Page 32 of Cultivating Caden
Chapter 9
“You’re going where?”
Ten had asked the same question a dozen times in the last five minutes. He was like a dog with a bone he refused to let go of.
“Caden asked me to come with him to meet his friends. He wants me there in case something happens so he can make sure they’re safe.”
That had Ten walking on clouds. He practically sang when he said, “Oh, that’s great.”
“What are you so happy about?” Because a happy Ten was a suspicious Ten.
An enigmatic smile. “Nothing. I’m just happy.”
A giddy fool was more appropriate. Tennyson sat at the counter of the diner, sharing breakfast with Quade and Caden. He dug into his eggs and bacon with gusto, then started in on his hash browns, and, of course, gulped down his ubiquitous glass of orange juice.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then turned to Caden. “So when do you leave?”
“Buddy, you’ve got the manners of a—”
“Goat?”
“Totes. And don’t butt in.”
The two of them cracked up, and once again Caden was struck by how they seemed more like family than friends. Whereas Quade was hesitant around other people, he practically shone when he was with Ten. They roughhoused, teased, and at one point, when Ten slid his hand into Quade’s, there wasn’t a complaint. Quade simply held Ten’s hand as the boy beamed a smile.
“We’re going tomorrow. I wanted the day with you guys like we planned.”
“Where are we going to start?”
Quade nudged Ten with his shoulder, almost knocking him from his seat. “Let’s just relax and enjoy the day together, all right? There aren’t any set plans, so we’ll just go with the flow.”
“Yeah, but—” Ten stopped when Quade scowled. “Fine.”
In that moment Ten was definitely a twelve-year-old. He folded his arms across his chest and pouted.
Caden had been amazed when they went out onto the streets of Sanctuary. He thought Quade had been exaggerating when he said it was like a small city, but it truly was. He knew they were underground, but there were paved streets, shops filled with doodads and trinkets, and stores that sold furniture, and even a bicycle repair shop. Everything was neat and orderly, cute and unbelievably charming. People walked the streets and said hello to one another, stopped and offered to buy their friend a coffee.
“Do you have homeless people down here?”
Quade had seemed aghast at the question. “No, definitely not. Everyone has a place to live. Most of them are like our apartments, though some of the families have houses on the outskirts of Sanctuary. The dwarves ensure the stability of the area meticulously, not allowing the infrastructure to grow too large too quickly. They want to make sure we don’t have another cave-in.”
And that set off another round of Caden searching the area. He glanced up and found the panels that doubled as windows also lined the ceiling. It was a bright, sunny day. Fluffy clouds drifted lazily in what appeared to be a perfect summer sky.
“I like the sun, but you should see it when there’s a thunderstorm. You can hear and feel it down to your bones.”
He smiled down at Ten, who was also looking up.
“How do they do it?”
Quade chuckled. “I’d say it’s a combination of science and magic, but I’m not sure you’d believe me.”
A month ago? No, he would have said Quade was crazy. Now? He’d seen a man change into a wolf, had a kid rummaging around in his head? Then there was the fact that he was walking the streets of an underground city.
“Yeah, I’d believe you.”
When they got to the diner, Ten had rushed inside and told the stocky lady behind the register there were three of them and he asked to sit at the counter. She waved toward it and said to help themselves.
The diner was a throwback of days gone by. Tidy to the point where you could probably eat off the checkerboard floor. The place was stunning. The metal and wood of the tabletops gleamed in the overhead lights.
