Kai's First Secret

Kai took one last look at the star-shaped mirror on his vanity before deciding that, yes, he needed a hat. He had a whole collection on his free-standing coat hanger, alongside his stash of scarves and bandanas. The 19-year-old slipped one onto his head and was pleased to find that it fit seamlessly with his look. He only needed one more thing.

The young man left his messy room and dashed through the hallway, past the open kitchen where his mom was making her morning smoothie. "Good morning dea - what is that??" It wasn't that Kai didn't hear her, but he couldn't make a pitstop now. He made a beeline to the door at the end of the hall and rapped softly at the door.

"Ed-ed," he made sure not to be loud. There's a possibility that the room owner was still asleep after three consecutive days of holing himself in his room to finish his 'project'. "Ed-ed, I'm coming in, I need to borrow your plaid shirt".

Not waiting for a response he knew wouldn't come, Kai entered. It was not a surprise that the whole room was covered in pitch black. Mind you, Kai's room was supposed to be the 'black' one. He painted the whole walls dark gray, covered half of it with his favorite musician's posters, and put LED light everywhere. Yet, Edward purchased those black-out curtains a year ago to further support his room-dwelling endeavor in the name of science (or so Kai would call his twin's college projects) because Edward had the brain of Einstein and skipped grades all the way to college. Kai felt like all he did was blink and all of a sudden Ed stopped hanging out with him because he had 'college assignments' now.

Kai caught sight of his twin after a moment of adjusting his eyes to the low lighting. He was hidden in a cocoon of thick covers, cornered to the wall next to his double bed. He saw the tuff of curly hair on top of the covers; the same curly hair Kai was sporting on his head.

He tip-toed towards the wardrobe, the one next to the shelves of comic books and Lego models. Opening the wardrobe slowly as to make sure the other occupant of the room wouldn't wake up, Kai looked for his intended piece of clothing. He found it; the dark blue plaid shirt; but it didn't look right once he put it on.

It was then that he noticed the blazer.

It was hung between two hoodies but Kai was glad he discovered it. Now this was the perfect match for his overall look. Kai had to say he was surprised his twin had this style of clothing. The size even fit Kai just right, maybe a tad larger; which was funny because Kai was the taller of the two.

"I'll take this with me, Ed-ed," Kai whispered to the general direction of the bed, then noted the headphone on his twin's head. He slowly put one knee on the bed and took them off. Those headphones would make Ed's neck sore if he kept on sleeping with them. "I'll make sure to wash the blazer," Kai added before finally leaving the room.

His mom, Godiva Owens, was looking extremely judgmental from behind the kitchen counter. Clad in her yoga clothes, Godiva was nothing short of the businesswoman she truly was. "Dear, what is with that hair?" She remarked; polished nails had a firm clutch on her gem-embedded tumbler as she swirled her morning smoothie.

"What hair?"

"You know what I am talking about".

"Oh. Yeah, you like it?"

"You colored it pink".

"Light purple. And yeah".

There's that death stare again. Kai swore Ed had the same exact one. Being twins did not bless Kai with the same ability to make someone squirm with one look.

Kai took a protein bar from the glasses jar on the kitchen island. "Charlie helped me color them," Kai stated as though it would help his case.

"Of course, she did," her tone did not change. Weird, Kai thought nothing his girlfriend does would offend his mom. She adored Charlie. "My God, why are you like this on your first day to school? She sighed, "To my memory, Edward did not wear ripped jeans on his first day to college".

"Mom~, Ed goes to engineering school for science-y people, I'm going to art school!"

"Tell me again why I agreed," she crossed her arms as she watched him rummage through the cupboard.

"Because it's a scholarship and I get to choose what I do with my life," he grinned after he found his travel tumbler, "Is this my smoothie? I'll take this with me, gotta fly. Charlie is waiting by the subway". He transferred the smoothie his mom made to his tumbler and pack it into his backpack. He pecked his mom on the cheek and made his way out of the apartment unit. "Bye mom, have a safe trip!" he just made it to the hallway before he made a U-turn, "Love you!"

