Midnight Madness [Haven Ranch 1]

CHAPTER 1 The lights turning on had shocked the hell out of Sky, but when the old lady snapped, "Get your s**t and get out," he was even more shocked. "What? Why? Mrs. D, it's twelve in the morning." Sky said in confusion. "I know what time it is and the money stops, for both of you, as of this minute, so get your s**t and go. I'll give you ten minutes." Mrs. D said, turning and closing the door behind her. Midnight got out of bed and walked to the closet to get his clothes. Grabbing the backpack that he has used since his first day of college, he began stuffing clothes into it. "Nigh, what the f**k are you doing?" Sky snapped. "Packing." Midnight said, grabbing another shirt and stuffing it in. Sky marched over to his blood brother, "She can't just throw us out, Nigh." Sighing heavily, Midnight turned and hugged his friend. He knew Sky was scared, hell, so was he. When you have no one to count on to help you through life, it's scary as hell. Midnight knew he and Sky had each other, and that made things a bit easier, but still afraid, "Sky, I told you this would happen. I looked it up a few years ago. We talked about this. The website I found said a person is only considered a ward of the state until the age of eighteen. As of this moment, we are eighteen. The only way some adults stay in the program is if they are incompetent or incapable of caring for themselves. We are neither." "I swear, one of these days I'm going to take a sledgehammer to that f*****g computer. What the hell would make you look something like that up, anyway?" Sky grumbled while he started packing his stuff. Midnight grabbed his toiletries, "You break my computer Sky, and I swear I'll jump up and down screaming the next time you make a soufflé. And for the record, I always look things up when I have a question in my mind and want an answer." Just as they grabbed up the last of their stuff, Mrs. D barged in with her son Palmer, "Your ten minutes are up. Palmer will show you out." "You know what, you old b***h, we don't need anyone to show us anywhere. We've been doing just fine finding our way around for eighteen f*****g years." Sky snarled. Midnight grabbed Sky by the arm, and dragged him past the giant i***t and his mother, then headed out the front door before something bad could happen. Chipmunk shifters might be able to take on Mrs. D; she was all human, but they were no match for Palmer, a badger shifter. Midnight and Sky were found eighteen years ago in the woods. Some guy had been taking a shortcut through the woods after work when he had heard crying. Coming upon two little newborn shifters was not something the guy had expected after a long night at work. The man had contacted the police who in turn contacted the shifter council. That is when Midnight and Sky had become wards of the State of Texas Shifter Association. He and Sky had remained that way until this very moment. Midnight had always thought it odd they had never been adopted. Although Mrs. D didn't shower them with love, she had made sure they were fed, clothed, and sheltered for the past eighteen years. She had also made sure they had received the best homeschooling a kid could ask for. Midnight had practically begged to go to regular school with other kids, but Mrs. D said that wasn't possible, not if she wanted to get paid. Midnight never understood that at all. Other children with no parents went to public school. When he pushed the subject, Mrs. D would get very pissed and tell him to go to his room. Sky would always do something so he would be sent to his room too, never wanting Midnight to be alone. That's how they were, a team. Sky and Midnight working together could make anything possible. Hell, they had worked so hard on their education that both graduated from high school early and had just received college degrees. Midnight had his BA in computer science and security as well as an economics degree. Sky had his degree in agribusiness, but his true love was the culinary arts. Sky even went so far as to find work cooking at one of the finest dining restaurants in town and people often came when they knew he was the cook for the evening. Not that Mrs. D ever let him cook at home, but she at least allowed him to have a garden. They had always known their lives were not normal ones. Not because they were shifters, but of how they were raised. No hugs, words of love, or bonding with adults. No birthday parties or opportunities to make other friends. Palmer had all those things and more. Holidays were just as strange as everything else had been in their lives. Sky and Midnight had always known there was no such thing as Santa or the Easter Bunny. There were never any trees or decorations or baskets, but they always found gifts next to their beds during those times. Neither he nor Sky had any clue who left them, but they were sure they didn’t come from Mrs. D. She and Palmer always left them during the holidays. The thing was, she never questioned them on how they got certain things. Like his first computer at ten or Sky's k****e loaded with cookbooks and his favorite romance authors’ newest releases. She never talked to them, and Palmer treated them like they were invisible. "So, what are we going to do now? Mario just paid me at the restaurant. With that and what I've been saving, I have a little over fifteen hundred. The problem is, I can't take any of it out until nine tomorrow morning." Sky said as he started biting his bottom lip. Midnight sighed and stopped walking, "Sky, I promise, everything is going to be okay. As long as we're together, we're unstoppable. I've been planning for this day for almost four years. I have a nice little nest egg put aside, and with what you have and our degrees to fall back on, we'll be okay." Sky sniffed and wiped his eyes, rasping, "Why are we so unlovable, Nigh? Why is it no one seems to want us around? Why would our parents just leave us as they did? You would think that after eighteen years, Mrs. D would have had some feelings for us. I mean, I just don't get it." Midnight hugged Sky close, whispering, "I don't know, Sky. I just know that I will always be grateful to the fates above for making sure we had each other. You and I have made it through some pretty tough crap by working together. Whatever our future holds, if we stick with each other, we can handle whatever life has in store for us." Sky pulled back, took a deep breath and squared back his shoulders, "You're right. f**k them all. Fuck our parents, f**k Mrs. D, and f**k anyone else that doesn't see how awesome we are. We have our bond, and that's all that matters." "Now that is the Sky I know and love." Midnight said as they started walking once more. As they were making their way down the street, Midnight noticed a long black car following