Free Original Souls (A World Apart #1) by Kyle Thomas Miller Page B

He's here with us, no trouble in sight. Just the thought of it is so refreshing. How could I ruin this by trying to take him back? That thought seemed ridiculously selfish. I couldn't rip him from this perfect situation.
     
    We ventured from the living room couch toward the kitchen. We sat down and dug in.
     
    He ate so fast. I knew I couldn't just jump right back into parent mode with him. It would be counterproductive, so I let him have his meal the way he wanted it. He loves milk, so Julia poured a glass for him while he scooped up eggs with his hand and shoveled them into his mouth. He looked rather frail so it's good he's packing it in like that. His skin was tanned to the T. His green shirt move up and down as he stood up on his chair in the kitchen and sat back down after he retrieved whatever random item he wanted from the far end of the table. He had grown indeed, but he was a bit of a shrimp compared to most boys his age.
     
    Whether it was the pepper, the syrup, or ketchup, he just stood up like an animal on its hind legs to get it. He bent over the table using one hand to support his weight while he reached. I loved seeing it. I missed seeing it. He's never had great table manners. Julia says i t’ s because I don't have any table manners, but I think he's his own little man. He's old enough now to decide for himself how to take in a meal. I could see his tan line as the shirt moved up and down his arm, adjusting itself as needed. He had a few noticeable cuts and bruises between the sun exposed dark tan skin, and light creamy tan skin around the shirt's short sleeves.
     
    He was certainly a perfect mix between every feature I had and his mothe r’ s. Her light olive and my dark brown skin tone-made up his perfect complexion. Despite the light scarring, I was wholly surprised that he's in such great condition. Not just physically, but mentally too. He just seemed happy and in tune with his surroundings. Not in a suspicious way either, just really well adjusted and back into the natural flow of things. But he was concerned. That I knew because he could n’ t stop telling me so in my head. His turquoise colored eyes shimmered as the sun light came in through the kitchen window in front of the stove, where Jules stood.
     
    She's gazing at Cory just as intently as I am. I suppose she's reminiscing as well, and calculating the damage that's been done. His dark black hair draped over his forehead, partly covering his eyes. His pink lips cracked open into a smirk as he noticed me watching him. He looked up at me and flashed the biggest smile I've ever seen from him. I smiled back and touched the top of his head and tossed his hair around some. His hair is slightly longer in the front than the back. It's a nice cut. He put it back the way it was after my hand left his head. He must have liked it as well. I suppose Julia did it before I got here. His hair was much less kept, shaggy and longer when I saw him back in that abandoned factory. It was mangy too when we were at the hospital. I did n’ t see him much at the hospital, but then too I lost myself looking over his frame and that thick head of jet-black hair. Good thing Julia cleaned him up as she always did. He likely felt a lot more like himself after that.
     
    "Cory," Julia called out, and then oddly paused. She looked to be trying to gather the right words. "How do you . . . feel?" she asked more with her hands than her mouth. Her voice cracked mid sentence. Now she scratched her head, looking for a better angle to start with.
     
    "I feel great, why?" Corinth smiled as he spoke with an oddly adult tone.
     
    "What do you mean ... why? I always want to know how you feel, honey," she said tentatively. I could see her mind working. She wanted to ask him those dreaded questions. What happened when they came for you? How were you treated? Did they hurt you? And any other possible scenario involving him needing support of any kind.
     
    "I can feel yo u’ re