The Wrong Side

Chapter 34

Someone whips the blindfold off my head and a bright light fills the room.

"Happy birthday!"

I squint as black spots block my vision and slowly my eyes adjust to the light. I'm still in my room, sitting on a plastic chair and the other three are here with me. I blink a few times and I glance the clock which reads a few minutes past midnight.

"Wha..."

"I think we surprised him pretty good," I recognize Luna's voice and I blink again. Everything focuses.

"Is this a..." I start. "What's going on?"

"It's a little surprise party," Luna says and she gives me a hug. "Happy birthday, Caden."

I smile at her. "Thank you."

She smiles back and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I look up at Kadiya and Matthew who are sitting on a bed with a white cardboard box beside them.

"You guys scared the crap out of me," I say. "You know what it's like to wake up from a bad dream, blindfolded? It's freaking scary."

Kadiya laughs. "Trust me," she says. "It'll be worth it. We have cake."

A tiny grin creeps on my face and Luna takes my hand. "You had a nightmare? What about?"

I shrug her off. "I don't really remember," I say. "But it's okay now that I'm awake. I was just a bit freaked out when I initially woke up."

"Okay," she says and she takes my hands, gently pulling me to sit on my bed with her. "You want cake?" She asks and I nod eagerly.

Kadiya opens the box and puts it on my bed. "We didn't know what kind you wanted, so I made chocolate," she says, cutting me a slice. "Is that okay."

"It's fantastic!" I say, taking the cake once she hands me it. "So you made it? Is it safe to eat then?"

Kadiya laughs and Matthew says, "It's very safe, Caden. Trust me. Kadiya's an amazing cook."

"Well, I don't know about 'amazing,' but thanks, Matthew," Kadiya hands him the next slice. "I guess now I won't poison your food after that compliment."

"You were going to poison me?" Matthew asks taking the cake.

"Nah," she shakes her head, grinning and getting another slice for Luna. "Only if you were being a bad brother, maybe."

"So when did you guys plan all this?" I ask.

"Well remember for Luna's birthday, we planned and you kept her distracted while we planned so that she wouldn't suspect anything?" Matthew asked. "Same idea."

I look at Luna with my eyebrows raised and she laughs, kissing me on the cheek. "Don't worry. I would have still hung out with you either way."

"Well that's reassuring," I say, taking a bite of the cake. "You guys are gonna need a new plan for next year, then. The same trick's not going to work on me twice."

"We'll figure something out," Kadiya smiles and sits back on the bed with Matthew. "Don't worry, we'll get you again. Mark my words." She waves her fork at me with a slice of cake in her other hand.

Luna leans her head against my shoulder and I smile. This, I could get used to: Sitting around and chatting with friends like a normal teenager. I don't think I had many friends growing up and if I did, I don't remember any of them very well.

"Hey Caden," Luna takes my left hand. "What's this band-aid for? Did you hurt yourself or something? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I say, taking my hand back. "I just cut my finger earlier tonight. Note to self: broken glass is sharp and you should pay attention when picking it up."