Page 33 of Cultivating Caden
“The seats aren’t really leather, so you can sit on them,” Ten announced as he sat on the red seat and twirled around.
“Ten!” Quade snapped.
He stopped immediately and dipped his chin. “Sorry.”
“You should be. You know you don’t do stuff like that.” Quade took a seat. “Unless I’m doing it with you. Ready? Go!”
And the two fools spun around and around, until they nearly keeled over, and then they looked at each other and busted out laughing. Such warmth radiated from them that Caden was happy to be in their company. Images flashed in his mind of Quade and Ten, sitting by the water, watching as the sun went down. Ten reached out and took Quade’s hand, then smiled when Quade wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
The moment was so pure, so beautiful, and Caden felt to his soul that he was meant to see this. To somehow be part of this. Or maybe it was simply wishful thinking. After his mom died, Caden was alone for too long. He yearned to have a family once again, to share the love, the hardships, the joys, and the pain. He’d take it all, if only he could.
After the diner, they strolled the block, checking out various shops. Caden found a few things he liked, and Quade handed over a handful of shiny glass bits in exchange for them.
“I have money.”
Quade smiled indulgently. “We don’t take your currency. People rarely leave Sanctuary, unless they’re agents. We live and work down here, raise our families, and overall, we’re pretty self-sufficient. We have farms that produce our food, small factories that craft the items we need, and things like that. The bike shop? The factory makes the chains and tires by repurposing older materials that we’ve scrounged over the years. There is very little waste down here. We recycle everything and anything. We have compost heaps where people bring their food scraps and dump them, ensuring the farmers have nutrient-rich soil.”
“But you can’t haveeverythingdown here. It’s not possible.”
Ten giggled. It was a delightful sound, which reminded Caden that for all his power, Ten was still a boy.
“No, you’re right. There are some things we need from outside. Medical supplies and stuff like that. The outside world has access to equipment that we can’t build, so we have a liaison who orders what we need, then goes into town to pick it up from the post office and bring it back to us. No one delivers out here, and we like it that way.”
Caden could see why. He’d yet to see anything that showed him Sanctuary wasn’t perfect.
“So this is paradise?”
“Oh, heck no. We’ve got people who have trouble fitting in. Teenagers who know there’s something outside our walls and want to explore it, older folks who get drunk and start shit. It’s no different than any other small town, but we handle things our own way. There are no jails. We believe that people just need to be reminded that they’re part of the community and that usually works. For those who are a little more… stringent, we have people who work with them to find that sense of purpose again. Worst-case scenario, we have Ten.”
“I get to be the one who helps people like Quade.” Ten’s tiny chest puffed up. “I’m not needed often, but I like helping.”
“What happens with the teens who want to leave?”
“The same thing that will happen with you. Once we—and by we, I mean, me—are satisfied you’re in control of your abilities, you’re welcome to leave if you want. I’d say maybe one percent go and don’t come back. Most people are disillusioned by what they find out there and rush home where it’s safe.”
“So, wait. I can leave if I learn to use these… gifts properly?”
“It’s something that takes years, but yes.”
Caden stopped, ignoring the people who walked by them. “But if Ten can get into people’s minds, why can’t he teach them to take charge of their abilities?”
“Because that requires control that not even Ten has. Messing with someone’s mind isn’t something we advocate.”
“If I do something in your head, the risk of hurting you grows for everything I change. Surface stuff is easy. Like, what’s Quade’s favorite color?”
“Green.”
“See? When I worked with you, I taught you things about us. What’s mine?”
“You like blue, especially the deep blue that you see at night when you’re looking up at the stars. You love the way the moon shimmers in the heat, and—wow.”
“Because you were going to be working with us, I thought it would be helpful if we weren’t strangers to you. Like knowing Quade is a lycan or that I’ve got gifts of my own. Nothing too serious, but enough where you’d be comfortable around us.”
“You told him my favorite color?”
Ten shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Duh. What’s Caden’s favorite color?”
“White. He likes the purity of it.”
