(MxM) Tales of a Shifter (P4)- The Blood

Chapter 14- Nicknames

Chapter 14

This was Brandons life.

For....many years.

Time didn't matter in the white boxes...the boxes were Brandon's world.

Every box simply consisted of white walls and paths that came and went nowhere.

Nora spent untold time with him day after day. Night after Night. Watching him grow. Tending to his needs.

But even with Nora in his life...and Jacob in his life nothing truly changed...and yet everything was changing.

It started when one day Jacob walked into the room with an armful of items.

With a small hesitation Jacob had juggled the stuff inside of the box, before he dropped them on a Table.

A weak, four legged brown table, that had been brought into the room by Nora so that she could fix Brandon his meals...and dine with him.

"Jacob...what is this!?" Nora challenged walking around the table to glare at Jacob.

Before answering her, Jacob walked over to the crack, reached out...and pressed his fingers against the small nubs to the left of his shoulder.

Nora and all of the alchemists used the Keypad to make the clear door slide open, and so it was no surprise that after Jacob pressed in a sequence of buttons, the closed with an automatic "Whoosh" of air.

With this accomplished Jacob marched back across the room, grabbed a chair and fell into to it. Then Jacob reached out, and snatched one of the items up from the table.

Keeping his eyes one what he was doing Jacob finally started to answer Nora.

"These are books, some paper...and a few markers form the Library."

Nora's face scrunched up in concern. "Um...." She started. "You stole this stuff from the library?" She asked.

Jacob flashed her a cool smile and shrugged. "I needed it." He said simply.

"Why?" Nora asked him watching Jacob take a square, thick, colorful item, and crack it open. Soft fluttering pages flipped between his nimble fingers.

Brandon watched in silence as the two of them continued to speak.

With a small proud laugh Jacob answered her. "Because I'm going to teach the Lil one how to speak." He said.

Nora seemed to freeze at this answer, then she was speaking again. Her voice filed with confusion. "Jacob...I don't understand..."

Jacob looked at her from across the table. "You can watch him all the time Nora." Jacob told her slowly. Then he looked at Brandon and shook his head. "After what happened with Aron I think Brandon is going to need to learn how to communicate or he could get hurt again."

"But the Grand Master...." Nora stared to say.

Jacob growled over her. "Hovel is not my master, Nora."

A small sad smile suddenly touched Nora's face. "So you say, but I see differently."

Jacob growled and started at her in silence for a long time after that.

Finally Nora turned and walked over to another table where she was still mixing food.

Jacob still watched her....and no one spoke, until finally Nora did speak.