And Jasper knew that better than Archie.
* * * *
JASPER WAS STARVINGby the time he walked into the apartment he shared with Corey and Kerry.Luckily for him, someone had to be cooking because it smelled good.His stomach growled, and he quickly shed his jacket and shoes before heading to the kitchen.He wasn’t surprised to find Kerry at the stove, and she smiled when she saw him walk in.
“I didn’t expect you to be back for breakfast.Doesn’t your man feed you?”
Jasper stole a piece of bacon from the plate she had on the counter.“He would’ve fed me if he hadn’t had to go to work.”
“New case?”
“Yeah.Missing kid.”
Kerry grimaced.“Okay, I get why you didn’t have time to eat.Instead of stealing from the plate, though, why don’t you set the table and call Corey?”
“Yes, Mom,” Jasper said, sliding out of the way when she tried to whack him with the wooden spoon she was holding.He laughed and opened the cupboard to grab plates.
He loved Archie and staying with him, but he also loved the feeling of family he always had when he was at the apartment with his two best friends.They’d never made him feel different, not even after finding out that he wasn’t who they thought he was.They didn’t care that he wasn’t human.It hadn’t changed the way they behaved with him or what they thought of him.To them, he’d always just be Jasper, and when he thought about it too hard, it made him want to cry.He was grateful to have Archie in his life, but he also never wanted to lose Corey and Kerry.They were his family in a way that his parents had never been, and he knew they’d support him, whatever he decided to do next.
He thought as he set the table.Part of him wanted to find out what had happened and how he’d ended up with hunters, but another part of him was afraid.What if his biological family hadn’t wanted him?He thought he could deal with knowing that they’d died, even though he didn’t understand why his parents had taken him in since they were hunters and he wasn’t human, but he didn’t know what he’d do if he found out that he just hadn’t been good enough for his biological family.
Not that it mattered.It had been years, and what was done was done.Still, he suspected that he’d always wonder where he’d come from and that eventually, he’d want to find out.Why not do it now?
He was still thinking about it as he and his best friends sat at the table.He wasn’t sure where to start since asking Leroy wouldn’t help.There was no way Jasper’s father would answer any of his questions when it came to this.Jasper wasn’t even sure Leroy would want to talk to him.There was no way that he hadn’t known what Jasper was, which might explain the way he’d treated Jasper, but now that Jasper knew, he expected Leroy to keep his distance.He wouldn’t want to have to explain himself.
Jasper didn’t think he wanted to know what Leroy had to say.There were other ways for him to find the information he was looking for, or at least, he hoped so.He’d try everything else before he even considered talking to Leroy.There had to be some records of him somewhere, and if there was, he’d find them.The best way to do that was to go to the monster district and ask questions.It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was better than doing nothing on his day off.He normally would’ve spent it with Archie, but Archie was working, and that was okay.Jasper could do this without him.
Even though he didn’t want to.
Leroy would hate how reliant Jasper had already become on Archie, which was probably one of the reasons Jasper liked it so much.Or maybe he felt like Archie loved him in a way that not even his parents had been able to.It made more sense now that he knew he wasn’t actually their son, but at the same time, he hated having confirmation of what he’d known all along.
His parents didn’t truly love him.
Corey laughed loudly and threw a piece of bacon at his sister’s head.Jasper smiled, knowing that whatever happened, whatever he found out about his biological family and his past, it wouldn’t change this.It wouldn’t change his relationship with Corey and Kerry, or the one he was building with Archie.He was loved, no matter what and who he was.
That was what mattered the most.
Chapter Two
––––––––
THE PARENTS OF THEmissing boy were already at the office when Archie got there.He grimaced when he heard their voices as he walked in, hoping they hadn’t been here long.He’d been as fast as he could, but traffic was awful at this time of day, and he’d wasted a little time kissing Jasper before sending him out the door on his way.As much as he wanted to help, Jasper would always come first.
“Here’s my partner,” Braith said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in when Archie walked into the office.“These are Mr.and Mrs.Henderson,” he said.“Mr.and Mrs.Henderson, this is my partner, Archibald.”
Mr.Henderson had purplish skin and completely black eyes, along with stubby horns on his forehead.He looked a little frumpy, which wasn’t a surprise considering the night he’d probably had.Mrs.Henderson looked just as tired, with her green skin looking grayish and her long black hair hanging limply around her face.She was wringing her fingers together, but she stopped when Archie walked in.
Archie dropped the bag with the protein bars he’d grabbed from his cupboard for his and Braith’s breakfast on his desk and offered Mr.Henderson his hand since he was closest.“Archie, please.”
Braith’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead when he heard that, but Archie ignored him.He’d always disliked shortening his name until Jasper had started doing it.Now, he liked it because it reminded him of Jasper.
“Thank you for agreeing to help us,” Mrs.Henderson said as she, too, shook Archie’s hand before sitting back down.“We didn’t know who else to go to.We tried the police, but as I’m sure you can imagine, they’re not interested in finding a monster child.”
“We’ve dealt with them several times, so I do understand what you mean,” Archie said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
The human authorities never did anything for monsters.Most of them said it wasn’t their place, and maybe it wasn’t, but Archie knew that mostly, they didn’t care.They didn’t view monsters as important.They weren’t human, so they didn’t matter.It was one of the reasons he and Braith had created their agency, and Archie had never regretted putting as much work as he had into it.
“Why don’t you tell Archie what you’ve already told me?”Braith suggested once they were all sitting down.
