"Good morning," Eden smiled at Cameron as the younger boy padded his way into the living room, plopping himself onto the couch. "Want lunch? I was just fixing myself some sandwiches."

"Sure," Cameron yawned. "Thanks, Eden."

"No problem," Eden responded, fixing up a few extra sandwiches before joining Cameron on the couch. "Mind if I ask when your lessons with Adam are? I go four times a week, though he mentioned you do more than me."

"I see him every day," Cameron took a bite of his sandwich. "Usually around one-crap."

"What?" Eden asked.

"I'm, um, supposed to be meeting someone else at one today," Cameron answered. "To, uh, get a phone."

"A phone?" Eden asked, and Cameron squirmed a little. "What's wrong, Cameron?"

"I got chased by mage traffickers yesterday," Cameron looked down, his voice quieting. "I-I made a deal with Seph for protection and rescue. He's a-a-"

"A vampire," Eden said, and Cameron gave him a stunned look. "I live in the Blood, Cam, I know about Seph. I picked this apartment specifically because it meant lower odds of being chased by traffickers due to its location. When are you supposed to meet with him?"

"Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays," Cameron answered. "Around eightish at night. I-I'll need to tell him that-"

"I can take you," Eden assured him. "I can teleport with someone else, and you're a lot smaller than the people I normally teleport with."

Cameron's face flushed, and Eden quickly realized the implication of that. He was glad Cameron hadn't gotten mad and mentally assaulted him for the size comment, though.

"Fairies," Eden hastily amended. "They sometimes track me down because of how much power I have. I drop them off somewhere else, then put three bullets in them. The government's still trying to figure out who's doing that."

Cameron frowned.

"Three?" He asked. "You were doing that last night, too."

"Yeah," Eden said, teleporting into his room, then back to the couch, holding up one of his guns. He pulled out the magazine and showed Cameron the green-tinged bullets. "These bullets are designed for fighting fae. One shot can kill, if it's a clean shot in the heart or brain, but it's not a guarantee. One to slow, two to cripple, three guarantees a kill. I can take out five fae before having to reload a gun. Want me to teach you how to use them?"

Cameron shifted around uncomfortably.

"You don't have to," Eden assured him. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to, Cam, it's just an offer. If you don't want to use guns, I'll protect you from the fae. I promise."

Cameron nodded, dropping a hand onto Soldier and playing with his ears, feeling the contentment. Eden asked where he was supposed to meet to get the phone, and after being told, he informed Cameron it was a dog park and they could take Soldier.

"I'll let Adam know you'll be a bit late," Eden said. "Then take you to him after."

"Thanks," Cameron said, then finished his lunch, feeling a lot more comfortable than he had in awhile.

He knew it was a bad idea, getting comfortable again, but he did anyway. Eden was strong and fast, and he could teleport, too. And he'd been fighting fae and was a badass the night before. He was positive that Eden would be safe and trusted Eden more than he'd trusted even Blake.

When it was time to head to the park, Eden fixed a leash to Soldier's collar, then teleported the three of them to the park and started playing with Soldier while Cameron sat on a bench and watched. A few minutes passed before a man came up to him, holding a phone in one hand.

"Cameron?" The man asked, and Cameron eyed him suspiciously. His mind held no hostility. "Seph asked me to deliver this to you."

Cameron took the offered phone and thanked the man, who left. Pocketing the phone, Cameron returned his gaze to Eden and Soldier, beginning his breathing exercises. After a few more minutes, he stopped, sensing a familiar mind approaching him. Two familiar minds.

Rather than turning, he kept his gaze forward, and a few moments later, Rufus bounded around the bench and pushed his way between Cameron's legs, looking up at the boy, who started rubbing his head.

"Hey, Cameron," Abigail said. "Fancy seeing you here. Your parents have a dog?"

"No," Cameron answered. "My friend does. That's him with Soldier."

Cameron gestured to Eden, who'd noticed the strange woman with his friend and had begun walking over, Soldier right beside him.

"You look kind of sad," she said. "Did something happen since we saw each other yesterday?"

"One of my friends died," Cameron said quietly. "He was killed in an attack last night."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said. "Do you want to talk about-hold on."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Abigail pulled out her phone and checked who was calling.

"This is work," she told him. "If you want to talk about it, we can after I take this call. Want to watch Rufus while I do?"

"Sure," Cameron started playing with Rufus a bit more as Abigail stepped away.

----------------------------------------

Abigail noted the teen talking with Cameron and checking he was okay as she answered the phone.

"Hey," she said. "What happened, Amy? Did Jared-"

"No, Jared's fine," her boss responded. "He didn't call the office after you left."

Abigail let out a huge sigh of relief. The sixteen-year-old had a tendency to call the office within two hours of her leaving him at a home, asking to be removed. Always with valid reasons. If he didn't make that call, then he usually stayed until the people caring for him no longer wanted to. It was a curse he had, he claimed. She would likely have to put him in a group home if he got kicked out again, and finding one that worked with a blind kid was hard.

"What's up?" She asked.

"About the boy you were looking into," Amy said. "You said he's twelve, with his birthday on Halloween, and will be turning thirteen? Blond hair, blue eyes?"

"Yes," Abigail looked over at Cameron, who was playing with both dogs while his friend sat protectively beside him, keeping an eye on everyone around him. "Did results come back already?"

