Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

-Oliver-
I was extremely nervous on Monday morning, no matter how hard I tried to not think about the evaluation. How was I not supposed to think about it? Their decision would either change my life completely, or then force me to continue living like this, knowing I had a chance to get an actual home.
It was honestly turning me into such a nerve-wreck I couldn't even worry over the Son of Whoever.
At least at school, I had Jaden's soothing presence to help me stay somewhat calm, even when he wasn't in the same room with me. It was enough to feel him close by. I tried to focus on my classes, but at that moment, studying felt like just a waste of time.
I tried to be social while I was with Jaden, Arch, and Tilly, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the evaluation. None of them talked much either, and I figured it was mostly my fault since they could feel my anxiety, but I also hoped they knew I was glad for their company.
Because without them, I would've completely lost my mind and then I'd definitely fail the evaluation.
It took me a while to notice Jaden was getting distracted by something else every now and then. He had also been really quiet the entire day. After we ate our lunch – at least I tried – I noticed him glancing over his shoulder a few times as we were leaving the lunch hall.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to see what he was looking at, but I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
"What? Nothing?" he spoke, but I could feel him begging for me to not push it further, so I didn't.
It was definitely something.
We still had some time to spare, so we just walked around the school in silence, but at some point, Jaden stopped me, but turned to speak to Tilly and Arch.
"You guys go ahead. We'll come find you in a minute," he told them.
"What? Why?" Tilly frowned.
"Just give us some privacy, will you?" Jaden said.
"Ugh, fine," Tilly said, and the two of them continued walking.
"How are you holding up?" Jaden asked me, but I could tell he was just pretending so Tilly or Arch wouldn't get suspicious.
Like I was.
"I'm good, I guess," I said, playing along.
"Are you sure? You know I will get you that home, no matter what," he said, and this time I knew he wasn't just acting. "Nothing will stand in your way as long as I'm alive."
I smiled at him and got up on my toes to peck his lips, and then hugged him tightly. "I know."
"Good. You have absolutely nothing to worry about," he said as he hugged me back.
I nodded, enjoying his body against mine for a while. "I think they're far enough now."
Jaden peered over his shoulder and nodded in agreement.
"So, what's up?" I asked, taking a step back.
"I know why Tilly is like that. All moping and sad," Jaden muttered.
"Oh?" I asked, doing my best to hold my tongue so I wouldn't joke about how long it took him to realize that.
But he knew what I was thinking.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm not a fast thinker," he snorted at me.
"It's fine. I still like you," I said, patting his cheek. "So what's bothering you?"
"That guy," Jaden whispered, looking around like he was searching for Ben. "There's something about him I'm not sure if I like."
Now I got worried. "Like what?"
He shook his head with a frown, looking very troubled.
"Selene said he's sweet," I said when he didn't speak.
"She better be right about him, since I'm not so sure..."
"What is it?" I asked. "Why don't you like him?"
"He's not afraid of me," Jaden suddenly spat out.
I stared at him for a moment, not really understanding his words. "He's not...? Why does it matter?"
"I don't mean he should be afraid of me, but he's not acting normally around me," he said. "I mean... Ugh... Look, humans are careful around me. A lot of other supernaturals are too. They can feel my Alpha spirit, and that alone makes the weaker beings kind of like... not want to mess with me."
"I'm not sure if you're making sense..." I said truthfully.
"When I looked at him, I could feel his strength. He's not weaker than me. He's... I don't think he's human," he concluded. "He sure as hell smells like one, but his confidence isn't human."
I was silent as I tried to process his words. "Are you sure he's not human? He has a human spirit. There's nothing weird about it."
He sighed in frustration and turned to look over my shoulder. "There he is!"
I turned around too and spotted Ben walking in our direction. I quickly turned back around, reading his spirit more carefully than anyone else's ever before.
"Nope, perfectly human," I said.
Jaden didn't seem like he believed me.
"Look, even Selene didn't say anything about it, and I know she would've told me if he wasn't a human. She was worried he'd only get himself killed if Tilly let the bond grow."
