Chapter 2: Simple Days

The cobblestone alleyway by Augusta Ave was dank and dirty as always. Only that at the end of the alleyway by a double lot there was a milk crate that had its bottom busted out. It was strapped up high to the utility pole. The home with the double lot on the corner still had the garage lights on. That provided light to the otherwise dark corner.

A kid could be seen playing with a basketball, he was shooting at the makeshift hoop. He was left to himself as he played in the dark. It was just now six but as it was already mid-December the sun had already set. The cold winter air did little to prevent the boy from his play. As a native of Chicago, Illinois, the boy was used to the chill in the air that came from the great lake.

His mom and dad both were at work. The old lady on the third-floor flat that was supposed to watch him was already fast asleep. The boy figured he could play outside for another hour before he had to go in. His dad would be coming home from the nearby hospital by then. His dad was a surgeon, renowned for his skill in repairing damaged nerves.

The boy's mother was a legal clerk and worked for the city justice department. The only reason his mom worked was that she hated not having anything to do. Plus she said it would be a waste of her college degree if she never used it. The four tenants that rented from them were both retired couples that mostly stayed home. His mom and dad would always drop off groceries for them so it saves them from having to climb down the stairwell.

In the summer both couples would hang out on the lawn and barbecue all day. Hell, sometimes they set up a tent and sleep outside. It helped that the property had a tall privacy fence. Both old couples were like two extra pairs of grandparents to the boy. He loved them just as much as his real ones. They, of course, adored the boy. Plus his parents charged them little rent to live there.

Shooting hopes was one of the few hobbies the boy had that involved him exercising his body. Other than basketball he rather read a good fantasy novel or his father's medical journals. He had tested out of primary school at a young age and was labeled a rare genus.

Mathematics, history, and science were his favorite subjects but most of what he knew was through books. He rather spends his daytime hours in the basement which looks like a public library with the thousands of books it holds. Most of his family's wealth was probably tied into that book collection. Many of the books found there were first edition prints and many were signed by the authors. It was a hobby he shared with his father and grandfather. They like to go to book signings and would sometimes travel abroad to get the book in question signed.

His father told him he should wait till he was older to go to college as it would be beneficial for him and it was also how his father met his mother. The boy had no problems with that so now he just had six years to wait till he could go. He already was offered a diploma by the dean of DePaul University in any field of his choosing. His father berated the man who was his best friend. Saying that if the boy could just be given a diploma it would defeat the point of him even going to college.

"Kaden" Yelled an old lady from the third-floor deck. "Shit," the boy named Kaden said under his breath. He had missed his shot. "Come Eat Diner. Haha Nice throw, boy," an old man bellowed. He was Mr. Parker and was the old lady's on-the-third-floor lover as they had not bothered to marry. She was Emma Stonewell. Even though she was old she still liked to dress up nice. She was also an exercise fanatic. That would make Kaden work out with her. She made him whenever she had a chance.

Kaden swore that Emma was in better shape than his mother. He would never tell either of them that. But he had caught his dad eyeing Miss Emma from time to time. When Dr. Flanagan got caught he just shrugs his shoulders and says "What I'm just admiring the view, no harm."

The second floor was home to Mr. and Mrs. Baker; he used to be a cobbler and Mrs. Baker a housewife. They had long ago passed the old building that was their home and workplace to their son. He took up his father's trade. Mr. Baker would still fix some shoes as a pastime. Kaden's father loved having him as a tenant. Mr. Baker would fix his father's shoes for free. Mrs. Baker made the best cookies on the block. She always had a jar full ready. Kaden liked to take them to the library whenever he stopped by.

A typical day devoid of any other child interaction. Not that he did not have friends, just that he would not see them till the weekend. There was Bobby, Jack, Aj, Neil, Conner, Cody, Sandy, Todd, and Tim. His basketball team members. Practice every Saturday and Sunday. Practice time was after lunch. At the youth hall public gym. His coach Miss Tabatha was a retired pro league player. She had been part of the women's hall of fame. He was super excited when he met her. She was a strict coach but fair. She knew how to motivate twelve-year-old kids.

Kaden was really happy with everything in his life. His dream was to become an NBA Superstar. But if that fell through he would become a librarian. He knew that it would since he was too short to go pro. He had little hope that he'd have a crazy growth spurt like Aj or Sandy.

Kaden figures the third-best outcome in life would be to follow in his father's footsteps. He could become a medical surgeon. Life is funny like that sometimes. A dream is just that, a dream. Kaden was too smart for his own good. He knew what dreams were achievable and what were not.

For a twelve-year-old Kaden was grounded. He was slightly more mature than his peers. He liked to pull pranks and tell jokes too. It would earn him the ire of his victims. But for the most part, he was a realist. He took most things seriously. It might have been because of the large array of different topics he had read. Or just that he comprehended things easily. He once out math the latest computer in the R&D department of Depaul University.

The research team that created the machine was all left speechless. The lead researcher begged the Dean to assign Kaden to his team. Kaden's father denied them saying his son still was a kid. He had plenty of time to join a team when he grew up if that was what Kaden decided then.

Kaden himself thought that maybe he could help during the fall, or springtime, or something. His sitters would not want to leave the house during the winter months. Forget the summers since the summers were always booked with family travels. He already had a big list of books he wanted to be signed. He planned out how to make that happen.

