Thoreau - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Wesley, William, and Winnie came in second, and Wade and Arch were third. Turning to Dad Nathan, I apologized for making us come in last. He'd had to 'splain a lot to me, which was probably why we lost.
"Reau, Wes spent the whole game explaining things to Winnie and William, too," he said as he rubbed my head. "It's okay to not know everything."
"Yeah, Curls. I had to define like eight words for Wade," Arch snickered.
"Hey! How many twelve-year-old boys know the word unfathomable? What kind of word is that to put in a family edition of a game?" Wade grumbled.
"I'm fifteen and I don't know unfath-omom-omom-omom— How do you stop saying that word?"
Everyone, even the heathens, giggled, but I was serious! What if I got stuck saying that word forever? It was worse than breakfast-es-es-es!
"Boys, it was all about having fun," Dad said as he shook his head. "Who cares about winning or losing? We had a good time together as a family, and that's what matters."
All in all, I was a happy boy when we went to bed, so I didn't understand why I had another nightmare.
At least I didn't scream this time, probably because I woke up flat on my back under Spring. My heart and lungs worked super hard until I was sure I wasn't locked in my cage, then I blew out a heavy breath, relieved to see that I was still in Arch's room.
Are you awake, little one? Spring asked in a gentle voice.
Yes, I am awake, and I am here in Arch's room, not back in my cage.
That's right. You are here and you are safe.
As Spring stood up, the bed made creaking noises, which was a little scary, but Spring ignored them, so I did, too.
As my wolf moved to lay at my feet, Arch quietly called my name, and I turned to the left to see him sitting up next to me. When he saw my eyes were open, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
"Sorry," I whispered.
"No need to be sorry." He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. "Are you okay now?"
"It was bad," I admitted, "but I know I am safe here. I am not there anymore."
"Yes, you are safe and you will never be back there again."
"Curls?" Wayne's voice came from my other side, and I rolled my head to look at him. "Do you need anything? Like water or something?"
"Can I have a hug, please?" I asked.
With a wobbly smile, he reached over and pulled me onto his chest, wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.
"You can have as many hugs as you want," he whispered in my ear.
"Arch, too, please?"
"Sure." Arch laid against my back and draped one arm over both of us.
"I changed my mind," Wayne chuckled. "Arch and I are the bread in the sandwich, and Reau's the peabutter and jelly."
"Ha ha ha," Arch said. "Stop talking before you take that somewhere vulgar."
"We're going somewhere dirty now?" I lifted my head off Wayne's chest to look up at him, but he pushed me back down so my ear was over his heart.
That made me smile. I loved the sound of a heartbeat! It was so soothing, just like Spring's heavy weight on me or one of Mama's super-hard hugs.
"No, baby boy. We're going to sleep now."
"Okay, WayWay."
And squished between my boyfriends with my wolf warming my feet, I drifted off and dreamed of peabutter and jelly sammiches, the best food in the world!
Arch
The next morning over breakfast, Wayne and I decided Reau needed an adventure after his recent nightmares and started brainstorming ideas. Not only did it need to be something fun, but also active enough to wear him out so he didn't have another one.
Although we were free to do pretty much whatever we wanted, we had to keep a couple of things in mind.
Number one, since our older brothers left for vacation with Luna Posy this morning, Mom and Dad were not available to drive us anywhere. They would spend the day at the alpha offices with Royal and Julia Price and the betas.
Number two, sissy was working at Roger's Diner to make some extra money before school started, so she was not available, either.
Mom and Dad weren't too happy with her working, and I knew for a fact that it bothered Beta Ty a lot to see his new mate waiting tables to help make ends meet. Sure, the betas had a sweet paycheck, but our new brother-in-law had only been a beta for a couple of months now, so money was tight for them. Their new house, also part of Beta Ty's pay, was nearly empty of furniture, and they probably would have been sleeping on the floor if Mom and Dad hadn't given them a bedroom set for a mating gift.
They could have borrowed from Mom and Dad or even our older brothers, who would have just given them anything they wanted or needed. They were billionaires, after all, and generous with their unexpected wealth. Beta Ty and sissy, however, wanted to build their new lives together with their own hands.
