Unfortunately, Gray found himself sitting in the back seat of one of the black cars next to Emrys, who was subtly admiring the smooth, leather seats and clean, tinted windows. Even the crisp scent of the air inside the sealed car screamed 'money', something that would drive any working citizen crazy, let alone robbers.
The driver was silent, looking up at the rear mirror every once in a while to take a peek at them. Coincidentally, the one that sat in front of Gray in the passenger's seat was the second mage, who was constantly twisting the blue bracelet around his left wrist.
At first, Kameron was content with just leaving with Jade, who seemed more than thrilled to accept her invite. And Gray was absolutely fine with it, as he figured the Flair's were more than capable enough to host and guide a teen girl home once their little hangout was over. But that man, Wrenley, insisted that the two boys come along, pulling some bullshit such as "the more, the merrier".
Gray glanced at Emrys at the corner of his eye. Seeing how the kid was preoccupied with growing scenery around him and out the window, he let out a breath of content. Looks like he was feeling better, at least.
Wasn't an escort of three cars for a single person a bit too much?
But then Gray reminded himself of the ongoing criminal activity in Cille that placed many civilians on edge these days. It would make a lot of sense for better security...
Gray stared out the window in the direction of the city slums in the far distance. Who knows who'll be that crafty Clay's next target. It was not like he was planning to tell them to stop anyway...
After about ten more minutes of silence, the three cars pulled up in front of an enormous futuristic, architecturally-advanced estate with a smooth gray and light brown aesthetic on the grand exterior. Neatly-trimmed, bright green trees lead to the steps of the main entrance on either side of the fancy, cobblestone path that sat beneath their feet.
Gray exited the vehicle, as did everyone else, and was immediately greeted with waterdrops to his face, and he glanced to the side to see a blooming water fountain splashing to his left.
Geez...such extravagance, he thought as he wiped the drops on his face with his shoulder. Still, he'd be lying if he said he hated what he saw.
Light laughter came from Kameron as Jade gawked at the scenery with her jaw dropped and eyes sparkling so bright, you could practically see the stars.
Wrenley held his arm up the path as the three cars drove off, leaving just the six of them, including that younger mage that was playing with the shiny blue bracelet at his wrist. "This way please," he directed.
At the top of the steps, Wrenley rang the doorbell, and all could hear it chime and echo throughout the entire house before a faint shuffling arrived at the door. The large wooden doors opened and out stepped a tall butler dressed in formal black and white pants and waistcoat, his gray hair smoothed back on his head.
"Hm. Welcome home, youngest Miss," he greeted warmly. He held open the door for them and bowed slightly to the unexpected guests. "Welcome to the Flair's estate," he continued politely.
Gray was the last to enter, and as he walked past the elder man, he caught a faint whiff of abnormality. He cast the old man a side-glance through his hair and muttered, "Mage..."
But the old butler only smiled at him, utterly clueless to the directed message behind the single word. "May I help you, young guest?" he proceeded to ask graciously.
Gray flashed him a curious look and shook his head. "Nothing, sorry." He entered the mansion, and the butler closed the doors behind him.
The interior of the property was nothing less than what was on the outside. Everything was placed in an orderly fashion, from the mats on the floor to the hanging lights dangling from the ceiling, eye-pleasing.
Upfront, Kameron and Jade continued to chatter and chatter, having fun on their own as Wrenley guided them through the property till they reached the atrium in the center of it all.
Outdoor sofas formed an open square surrounding a low, glass coffee table in the middle of the atrium where the sun shone down on them, and seated on them were two women and a young man.
"Madam, we're back," Wrenley greeted with a bow.
The older woman looked up from her late-afternoon snack, her brown hair held up in a loose bun and rectangular glasses sitting atop her head. Her light, brown eyes narrowed, and she stood up and brushed down her green culotte pants, cynical.
"Kameron," she said coolly. "Wrenley said you weren't at school, what's up with that?...who are these people?"
"Um...about that," Kameron mumbled. She quickly pulled Jade in front of her. "Mom, this is my friend."
At the simple five words, the young man and woman lounging on the couches straightened up, finally giving their guests some attention. Their little sister, Kameron, had friends?!
Madam Flair's eyes suddenly widened with amazement, and she reached to squeeze Jade's cheeks in between her two palms, making noises of delight. "Oh. My. Gosh!" she squealed. "You look adorable! Say, what's your name?"
What the hell? How can one change their attitude so fast? It was as if she never held that cold expression on her face in the first place... No wonder that Wrenley guy requested that Gray and the others came along, to suppress the madam's stormy side.
"Jade," Jade answered, giving a nervous chuckle at Madam Flair's sudden mood change.
