Chapter 6

8/4/2053

Chad sat down in a chair next to Colin's bed as they waited for Selene to show up. Their luggage was packed and placed on the floor next to the chair. Katerine and the others noticed the activity that happened earlier had stopped the instant Chad had held Colin's hand. When Selene stepped inside the clinic, she noticed tension in the air.

"Thank you for coming," Katerine stepped up to her and said.

"Thanks for informing me," she said. Selene turned and faced the nurse.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's got some bad bruising, nothing more," she said. "He must have been in pre-heat when one of the older kids picked on him.

Selene stepped up beside the bed and scooped Colin up into her arms. "I'm stronger than I look," she said, grinning at them. "Let's get you two home," Selene said, glancing over at Chad. Everyone was quiet on the way there. Chad sat in the back with Colin. Chad was the first to speak when they pulled up in the driveway.

"Ma'am, is he going to be okay?" He inquired, taking their bags.

"Yeah, he just needs to rest," Selene said, nodding her head. "It's going to be a very long week," she said.

Chad's room was the first door on the second floor. A bathroom was next door. Colin's bedroom was two doors down, with a bathroom next to it. Chad unpacked his bag and then headed down to Colin's room. Colin was awake but was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Colin, can I come in?" Chad asked, watching from the entryway. Colin tilted his head to the side and looked at him.

"Chad?" he stammered. Colin's eyes suddenly turned sad. "It's best that you stay away from me," he said.

"Why?" Chad asked, confused. "You're my friend," he said.

"I'm a monster," Colin said, lowering his eyes. "I can hurt people," he said.

"You are no monster," Chad said, sitting down beside Colin. "You're the best friend I've had," he said.

A couple of days later, Chad sat on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He felt sad that his best friend was avoiding him. There was a knock on his door.

"Lunch is ready," Selene said.

"Is Colin going to eat with us?" he asked.

"He's eating in his room," she said.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chad asked. "I feel like he hates me for some reason," he said.

"He doesn't hate you," Selene said. "He's scared that he might hurt you," she said.

They were sitting at the table when Chad heard padded footsteps. He lifted his head and saw Colin standing in the doorway.

"Wait, stop running from me," Chad said, when Colin turned and took a step towards the door.

"Chad, I'll hurt you if you get close to me," he said.

"I am not afraid of you or your gift," he said.

"It's not a gift," Colin said. "It's a curse," he said.

"I don't believe that for a second," Chad said.

"If you knew the real me, you'd run far away," Colin said. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"Please stop pushing me away," he said. "We're supposed to be friends," he said.

8/8/2053

The tension between the two boys lessened, which made Selene feel more comfortable. Colin shifted for the first time into his wolf form.

"Your wolf is amazing looking," Chad said, standing next to the black wolf. Chad shifted into his wolf, which had golden fur and sky blue eyes. They spent the warm afternoon playfully tackling each other and basking in the sunlight. Colin hid behind a tree and shifted back to his human form. He got dressed, then turned his back while Chad got dressed.

Chad noticed that Colin's cheeks had turned bright pink. "What's got you so flustered?" Chad asked.

"It's nothing," Colin said. "It's just not nice to stare," he said.

"Now that we've had our workout, let's go inside and watch some TV," Chad said.

"Okay, I'd like to," Colin said. After watching TV for a couple of hours, the boys went their separate ways. Colin laid down on his bed and rested while Chad read a book.

"Dinner is ready!" Selene said. Chad noticed that Colin didn't come down when dinner was announced. He went to Colin's room and found him thrashing around in his sleep.

Chad noticed a book floating in midair. He stepped up to the bed, gently grasped Colon's hand, and the book settled onto the nightstand. Colin calmed down and went into a deep sleep.

"His power must be tied to his emotions," Chad thought to himself. Chad heard the door creak and turned his head towards the noise. Selene stood in the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Chad said. "He was having a bad dream, and his power was activated when I checked on him," he said. "Is it alright if I eat in here?" Chad asked. "I want to stay close in case he has another nightmare," he said. Selene nodded her head and retrieved their dinner.

After being handed his plate, Chad sat down at a desk and ate his meal. Selene went back to the kitchen and ate. Chad glanced over his shoulder when he heard Colin mumble, "Daddy, please don't hurt me," in his sleep. Chad recalled that he had never met Colin's parents, and he wondered who and where they were. When Chad finished eating, he felt eyes watching him.

"Hello, sleepyhead," Chad said, noticing Colin sitting up.

"What time is it?" Colin asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Dinnertime," Chad said. "That's if you're hungry," he said.

"I'm starving," Colin said.

Coin rose from the bed and followed Chad, who took his plate to the kitchen.

"Why did you eat in my room?" Colin asked, reheating his plate of food.

"You had a nightmare, so I wanted to stay close," he said.

"Did something happen?" Colin asked, sitting down at the table. Chad wasn't sure how he should tell his friend that he saw a book floating in midair.

"Colin, when I went to check on you, I found you in the middle of a bad dream," he said. "It must've triggered your power because a book was being levitated," he explained. Colin's eyes widened in horror.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, standing up.

"Calm down," Chad said, stepping up and coaxing him back to a chair. "I'm fine," he said.

Colin's mind raced as he sat down and took several deep breaths.

"I know this is none of my business, but where are your parents?" Chad asked. Colin stared at him silently.

"I guess he needs to know," Colin thought to himself. "If I tell you, will we still be friends?" he asked.

"Silly, nothing will stop me from being your friend," he said. Colin sighed heavily and bit his lower lip.

"I don't know where my mom is," "My father was a bad man," he admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chad said. "I never knew my parents," he said. Something in his gut told Chad that Colin wasn't telling him everything. He hoped that one day Colin would trust him enough to share everything about himself.