Wayne called it stubborn pride, but I could see where they were coming from. Beta had lived in the pack orphanage from the time he was twelve until the day he turned eighteen. Coming from nothing, he probably wanted to prove that he was capable of providing for his mate and future family.
As for Peri, she'd spent the past six years helping Mom with the pups. Wesley was only four when his mom and our dad got together, then William came along a year later, followed by Winnie two years after that. Mom never made her babysit or anything. She always volunteered because she loved her little half-brothers and enjoyed playing and spending time with them. Now that she had a mate and a beautiful house, though, she probably wanted to prove herself capable of taking care of both on her own.
At least, those were my theories.
Anyway, on to number three: Kon didn't have his driver's license yet. Gelo had to get some fake papers to make his age match up to his appearance. Apparently, humans got suspicious if a guy who looked seventeen had a birth certificate that said he was thirty-five. He was taking his driver's test next week, which was great, but didn't help a lot right now.
Finally, number four, with no family available, that left our friends, and none of them were old enough to drive yet.
Nuh-uh. Bridger just turned sixteen and got his license, Firth reminded me.
Oh, yeah! I smiled for a second, then remembered one crucial fact. But he's not allowed outside pack borders without an adult.
Bridger lived with his great-grandmother, Sadie, who was too old and feeble to control him, and he ran pretty hard on the wild side. Some of that, I always thought, was because he never processed the grief from losing his whole family in the sickness.
To make everything worse, his girlfriend, Brynn Wessinger, ghosted him three months after her family transferred to Cold Moon pack so that her dad could take a delta position. Bridger was convinced he and Brynn were mates, and losing her broke him.
A few months ago, he lit a dumpster on fire behind the Burger King in Greenville, and our older brothers blew a gasket. They made him go to court with Royal Price, who could be scarier than Alpha Ice when he wanted to be, and then basically grounded Bridger. Until he turned eighteen, he couldn't leave Five Fangs without an adult unless he was going to school or doing his court-ordered community service.
To be honest, Arch, Firth winced, he's so angry and hurt right now, it's hard to be around him.
Yeah, but that doesn't mean we abandon him. He's our friend!
I know that. I'm just saying it might not work for Reau to hang out with him. Plus, if you invite Bridger, you're inviting Elijah.
I frowned as I thought about that. Everything my wolf said was true. Bridger and Elijah Ford were as inseparable as Wayne and I were, and they found far more trouble together than we did.
Dangerous trouble, too, not just pranks and broken bones.
But Bridger needed a distraction from his misery, and Wayne and I hadn't seen either of them most of the summer. That wasn't too unusual because we used breaks to rack up hours at the Busted Knuckle so we'd have spending money throughout the school year. Still, I felt like we were neglecting them, especially when Bridger needed his friends' support right now.
Then I had a lightbulb moment. If we asked Kon to come, maybe he would count as Bridger's parental supervision! Mom and Dad considered him to be trustworthy, or least they knew Chime Karma was. Plus, we'd have Spring with us, and nobody doubted his reliability.
You think Mom and Dad would consider Kon to be an adult? I asked Firth. I mean, he's technically only six years younger than Dad!
All you can do is ask them. Firth shrugged. The worst they can do is say no. But, Arch, Bridger might think you're just contacting him now to be a chauffeur.
Oh, yeah. Did not think of that.
Why not invite them to Reau's to work on the secret fort? he suggested. Beta and Gelo keep the fridge and pantry stocked, more hands will make the work go faster, and you won't give Bridger the wrong impression.
Man, sometimes my wolf was so much smarter than I was! In my defense, though, I'd really wanted to hit the batting cages and bowling alley in Greenville.
But it was actually a nice day out, not too hot or humid, and Wayne, Reau, and I were excited to start the log cabin. I wasn't so sure Bridger and Elijah would want to help, but I'd link them both and ask just the same. If nothing else, I could see what they were up to and plan to meet them on Sunday at our school football team's first conditioning session prior to try-outs.
Thanks, Firth.
It's what I'm here for, he said with a long-suffering sigh. To do all the heavy thinking.
Haha, wolf. I rolled my eyes, then tuned him out to link our friends.
"I'm on board with that." Wayne nodded after I told him my idea. "Except for one thing. How do you think Bridge and Eli are going to react to our little ball of sunshine?"
