Manhunt

Chapter 10

Larissa beamed at the crowd in front of her as they all clinked one another's glasses, finishing her speech with a romantic kiss from her forever partner. Everyone cheered as lively music started blasting through the speakers, filling the hall. During the forty-five-minute period that Julia was there, she'd seen and met at least forty people who were capable of being spies. Finally coming back to reality, she got up and walked around the ballroom, gazing out of the windows that surrounded her. The ship had set off to travel up the Hudson Valley, lightly rocking side to side as sunlight filtered through the glass. She kept her balance as she continued walking, but it wasn't easy with the heels she was wearing.

"Julia, over here!" She heard Zane yell, waving his arms frantically. Julia laughed at his childishness before pacing over to where he sat, passing Jenny, who was playing with a small group of children. Zane's table was filled with teenagers and young adults, and she found an open seat next to him. He grinned when she sat down.

"Guys, this is Julia." Zane introduced, gazing over at her. "Julia, this is Andrew, Carlos, Claire, and my brother Johnny." He pointed to each one as he listed their names. She smiled and made a small wave, repeating their names in an attempt to memorize them. Julia took a moment to familiarize herself with Johnny, who was almost the splitting image of Zane. The only differences were his hair, cropped much shorter, and a small beauty mark that sat at the outer wing of his left eye.

"Hey," she greeted everyone as they did the same, flashing them a smile. "Nice to meet you all."

"Wow, Zane. That you girlfriend?" Carlos inquired, causing a blush to creep onto Julia's cheeks while Zane laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before squeezing them gently. She raised an eyebrow at the motion.

"Something like that—" Julia didn't allow him to finish before she rolled her eyes and playfully jabbed her elbow to his side.

"We're just classmates, don't listen to him." She clarified and Zane quickly dropped his arm, discontinuing the act as quickly as he had started. It was a good thing that he did, or else his limb would have been bent at an odd angle.

"Then perhaps I can entertain her?" Johnny stated smoothly to Zane, a calculating smile on his lips. Julia blinked at the remark, looking between the two boys as she determined whether he was messing with her or not. They were having an intense staring contest, seemingly sending telepathic messages to one another as they held their gaze. After a few moments, Zane finally gave him a sardonic smile.

"So, you're a groomer, then—"

"Whoa, hold on—absolutely not." Johnny defended in shock, looking at Julia with wide eyes. "I'm not interested, I swear."

"It's okay." She assured him, trying desperately to cover the cackle that threatened to escape her mouth.

"You cannot say that kind of shit in this climate." Johnny hissed at his brother, his eyes narrowed into dangerously thin slits. "And I'm only twenty, damn it."

"She can do better than you, anyways." Zane insulted, and the two brothers laughed through their noses. They must have seen Julia's confused expression for they fell into another fit of laughter. A slim figure passed Julia from the corner of her eye, and she watched as Johnny's gaze followed the movement before he made a low whistle.

"Wow, she's beautiful." He told the other guys, tilting his head to get a better look at the person. "The one with the blue silk dress." Curious, Julia looked behind her and scanned the area, resting her sights on a familiar woman who fit his description. Unable to contain herself, she started laughing from both amusement and awkwardness.

"What?" Johnny asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Sure, she's like, three years older than me but—"

"That's my mom," she cut him off, dying of hysterics as she placed her hand over her mouth to silence her giggles. "So, not three years older." Everyone instantly roared with laughter, Zane being the loudest.