Jaden shook his head, glaring at Ben, who walked past us.
"I'm sorry but... Maybe you're just not as scary as you thought you are," I said quietly.
He gave me a furious glare. "I'm... That's not the... No."
"What else can I say? He's human," I shrugged.
He snorted at me and turned to glare after Ben again. I already knew this wasn't the end of it.
"I'm curious to see if you're right, though," I continued to make him feel better.
"I'll find out what he is," Jaden said. "I made the same mistake with you, and I won't do it again."
"He's not a spirit walker," I noted. "He's too tall."
Jaden glanced at me and suddenly started laughing. "That he sure is."
I was happy to hear him laugh, but I couldn't really disregard his words, either. I trusted his instincts, after all.
"Thanks," he said, and pecked my cheek.
I forgot all about Ben when school ended a few hours later.
Mainly because I wanted to throw up all over Natalie's car as she was driving us to the group home. I was supposed to meet with my psychiatrist right after school. Natalie tried to reassure me everything would go just fine, but there was no way of convincing my poor stomach. Even meeting Hades hadn't been this scary! It was nearly impossible for me to breathe!
And it only got worse when Natalie parked the car in front of the group home. I couldn't move. I just stared at the building. The people doing my evaluation were probably already waiting for me...
"Can I just... Not be there? They can evaluate me while I'm not there, right?" I asked, trying to sound like I was joking, but I really wasn't.
"It'll be fine," Natalie said for the hundredth time. "I'll be close by the entire time, I promise."
"As a spirit?" I asked, feeling hopeful, but when I turned to look at her, I already knew the answer, and it wasn't the one I wanted to hear.
"It will be fine," she said sternly. "Just don't mention anything about the supernatural side of the world and you're good."
"What if I accidentally slip that I have a piece of Hades' soul inside me? Or that I talk to gods during the nights? Or that I have a guardian spirit living in my own spirit?"
"Oliver," she said sternly, but with a gentle smile. "It. Will. Be. Fine."
I tried to take a deep breath and calm down. Twice. No, three times.
It didn't work.
"I suppose we should get this over with," I grunted, but still couldn't step out of the car.
"We're not in any hurry," she replied.
I waited for a few moments, hoping I'd start calming down, but waiting was really making things only worse, so I sighed and opened the door.
"Let's get this over with," I mumbled, and she followed me.
When we reached the door, Natalie suddenly turned to give me a big hug. I hugged her back, finally feeling at least some kind of peace.
"You know that whatever happens, our home is still your home, even if you don't get to move in with us just yet, right?" she whispered in my ear.
I nodded, suddenly feeling emotional. It was hard to let go of her and go face the evaluation, but somehow, I did manage to straighten my posture.
"It'll be fine," I told myself while Natalie opened the door.
I immediately wanted to run when I spotted Mrs. Carter in the living room with my psychiatrist, Mrs. Rose. They were accompanied by a man I didn't recognize, but I could tell he was with the two women. Someone important. Someone very scary.
I stepped closer to Natalie, wanting to hide behind her back like I did as a kid when something scared me.
"Oliver! How are you doing today?" Mrs. Carter came to ask me.
"Good, good... A little nervous..." I muttered.
"There's nothing to be nervous about," she said with a wide smile. "Do you want a moment, or should we get this show on the road?"
Show... Oh god, that didn't make me feel any easier.
"Let's do this," I said as bravely as I could, and Mrs. Crater gestured for me to follow them into the office at the back of the building.
I was glad to have Natalie accompany me during that awfully long walk through the short hallway. I really just wanted to make a run for it...
"Right this way, Oliver," Mrs. Rose told me, giving me room to step into the office first.
After she had followed me inside, I turned to look at Natalie again, who gave me the thumbs up with a nervous smile on her face. Seeing that made me feel a little bit better, somehow. Maybe it was the fact that she, too, wanted this to go well so I could move in with her.
The fact that she cared so much...
I took a deep breath and turned around to face my psychiatrist with a calmer mind. At least I still had Cedric with me.