Gray cringed as the elder woman continued to swoon over the teen girls, showering them with excessive joy and happiness. Hell, he should've bolted when Wrenley began spouting nonsense back there.
Kameron grabbed her mother's arm to save Jade from the over-attention and motioned at the two boys who were hiding in the shadows in shared awkwardness. "Uh, yeah. Anyways, they're Jade's friends," she quickly introduced. "The tall one's Gray, and that is Emrys."
Madam Flair didn't waste any time and hurried to admire the remainder of her guests, and Gray stiffened as the flashy woman put her hands all over his arms and shoulders, smiling blissfully.
...what the f*ck is with this lady?
And when she was finally done, she turned back to her daughter, a more settled look replacing her short-lived hyper smile. "Kameron," she whispered a bit sternly. "I called you home because we have an important guest coming in just a few moments, and I planned for you to attend the meeting with us but..."
She cast a daughter's friends a dubious look. "It's up to you. Will you join the meeting or will you let your friends hang out themselves for an hour or so...?"
Kameron bit down on her lower lip and gave her elder siblings and short glance before looking away, and Gray caught the dark look in her eyes. "Can I join my friends?" she asked steadily.
"Sure!" Madam Flair gave her daughter a pat on the shoulder and waved her along. "Off you go now!"
They were ushered away, and Wrenley remained outside with his employer and her eldest children while Kameron led the three back inside the enormous property. She sighed in relief once the four of them were alone again.
She gave her guests a pressed smile. "Well, I think that's that," she mumbled. "Honestly, Wrenley only wanted you to come because he knew my mom would be mad. It was quite a save. Thank you for coming..."
"You're welcome!" Jade responded cheerily.
And then her smile turned sheepish, and she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "But if I were being a little more honest, even though it's quite amazing to see your home, I don't think it was right for Mister Wrenley to force Gray and Emrys to come..."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Kameron said apologetically. Her eyes went to Gray's face, searching for something within his unchanging expression. "It won't happen again," she added. "Hopefully."
Gray let out a breath, seeing that the girl was being genuine with her apology, though it probably could've been worded better. "It's fine," he muttered, followed by a quick few nods of reassurance from Emrys.
In reality, though, the little trip here wasn't completely a bad thing. He grew interested in the old butler he sensed many feet away at the other end of the huge mansion, the only reason he was able to sense him due to the fact that the man contained the powers of a mage.
Only, Gray wasn't sure if he was aware of it or not. Perhaps the butler was just acting dumb when he called him out at the front doors.
In total, he sensed about two more mages in addition to the butler, Wrenley, and the man with the blue-bracelet.
Since when were mages being hired as bodyguards?
"If you're bored I can give you guys a tour," Kameron offered, seeing their eyes wander all about them. "If not, you're free to roam wherever you wish."
Jade's eyes widened with delight. "I want a tour!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've never seen such a huge home!"
Gray rejected her offer. "I'll be headed outside, is that alright?"
Kameron nodded. "That's fine...what about you, Emrys?"
The boy darted his eyes between Gray and the two girls as if he were trying to come up with a decision, but in the end, he chose to follow the mage. "I- I wanna stay with Gray," he said.
"Whatever suits you," Kameron shrugged. Then she linked arms with Jade, as many girl friends would. "Let's start from the little garden in the back. I think you'll like it..."
The two boys watched the two girls disappear through the large halls of the building before they were left completely alone with almost nothing to do.
"This is kinda weird," Emrys remarked as he followed Gray out the front doors to explore the wide threshold.
Gray snorted. "You don't say...eh-?"
He stopped in his tracks when he suddenly detected an incoming mage on his radar, one's whose energy was more powerful than that of Wrenley's.
Another guard? But where would they hire one whose power was of such a higher caliber...?
Gray turned around and glared down the path into the distance, at the driveway where they got off their rides with the splashing fountain right smack in the middle of the pavement.
Sure enough, two vehicles pulled up at the curb, and-
There.
Gray's gaze shrouded over intensely as he maliciously watched a white-haired woman with darkly tanned skin step out of the passenger's side of the silver sedan, her black coat unbuttoned and heels just as sharp as ever.
"Isn't that Zylith Mai?" Emrys asked aloud, squinting at the small figure.
It wasn't long before Mai noticed their presence as well, and she turned her head, her silver eyes promptly skimming over the high schooler before making contact with Gray's.
Gray cursed underneath his breath as he maintained hostile eye contact with the woman, who quickly began up the path to the entrance, a triumphant look on her face.
She looked a bit unnerved by Gray's rising aura, but overall, she held a determined and excited spark in her eyes.
Was this some sort of devil's trickery? All the way out in the huge estates, the Flair's estate nonetheless, and they were still caught. What the hell is the Association doing here?