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A Future for Us

Prologue: August 2003

Marty

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Marty! Happy birthday to you!" my parents sing as they bring my birthday cake to me at the dining room table. I blush and ruffle the brown fur on the back of my head with my hand in embarrassment. "Thank you!" I say with a smile. "Now make a wish and blow out your candles..." Dad says as he puts his hand on my shoulder. He was a tall grey wolf who shared my green eyes. I got my brown fur from Mom though.

So I start thinking about it, what I want to wish for I mean. My parents have been really good to me over the years; buying me the newest toys and video games. But at the end of the day, they're just _things._I'm always so busy with my studies, taking piano lessons, or playing youth sports. The little time I do have to myself is pretty lonely. Then it hits me: I wanted to make a friend. We had just moved to Maryland from Texas and I still hadn't made any friends. It was settled. With the wish in mind I inhale and blow out the candles as hard as I could.

Afterwards, the three of us have some cake and I'm presented with gifts and birthday cards. Both pairs of my grandparents sent me checks in their cards and I intend to deposit them in my savings account that Mom and Dad had set up for me. I start on the presents and made off pretty well this year; some new games for Playstation 2, a DVD set of my favorite anime, and a gift card for the movies.

"Your father and I are going to watch Jeopardy. Do you want to join us?" Mom asks. "Um maybe tomorrow night." I reply. "Okay sweetie." I hear her say as I go upstairs to my room to try out one of my new games. I get to my room and unwrap the plastic film covering my new games, the crinkling of it causing my pointed ears to twitch. The first one is a 2D fighter based on an anime I watch. I pop the disc into the Playstation 2 and power the system on. I decide to play through the tutorial mode. To my surprise: I'm actually pretty good at it. Normally I don't like fighters, but this has one of my favorite shows attached to it. 3D platformers are what I like the most.

My room starts getting darker as the sun begins to set outside. I look at the clock; it's 7:57. "Oh, study time!" I save my game and shut off the PS2. Over at my desk, my math workbook is waiting for me. Mom and Dad feel it's important to continue studying over the summer so I could continue to do well in school. I'm getting ready to go into 6thgrade, but I'm at a 7th grade math level already. Pre-Algebra is my next major milestone. "Let's see: Order of operations.... PEMDAS..."

Before I know it, it is 9:30. I shut off my lamp and close my math workbook. I walk to my bathroom down the hall to brush my teeth and floss. As I brush, I look in the mirror: my neck fur is really floofy and I hate it. I think I'm getting taller at least. And my voice is getting deeper too. After rinsing my mouth with mouthwash, I shut off the light and head downstairs to say goodnight.

Mom and Dad were cuddled up on the couch watching TV. "Thank you for the great birthday!" I say with a smile. "Oh you're welcome, sport! Glad you had a great day." Dad replies as he turns to me. "11 years old, huh?" Mom asks. "Yep! I'm excited to make new friends in middle school!" They smile back at me and nod. "Well, I just wanted to come say goodnight to you. I love you." I say as I walk back to the stairs. "Don't forget to say your prayers!" Dad yells to me. "I won't!"

Getting back to my room, I go to my bedside and kneel, rest my elbows on the bed and put my hands together as I close my eyes. "Dear God, I hope I'm doing well enough for you. I try my best to be a good person every day, but those thoughts still happen. I know it's sinful, and I try to push them out, but they persist. Did you make me like this on purpose? Is this a test?" I ask aloud. The priest at our church back in Texas would always say "We all have our crosses to bear". I guess these urges and thoughts are mine. Thinking of my home state, my thoughts move to an old neighbor kid I used to play with. I continue my prayer: "Anyway, I pray that people like my old friend Joey don't have to live in fear of their parents. I hope if there's anyone out there tonight suffering like that, that you give them salvation. I don't want to see what happened to Joey happen to anyone else. I love you God. Thank you for listening. Amen."

I climb into bed and pull the covers over my chest. I really hope that my wish comes true. It's been so lonely since I moved here last month. The other kids in the neighborhood are either in high school or are a lot younger than me and don't want to hang out. Well, at least school starts next week. My eyes are getting heavy. I look over at my dresser and see the cover of my favorite book: Agent Foxblood. He's a silver fox with toned muscles and abs carrying a machine gun and charging at an unseen enemy. For a moment, I lean up in bed to make sure my parents aren't outside my door. I decide to say it. "He's so.... hot." I mutter as I pass out.

