Chapter 18

The routine of the week was the same for Ben. He woke up, went to school, and came back home. He'd chat online with his friends until bedtime. Ben and Kadin headed to their lockers when their last class ended.

"Are you still coming on Saturday?" Kadin asked.

"Yes," Ben said, nodding his head. "I wouldn't miss you turning 16 for the world," he said.

"16 is good, but from what I heard, 18 is better," Kadin said.

"Why is that?" Ben asked.

"You get to know who your mate is, silly," Kadin said, smiling.

Alec stepped out of his office, locked the door, and walked up to the two boys.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, facing Ben.

"Yes, sir," Ben said, nodding his head. Ben waved goodbye to Kadin and followed his foster father.

"How did your day go?" Alec asked once they got into the car and started the engine.

"It went well," Ben said.

"Let's get that present you wanted to get and then head home," Alec said. Ben smiled and nodded.

They arrived at Home Depot and located a suitable parking spot. Alec found one near the store entrance and parked the car.

"Let's see what we can find," Alec said, heading over to the tools section. They stood in front of the tools and browsed through their options. "How about we start off by getting him a tool bag?" Alec suggested.

"Okay, his parents can buy him the tools," Ben said. They glanced at the selection of tool bags and pondered which was best.

"I found one, and it's also waterproof," Alec said, handing it to Ben to observe.

Ben looked over it before glancing at Alec. "Will it hold everything?" he asked.

"It's got five compartments, so it should hold everything," Alec said.

"He'll love it," Ben said.

"Can we get a card also?" Ben asked while they waited in line to pay for their purchase.

"Sure," Alec said, nodding his head. "We need to pick up milk and toilet paper anyway," he said. Once the present was paid for, they headed back to the car. "Is there anything you want for dinner?" Alec asked.

"Shells and cheese with hot dogs," Ben said.

"We'll pick some up," he said.

They arrived at Walmart and headed inside. First, they picked up milk, and then they headed over to the hot dogs. After that, they went to the pasta meals and picked up two boxes of shells and cheese. They then grabbed a big bag of toilet paper before heading over to the cards. A birthday card with a gaming controller on it caught his attention.

"This one is perfect for him," Ben said, picking it up. With everything in the cart, they headed toward the front of the store to check out. Alec noticed that Ben seemed sidetracked while they headed to the car.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Ben admitted, glancing behind his shoulder before returning his attention to the man. "My mind might be playing tricks on me, but it felt like we were being watched," he said.

Alec glanced behind them but didn't see anyone. "Come on, let's get home," he said. Ben shrugged it off as being a case of nerves and followed Alec.

"What time is the party?" Alec asked.

"1 p.m.," Ben said on the way home. "I'll write down the address," he said. Alec pulled into the driveway ten minutes later and turned off the engine.

"Let's get this stuff inside before we catch a cold," Alec said. Ben nodded his head and helped bring everything inside.

When the food was brought in and put away, Ben took Kadin's gift to his bedroom. He grabbed the card and opened it. He picked up a pen and began writing. When Ben finished, he put the present in his closet. Ben switched on his laptop and opened the app for the chat room. His eyes lit up when a familiar name caught his attention.

"Hi there," he said.

"Hi, how was your time with your foster dad?" Kadin asked.

"It was fun," Ben said. Ben then bit his lower lip. "Kadin, can I tell you something?" he asked.

The chat room went dead all of a sudden. "What's wrong?" Kadin asked. Ben took a deep breath and typed, "While we were at the grocery store, I felt someone watching us as we were leaving,"

"Do you think it was your father?" Kadin asked.

"I'm not sure," Ben said. "However, it did unnerve me," he said.

"If it was your dad, you've got several people around to protect you," he said.

"Does that include you?" Ben asked.

"Yes, it does, silly," Kadin said.

Ben turned his head towards the door when he heard Alec yell, "Ben, dinner is ready," from the hallway.

"I've got to go," he said. "It's dinner time,"

"Okay, if we don't talk later, I'll see you tomorrow," Kadin said. Ben said his goodbyes and shut down the laptop. He exited his bedroom and headed to the dining room.

"I told Kadin that we're still coming," Ben said, sitting down at the table.

"Did you tell him what unnerved you today?" Alec asked.

"Yes, I did," Ben said, nodding his head.

Deb glanced up from her plate with a puzzled look and asked, "What happened?"

"While we were at the grocery store, Ben sensed someone watching us," Alec explained.

"Did you see anyone?" she asked.

"No," Alec said, shaking his head.

"It was probably my imagination," Ben said. "Plus, Kadin said that if it were my father, I would have people who would protect me," he said.

As they ate their dinner, Ben couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. He didn't want to cause trouble, so he kept quiet.

"Tomorrow is his birthday." "I don't want to ruin it for him," Ben thought to himself.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked, eying him curiously.

"Yeah, just thinking about tomorrow," Ben said. Ben knew that it wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>