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"You're extra as usual," Charlie commented when they finally met up on the sidewalk to the subway in Fashion District.

"Hey, I grew up in Fashion District," he defended. They didn't waste any time before entering the subway station and took the tube to North West Avenue where their art school was located.

Arriving at the North West Avenue Station, they raced out to the street where they were greeted by a young lady with short red hair in a plaid skirt and high stockings. "Hey," she greeted curtly before walking alongside them to their meeting point; at the second streetlamp before the turn to Kingston Road.

Two guys not much older than themselves were already waiting by the lamppost, each holding a case for their respective musical instruments.

"Yo," said the guy with the bigger case, "That the new recruits?"

"Hmmm," the girl with red hair, Vi, hummed as she led them to a stop near the two guys. "This is Kai and Charlotte," she introduced, then she pointed at the two guys, "Kai, Charlotte, this is Ken," she pointed at the brunet, "and this is Samuel," the latter she referred to the tall guy with glasses who was carrying a violin case.

"Call me Charlie," Charlie chimed.

"Yeah, we heard about you two. Romeo and Juliet who's going to join the drama program," Ken teased good-naturedly but it was enough to fluster both Kai and Charlie. They both played the part of Romeo and Juliet in a school play; a performance that won them an award in a competition and, later, got them recruited to this.

'This' being their role as spies in Kingston Academy for The Performing Art.

Yes, there had been no scholarships into the art school. Kai was paid by the nation's secret service to study here and find information for the government. He and Charlie were scheduled to be briefed by the lamppost by their senior spies - most of whom they had only met now. Vi; or Vivian Parker (most likely not her real name); had met them way earlier when they were still being vetted into the roles.

Ken and Samuel - it's unknown whether those were their real names either - were supposed to be more experienced in the field too, but they didn't look that much younger. "You're in the music program?" Kai inquired the two young men. Both nodded. "Cool, violin and, what, is that cello?"

"Yes, but I mostly play the piano at the academy. Both my parents are musicians so I'm well-versed in multiple instruments," Samuel answered with a push to his glasses, "Although if I may choose, my favorite would be the guitar".

"Awesome, I play the guitar too!" Kai exclaimed which made Samuel smile. Ken, however, could be seen, scowling at the two being all buddy-buddy - more in annoyance than true spite. "Well, I've been playing the cello since back at the orphanage. They made us do choirs and shit, for the church," Ken mumbled. When he saw how everyone's expressions changed, he continued, "Hey, don't give me that look. We orphans are way past crying at this point".

Vi didn't have the patience to do more small talk, "Okay, okay, nice intermezzo, but we need to start the briefing before school orientation starts".

"We have to wait for Johnny-boy; he's being roped into helping the student orientation committee," Ken explained.

"Well, we'll do without him then. We don't have all the time in the world, don't we?" Vi complained. She turned to Kai and Charlie, "Okay. You two are new to this whole thing," she started without mentioning what exactly they were hired to do, "As fresh recruits, you never really know where you belong in the team. This could be a one-time thing, or the HQ might be interested in hiring you to do more and, eventually, hire you as a permanent employee".

Kai and Charlie had been briefed on the topic before this. They could one day be hired as part of the country's intelligent service. However, for now they were replaceable. "Your fate lies on your first mission; do you know what they are?" Vi continued.

"We were meant to approach someone in the academy," Charlie was the one answering.

"Good. Do you know who it is?"

They didn't. They assumed it was one of the faculty members. A lot of them were renowned figures.

Vi took out her phone from the pocket of her jacket and showed them an Instagram page. It showed a candid picture of a young man walking on the streets. "Hey, this looks like Fashion District!" Kai exclaimed, "I live near this street".