I reassured him that we - or Kon or Spring - could step in if things started to go south and, if it got toxic or something, we'd just call it a day.
"Besides," I added, "I'm more concerned about how our ball of sunshine is going to react to Angry the Grump and Mr. Silent."
Wayne laughed his head off at that one, but it was true. If Bridger and Elijah got annoyed by Reau's little quirks, they'd either say mean things or leave or both. If Reau's feelings got hurt, though, he could have a meltdown or even another nightmare tonight, defeating the whole purpose of the day.
"I'm serious, dude!" I punched his shoulder. "He already has a little grudge against them because he knows they got in trouble at the luna ceremony for saying bad things about Posy and setting River and Cove off."
"As if you don't hold grudges," he scoffed.
"I don't. I simply retain memories of someone's words and actions so that I am better prepared for future encounters with them."
"Or as normal people say, you hold a grudge."
"Okay, dude." I rolled my eyes. "Just help me think of how we're going to get him to give them a chance."
"We'll ask him to, but some of it is on Bridge and Eli, too." Wayne shrugged. "They need to make a good impression."
Yikes. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Keeping Reau safe is one thing, but smothering him is another, Firth reminded us both. He has to do some uncomfortable things to grow. And Bridger and Elijah are your friends. If you can't trust them with Reau, why are they still your friends?
I looked at Wayne, who shrugged again.
Besides, Ocean chimed in, Firth and I can totally kick their wolves' asses if they mistreat our boy!
"Winning argument right there, dude!" Grinning, Wayne held up his hand for a high five.
I shook my head, but I gave him one and hoped we were doing the right thing.
"Curls, would you like to meet two of our friends today?" Arch asked me.
"Oh, boy! Yes!" I clapped my hands.
"I thought they could come over and help us work on the secret fort. Kon said he'd help, too. Would that be okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" I hopped up and down. "Who are your two friends?"
"Bridger Donahue and Elijah Ford."
"Huh?" I stopped jumping around and stared at Arch with wide eyes. "But they are bad boys!"
"Everyone's bad sometimes, including us," Wayne pointed out. "And they apologized for what they did at the luna ceremony. They even bought Beta Ty a new dress shirt since his was ruined when River half-shifted."
"They said sorry?" I double-checked.
"Yeah, they did," Arch told me. "So will you please give them a chance? Just one? If you don't like them, we won't ask again."
I put my finger on my chin as I thought about that for a moment, then decided it would be mean not to give them a chance.
"All right. One chance."
"Thank you, baby boy!" Wayne beamed, which made me smile. It always made me happy to see him and Arch happy. "Do you want me to tell you a little bit about them?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay, first of all, Elijah is Gamma Reuben Ford's little brother."
"Gamma Rube!" I shouted with a big grin. "He bought me ice cream when I first got Spring! He is nice!"
"He is, but Elijah isn't as talkative as Gamma Rube. In fact, he doesn't talk much at all, so don't think he's being mean or something if he's quiet. Oh, and he smokes. I don't know how good you can smell without your— I mean, you might not like the scent of his cigarettes. Got all that?"
"Yep." I nodded to prove I did.
"Wayne." Arch frowned at him. "Reau-ish, remember?"
"Oh, right. Reau, what did you learn about Elijah?"
"He is quiet and might smell funny."
"Good summary!" Wayne praised me with a grin, which made me hum with happiness. "As for Bridger, he doesn't smile or laugh hardly at all. He's almost always scowling and angry, but he's not mad at you or anything."
"Who's he mad at then?"
"The world, I guess." Wayne shrugged.
"Why?" I tilted my head. How could he be mad at the world? It was just a planet!
"For being born maybe? Anyway, do not ask him about girls or a girlfriend or anything mate-related. He had a girlfriend who he loved very much, but she suddenly cut off all contact with him after her family moved to the Cold Moon pack."
"Oh!" Tears pricked my eyes. "He must be so sad!"
"Well, don't cry for him or make him think you pity him," Arch said with a frown. "Then he will get mad at you. Just don't mention it. If he talks about it, you can listen to him, but don't ask questions."
"And don't ask about family, either. All of his family died in the sickness except his great-grandma," Wayne added. "He lives with her, but she is very, very old, so he basically takes care of himself."
