When the Sun Begins to Die

Chapter 33

Josh P.O.V

When I return home I am surprised to see that Cadence is not there. He is not in bed or in the shower. He was also not in the kitchen.

I am just about to leave to search for him when I am confronted by Mayor Greene. I do not like the sight of him and try to ignore him, but he puts his hand on my shoulder and pulls me back. He's stronger than he looks.

"In a hurry, aren't we, Josh?" he asks in that sickening tone of his.

"I'm just going to look for Cadence. He's not here," I tell him, shoving his hand off of me.

"Ah yes, Cadence. How are things going between you two? All according to plan?" he continues to question.

I sigh and cross my arms, looking at the ground. "Yes sir," I say softly.

He smirks, patting my shoulder. I move out of his reach and glare. He gives me an unpleased look before heading to the door.

"Remember whose side you're on," he says sternly.

I look at the floor and clench my fists. I hate Mayor Greene with a passion. I am ashamed to be associated with him in any manner.

I push my thoughts aside and sprint down the stairs. Cadence is my top priority. My thoughts can wait. 

I don't bother looking in the popular areas of town because I know that Cadence would not be there. He is not a social person. It is smarter to search the less populated areas.

I head into the forest and look around. So far there has been no sign of him. I am not too worried, but the longer I search the sooner I wish to find him.

'Surely Cadence wouldn't run off. He may be shy, but he wouldn't run away from me. He is actually open with me. Although, I don't deserve any attention from him. I just hope he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble.'

I continue to search in the forest for at least half an hour before moving on. The only other place we have been around was the lake. That is where I search next.

I make my way to the lake. I hope Cadence is here. I wouldn't know where else to search if he wasn't. We don't really go to many places in The Oasis. He prefers to stay inside.

Once I reach the lake I look around for a few moments before spotting Cadence sitting on the edge of the dock. I sigh in relief and jog down to him. He looks rather surprised when I sit down next to him.

"You weren't there when I got home," I explain softly.

"Sorry, I should have left a note. I just wanted to get out for a little while," he tells me.

I put my arm around his shoulders and pull him close to me. He smiles and leans his head into my chest.

"I love you, Josh," he says softly after a moment.

"I love you too, Cadence."