Prologue

"Again, really?" Cailen asked as he walked into the office of Ezekiel's school.

The halls had been empty, all the children still in their classes…

All the children except for his.

His child was sitting in a hard looking metal chair that didn't let his short legs reach the ground, his hands folded in his lap, his head hung as he waited patiently for someone to address him.

When Cailen entered the office, asking his question without a greeting, his head shot up, his brown eyes wide and scared for a brief moment before concealing themselves into a relaxed sort of resolve.

It was very brief, and had it not been for Cailen's own childhood, he may have missed it but Cailen knew this game well and it didn't fool him for a second.

"Mr. Hale." Came a voice, pulling his attention from his little boy to a rather plump looking man in a dress shirt that was far too small for him, the buttons stretching to the point where Cailen was afraid they might pop off.

The man was fairly short as well, about Cailen's height, with a bald head that reflected the light on the ceiling. He held a file folder under his arm- probably Ezekiel's- because yes, he's already been sent to the Principal's Office enough times to obtain a file.

The man had a hard and stern look on his face as well as a kind and welcoming one, something only a principal would be able to pull off.

Cailen could tell by the wrinkles around his eyes that he's been doing this for many years and has been through this many times.

"Mr. Sebastian, it's good to see you again." Cailen smiled politely at the principal, pulling his hand from his jumper to extend it to the man who took it briefly before dropping it again.

"Of course, I wish it could be under different circumstances." Cailen said, giving Ezekiel a pointed look over his shoulder.

Ezekiel just pulled a totally innocent face, smiling sweetly at Cailen before Cailen turned back to the man infront of him.

"Yes, well, if you'll follow me into my office," Mr. Sebastian said, turning around to lead Cailen into the office.

Cailen spared Ezekiel another glance, the brown haired boy no longer watching them but watching his feet dangle from the chair.

Cailen thought absently that they ought to get him in for a haircut, his shaggy hair was getting a bit long and then he wondered when he had turned into his mother.

Mr. Sebastian's office was small, most of it being taken up by a large desk that sat in the middle of the room, two chairs sitting infront of it similar to the one Ezekiel was sitting on outside. Behind the desk sat a comfy looking office chair with a filing cabinet in one corner and a bookshelf in the other, a couple degrees of some sort hanging on the wall as well.

Mr. Sebastian motioned for Cailen to sit on one of the chairs in front of the desk, Mr. Sebastian taking the comfy office chair behind the desk.

It wasn't the first time Cailen had sat in the chair, and unfortunately, it probably wouldn't be that last.

Ezekiel seemed set on making sure he and Mr. Sebastian get to know each other well.

"Well, this seems to be becoming a problem." Mr. Sebastian started off.

Cailen wanted to jump in right away, he wanted to defend Ezekiel's actions but he really had no real defense for throwing books at his teacher and he knew he would only be told to shut up and listen, in the nicest way possible.

"Zeke has been sent to the office nine times since he's stared attending the school, six of which we've had to call you or your husband down to remove him from the property. This can't go on." Mr. Sebastian explained.

Cailen nodded along because he did agree but he really didn't like how he was referring to Ezekiel like some kind of criminal.

"Mr. Sebastian, you have to understand, Zeke is going through a very hard transition… He's just acting out to-" Cailen attempted to explain because he knew exactly what was going on here but Mr. Sebastian didn't allow him to continue.

"I realize his situation is unique, but I can't let that be an acceptable excuse for injuring my staff." Mr. Sebastian said.

Cailen really wished it had been Asher who had come down here because even if Cailen was twenty seven years old, he still wasn't very good with authority figures trying to assert their authority.

"Injure your staff? What'd she get, a paper cut?" Cailen said before he could stop himself. "I mean, I'm sorry- I would just like to point out she did put her hands on him. That's not very professional either. I'm not pointing fingers, I'm simply stating everyone makes mistakes and if you'll listen, I would like to explain something to you." Cailen said, trying to be an adult here- something he was struggling with a lot lately.

"Mr. Hale, you're making it sound as if she abused him. She was simply trying to get him off the ground and into his seat." Mr. Sebastian explained calmly though Cailen could tell he was just barely keeping it together.

"Yes, I know, and I'm sorry. Zeke isn't a violent kid, he's a darling. He's only acting to out to test my husband and me," Cailen said, meeting the man's dull green eyes.

"Ive been through the whole adoption process myself and I did the exact same thing. He's just trying to see how far he can push us, he's trying to see if we'll take him back to the orphanage. Now, I know that is no excuse either but I just ask that you be patient with him. I will talk to him, I'm not saying he's excused for this. I just ask that you give us sometime." Cailen said, willing the man to see reason.

"Okay, Mr. Hale, I understand the situation. This is not the first orphan I’ve dealt with but if he becomes a real threat, I'll be forced to take more serious actions." Mr. Sebastian said, making Cailen bite his tongue.

"Thank you." Cailen said, his jaw tight.

Mr. Sebastian stood then, Cailen following and turning to the door.

With his hand on the door handle, Mr. Sebastian's words still ringing through his mind, he couldn't help but turn to the man before leaving.

"And he's not an orphan. He's my son." Cailen said before pulling the door open and closing it behind him with a bit more force than really necessary.

Now, Cailen knew that wasn't technically true yet, but something about Mr. Sebastian's tone had the words coming out before he could stop them. He smiled politely at the secretary behind the main desk, a young blonde girl that was on the phone but smiled back at him anyway.

Cailen approached the little boy who still stared at his shoes, stopping infront of him and crossing his arms over his chest for dramatic effect. He had always hated when adults did that when he was a kid but now he understood why they had done it.

Ezekiel slowly looked up at Cailen, his brown eyes wide and reigning innocence but nearly hidden under his shaggy brown hair. Cailen reached out and pushed his hair back while also guiding him off the chair.

Ezekiel went willingly, sliding off the chair and landing with a thud before Cailen led him out of the office, sparing the young blonde one last smile and picking Ezekiel's bag up off the ground.

"Do you know how much trouble you're in?" Cailen asked as he led Ezekiel down the hall, swinging his backpack over his shoulder even though it probably looked ridiculous, the backpack being three times too small for him.

Ezekiel didn't answer, instead he kept his head hung and walked in a sort of stomp, his attitude shining through.

"I had to ditch work just to come down here and get you. Do you know how much trouble I'll be in?" Cailen asked, holding the door open for the boy to stomp on throughout into the spring weather.

It had rained this morning, though that wasn't really a shocker, so the pavement of the parking lot was wet and Ezekiel of course made sure to stomp in every puddle along the way to Cailen's little red car.

The air felt damp and a bit chilly but he was sure it would warm up by the afternoon.

"I know I don't need to tell you what you did was wrong," Cailen started in on a lecture that he hadn't really planned out yet but he figured he should get started. "You know you don't throw things at people, so why did you do it?" Cailen asked as he helped Ezekiel into the back seat, buckling him in before getting into the driver's seat.

Ezekiel only shrugged in response, keeping his mouth shut as Cailen pulled out of his parking space and onto the road.

"I suppose it doesn't matter why. What matters is that you've learnt your lesson and will not do it again, correct?" Cailen asked, looking at the boy in the rearview mirror, a warning tone to his voice.

Ezekiel nodded and resorted to looking out the window, a frown etched on his face.

“Don’t think we’re done talking about this. We’ll talk once Asher gets home, but for now, I want you to think about what you've done and how you could have reacted otherwise." Cailen said, shuddering at the words he had to say because he couldn't believe he was one of those parents.

Yes, he was a parent now and had to do parental things and it was really hard to believe sometimes but at the same time, he knew he was ready.