Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

-Oliver-
Thank god the days went by fast. Spending the days at school, then the nights alone at the orphanage was taking its toll on me, and there was nothing I wanted more than to stay with Jaden, Arch and Tilly. Besides ending the war, that is.
Arch joined us at school on Friday, making things more bearable for us all. And not only because our little group was whole again. There was something different about him – I could see it the second he stepped out of the car in the morning.
His spirits were more peaceful now.
I had the feeling I knew why, but decided not to say anything about it in case it was something he wasn't ready to talk about. And maybe it was something he wanted to keep to himself for now. I was happy for him.
But as one person was finally finding the right course, another one was slowly losing it. By each passing day, Tilly was turning more and more inward, staying deep in her thoughts and worries. It was painful to witness her impressive aura growing smaller and smaller while she grew sadder.
And the worst part? When Ben walked past her, trying to say hello to her and she didn't reply, I saw her spirit cracking a little. I'd never seen it happen with my own eyes before. Not to a healthy spirit. I saw the purple wound flashing in her soul as we passed Ben in the hallway, like an invisible dagger had slashed her. It stayed and bled the entire day. I tried to heal it, but I couldn't even stop the bleeding.
I'd tried to call for Selene several times that week, but she never replied. I wanted to get mad at her, but I knew the gods were busy keeping us safe. I hadn't seen any of them since Gaea paid me a visit. I hadn't even heard a word from them.
Tilly didn't want to talk about it either, so I did my best to respect her wish, no matter how badly I wanted to tell her to follow her heart. I wasn't sure if that was good advice, and it was easy for me to say since it wasn't I who'd invite Ben into a world he wouldn't understand or even survive.
I did understand why Rayleigh had rules against socializing with humans. Unwanted feelings couldn't grow if you never even spoke to them.
But it was a sad way to live.
Otherwise, the day was as uneventful as the entire week. I was glad about it, but I couldn't trust the silence. I couldn't stop thinking about our enemy. I couldn't stop myself from peering at the sky every time I saw a glimpse of it. The Shadow Realm had returned back to normal, but that didn't ease my soul, especially after what Anthony had said to me.
How was I supposed to act like a regular teenager?
And then something happened that wiped out the entire war out of my mind.
After the last class, I waited for Jaden and the others by the exit so I could spend a few more minutes with them before having to head home. When they arrived, we chatted for a bit, but then Ryder joined us, telling us it was time to get going.
I walked out of the doors with them, but stopped when I saw Natalie and Mike waiting for me by their car. I could feel their excitement to where I stood. Both of them were wearing their better clothes, too.
"Oliver!" Natalie waved at me with a wide smile.
"Coming!" I yelled back and turned to say goodbye to Jaden. "I'll ask if I can visit you guys tomorrow," I whispered to him, hugging him tight.
"I'll come get you even if they say no," he promised to me, making me feel better.
"Good," I muttered, holding onto him a little longer.
I wished we could be regular teenagers...
"I should get going," I finally said, forcing myself to let go of him.
"We will see tomorrow," he promised me. "I don't care how, but I'm not spending the entire weekend without you."
I smiled at him and got up on my toes to peck his lips. "I can't wait."
I turned back to face Natalie and Mike, and suddenly, I was nervous. Jaden walked me to their car, and I could feel him getting suspicious as well.
"What's going on?" I asked slowly.
"There's something we want to show you," Natalie said tenderly, giving me a hug.
"What is it?" I asked quietly.
"Come – it's close by," Natalie told me, and turned to look at Jaden. "Do you guys want to come with us?"
"Of course," Jaden said without hesitation.
Ryder cleared his throat a few feet away. "We're supposed to head straight home."
"Come on – it's just a small detour," Natalie told him.
"Yeah – come on," Jaden smirked at him.
Ryder sighed, rolling his eyes, but surprised us all when he said, "Fine."
"Great – you're going to love it," Natalie smiled at us all and then turned to look at me. "At least I hope so," she added with a giggle.
Jaden sat in the car with us, and Mike waited while Ryder, Arch and Tilly went to get theirs. Later, as Mike was driving with Ryder following us, I tried to ask again what was going on, but all I got as a reply was excited smirks.