them. Gently taking Sky's arm, Midnight whispered, "Don't look back. I think we're someone is following us." Of course, Sky didn't listen and turned, causing the car to speed up until it was alongside them. "I told you not to look back, Sky." Midnight admonished. Sky huffed, "Everyone knows if you don't want someone to look behind them, then you don't say don't look behind you. It is the number one rule of not looking behind you." Midnight pulled Sky so they were almost at a run, but the car took off and blocked them before they could get across the street. Three men in suits and ties got out and crossed their hands below their waists as a tall man in what looked to be a very expensive suite exited the car, "Mr. Star and Mr. Brook, my name is William Buckley. I need you to come with me." Both men's jaw dropped. Sky recovered quicker, snapping, "You have got to be f*****g kidding me. You never, ever go to the second location." Mr. Buckley raised a brow, "Mr. Brook, I assure you, neither you nor Mr. Star is in any danger from me." Sky scoffed, "Yeah, well, forgive me if I say you are full of shit." "Sky, stop antagonizing the man with guards, please." Midnight said through the side of his mouth. Mr. Buckley gave a half smile, "Mr. Star, I assure you, we mean you both no harm. I'm sure you both could use a little reassurance before getting into a stranger’s car. Mr. Star has just received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Computer Security, along with a minor in economics." Looking at Sky, Mr. Buckley said, "And I have noticed that you have put that culinary skill to use at Mario's. You have created quite the following. You should be proud of that as well as graduating with honors in the agribusiness degree you sought. I know that Mr. Carter was extremely proud of you both." Midnight didn't understand how the hell this man knew anything about them, and he wasn't sure he liked it, even a little. "You could have found that s**t out on Google," Sky argued. Sighing heavily, Mr. Buckley replied, "Midnight Star, named after the time and what Mr. Ternelli was looking at when he heard your cry. Sky Brook, also named because he had been looking at the most beautiful full moon sky when the cry was heard, and you were both near a brook he and his wife often picnicked at. “Mr. Star, you have received a new, top of the line computer every year since your tenth birthday, along with all the software packages anyone could need to complete their degree. Mr. Brook has received updated Kindles with new cookbooks and his favorite romance authors since he was ten as well. You lived with Mrs. Dorman and her son Palmer Dorman since you were found. She was a hard woman, but not an evil one. She was never motherly but made sure you had everything you needed. “Mr. Star currently has $15,563.72 in a bank account he started four years ago. You got that money by selling your old computers and tutoring students, online, for fifteen dollars an hour, and doing online surveys, as well as yard work for the elderly for ten dollars a yard. Mr. Brook, you have worked at Mario's since you turned fifteen years of age and currently have $1,756.34 in your account." "I thought you said you only had $1,500." Midnight whispered. Shrugging, Sky remarked, "I was guesstimating." Mr. Buckley continued speaking, "Sky, you started bussing tables and would hang out with the chefs so they could teach you the tricks of the trade. You both never tried to make outside friends, because your home life didn't allow for it. Neither of you ever played a sport. You both are chipmunk shifters, which is extremely rare. You have only shifted once in your lives and never tried it again." "Yeah, well, that s**t hurt," Sky grumbled. Still not stopping, Mr. Buckley said, "You have only ever witnessed Palmer shifting, and Midnight has never done a search on other shifters. You are completely ignorant of your own kind as well as other shifters as a result. That will be rectified, immediately. Mr. Roth had hoped to start you on your paranormal lessons when you turned eighteen, however, with his untimely death, that was a missed opportunity, and again, will have to be rectified, quickly." "Who the hell are you?" Midnight interrupted. "I told you, I am William Buckley. I am an attorney and the executor of Mr. Roth's estate. I'm here to bring you and Mr. Brook to my office." Sky opened his mouth but Midnight immediately covered it, asking, "Why? And who is Mr. Roth?" "Mr. Roth was your father. He died two nights ago, and you are both inheritors in his will." Mr. Buckley replied. "Give us a minute, please," Midnight said, taking Sky a little further back. Sky jerked his arm out of Midnight’s grasp, hissing, "This sounds like bullshit, Nigh. I think he wants to take us away and use us as s*x slaves or something. I've watched Forty-Eight Hours and Declassified. They lure you in with the promise of something great and then, bam, your ass is shoved into a room where you’re forced to have s*x with nasty smelly men." "Sky, you're ridiculous. Besides the fact that only twelve percent of the males taken are used for s*x slaves, this man knows our life. He knows exactly how much we have in our bank accounts. He knows things that no one should know." Midnight argued. Sky pursed his lips, "If this guy is on the up and up, Nigh, then why the hell wouldn't this Mr. Roth take us in? And how can he be my father and yours when we know we are not real brothers?" "We only know that because Mrs. D told us we weren't." Midnight stated. Sky huffed, "You know I may have always looked at the old bat as a robot babysitter. Still, I don't remember her ever lying to us. We would have known if she lied, Nigh. We may not shift, but we still have senses that would let us know if she wasn't telling us the truth." Sighing heavily, Midnight said, "I know, Sky. The thing is, Mr. Buckley doesn't smell of falsehood, either. I think he may be able to answer questions we've had since we were toddlers. Come on! How many times did we lay there in bed asking ourselves why our mother left us on a trail, where did we come from, did we have family out in the world, and so many other things? This guy is saying he holds some answers, and I really want to hear them." Sky pursed his lips, crossed his arms, and tapped his foot, "Fine, but if we die I am so coming back and haunting you." Midnight turned, laughing, "If we die, Sky, I won't be here for you to haunt." Sky rushed to catch up with Midnight and grumbled, "Well, I will make sure I'm never far away and sing that song like Patrick Swayze did in Ghost to get Whoopi to help him talk to his wife." Midnight climbed into the back of the Limo, saying, "You don't even know the words." "Yes, I do," Sky said and then began singing it at the top of his lungs as they drove into the unknown.