The next day I decide to ride my bicycle around the neighborhood and get a feel for the layout. I go to the garage and pull my bike off the rack. "Going for a ride, buddy?" Dad asks from the garage door entrance to the house. "Yeah, I'm gonna try to make a mental map of the neighborhood I guess." I say as I scoot my bike out of the garage. "Hey, you're forgetting something!" Dad shouts. "Oh, right..." I say as I go back into the garage to grab my helmet off the shelf. "Attaboy. Have fun!"

I pedal along the sidewalk and take in the sights of the neighborhood: well-trimmed lawns, sprinkler systems, little kids jumping on trampolines, and the other "wonders" of suburbia. I come across a pond with a bridge spanning the width of it and decide to cross over it. As I near the other side, I begin to hear the faint sound of running water. I lay my bike in the grass on the other side of the pond and go through a wooded clearing to discover a small stream. Sunrays beam down through the canopy of the trees. I decide to dip my toes in the water to cool off. I slowly make my way down to the water's edge and remove my flip-flops, then proceed to dip my toes in the water. "Oh that's nice..." I say to myself as the cool water flows over my feet.

_ _ "Very nice..." a voice behind me says, causing me to jump a little. I turn around to see a hyena boy with a black tanktop and torn jeans on the hill above me. "O-oh, hello there." I reply. "What're ya doin down here?" the hyena asks me as he joins me at the water's edge. "I was just cooling off a little. It's hot out and I've been riding my bike. Anyway, I'm sorry, my name is Marty. I just moved here last month with my parents." I say as I hold out my hand to him. The hyena boy smiles as he shakes my hand "Name's Jay! Nice to meet ya Marty." I blush a little as he looks at me with that handsome carefree face of his. "I like your accent. Where are you from?" I ask. "Boston. Just moved here last year after my ma died. I'm living with my aunt in this neighborhood now." I give a small frown "I'm sorry to hear that." Jay shakes his head "Don't be. She was a selfish bitch and only cared about getting high. She OD'd. Good riddance." I was slightly taken aback at his harsh words for his mother and the swear word. "Oh... still, I'm sorry."

We spend the next half-hour or so getting to know each other better. "Lakeside Middle? That's where I go. I'm going into 8th grade. You?" Jay asks me. "I'm just starting, so 6thgrade." I respond. "Maybe we'll see each other in the halls, eh cutie?" he says with a toothy grin. I start to blush. "Uh... Um..." I struggle to get words out. "You are cute ya know..." he continues as he puts his hand on my quad. "H-hey! Please don't touch me..." I say, my nerves getting the better of me. Jay yanks his hand back. "Sorry..." he replies as he rubs his arm. "I... I, uh... I like boys..." he says. I freeze up, unsure of what to say. No one can ever know about me. Even people like me. If my parents found out, it would be ugly. I decide the safest thing to do is be sympathetic. "Oh... I see... Well, that's okay." I say to him with a warm smile. Jay's eyes widen, and he asks, "Are you for real?" I pause for a moment. "Y-yeah. It's cool. My uh... cousin... likes guys too." I don't have a cousin. I don't even have any aunts or uncles. I just want Jay to feel like he wasn't alone or that was I about to judge him. "Gotcha. Well thanks for not calling me a "faggot". That's what usually happens when I tell someone." That slur makes my skin crawl. My worst fear is Mom or Dad finding out and calling me that. I've heard Dad use it before and he spews it out with such venom every time. "I'm sorry to hear that Jay..." I console to him as I pat him on the back. He chuckles and smiles at me as he stands up "Thanks Marty. Anyway, I gotta get back to my aunt's, but it was nice meetin' ya" He offered his hand to help me up and I take it, and he helps pull me into a standing position. "Yeah, likewise. Maybe I'll see you at school?" I ponder aloud. "Maybe so... see ya around..." he says as he begins walking up the hill.

By the time I get to the top of the hill, Jay is already out of sight. "Fast." I mutter under my breath. I get on my bicycle and decide to head home.

My last week of summer vacation goes by quickly and is rather uneventful. Study sessions, getting acquainted with my new piano teacher, playing my new video games in my free time, watching Jeopardy with Mom and Dad, and doing volunteer gardening work at our new church a few miles away from where we live. I wonder what Jay is up to.

A knock on my bedroom door wake stirs me from sleep. "Hey champ, time to get up. It's the first day of school!" Dad says as he stands in my doorway, wearing his usual suit and tie. I can only grumble an "Mmmkay..." as I sit up and rub my eyes. "What would you like for breakfast?" Still half asleep, I just say the first thing that comes to mind. "Just some of those toaster pastries I guess." "You betcha!" he says as he walks down the hall and out of sight.