"Yeah," Amy said. "His name's Ambrosious Nathaniel Caldwell, and he ran away from his latest foster home more than two years ago – and more than two hundred miles away. It was on his tenth birthday, so pretty much three years, now. He's been presumed dead. Since you said you've seen him twice, can you confirm for me the next time you do if it's him or not? If it is, we'll have his case transferred down here."

Jeez. Whoever named him must have wanted him to get picked on, Abigail thought.

"I'm actually looking at him right now," Abigail told her boss rather than voicing her thoughts. "He claims to have a family, but I was able to tell the first time we met that he'd been on the streets. He's gained some weight since then, so I think he's been staying with someone, possibly the kid he's here with now."

"At the dog park?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Abigail responded. "He's playing with Rufus while I talk with you."

"I managed to find out what his token is," Amy said. "If you can verify he has it, it'll as good as confirm it's him."

The token was their term for an object many foster kids had. They kept with it them through their homes, often as a reminder of their life before they were in the system or something to remain constant for them in a changing life. Jared's, the kid Abigail had thought the call was about, was his father's class ring.

"What is it?" Abigail asked.

"Literally a token," Amy answered. "It's a gold coin a little bigger than a quarter with a crown over a staff imprinted on one side and some odd runes on the other. He was given up for adoption at birth, and the coin came from his mother. I'm honestly not sure how he managed to keep hold of it, especially early on. From what the report says, it's real gold. I'll text you the picture they sent me."

"Thanks," Abigail said. "I'll let you know if I can get him to confirm it for me."

"Thanks," Amy said. "Good luck."

Abigail hung up, and a moment later, checked her phone as the image of the coin was texted to her, both sides of it in the image. She walked back over to the two boys, noting the older one hovered protectively beside Cameron as soon as she approached.

"Sorry about that," Abigail said. "I told you I was a social worker, right?"

Cameron nodded, and Eden tensed up.

"Well, that was about a case I'm working with," Abigail told him. "It was rather important, though it looks like you and Rufus got along great again."

"Yeah," Cameron gave her a suspicious smile, almost as if he knew she was nervous about asking him.

"Want to see something my boss texted me?" Abigail asked. "It has to do with the case."

Cameron nodded, the suspicion still clear on his face. She held up her phone, and as soon as he saw the image, he jumped to his feet, tripping over Rufus as he tried to run. The other boy grabbed him and pulled the younger one behind him, firmly planting himself between Cameron and Abigail.

"What did you show him?" He demanded. "Who are you? What do you want with Cam? Why did you just freak him out?"

Abigail took a deep breath.

"Cameron," she said as she pocketed her phone. "I know who you really are, and I know that that's your token. I'm not going to make you go back. However, I want to make sure you're okay. My first concern is about your safety, Cameron."

"He's perfectly safe with me," the teen glared at her. "He doesn't need children's services looking out for him, not after they failed him. Cameron, we're late for your lessons, and our teacher is waiting. Soldier! Come!"

Abigail watched as the two boys left, looking down at Rufus for a moment before looking back to them, only they'd gone. Looking around, she frowned. It was as if they'd vanished into thin air. She couldn't see them anywhere.

Sighing, she pulled out her phone and called Amy.

"Did you already talk to him?" Amy asked.

"It's him," she said. "Judging by the way he reacted to the image of the coin. The teen he was here with is rather protective, so I'm thinking that he's been taking care of Cameron – that's what he's calling himself – since he came to town. I didn't catch a name, so I'll have to see if I can figure that out next time I see Cameron."

"Alright," Amy said. "I've already had the case transferred down here, I was sure it was the kid you were talking about."

"Does it give anything useful?"

"Other than that he'd been in more than a dozen homes before he ran away?" Amy asked. "Not really. There's no indication he'd be as resourceful as he was, either. Two hundred miles is quite the distance to travel on his own."

"I doubt he's had help from others," Abigail asked. "To be honest, with how suspicious he is, I was surprised he made a friend around here. The other kid's well-fed, too, indicating he hadn't been on the same diet as Cameron. I'll look into his background a bit more."

Amy wished her good luck, then hung up, and Abigail took Rufus to the office to pick up Cameron's file and research the coin. Finding no results online, she left to make her way to a store she knew sometimes dealt with odd artifacts that might be able to identify it.

"Hello, Elaine," Abigail smiled as she entered. "What happened to the counter?"

"Rowdy customers," Elaine responded, smiling back at her mundane cousin who knew nothing of magic's true existence. "How goes things?"

"Not bad," Abigail responded as she approached the counter, then pulled out her phone, pulled up the text, and held it out. "One of the kids whose case I came across has a token that's a rather unusual coin. I was wondering if you knew anything about it, or if you could direct me to someone who could. It seems like something that might pop up in your weird society."

"You know you're just denying reality," Elaine chuckled.

"Sure, and the day I see you actually do magic, I'll believe it," Abigail said. "The boy didn't have a closed adoption, which means his parents might be looking for him. If I can figure out where this coin came from, it might help me, whether it's in your world or the real one."

Elaine laughed again, then looked at her sister's phone and shook her head.

"No," she said. "I don't know the coin, though those are definitely magical runes on the back of it. I'll have to make some calls, do you mind sending me that image?"