In the kitchen of the third-floor flat Kaden sat with Mr. Parker and Miss Stonewell. She busied herself to serve them food. She had made roasted chicken with veggies. Also, a side salad filled with different kinds of nuts and dried fruit. "Your father called and said he was running late today. Something about meeting your mom. To buy her a new dress. They have a work party coming up." Mr. Parker said as he started to cut into his chicken breast.

"Kaden, can you pass the gravy," He added. "Yeah, I forgot about that," Kaden responded as he passed the small china dish filled with gravy over. "Hmmm, What will you be doing then, Honey," Emma asked. She always called Kaden pet names when she did not have to get his attention. She never had a child of her own but through him. She was able to have some comfort in how raising a child might have been.

"Library" Kaden stated in-between bites as he covered his mouth with his napkin. He always used his manners. His mother had drilled them into him at an early age. Not that either Mr. Parker or Miss Stonewell mind if he did not use them. They both, like the Bakers, had a great time trying to spoil the little genius.

Quickly after saying his goodnight to Mr. Parker, Miss Stonewell, the Bakers, and not forgetting to grab his jar of freshly baked cookies. Kaden ran downstairs to check out the newly arrived books. Most of the books came directly from the publishers. Kaden's father had written a bunch of medical books. He had them published through different companies. One of the perks of being an author. They still had to pay for delivered books but at cost, so they were cheap.

All different types of books would be sent. Kaden would read them all one by one. If he felt like it was a keeper. It would go on his list of must-have signed list. Then added to the ever-growing library. The collection was something that his grandfather had started. Some of the books in it could not be priced. It was something Kaden hoped to pass on to his son one day. They just might have to buy another building by then to store it all. A joke that his father always hinted at to his mother. It would end with his mother stomping on his father's foot. Luckily their basement was large.

'Mr. Parker must have stacked them inside' Kaden thought to himself. He looked at the six boxes worth of books. Twenty-six books this month he counted. He quickly divided the books by type. He then went to his desktop. He catalogs each book and enters them. The program he had designed would sort the book for him. Giving him a row and number to place each book. He and his family could check out a book as if they were at a public library.

Kaden could speed read a book at 450 words per minute and type more than 100 words per minute. His comprehension depends on the subject. Fantasy and documentaries were easy for him to read and fully understand. Clinical studies might require him to do some cross-referencing to get the whole picture. This ability of his was what made him a genius. He retains about eighty-five percent of what he reads on average using a recall skill he had developed by using keywords to jog his memory.

It took Kaden two and a half days to finish all twenty-six books. Out of the twenty-six, only three were keepers. He would add a flag to the twenty-three other books in his system. He put them on the first bookshelf. That was used as a spot for books that would either be donated to local schools or public libraries. Kaden also kept track of where each book went via his system. If his mom and dad like a book he cut out they could always add it back into the system.

Kaden was like a professional librarian. A joke his mother likes to tease him with. The three books he decided to keep were one science journal on the Higgs Boson, the fourth book of an epic fantasy novel he liked, and a book on the scientific impact the occult had on history. History books and journals were always keepers in Kaden's mind. He was surprised that his system had put the occult history book in a deep section of the library that he rarely ever visits.

"Section AAA, row A264, third shelf, spot 92," Kaden said out loud. It was where the book was assigned. The spot was almost at the front of the building. They never used the front entryway. So the front was actually the back of the library. With a grin on his face, Kaden marched to that place.

He rarely reads occult books or anything related to it. But his grandfather was an occult freak. Most of the books stored in this back section were from his grandfather's collection. All of those books are in mint condition. It was after all a family tradition, his library.

He was glad the cleaning lady had dusted this area. Sometimes they would miss a spot or two. Kaden would have to point it out to them. He was sure those ladies did not like him. Kaden did not care so long as they did a proper job cleaning the place. He found it funny that a whole crew. Six ladies would come to the library once a week to give it a good cleaning. The first-floor flat never got that treatment.

Kaden had to help his mother and father clean their place themselves. As for Kaden's bedroom, he rarely slept in it. It was more of a glorified study. A place to store his clothing and other odd ends. He pretty much lived in the basement. He long ago talked his father into buying him a cot. So he could just sleep with his favorite books.

As he made his way back to his desk. So he could check the other books to be stored. He noticed a dim glowing light from one of the bookshelves. It belongs to his grandfather's collection on the occult. He neared the glowing book. Slowly the glow dissipated as it was never there in the first place. In its place was a book no bigger than six inches long and four inches wide. It was about two inches thick. Basically a brick.

The book seemed to be made of bronze. Kaden felt it was calling out to him. He could not help himself from wanting to pick it up. As he touched the blank spine he felt a refreshing feeling wash over him. It was as if he had just drunk a glass of OJ after an intense workout. His whole body tingled with energy. Kaden felt the best he ever had. He quickly picked the book up. To his surprise, the book along with his whole body glowed with a bright golden light.

Pain shot through Kaden's head before a moment of dizziness struck him. Along with a feeling of weakness he never felt before. Then came ecstasy followed swiftly by agony. Kaden fell unconscious on the floor. It happened so fast that he did not even get to make a sound.