I manage to finally get out of bed and head to the bathroom to take my morning shower. I let the warm water run through my fur all over my body and lather up with shampoo. It takes a good two minutes just to get my whole body soaped up. Oh, the joys of having fur on every square inch of your body. After rinsing off, I shut off the water and dry with a towel before stepping out of the shower and heading to the counter to turn on the blow dryer to finish the job. All in all, it takes a good ten minutes to bathe and dry off if you're not lost in thought.

When I get downstairs, a plate of toaster pastries awaits me on the end seat of the kitchen table. "Thanks Dad" I say to the grey wolf on the other end of table. He didn't hear me though; he was caught up in his newspaper. I take my seat and try to enjoy the sugary treat, but I've grown sick of eating them every morning. I force it down anyway, then take my plate to the sink to rinse it off and put it in the dishwasher.

"Ready to go?" Dad asks as I tie my shoes by the front door. "Yep." Mom comes down the stairs, still in her nightgown, to see me off. "Have a great first day, honey. I love you." "Love you too", I reply and walk out the front door with Dad.

I get into Dad's red Corvette and close my door. In the rearview mirror, I see Mom waving from the front porch. I smile and wave back. Dad starts the car up and we pull out of the driveway and onto the main road. On the radio, political commentators discuss the economy and the "absurd" hatred the president is getting from mainstream media. I lean my head against the passenger window and tune out to my own internal thoughts. Was Jay the friend I wished for? Will I see him today? Even if he was, I don't know if I could risk bringing him over to our house and have him make another move on me.

The car stops and I realize that we've arrived at my new school: Lakeside Middle. Dad ruffles the fur between my ears on top of my head playfully "Have a great first day Marty!" "Thanks Dad" I say with a smile, before I get out of the car. I walk to the main entrance and see a large banner overhead telling me to go to the cafeteria for orientation. Inside, signs are posted all over the walls directing me to the orientation meeting.

Eventually I come to double doors that are propped open. This must be the cafeteria. I walk inside and most of the tables are already full. I do spot one table in the corner. A lone silver fox boy sits there on the end. Oh wow, he looks just like Agent Foxblood! But I notice he's sulking, and then he puts his face in his paws. Poor kid, I bet he's nervous. I am too. I make my way over to his table.

Lucas

The sound of shattering glass and a screaming woman wake me from my sleep. "Mom?" I say aloud to no one in particular. Determined to find out what was occurring outside of my bedroom, I swing my legs out of my bed and slide my paws into my slippers. I then get up and walk to my door, peeking through the crack, though it's not wide enough to see through. Slowly, I open the door a little more so that I can poke my head out and see what was happening. David and Mom were in standing in the kitchen, and white shards were scattered on the tile floor. David is a fat red fox who smells of alcohol half the time. My mother is a slim silver vixen with blonde hair.

"You stupid bitch! I'm at work all day while you sit here and watch TV, and you can't find the time to have a meal ready for me when I come home?!" David yelled as he stretched his arm to grab a fistful of Mom's hair. "I am so sick of this. Why can't you get a damn job so I can have more time to myself?" he asked as he dragged Mom's face to his. "D-David... let go, you're hurting me!" she replied as she winced in pain and grabbed his arm with both of her hands. "It's bad enough I gotta support that sorry excuse for a boy down the hall, but you can't be bothered to pull your weight?" he continued, throwing her to the kitchen floor. Mom's head bounced back and hit a cabinet door and she cried out in pain.

"Mom!" I yelled as I ran out of my bedroom and towards the kitchen, tears welling in my eyes. She looked up at me and gave a slight smile "Lucas... honey... go back to bed please, everything's going to be okay, I promise...". I stopped running where the living room carpet met the tile of the kitchen floor. David chuckled and looked at me, saying "There he is. Wait, no... there she is. The crybaby." I could feel my tears starting up again "D-dad?". He walked up towards me slowly, hunched forward, and then grabbed the scruff of the silver fur on the back of my neck to bring my face closer to his. He looked deep into my eyes, and a frown formed on his face. "I never_wanted your mother. I never wanted _you. You are the bane of my existence. I could have been a college graduate by now, been with the woman I loved. But no, I'm stuck with you and your whore mother." His grip on the back of my neck tightened and the tears finally began to flow from my eyes. "The _only_reason you're here right now is cheap booze and a condom breaking on me. Never forget that." He then shoved me to the floor and stood up. I started sobbing loudly and pulled my knees to my chest as I sat on the floor.

