“You glow,” Cassius said, pointing to the yellow crayon on the table. “You glow brighter than this.”
“Ah, I’m glad.” Apollo understood now. “What color does your father look like?” he asked as he had an idea.
Cassius thought for a moment, and then he reached out, his hand hovering between a red and a purple crayon. “I think if my father got angry, he would look like this color,” he said, pointing to the red crayon. “Most of the time, like when you came in, he would be this color.” He moved his hand to the purple crayon. “And then there are other times,” he said, glancing up at Apollo, side-eyed, as if testing his reaction, “when he doesn’t look like he does now, and he’s more like this color.” He pointed to the brown, which was a very close approximation of the color of Titus’s fur.
“You see a lot of things people wouldn’t understand, don’t you?” Apollo smiled to show that it was a good thing. “I think we can learn a lot from each other, don’t you?”
“There’s so much I don’t know,” Cassius admitted, and his face fell. “We never had a lot of time for schooling. My mom…” He hesitated and Apollo quickly guessed why.
“It’s always going to be alright to talk about your mom. No matter what you say, so long as you are honest with yourself and us, neither Titus nor I will get angry about it.”
Cassius’s shoulder seemed to slump as if a huge weight was lifted off them. “Mom always said I couldn’t go to school, because she said people wouldn’t understand me.”
Apollo longed to touch the child. He could see there was something going on with Cassius, but he couldn’t quite work out what it was. Cassius definitely wasn’t human, so that was going to make things easier, especially because it seemed that he was very aware he was different. “I’m not sure about this, because I don’t have a lot of experience with moms,” Apollo said slowly, making sure he didn’t show any judgment in his tone. “ButI’ve always heard that mothers can be very protective of their children. If you want to learn things, Titus and I will help you learn. But I can see a lot of exciting things happening, should you decide that you want to come and live with us.”
Cassius was looking at him fully now, his drawing forgotten. “What sort of thing? What’s exciting about any of this? You’re just gonna be stuck with me. I’m just gonna be another kid…”
Shaking his head, Apollo chuckled. “You’re not just any kid. You’re Titus Haverland’s kid. You’re my kid, too. That means something special. You don’t have to believe that now, but you just wait and see. We’ll talk more about that sort of thing later, but I can already see you’re an amazing person and you’re going to teach me and Titus so much.”
“I’m just a kid. I can’t teach you anything.”
“Yes, you can,” Apollo said. “For starters, look at me and Titus. We’re not kids. It’s actually been a very long time since we were kids.”
Some of us weren’t kids at all, but Apollo kept that thought to himself. “You can teach us what it’s like to see the world through the eyes of a person who’s younger than us. Don’t you think that would be so much fun, if you wanted to share that with us?”
Apollo could see the longing in the little boy’s eyes, but he could feel the hesitation too. “I’m scared,” Cassius admitted at last.
“I understand.” Apollo nodded. “But do you remember when you said that you could see me glow?”
“I know I’m not allowed to tell anybody,” Cassius said quickly. “Mom was very strict about that.”
Apollo wondered what other glowing beings Cassius had seen, but that was a question for another time. “The thing is, that glow means something really special, but for now all you needto know is that if you need anything, you tell us, if you want anything, you tell us. Whatever you don’t understand, if you talk to us, we’ll work it out. No matter what, Titus will always protect you.”
“But what about you?” Cassius asked. “Won’t you protect me, too?”
“Oh, definitely. But Titus is the protective one in our family,” Apollo giggled. “I’m the one who likes having picnics on the bed or who builds forts in the living room.” Actually, Apollo had never done that. He knew it involved sheets and blankets being draped over furniture – he remembered an older lady telling him about it when he was helping out at an art gallery one time a few years before.
“Your father is about business and getting things done. I love music, art, and walking in nature. I’m a bit dreamy sometimes, so if you see me just wandering off, or if I’m sitting there with a funny expression on my face…” he pulled a face and Cassius actually laughed. That sound alone warmed Apollo’s heart. “If I ever do that, just come and tap me on the arm. You can remind me I’m in the real world because I forget that sometimes.”
“That does sound like fun.” But then Cassius’s face became sad again. “What’s gonna happen to me?” he asked. “No one will tell me what happened to Mom and Brian. They just brought me here and told me my dad was coming to pick me up.”
Apollo noticed that Cassius called Lorna’s bond-mate by name.Did Lorna tell her bond-mate that Titus was Cassius’s father all this time? What possible reason could she have given for not being with him then?Those, too, were questions for another day. Cassius deserved an honest answer.
“I’m not sure what happened exactly, but I think there was a horrible accident. Unfortunately, your mom and Brian are bothdead.” There was no point in sugarcoating it. Cassius was going to learn about it soon enough, and he deserved the truth.
“Your dad is trying to find out what happened now – that’s why he’s out there talking to those men when he’d rather be in here with you. But the important thing for you to remember is that for as long as you want, you’ll have a home with us. You’ll have your own room in my house,” Apollo pointed at his picture. “Probably this one right here.” He tapped the upper-story window. “You can live with us. I know you’ll miss your mom, and that’s perfectly okay. It’ll take a bit of an adjustment as we all get to know each other, but you won’t be alone.”
Apollo had another thought. “Did you know that your dad drives trucks? Those great big ones with the pretty pictures painted on the sides? Have you seen any of them before?”
“I have.” Cassius seemed excited about that. “That could be a lot of fun. Do you think he’d let me see it, or maybe even sit in the truck and toot the horn?”
“I know if you asked, he’d probably take you on a trip in the truck,” Apollo said. “Whatever you want. All you have to do is ask. We’re not mind readers, so we might not know what you want, but if you ask, we’ll do our best to make it happen for you, no matter what it is. All right?”
Cassius made a point of looking around the room. Then he glanced at Titus through the glass, and then at the other two men who were standing with him. Then he wiggled his chair, so it was right next to Apollo’s before leaning against Apollo’s shoulder.
“You said I could ask for anything, so can we get out of here, please? This place doesn’t feel right. It makes my skin crawl. I’d love it if we could leave here and have a burger and a Coke. I haven’t had that for the longest time.”
“I’m sure we can do that,” Apollo said. “Have you finished your picture?” He reached over, pulling it closer to them, without dislodging Cassius from his arm.