I had one guess, though. I didn't want to think about it in case I'd guessed wrong, but I was still getting excited.
When we stopped in front of a small apartment complex with only three floors and a big, nice yard surrounding it all, my excitement was growing worse. The building looked pretty new, and it was made of red bricks with a black, tilted roof and big balconies with black iron railings. Warm lights were shining through windows and the bottom floors had their own little backyards.
We left the car in silence, and I stopped to take a better look at the surroundings. There were two other buildings I could see further away, behind old trees, and the mighty forest was looming right behind them all. I quickly realized that this place was most likely the closest one to Jaden's territory in the entire town.
"Come," Natalie said gently, and we all followed her and Mike.
There were three doors in the building we were approaching, heading towards the one at the very back. My stomach was twisting and turning, and I didn't have the guts to ask what this place was. I knew what it was, but I still feared it was just a dream.
Before we stepped in, I peered at the forest only a few dozen feet away from us. I could already see myself taking long walks in there.
"Ollie?" Jaden spoke my name quietly, and I turned to give him a smile.
"Sorry, the forest is really pretty," I told him, and stepped in.
"It sure is," he said. "And our territory isn't that far from here."
"I know, right," I chuckled, still refusing to believe what this all meant.
I was too scared to even imagine...
Natalie led us past the staircase, to the other end of the short hallway. There was another entrance to the building, but Natalie stopped before it. I looked at the door in front of her. I didn't know the name on it, but it didn't even matter. That name would change soon.
She picked a key from her pocket and turned to give me a smile before she opened the lock and pushed the door open. The werewolves sniffed the air, wrinkling their noses a little. Even I could smell the dust.
Natalie took my hand in hers and pulled me with her when she stepped into the completely empty apartment.
"This is it," she breathed out.
The floors were light-gray and the walls a warm shade of white. The entrance hall was shaped like the letter L, leading all the way to the living room at the other end of the apartment. As we started making our way slowly deeper into the place, we passed by two closets and a bathroom on our right, and then kitchen on the left. The kitchen and the living room were one big space that was divided by a long kitchen island. Opposite of the island laid a door into a big bedroom, and after passing by them both we reached the dining area. A few steps more brought us to the living room and the door to the backyard.
"What do you think?" Natalie asked with happiness and pride in her voice.
"It's really great," I said quietly, the fear growing worse inside me.
I knew what this place was. It was a possible home for me, but it was not guaranteed.
"Come," she said, and led me to the opposite corner of the kitchen, to a door that led into another bedroom.
The bedroom was big and had two doors in it. Natalie told me to go take a look, and I found a big walk-in closet and a bathroom with a bathtub in it.
"Do you like it?" Natalie asked, and I turned to look at her.
"I love it," I muttered. "But why are you showing this to me?"
"Mike and I are moving in tomorrow," she told me softly, making her way to me. "Everything is set, and all we need is one psychological evaluation, and this is your room."
I shook my head and looked away from her. "But it's still not guaranteed."
"Mrs. Carter has already seen this place, and she agrees you should be with us. They have accepted us as your foster parents," she said quietly, almost whispering. When I looked up at her, I saw her teary smile. "You don't have to be afraid. This is happening as long as you want it."
"But the evaluation..."
"Honey..." she murmured and pulled me into a hug. "They will listen to you. They will see what an amazing young man you are. They will see you're not that same boy anymore."
I wanted to believe her... I really did, but I was still afraid. To have a home... A real home. My own room. My own bathroom. And it was gorgeous. The apartment was so pretty and amazing and huge.
"This is going to happen. And it will happen soon," Natalie told me, hugging me even tighter. "Once you've met with your psychologist, and she has agreed you are good to leave the group home, you can move in with us right away."
"W-What...?" I sniffed and looked up at her.
"Mrs. Carter's words: the sooner the better," she smiled at me, staring at me for a moment with tender eyes, making me want to start actually crying. "This is happening, sweetheart."
I looked at the room around me. I wanted to trust in her words so badly... But I couldn't.
"It's still not guaranteed..." I muttered, trying so hard to keep myself from letting my hopes up.
