As the bus headed towards the shelter, Shirley was feeling very excited. Shane was sitting next to her, and he was trying to be as small as possible. Although he would have preferred to sit by the window, he had not managed to secure it since Shirley had rushed over and took the spot.
Shane had no choice but to sit down next to her quietly.
He wasn't comfortable with anyone else, so was resigned to sitting next to her.
It was as if the six of them had their fixed partners.
Him with Shirley.
Aurora with Alex.
Fleur with Ziad.
On the one hand, it made things much simpler for him as he didn't have to worry about trying to talk to other people and mix with them.
On the other hand, he couldn't quite get his way like he normally would.
Such as sitting by the window.
Shane turned his head a bit to look at the still excited Shirley, who had basically plastered her face onto the window.
Despite the fact that he would have preferred to sit there, he somehow found that he could accept it a little bit right now.
Shane felt that Shirley was the exact opposite of him.
Nothing seemed to faze her at all.
She took everything in, accepted anything, and … most of all, she was not bothered at all about his lack of speaking.
She made up for it - she could talk for hours and answer her own questions. Though it would be more accurate to say that she answered the way she thought he would answer.
For some strange reason, he didn't find that repulsive or weird.
It was oddly comforting.
Even if half of the things she said were nonsense.
Shirley was one of the main reasons Shane actually dared to come on this trip.
Okay, she was the main reason.
The others from the same table were just okay, but the fact that they didn't judge him or treat him any differently was also a reason why he was not averse to coming. If it was only Shirley, then he would most likely still be staying in his room.
Thinking, wondering all the 'what ifs' which also included all the horrible possible things that could happen.
Most of the time, it would be the 'bad' stuff but lately, he is able to also anticipate and hope for the 'good' stuff.
This is his first big adventure.
A shelter should be safe, right?
✿ Author posts on WN and neovel ✿
Paws Shelter welcomed its excited young guests.
Eyes shining, mouths a-chattering and several loud voices calling out for order.
Teacher Alba was clapping her hands to get their attention and they lined up obediently. Holly stood beside Teacher Alba and was satisfied with the way her daughter was behaving.
Though she was keeping a very close eye on the boy that sat next to her on the bus.
In the bus, everyone basically sat next to a person of the same gender - everyone, except for six people. Holly was aghast to note that her daughter just happened to be one of them.
Though they were only seven, Holly couldn't help but take a very close look at Shane. She had asked Teacher Alba who he was and she got the basics. The other four 'couples' were not worthy of note as one pair were siblings while the other were childhood friends.
But Shane?
And Shirley was their one and only princess, who was completely innocent and open. Boys just cannot be trusted - especially at the age of seven when they would often act out if they liked someone.
Pulling the hair, making themselves all annoying.
Little things like that.
She was gratified to see that Shane was basically quiet and kept to himself, though he would often look at Shirley with a thoughtful look on his face.
It was that look that made Holly be more vigilant. It meant that Shane may be 'okay' but still needed to be observed.
"Okay, everybody needs to hold hands with your partner," Teacher Alba said, "You need to take care of each other."
Everyone held hands as instructed.
When Shirley took Shane's hand, Shane visibly jerked a bit but it was as if Shirley never realised anything. Shane's face was slightly pale and beads of sweat showed on his forehead, but he did not take his hand away.
All of these little actions were caught by a particular person who was trying to minimise her presence a distance away. She was practically hugging a tree, looking at the sight through a binoculars.
While she was staring at the kids, she was being stared at by a worker who was cleaning one of the dog cages.
"P1 studying kids," the man said softly, his head down as he scrubbed the floor.
"Stand down," came the voice in his earpiece that was hidden underneath his long hair, "She's a parent."
The MIB agent faltered and nearly stumbled as he got up. Taking a hose and washing down the floor, he couldn't help but think that parents nowadays were really too overly concerned.
'Helicopter parent' was such an apt term.
A helicopter parent refers to a parent who pays extremely close attention to their child's experiences and problems. Just like a helicopter that can hover in a particular area, a helicopter parent is one that 'hovers over' their child to oversee every single aspect of their child's life constantly.
The MIB agent shook his head, thinking how ridiculous it was and how the child must be so smothered. What would the child do, or how would he feel, if he found out that his parent was 'spying' on him like this?
The MIB agent continued his 'work', completely immersed in his thoughts and how he'd never be such a parent - totally ignoring the fact that his Boss fit the bill as well. Sure, it was all under the context of 'safety', but it doesn't detract from the fact that the Smiths' lives were monitored from the moment they left the house until they got back home.
He whistled as he continued his 'work', all the while observing silently his surroundings.
At an obscure location nearby, a nondescript van was parked. Inside, three members of Team Diamond aka Kyle Smith's Elite Team were talking. Two were facing the screens in front of them, which basically showed the inside of the shelter.
Zero, the Team Leader, was leaning back on his chair as he silently observed the screen from behind his two 'brothers'.
"Akira looks like he's having fun," mused Edward, his eyes on Screen #4.
There, a handsome young man was smiling dazzlingly at two blushing young women at the reception counter. Though they couldn't hear anything, it didn't need a genius to know he was busy flirting.
Lucka snorted, "When is he not?"
"It's his best cover, he says," Edward said with a roll of his eyes, "No one suspects a playboy."
"Yeah, the decadent guy that thinks and acts with his d*ck is hardly a threat," mused Lucka.
"One of these days, he's going to meet his match," Edward said, partly in prayer, partly in jest.
Then mumbled under his breath, "Oh God, I really hope so."
Edward was the type that didn't really find girls that interesting. His gadgets were much more fascinating than the opposite sex. However, it still rubbed him the wrong way to see Akira constantly changing his girlfriends - even if all of his so-called girlfriends were fine with it.
It was all for fun, and the girls knew it.
But for Edward, it felt like Akira was basically throwing his life away like this. Whilst it was true that this was his skill and forte, and that it was invaluable to the team, it felt like Akira lost a part of himself.
Gadgets were lifeless but Edward still poured his heart and soul into them. Each invention was special to him. Everything he made was special.
But Akira?
He would simply laugh it off and say that it was nothing. He was fine and having the time of his life.
Edward sighed and felt his shoulder being patted.
"Stop overthinking," Lucka said gently, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him, "Akira is Akira. Don't worry."
Then he gave a little laugh, "All of us are single dogs, really. Just because Akira plays around doesn't mean his heart is closed. I mean, even Zero would have a chance."
The moment he said that, he paused.
Edward stared at Lucka in shock.
"Zero? Really? Out of all of us, wouldn't you say that he would be the last one? I mean, I may like my gadgets but it's not like I am indifferent to girls. Just haven't met the right one yet."
Edward turned and pointed at Zero, who had no change in his facial expression or even looked like he was interested in their conversation. His eyes were just glued on the screen.
"See? He's not bothered in the slightest," Edward said, "As if any girl would like that sort of indifferent and cold face."
Lucka didn't reply while Zero finally turned to stare at Edward, who suddenly gulped. His mouth often got into trouble with Zero, and he subconsciously glanced at Zero's arm that held his hidden weapons.
Seeing that, Zero gave a smirk and raised an eyebrow. Edward made a zipping motion with his fingers over his lips and turned to get back to work.
Silence fell in the van again, making Zero feel extreme relief.