"Goodness. Vi, you should ask the kid to scout that place in my place. I don't want to waste my time just sitting there and waiting for Sir Prince Darling to walk by," Ken grumbled.

Kai's brows met, "What do you mean?"

Vi already had a vape pen on, "Oh, I asked him to get that guy's pictures and send it to that Instagram account".

"... why?"

"To get information on the guy," Charlie was the one answering, "People on the internet are surprisingly resourceful. I know this account; it posts pictures of fashionable people on Fashion District. A lot of people around the world take inspiration from the area. I even saw your pictures a couple of times," Charlie told Kai. Kai gawked. He had no idea. "So, I assume that this is the target?"

"Yes. Do you know who he is?"

Kai and Charlie exchanged glances. Of course they did not.

"He's presumably the son of Benjamin Larks, the gun mogul, head of Larks Technologies," Vi took a long whiff of her vape, then blew a couple of O's, "the HQ has always been privy towards him and his alleged not too legal activities with a plethora of foreign entities. He's said to control the global weapon black market," Another long draw from her vape, "Not that it matters to kiddies like us. We all only need to focus on this one guy. Our insider from Larks' circle said that Larks has an heir already trained and prepared for his role as the inheritor of his dynasty - not, like, the company - but his whole networks and others".

Kai frowned, "Like a gang?"

"Yes," surprisingly all three of his seniors answered at the same time. "One can say Benjamin Larks is an example of modern-day Godfather," Ken blurted.

"Which, the Government kind of knows, by the way. We need someone like Larks. The Military and the Police Force, especially, are very dependent on him and he's all buddy-buddy with our Minister of Defense and Security. However, he's known to be a man of secrets," Vi kicked the pavement in boredom before continuing, "Our Government wants to get more... intimate with his business, you could say. So, if they couldn't get the man himself, they would approach the future heir".

"Which is this guy," Kai returned his gaze to Vi's phone where the picture of a young man dressed smartly in a button-up shirt under a dark-colored sweater and a pair of nicely fitted jeans. He carried himself like a model - perhaps it was the chiseled face, or the tall lean figure with the right amount of muscles.

"He looks like he came out of a princess movie," Charlie commented absently, "Like a Prince".

"That's what people call him online. The Prince from Fashion District," Ken chimed in.

"Anyway," Vi disrupted, "We're not 100% sure he's actually related to Larks, let alone being the heir". She exhaled another puff of vapor, "Larks was married three times before and he had no children with any of his wives, but he was rumored to have an affair with a famous ballerina," she paused, "Brianna Starling". Kai saw Charlie startled at the name. Vi went on, "Married to the late famous director and writer, Gregory Drake".

"He's one of the Academy's founders!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Yes, and Brianna Drake is still one of the main directors of the school. We would see her a lot actually. She reportedly has one child with Gregory Drake," Vi turned her gaze to her phone, "Angelo Drake".

Kai swallowed the thick lump that had formed in his throat, "You're saying he is not Gregory Drake's son".

"I mean, if you look at Gregory Drake's pictures and Brianna Drake's, you'd know they are both not that tall. They're not short, but Angelo Drake is VERY tall, just like Benjamin Larks is. He's a monstrosity," Vi argued, "Then again, this is a hypothesis. That's why we are here, to find more information".

"So he... goes here?" Kai pointed at the tall roof of their Academy from where they stood. Vi shared an awkward glance with Ken and Samuel. "Uh, no. We.... don't know yet. You see," she sighed, "We thought he would. There's really not much information on Angelo Drake. We don't know his birthday or his age - there's an interview article that assumed his age, but there's really nothing specific in that article. This is one of the reasons we believe Angelo is related to Larks; because he's powerful enough to control what information goes out there even with the internet and everything. Nevertheless, Angelo grew up with Brianna and Gregory Drake, both are important names in stage plays in general so we assume he would go here when he's old enough to enroll," Vi explained, "The HQ sent Johnathan and myself to the Academy in hope of seeing him. When he didn't enroll that year, they sent Ken and Samuel. And this year, we hope he will finally enroll. This is where you two came in".