More tears stung my eyes.
Bridger must be so lonely! I linked Spring, needing his opinion. He lost his family, then his girlfriend! Is that why he's so angry?
That would be my guess, little one. Some people take all their negative emotions and squash them into anger instead of processing each one individually. Occasionally, Arch does it, too, but it sounds like Bridger does it all the time.
"Curls, can you summarize what we said about Bridger?" Wayne asked.
"He is angry because he is sad and lonely." My bottom lip popped out.
"Oh. Yeah. Okay." Arch looked surprised, and I tilted my head as I glanced at him.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Not at all, Curls." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "You summed it up perfectly."
"Thank you, Arch!"
"Alright, let's get the bikes and ride over to yours," Wayne said as he took my other hand and tugged me toward the garage. "They'll meet us there, and Kon said he'll make lunch for all of us this afternoon."
I was looking forward to working on the fort, kind of interested in meeting Bridger and 'lijah, and not worried about lunch at all because I wasn't hungry. Mom Evie had fed us bacon and eggs and hash browns this morning before she left, and I was stuffed!
In the past, the only thing I really thought about food was how much I wanted some and didn't have any. Now, I seemed to be eating all the time! Mama and Papa both said I needed at least three meals a day with snacks, and Spring made sure that's what I had, whether I was hungry or not.
"Spring, you okay running over there?" Arch asked my wolf.
Yes, but I will cut across country and meet you there. Have fun on the bike, but be careful, Reau. Spring nudged me with his nose, and I kissed the top of his head. Arch, Wayne, remember that Kon's dragon can heal him if something happens.
"Thanks for the reminder," Arch said with a serious face, and Wayne nodded. "With luna and Gelo both away, it's good to know there's someone who can do even better than pack healers if Reau gets hurt."
"Hey! I am strong! See?" Dropping my boyfriends' hands, I flexed my arm muscles like Mama, Papa, and Leo did when they were working out. "And I am tough!"
"Sure, tough guy."
Wayne surprise-attacked me while I had my arms raised, gently digging his fingers into my ribs, and I fell on the grass in a fit of giggles as he tickled me.
By the time we met Spring in my front yard, Bridger and 'lijah were on the porch talking with Bubble Konnie.
One of the boys was tall as Bubble and had thick black hair and the same black eyes as Gamma Reuben, so I knew he was 'lijah Ford. The other boy was Arch's height, and I couldn't stop staring at his white hair.
"Hi, Bridger!" I waved after I jumped off Wayne's dirt bike. "I love your hair! You look super cute, just like Mom Evie said!"
Bridger's eyes swiveled over to look at Wayne, then Arch, before they swiveled back to me.
"Thanks," he said.
"And I know you're 'lijah!" I grinned at him. "It's nice to meet you both! I'm Thoreau, but you can call me Reau like everyone else!"
"Nice to meet you, too," Bridger murmured.
We chatted a bit as we walked towards the secret garden, and I hung onto Bubble's arm as I asked him what he'd been up to without me. Then my little ear heard Bridger ask something that got my full attention.
"You guys really think we know anything about construction?"
"You don't have to know anything!" I chirped. "It's easy, like playing with giant-sized Legos!"
Running ahead, I opened the hidden door and found the instruction book and flipped to the first page of directions. When the rest of the boys caught up, I took it over to them and held it out. Without saying anything, 'lijah took it and started reading.
"Each piece has numbers and letters printed on the end, and the book tells how it all goes together," I 'splained to Bridger. "It even has pictures of everything!"
"We're just stacking the bottom logs today, anyway," Wayne said. "It's not like we're wiring electricity or installing plumbing."
"We'll probably need help with the windows and the roof later," Arch pointed out, "but like Wayne said, we're just getting started."
"I don't know." Bridger frowned as he scratched his head and looked around our work area. "This looks complicated."
" 'S easy." 'lijah jerked his head to the side, and we all looked to see he'd pieced four logs together all by himself!
"Wow! You're good at this! You must be a Lego master!" I grinned and clapped my hands, and my grin grew bigger when he gave me a tiny smile back!
As the other chuckled, I ignored them to watch 'lijah. He had a little box in one hand and a small metal rectangle in the other. Opening the box, he shook out a white and brown stick-like thing, put it between his lips, and flipped the top off the metal rectangle. He did something and a little flame appeared, and I was suddenly very interested!