"I know you're scared," she said soothingly. "But no matter what happens, this is your room now. No matter if it's next week or a month or a year from now that they'll let you move here, this is your room. This is your home."
I stared out of the window for a moment, trying not to get too emotional as I thought about her words. I'd be eighteen in two years. After that, no one could say or do anything to stop me from moving here.
And... a little part of me was wondering why would they not let me move here right away, anyway? I wasn't the same scared boy anymore. Why would they insist on keeping me, a sixteen-year-old boy, in a group home that already had a lot of kids in it while there was a perfectly good foster home for me? A home I was dying to have?
"Everything will be all right," Natalie said and hugged me again. "Mrs. Carter is on our side. She, too, wants you to be happy."
I dared to dream when I looked at the room again. It was huge. It had huge windows too. I could see the forest and the pretty yard through it.
"This place is great," Jaden spoke by the door, leaning against the wall. "Really nice."
"When Oliver moves in, you are welcomed to visit us," Natalie promised. "And under certain rules, you may even stay the night."
"Rules?" Jaden frowned.
"I... uh... I'm sure Mike will brief you in," Natalie said, tousling her hair awkwardly.
"She means no sex," Tilly blurted as she waltzed in with Arch on her trail.
"What? We...?! No! I mean...!" Jaden stammered, turning completely red.
So did I.
"Did you see the bathroom already?" Natalie hurried to ask, gesturing for us to follow her to change the subject.
I laughed a little and followed them to the door and stopped to take a look around. It really was a nice bathroom. To have my own toilet and own shower, not having to wait in line with a dozen other kids... As I let myself dream a bit more, Tilly turned on the water in the tub and stood there staring at it.
"Imagine not having to boil your bathing water," she sighed in jealousy.
"I believe Oliver will let you try it if you ask nicely," Natalie told her.
"Of course," I smirked – so much for not having to wait for my turn.
Tilly let out a pleased groan and hugged both me and Natalie. "Please adopt me as well!"
"I would, but I'd have to fight your mother," Natalie laughed. "And I have the feeling I shouldn't fight her, especially over her child."
"If Mom sees this bathtub, she'll want to get adopted as well," Tilly chuckled.
"You're all more than welcomed to visit us," Natalie promised with a warm voice. Then she turned to look at me. "We've been looking for some furniture for you already. Since this room is so big, there's enough room for a queen-sized bed and a small couch – one of those that can be turned into a bed. You know, for all four of you."
"Ohhh we can have sleepovers!" Tilly said enthusiastically.
"We can always sleep in our wolf forms on the floor," Arch noted with a shrug.
"No guests of ours sleep on the floor," Natalie scolded him.
It all sounded so great and amazing... I turned to look out the window again, still too scared to let my excitement out of control. I could almost see us there, watching movies in the middle of the night...
Jaden stopped behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, and he smiled.
"You need to have a little faith," he murmured.
"What if it's just a dream?" I asked just as quietly.
"Then I'll make it true," he said oh-so-confidently, but his confidence gave me confidence. "You know, a little drop of certain potion in your psychologist's drink would be more than enough to make her agree you should move here."
"No magic," I chuckled, but his words did make me feel better. "All I need to do is convince her I'm not crazy and I can be fostered."
"Exactly," Jaden smiled at me. "You fought shadows and met with Hades, got all sassy with Gaea, avenged your father and declared war on our enemy. You can handle one human shrink."
"That was a very busy day," I smirked, and they all laughed. "Okay, I can do it. I just need to convince her I'm not crazy."
"Might not want to tell her your boyfriend is a werewolf," Jaden joked. "Just smart and handsome and strong and powerful..."
"Right," I interrupted him with a snicker. "And so, so humble."
"Of course," he said dramatically. "Just the greatest."
We spent quite some time exploring the apartment after that, and little by little, I let myself get excited. There was no way they'd tell me I couldn't get fostered. A lot of kids that got fostered had their issues, after all. If Mrs. Carter herself was on our side, what could go wrong? Her opinion mattered a lot, after all.
By the time we left the apartment, I had found my confidence again. And then Natalie dropped a bomb by telling me I was scheduled to meet with my psychologist on Monday, and I turned into a complete nerve-wreck.