This ce wasn''t anything special-just a random estate Charles picked up,
mostly so his two dogs could have somewhere to go wild. He didn''t think much of
it. After all, he''d seen far better.
"ra, you just ate. Walk with me for a bit? Might help you digest."
"Okay." She answered right away, practically bouncing after him.
Back when Charles lived with the Chester family, his only real interactions with
people were during missions-usually the dangerous kind. Now, with someone
actually choosing to tag along just because, he felt a strange kind of curiosity.
They hadn''t gone far before ra started to slow, her steps turning careful-the
pain from her wound catching up to her.
Charles noticed right away and turned them back. Soon, they were sprawled on
the giant sofa in the living room. Charles grabbed a game controller and handed it
over.
"You know how to y? Let''s do it. I''m seriously good at this."
She nced at the controller, then at him, and nodded.
Charles couldn''t help but grin. He switched on the console.
Super Mario popped up on the screen. It was a total ssic-ancient, really.
Nobody yed it anymore.
His older brother was always too busy with work to bother. Mitch was off chasing
girls. Charles never expected anyone to actually y with him-and ra was
pretty good at it, too.
It was honestly the first time in his life someone had yed a game with him just
for fun.
The family doctor hung around in the background, quietly bringing snacks and
bowls of fruit, changing the bandages on ra''s wrist and neck whenever she
took a break.
They yed untilte afternoon. Charles was practically glowing, tugging ra
toward the door, ready for another adventure.
But the doctor stepped in, blocking their way. "Charles, let her rest a bit more,
okay? I know you''re excited, but you need to think about her recovery."
Charles''s face fell. He let go of ra''s shoulder. "Alright. You should get some
sleep, ra."
ra''s eyes sparkled as she looked at him, catching the disappointment he tried
to hide.
"If you want to go out, I''ll go with you," she said softly. "I''m not tired. Really."
A wave of happiness shot through Charles, prickling from his toes all the way up.
He grabbed her shoulders, held back for a second, then gave her an enthusiastic
pat.
"You''re the best, ra. Seriously. From now on, we''re siblings. Real siblings,
even if we''re not rted."
ra thought about it, ready to argue, but Charles was already pulling her out the
door before she could say anything.
The two dogs wanted to tag along
too, so Charles turned to the doctor.
"Keep an eye on them, will you? This
isn''t overseas-people here don''t like
big dogs running loose. If they scare
someone again, I''ll have to go bail
them out at the police station."
The doctor nodded, reminding him gently, "Charles, make sure you and Ms. ra
Charles was too excited to listen-he''d never had someone his own age to hang
out with before, and right now, nothing else mattered.
"Yeah, yeah, don''t wait up if we''rete," he called back.
The doctor wasn''t worried about
Charles''s safety. His mind didn''t
work quite like everyone else''s, but
his skills were legendary. With the
dogs by his side, nobody could
touch him.
The Chester brothers had always
kept a close watch, afraid someone
might take advantage of how
trusting he was. But over the years,
Charles never really let anyone
in-except his dogs. Anyone who
tried to get close never even got the
chance.
In his world, the dogs came first. Mitch was a close second.
Charles himself was like a perfectly sharpened de-fierce, loyal, and always on
guard.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!