Chapter 9

8/18/2056

Chad pulled away from the hug and stated, "Please tell me that you're taking your medicine,"

"I have," he said, nodding. "But with what happened, I've been stressed out,"

"I'm not going to reject you just for being a prince," Chad said. "I'm the one who should worry about being rejected," he said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I'm a commoner," he said.

"If I could, I'd revoke this stupid title and be a normal person," Justin said.

"I don't care if you're a prince or a pauper," Chad said. "As long as I can continue to be your friend," he said.

"I'd like that," Justin said with a smile.

Justin sat cross-legged on the bed. Chad sat next to him and dangled his legs over the edge of the bed.

"I want to know everything about you," Chad said. "The real you," he said.

"I don't remember much before the time I ended up at the orphanage," Justin said.

"What about your mother?" Chad asked.

"She was a kind and loving woman," Justin said. "The necklace I wore was hers," he said.

"You mean this?" Chad asked, pulling it into view. Justin's eyes widened in shock.

"You fixed it," he said.

"Yes," Chad said, nodding his head. "I've been wearing it since you left," he said.

Chad removed the necklace from his neck and placed it around Justin's neck.

"Here it is," Chad said. "You can have it back," he said.

"Thank you," he said, smiling while he fingered the gold chain.

"I added something to it," Chad said. "Look inside," he said. Justin noticed an extra pendant attached to the chain. He opened it and found a photo of Chad inside.

"I love it," Justin said, hugging him.

They talked into the evening hours until Justin started yawning. "Get some sleep," Chad said.

"But I want to know about you," Justin whined. Chad smiled and patted Justin on the head.

"We can talk tomorrow," he said. "Get some sleep," he stated. Justin gave up and laid down. Chad covered him up and sat down in a chair. He wanted to stay in the room in case Justin had any bad dreams. Chad woke up to Justin's whimpering in his sleep. He took off his shoes, slid under the covers beside Justin, and wrapped his arms around him. With Chad's arms around him, Justin calmed down.

Chad awoke the next morning to Justin's soft snoring. He smiled and slid out from beneath the covers, taking care not to wake him. He left the room and headed to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Selene said, turning away from the stove.

"Good morning, ma'am," he said, sitting down at the table.

"How did everything go last night?" she asked.

"We talked until he got sleepy," he said.

"Any nightmares?" she asked.

"He started to have one, but calmed down when I laid beside him," he said. "He's still asleep," Chad said.

When Selene finished filling plates and setting them on the table, the kitchen door opened.

"Good morning, Nanna," "Good morning, Chad," Justin said, walking in.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Chad said.

"Are you hungry?" Selene asked.

"I'm starving," Justin said. "What are we having?" he asked.

"Scrambled eggs, sausage, and orange juice," she said, sitting down. Justin sat down at the table beside Chad.

Justin noticed Chad glancing over at him and mouthed, "What?" Chad whispered, "Do you have your medication?" Justin nodded his head and smiled as he patted his pants pocket. Chad gave Justin a thumbs up. Before drinking his juice, Justin took the pills from his pocket, showed them to Chad, and stuck them under his tongue. Justin stuck out his tongue at Chad after swallowing the pills.

"Very mature," Chad said, grinning at him.

"We're not even adults yet," Justin said. "We can act immature for a little while longer," he said. They both noticed Selene watching them.

"Finish eating and help clean up," she said. "Then you can go outside and act like children," she said, grinning.

9/1/2056

Justin sat down in front of Selene's computer and browsed through the list of florist apprentice jobs. He leaned back in the chair and sighed in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Chad asked as he walked in.

"All the florist jobs I've found require a driver's ID," Justin said. "I don't have one," he said.

"Have you driven before?" Chad asked.

"No," Justin said, shaking his head.

"Wait here," Chad said. He exited the room and returned with a book. "This is the driver's manual," "Study it, then we can teach you how to drive," Chad said.

"Who taught you how to drive?" Justin asked, glancing over the manual.

"Brother Damian taught me," Chad said, pulling his ID from his wallet and showing it to him.

"I can't wait to have one of those," he said.

"You will," Chad said. "Plus, I'll help you study," he said.

That day, after he did his meditation, Justin entered his bedroom and read through the book. He took breaks long enough to run with Chad and eat his meals.

"Don't rush it," Chad said that evening while they sat in the living room.

"I want to learn so I can start working," Justin said, laying the book down on the table.

"You will," Chad said. "Don't be in a hurry to get what you want," he said.

"Okay, I'll slow it down," Just said.

For the rest of the week, Justin studied the book for two hours in the morning after eating, taking his medication, and doing twenty minutes of meditation. He and Chad would shift, run, and play in their wolf forms to relieve any tension or stress that was pent up. Even though Justin was eager to learn how to drive, he made sure that he wasn't emotionally or physically exhausted.

9/9/2056

Justin sat in the middle of his bedroom, cross-legged, doing his meditation. The door opened, and Chad stepped inside. Chad waited patiently while Justin went through his routine. Justin stood up and smiled at him when he was done.

"Why don't we visit the orphanage?" Chad asked. "It's been years since you last saw them," he said.

"Okay," Justin said. "I'd like to do that," he said.

"Dress warm," Chad said. "It's cool out," he said.

"We're going to see Sisters Kat and Rose," Chad said. "We'll be back later," he said.

"Be safe," Selene said.

They were walking when Justin suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Bud?" Chad asked.

"I think someone's following us," he said. Chad turned his head and glanced back at where they had come from.

"I don't see anything," he said. Justin glanced back behind them, shrugged, and resumed walking. When they were only five away from the orphanage, Justin stopped again. He had detected a familiar odor, which caused the hair on his neck to stand up.

"We need to get inside, and right now," Justin said, panic in his voice.

"Jus, what's going on?" Chad asked, chasing after him.

"My father is here," he said, breathing heavily as he ran.