Kai shook his head in surprise, "Wait a minute - so you're not even sure he will! Guys, a lot of kids grew up not following their parents' footsteps -"

"I know! I know it's just that, we need whatever trail we can follow - and if we can't get the guy, we could at least be closer to his parent," Vi rebutted, "That's why I'm taking dance at the academy. My department is directly managed by Brianna Drake".

"So what? Are we supposed to just watch out for him at the orientation and introduce ourselves to him?" Kai crossed his arms.

"Yes. And you better do it," Vi did not waste a single breath on answering, "You better be the best of friends".

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Angelo Drake did not show up at the orientation.

The discovery seemed to upset Vi because whenever Kai saw her she would have this furious look on her face. As for Kai, he didn't know how he felt. He'd rather have his training as an agent (thats what they called them) not go to waste, but he believed that the plan was a bit dumb on the first hand.

Come evening, he sat in the living room with his eyes glued to the screen of his phone. This Angelo person was a phenomenon of its own in the realm of Instagram fashion. He had a whole hashtag dedicated to him thanks to the pictures posted on the account Vi showed this morning; it was #PrinceofFashionDistrict. The hashtag had a limited variety of pictures but was reposted many times on multiple accounts. Strangely enough, even with that, the comment sections on each post were obviously filtered. There's no way with that much like the picture only got 300 comments; and each of them was a one-liner 'OMG he's so handsome' type of comment.

It's like something, or someone, was making sure no information was leaked about his person.

"Who are you looking at?"

"Huh?" Kai looked up to find Ed peering in from behind the sofa. The latter had a plate of spaghetti with one hand. "Oh, it's this Instagram account - do you know they take random pictures of people in Fashion District and post them there? I heard my pictures were there a couple of times".

"Hnn," Ed plopped onto the next couch and went to eat his meal, "You sure look like you belong in the weirder corner of Instagram".

"Hey, I dress cute!" Kai fended. Ed responded with another flat-toned hum as he browse Netflix on their smart TV.

"Anyway, you look quite interested in that guy," Ed asked out of the blue.

"Oh, uhhhh...," he couldn't say he was working with the government to befriend the guy in the picture now, could he? "I'm, uh, interested in the way he dresses".

"You?" Ed lifted an eyebrow, "Dress like that guy?" His eyes went to Kai's ripped jeans then to his purple hair.

"Oh shut it, Edski! Maybe I want a change of style!" He protested, then went to the kitchen to put his dirty dish away. He knew it was hard to believe. Angelo Drake looks like he came straight out of Windsor; Kai looks like he belonged to the dustiest corner of Art School.

"Hmm, right. By the way, how's school?" Edward asked instead.

"It's awesome - Oh, I gotta tell you when the director recognized me and Charlie as the Romeo and Juliet from that competition last year!" Kai went on and on from the kitchen whereas Edward absently responded with, "I see," and a, "Really?"

But his hands went to his phone and opened a chatting app.

Edweird: Guess what.

Edweird: I saw this on Instagram.

Edweird: 873802.jpg

He sent a picture he took of the Instagram post on Kai's phone he took from behind Kai's head.

ChaoticVigilante: Woah

ChaoticVigilante: Where did you get that? Thats weird

Edweird: Apparently people take pictures of pedestrians in Fashion District.

ChaoticVigilante: Lol, my mom will be pissed

Edweird: Why?

ChaoticVigilante: Im not supposed to have my pics online and stuff

ChaoticVigilante: Its family stuff

Edweird: Pffh, you and your mysterious family.

Edweird: The only people who care enough about fashion Instagram accounts are the likes of my twin. He's the least harmful person I know.

Edweird: Kai is checking you out btw.

ChaoticVigilante: Jealous? :>

Edward snorted.

Edweird: You wish.

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To be Continued.