Chapter Four: Kids in America
"I don't see why I have to protect some girl…"Twelve year old Kayvan said, tugging on the tie his father had put on him.
"Because you are the only one I trust to protect Mrs. Idelle's young daughter. Of course there will be another bodyguard watching you both but this is also good training for your future," Shang Yin winks at his son, "Plus she's a very special girl."
"She's just another spoiled little rich girl. She probably will make me play with her dolls and cry if she doesn't get her way," Kayvan frowns brushing his bangs in front of his eyes, "She'll probably make fun of my eyes too like everyone else."
Shang kneels down to look his son in his eyes and brushes his bangs away from his face, "Your mother and I think that your eyes are beautiful and I'm sure Tatyana will think your eyes are too."
"The other kids at school make fun of my eyes why wouldn't she. And another thing, aren't I too young to be protecting someone only a few years younger than me?"
Shang laughs as his son swats his hand away, "You're mostly here to be her friend. She's a lot like you."
"A monster?"
"You're only a monster when you get out of bed in the morning. So have you packed your things?"
"Yes sir." Kayvan looks sadly at his empty room, hating that he was going to be moving in with the family his father protected. Sure he knew Idelle Hawkins and found that the lady reminded him of his own deceased mother but that didn't mean that he wanted to be the playmate of some bratty young girl especially when he could barely handle the changes that were happening inside and outside his body.
Plus from what he had heard, the girl was friends with Cole Tiller the rich jerk who kept making fun of him at his private school but the girl had been homeschooled for a while now so he had never seen her before.
Kayvan follows his father to the truck and slouches down in his seat, wishing that his life could be normal and that he could finally be normal for once, not a freak or a monster like Cole said he was.
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"Good Morning Mrs. Winston. It's nice to see you again." Kayvan said bowing at the tall African American woman. He was always intimidated by the woman's beauty whenever he saw her, he wondered if his mother had been as beautiful as her and had asked his father if she had been once.
"She looked like an angel." His father had replied and now as he looked at Idelle he guessed he knew what angels looked like.
"It's nice to see you too young Kayvan," Idelle smiles pulling the young boy into a hug, "Tatyana is really excited to meet you but she is kind of shy at the moment which is why she isn't down here with me."
"Is she hiding again?" Shang says frowning a little.
Idelle nods frowning slightly, "She isn't happy that I've gotten remarried and has taken to hiding when people come over. She wants to meet Kayvan but I think she is convinced that Kaleb and anyone else new is going to leave her when they see her like her father did years ago."
"Poor child, I'll go get her. I know her hiding places by heart." Shang smiles and Idelle laughs.
"She did say that she hated playing hide and seek with you for some reason."
"It wouldn't be so easy if she would just change her hiding places for once." Shang walks off giggling softly and Kayvan fidgets uncomfortably.
"Dad plays hide and seek with Tatyana?" He asks looking up at Idelle.
The woman smiles sadly and nods, "Tatyana doesn't have that many friends at the moment since her mutation has emerged. She's kind of shy about it and your father tries to cheer her up with a game of hide and seek or if she says that she is too old for hide and seek he plays video games with her when he is off duty."
"She plays video games. Girls don't play video games they like dolls and stuff."
Idelle laughs, "Well I have you know that Tatyana and I love video games. Oh I think they are coming now."
Kayvan hears the sound of laughter and looks up to see her father holding a squirming girl in a white dress over his shoulder, her feet trying to kick him in the stomach. Shang puts the girl down on the ground in front of Idelle and it is then Kayvan could see that the girl's skin was light purple with silver markings while her hair was jet black and went to her waist and was in tiny braids. He understood now what his father meant by saying she was like him.
Tatyana fidgets uncomfortably in front of him for a few minutes, the skin of her cheeks turning a darker purple and Kayvan figures out that she was blushing from him staring at her.
"Hi, I'm Kayvan. Do you…want to be friends?" Kayvan glances at his father to see if that was the right thing to say when the girl stares at him. Shang just smiles brightly at him and Kayvan smiles at the girl.
Tatyana blinks at him then blushes more, looking him in the eyes, "I'm Tatyana. Do you like Tekken?"
Kayvan grins, "It's one of my favorite games ever, though I didn't know that girls play that game."
"Of course we do and I'll kick your butt at it," Tatyana grins back at him, "And yes I'll be your friend. Come on lets go to my room."
Kayvan nods and blushes when the girl grabs his hand and tugs him in the direction of the stairs, leaving Shang and Idelle to laugh at the antics of their children.
"Tekken the icebreaker, who would have thought it."Shang says shaking his head.
"It's what she's into now and I doubt that Kayvan would have liked for her to ask him to join her tea party like she did when she met you five years ago." Idelle responds giggling.
"Hey I made a great Senor Sparklepants, and Mrs. Nesbitt made great tea for a stuffed tiger in a smock and sunhat." Shang's look changes to serious, "The only thing I'm worried about is Kayvan's mutation. He is like his mother's family though much more dangerous. I'm sure he won't hurt Tatyana but every night he wakes up screaming because of it and now that he is in a new place who knows what could happen."
"What do you expect we do about it? Do you not want him to stay here?"
"No. I think it will be good for him to be around another mutant his age but don't let Tatyana see him change. I don't want the child to get hurt or scared just because Kayvan couldn't control himself or his emotions."
"Okay. I'll make sure the other guards know. Thank you again Shang. For everything." Idelle hugs the older man and he hugs back petting her hair softly.
"What can I say Idelle, you and Ty are family and family sticks together."