Cousin Dearest

"You tell me, Abby, how was your holiday with your Grandparents?" Hera asked, trying to change the topic but in vain. She knew it didn't come out more convincingly. Hera eyed Danny expectantly for some help, but he only glared at her in a warning. Abby didn't miss the looks her cousins exchanged with each other. Within a blink of an eye, she stood face to face with Danny. "What did you do, Danny?" Crossing her arms, she asked, glaring at him with her sharp eyes. 

Danny feigned innocence, but before he could open his mouth to defend himself, Abby held her palm up, stopping him. "Don't you dare lie to me, Danny. I can smell the tension cooking between you two. Spit it out, my cousin dearest," she said, eyeing him with her narrowed eyes. 

They never showed Abby the reality of their bitter relationship. Hera didn't want to ruin the perfect image of an ideal brother Abby had carved in her mind. So she kept all the bitterness bottled up inside her chest. But Abby was very well aware of the unspoken truth. Only, she never pried, never pestered, and always respected Hera's privacy. Hera knew that if she ever needs someone trustworthy to confide in, Abby would gladly lend her ears. 

"It's Hunter," Hera whispered, and Abby's eyes widened both in worry and curiosity. "What about him? What does he have anything to do with your crying? I mean he's not even here," Abby said, frowning in confusion. Before Hera could answer, she heard Danny groaning in frustration. 

"Danny says Hunter wants to meet me," Hera said, waiting for Abby to blast Danny with her anger. But to her surprise, Abby squealed in excitement which made Hera scowl. She shook her head in disapproval. 

'Are you kidding me! How can she be excited?' 

"You were bawling your eyes out because of that? Are you nuts, Hera? Oh, my sweet God, he's here to meet you? That's so sweet of him to come all the way from London to Lake Elsinore. It's so romantic!" Abby looked at her with dreamy eyes as if she's lost in some romance novel. She squealed again making Hera cover her ears with her hands. With great difficulty, Hera waited for Abby to calm down her overcharged energy, and her patience was wearing out. 

"Shut up, Abby, will you? Be serious for once and think about the consequences that I have to face. If Hunter comes here then who'll take the responsibility of explaining things to Uncle Ben and Aunt Lizzy? We are not allowed to bring anyone home. Remember the rules?" Hera asked while Abby's expression changed from excitement to fear, then to guilty. She smiled at Hera sheepishly. Hera sighed audibly in relief when realization dawned on Abby. 

"Ah, finally!" Hera exclaimed, throwing her hands up. 

Yes, indeed, they're not allowed to bring any friends home. It's the rule made by Benson. They shouldn't give out information about their whereabouts to anyone when they're in their hometown. It had been like this since the day they got admitted to Boarding school in London. They're not even allowed to make a phone call home from their school. Every time Hera, Danny, and Abby questioned, the only answer they got from Benson was that it was for their safety. Hera had a feeling that Danny knows more, but he wouldn't tell her. 

"Right, I forgot our family's rules and regulations," Abby said, rolling her eyes. "Ah, the sacrifices we had to make for all these years! How could our parents be so cruel to us? No freedom at all," she said, placing her hands on her chest and sighed dramatically. Hera rolled her eyes while Danny chuckled. 

"Huh for how long are we going to endure this torture and injustice?" Abby questioned, no one in particular before shifting her attention back to Danny. "Danny, how could you? Did you forget the rules made by your own parents? You were not supposed to tell your friends about our place, let alone bring them home. Don't you understand?" 

Hera watched with her widened eyes while her cousin yelled at Danny. Abby shot him a murderous glare, but he only grinned in response. Hera shook her head in disbelief, and needless to say, her jaw was hanging. Danny's nonchalant reaction shocked her. 

'Is there anything that can scare this boy?' 

Danny pulled Abby to his side and draped his arm around her shoulder. His other hand shoved in his pant pocket showed how calm and in control he's. For a fleeting moment, Hera remembered Hunter and his friends. With hands buried in pockets, a cocky smirk playing on the lips, style coated with arrogance, those were the similarities they all share. 

"Relax, Abby. You know right, how Hera is? A drama queen," Danny said in a bored tone, drawing Hera's attention. She glared at her brother and her cousin, who was now grinning along with him. 

"I sure remember all the rules and no, I'm not breaking them either. I know that my parents act like as if we're our country's secret agents on some deadly secret mission," he paused only to roll his eyes. "We're not allowed to give away our location," he said in a serious matured tone, trying to imitate his father's deep voice. 

"Huh! Seriously?" Give me a break," he said, and Abby laughed at that. "Secret Agents! Whoa, that's something to think about, Danny. Or we could be kind of royalty hiding our identities to keep ourselves from getting killed by our enemies," Abby suggested wiggling her brows, her eyes shifted between her two cousins. Hera couldn't stop grinning at Abby's assumption. 

"It's for your safety," Abby said, imitating Danny's earlier serious tone and they both burst out laughing. 

Hera's grin widened, but before it could turn into laughter, Danny said something which made her heart skip a beat. 

"He's not here." 

Hera's eyes widened at that short declaration. She should be sighing in relief or releasing the breath she was holding. But her eyes were the most efficient among her all other sense organs. No matter what, her eyes were always the first to react when it comes to Hunter. 

"I said he's missing her and wants to see her. I never said he's coming here to meet her. Our dear Hera can brag and drag about anything and everything nearly to death." Danny said. Hera's eyes widened again as her brother's amused blue eyes settled on hers. 

'There's more to the story.' 

"He will call you on my cell phone when he's free time," Danny stated and took out his phone from his pant pocket and thrust it into Hera's hand. Hera didn't even notice when he'd walked up to her. She was too shocked to react and respond. 

"Now, be a good girl and talk to him when he calls, okay? And be nice. He's really missing you, so don't mess with his feelings." With that said, he kissed Abby on her temple and shot a warning glare at Hera before walking out of her room. Finally, Hera released the breath she was holding, and it wasn't anywhere near to relief.