"How are you doing?" Mrs. Rose asked, gesturing for me to take a seat in front of her.
"Pretty good, though I am nervous..." I told her.
After a while, I did start feeling better. This was pretty much like any other session I'd had with her, so it was easier to relax. We talked mostly about the ordinary things, how I was doing, how was school, was I getting enough sleep and so on.
And then, finally, she asked how I felt about moving in with Natalie and Mike.
"I really want to," I told her, stressing each word, hoping she would see how badly I wanted it. "Honestly, if I can't move in with them... I don't know how to get over it. I've been living here for years. Years. I love this place, but... I want to live with them. I love Natalie and Mike. Especially Natalie. She's been there for me every step of the way."
Mrs. Rose nodded slowly. "I can see that, Oliver. Do you know why we want to be careful with you?"
"You mean the incident with the last foster parents?" I said, and she nodded. "I know. I know I couldn't be fostered for years because of what happened. But I am so much better now, and I trust Natalie. I know she cares about me and she wants what's best for me."
"Trust is very important," she said, and nodded almost absentmindedly as she wrote something down on her papers. "Tell me, what are the three most important reasons why you want to move in with them?"
"Three...?" I repeated, and she nodded, looking at me expectantly. I leaned back in my seat and thought about it for a moment. "Because they care about me. I've never had anyone who cared about me like they do. And I care about them. I really do. They are very important to me, and there is no one else I want to call my foster parents."
She nodded and wrote down something again, then turned to look at me.
"And I know I'd have a happy, loving home with them," I said, smiling at the thought. "I already saw the apartment, and it's amazing! Natalie told me their home is my home even if I need to wait for a few years before I can move in with them, so I know they wouldn't abandon me after I turn eighteen. I know I could still call their home my own even after I'm all grown up and moved out."
I gave her a moment to write down my answer – I assumed that's what she was doing. When she looked up at me again, I already had the third reason ready.
"I know Natalie took this job so she could show you guys that she is serious about giving me a home. They did everything they could to prove themselves. They wanted to be my parents, and they never gave up on me, even after all these years. I want them to be my parents. Not just foster parents. My parents."
Mrs. Rose was silent for a moment, slowly nodding her head. "Well, I must say I like your reasons," she finally told me. "I feel like I'm ready to give my opinion on the matter."
With that, she stood up and flashed a smile at me. "Come – let's go tell the others we are ready."
Now the nervousness really hit me. I stood up, and my need to throw up started getting unbearable as I followed her out of the room.
Natalie basically ran to me when she spotted us, Mrs. Carter and the man following her at a slower pace.
"How did it go?" Natalie asked, but I wasn't given any time to reply.
"We'll have a short meeting now with Mrs. Carter and Mr. Jackson over this matter. Excuse us for a moment," Mrs. Rose said, and the three of them vanished inside the office.
"How did it go?" Natalie asked again, peering at the closed door.
"I... Don't know?" I muttered, looking at the door as well.
I really wanted to turn into a spirit and go eavesdrop, but I didn't have the guts to do so. I let Natalie take my hand and lead me into the kitchen, where she prepared a big cup of hot chocolate for me.
"I'm sure it went well," Natalie said, trying to smile at me, but it was a super nervous one.
Neither of us barely said a word during the next thirty minutes while we were forced to wait for their judgement. I really felt like I was in a trial, risking my life. In a way, I was. My immediate future depended on their decision.
Yes or no?
My heart froze when I heard the office door being opened even from the distance. We both turned to look towards the sounds of the three people approaching us, but neither of us got up from our seats at first. I guess we were both too nervous to do so.
Natalie finally understood to get up on her feet when the three officials appeared around the corner. It took me a short moment before I could follow her. She took my hand in hers when they stopped in front of us, looking like the scariest jury one would ever meet.
"It is settled, then," Mr. Jackson said, flashed a smile, and offered his hand for Natalie to shake. "We have come to an agreement, and we have accepted your application. We would love to have you and your husband foster Oliver."
I started crying on the spot. So did Natalie, when the man turned to speak to me.
"Congratulations on your new home, Oliver."