeteria had left him huffing angrily and she had never seen him so incensed. His eyes were dangerously wild, pinning Anya in all his wrath, and she curled protectively inwards, immediately looking away. She couldn't move as Damian did, backing down the length of the table when Kai approached, and grasped the seat's edge as if it could offer support. It didn't help the tremors much.

More than saw him, she felt Kai move opposite to her and spread his hands wide to lean over the table.

"What." He ground out, a gravelly tone punctuating each phonetic. "Did. You. Do?" He had levelled her with a glare when she peeked up and he felt very large as he occupied her field of vision. A dark cloud storming with lightning ready to crack.