The Guardian Children (book 1) [SAMPLE]

Chapter 6

The Friday-Monday regular updates begins!

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I wish I could say that Leo and Carter got along great from the moment they met, but the truth was that they didn’t really have all that much in common. Each one had a very different personality from the other. Where Carter was a little more serious, friendly and open, Leo was mysterious, closed off and secretive. Carter was kind, Leo was funny. They each had their qualities, but they often clashed.

However, I had a feeling that even though it would take them time, they would get to a point where they would be closer than brothers. At least I hoped they did, but my instincts were never wrong before. It wasn’t hard to see that they were at least trying, although I didn’t want to fool myself into thinking it was for my benefit; that would just be insane.

We were just three new kids who had no interest in meeting people with other friends, so we had to go along with it. The first step was making it through lunch, all three of us, because we didn’t talk much during the classes we had together. Well, I talked with both of them, but they rarely ever talked to each other, and it was always polite; it was nauseating to watch. We spent three days acclimating this way, and they couldn’t have passed slower.

At first, it was just me making conversation with both of them consecutively. It wasn’t until we hung out outside of school that there started to be a shift between the guys.

According to what Leo had told us at school on Friday, the Taylors were very interested to meet Carter and I, so they invited us over. From Leo's previous conversations, it seemed like they were a bit overprotective, but I didn’t want to seem judgmental when I met them, so I didn’t build any expectations.

Their house, however, was a different story. I imagined a small but beautiful two stories place with a garden out front and a backyard that had a nice table setting. Maybe a pool. Hopefully a pool. Unfortunately, it wasn’t at all how I imagined; the Taylors lived in an apartment. Granted, it was a nice apartment on the twenty-seventh floor, very spacious and really neat, but it wasn’t the pretty house I imagined.

On the inside, it didn’t disappoint at all; the hallway alone was better looking than any room in Katherine’s apartment.  They had four bathrooms, one of which was turned into a laundry room, three bedrooms, one of which was for guests, a kitchen twice the size of Katherine’s, a large living room with a balcony overlooking the view from the front of the building and a room to entertain guests. That last one was the largest in the apartment.

The moment the three of us stepped through the door, before I even saw all of those things, my jaw dropped. Carter was pretty speechless, too, though he wasn’t as explicit about it. He had to close my mouth for me to remind me of my previously-nonexistent manners.

Leo’s parents, I learned when they were giving us a tour, were pretty rich. Not rich enough to have more than one house or a membership to a certain club, but rich enough to afford having such an apartment and get a car every five years, which is rich enough in my book. Shockingly though, they were the nicest people I had ever met. They didn’t have a trace of arrogance, and never once did I get the feeling that they were showing off when they gave us the tour.

At the door, they greeted us with a, “It’s so nice to finally meet you two.”

“Leo has been so much happier since you came into his life. He never stops talking about you. You seem like such a wonderful person; I am so glad he met you.” That last part, Mrs. Taylor later whispered only to me so he wouldn’t hear her.

“Um, thank you,” I answered her, completely flustered. “Your place is just... wow. I honestly have no words.”

She flashed me a smile that was not the least bit gloating, just kind and grateful. “Thank you, darling.”