I wonder if Papa will let me have one of those!
My eyes grew wide at the thought, but I knew he probably wouldn't. He, Leo, and Mama said I liked fire a little too much as it was.
Super curious now, I studied 'lijah as put the stick between his lips, touched the flame to the end of it, and hollowed out his cheeks. The end of the little stick glowed reddish orange, and he lowered it. A moment later, smoke puffed out of his mouth.
"What's that, 'lijah?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity any longer.
"Cigarette." He held out a little box so I could see more of the sticks and shook it at me. "Want to try?"
I don't know if you should try that, Reau, Spring warned me. You probably won't like how it tastes in your mouth.
I knew he was probably right because he was so rarely wrong, but I wanted to try the burning stick so very much!
I can wash my mouth out if I don't like it, I told him and looked back at 'lijah.
"Yes, please," I said and held out my cupped hands.
So 'lijah tapped a cigarette out of the box into my palms. For some reason, I felt like I was doing something that was both grown-up and very bad, but I was determined now and nothing was going to stop me!
Kon
Arch was about to have a heart attack. The second Reau zeroed in on Elijah smoking, he escalated to high alert status.
On one hand, it was hella funny. On the other, it was freaking adorable. He and Wayne loved my fratellino so much, and I was glad Reau had them in his life.
"What is Eli thinking?!" Arch hissed. "What is Reau thinking?!"
"He's probably thinking he wants to try a cigarette," Bridger retorted, making me snort.
"It could hurt him! What if he chokes on the smoke? What if burns himself? What if he gets freaking cancer?!"
"Dude, calm down!" Wayne rolled his eyes. "He's not going to get cancer from one puff. Let him try it and see how terrible it is, and he'll never do it again."
"Yeah, if you try to stop him, he'll only want to do it more," Bridger added with a shrug. "I mean, I don't really even know him, but that's human nature, right?"
"Reau would probably listen to Arch, although he'd either argue or take it as an order," I said slowly, "but I agree with Wayne on this one. Experience is the best teacher, Arch. As soon as he tastes that acrid flavor and inhales the smoke, he'll be done with it."
"Yeah," Wayne snorted. "This is the kid who can't eat gummy worms because the sugar on the outside is rough on his tongue."
Snickering, I covered my mouth with one hand so Reau wouldn't see and think I was laughing at him.
"Argh!" Arch locked his hands behind his neck as we watched Elijah light Reau's cigarette. "How do humans do this?"
"Do what, man?" Bridger asked.
"Live without a wolf!" Arch glanced at me. "Or a dragon or any animal spirit to heal them! There are so many things that could hurt him or even kill him!"
"I don't know, but props to humans for that." Wayne's eyes glittered with anticipation as we watched Reau bring the lit cigarette up to his lips. "I couldn't live with the worry. I got enough anxiety as it is."
As Arch should have known he would, Reau wasn't having the cigarette. A few seconds after he put it between his lips, his face screwed up in disgust and he dropped it on the ground. As Elijah quickly stomped it out, Reau stuck out his tongue and tried to wipe the taste off of it - literally - by licking his shirt sleeve.
"See? He didn't even inhale." Wayne shook his head with a grin. "Goddess only knows how he would have handled smoke in his mouth, let alone in his lungs!"
"Epic meltdown," Arch muttered, and I silently agreed.
"Dudes, your friend is a special kind of crazy," Bridger snorted. Before Arch or Wayne could explode on him, though, he added, "But at least it's a cheerful one. I like it. And if Eli's sharing his smokes with the kid, it means he likes him, too."
"Good," Wayne and Arch said together, and I nodded.
It was hard not to like Reau. Sure, he had more issues than Vogue, but he was adorable and pure-minded and had a heart of gold.
He will always be a pup, Chime Karma whispered in a rather sad voice. No matter how old he grows, he will remain a pup.
But a happy one, I replied. A happy, protected, well-loved pup. That's not such a bad thing, is it?
His sigh quickly changed into a chuckle as Reau offered to wipe Elijah's tongue on his t-shirt, too, much to the taller boy's amusement.
No, I guess it is not, my dragon admitted. Not a bad thing at all.