"You BASTARD! Don't you ever speak to my son like that!" Mom tearfully says as she slaps David across the face. It caught him off guard, throwing him off balance as he fell back onto the kitchen counter, knocking a few glasses onto the floor, shattering them. A scowl appeared on his face, and he began to growl "You... ungrateful... useless... BITCH!" He scrambled to his feet quickly and raised his hand high above his head as he walked slowly towards Mom. She raised her arms to cover her face to prepare for what was coming. But he stopped halfway there. "No... no, no, no..." he muttered as he lowered his arm. "I have a better idea..." he said in a hushed tone. He walked out of the kitchen and towards the master bedroom. I am stunned. It's like David is possessed. Any other night he would have beat Mom senseless for a stunt like that, but now he's letting it slide?

"Mom!" I shout as I run to her in the kitchen. I hug her tightly and sob into her dress. "Lucas... I'm so sorry baby..." she says as she gently rubs the back of my neck. I then look up at her "I hate him! I don't want to do this anymore! Please Mom!".

A moment later, I jump at the sound of a loud noise behind me. I turn around and see that two suitcases that were dropped on the floor. "I want you both out of my house. I want nothing to do with you. Pack your shit and get out." Not wanting to anger him further, I pick up the smaller of the two suitcases and start walking toward my room. I look over my shoulder and see Mom still standing in the kitchen "David..." she whispers. "Don't. Start. Go and live with your father, and never bother me again. I'll pay the damn child support, but I want my independence. I've put up with you two for over a decade now, and I'm done."

Over the next hour, we pack out suitcases and fill Mom's Accord to the brim with our belongings. I'm tired and it wouldn't surprise me if the sun was going to rise soon. I slide into the front passenger seat and close my door. I look in the rearview mirror and see Mom talking to David in the front doorway, his arms crossed and a sour expression on his face. After a few minutes they finish talking and Mom gets into the car and starts the engine. We pull out of the driveway and drive down the street. I don't look back at the house to see if David is still standing there. I want to forget he exists.

"Is Grandpa going to be okay with us staying with him?" I ask. I always knew he and Mom never really got along, so I was worried. "It'll be fine, honey. Only temporary. I can probably get my old job back at the salon and then as soon as I'm settled we'll get our own place, okay?" she says as she glances at me with a smile before returning her gaze to the road. "You just focus on doing well on your first day of middle school. It's next week!"

During the car ride I stare at the window and watched as we leave the suburbs and drive into the forest. The night sky grows lighter and lighter as the sun begins creeping up on the horizon. As awful as the last two hours have been, part of me is excited. We were finally free of him. No more arguments. No more abuse. And the promise of a place of our own.

About fifteen minutes later, we pull off the main road and into a gravel driveway which lead to Grandpa's literal cabin in the woods. I never liked it, not so much the house, but the location. It was too isolated, too far from town. No neighbors to speak of or kids to play with.

After parking behind Grandpa's pickup truck, we get out of the car and walk up to his front door, which Mom knocks on. Knowing Grandpa, he would be up at this hour anyway, so it's not like we were waking him. A red fox with a big belly and grey muzzle opens the door, a coffee mug in his free hand. Looking at Mom and I's silver fur and his deep red, you wouldn't think we were related. "Sheila? Is that you?" he asks. "Dad, hey... Um... Lucas and I, we uh... we need your help..." she says before looking down at me. "Hey Lucas, can you go get your suitcase out of the car?" she asks with a smile. I obey and walked to the car. Little does she know, I can still hear what they're saying. "David and I are done. Lucas and I need a place to stay for now. I promise we won't be here long. I just need to get my old job back and build a small nest egg and then we'll be out of your fur." I glance over my shoulder and see that Grandpa has an unsure look on his face. "Sheila, I don't know..." he says before being interrupted by Mom. "Dad, don't do this for me, do it for your grandson. Please." He looks me right in the eyes from the porch, gives me a weak smile and slowly nodded "Okay."

We start unpacking our belongings from the car and bringing them into the cabin. Grandpa walks up to me, saying "Lucas, why don't you go to the guest room and get some shut-eye, I hear you were up pretty early. I'll get your things and bring them into your room, okay?" as he pats me on the back. "Thanks Grandpa!" I say with a smile and gave him a quick hug. I head to my bedroom and flop on the bed. The nightstand beside me is rather dusty and I see a cobweb on the windowsill. I close my eyes and try to forget the awful events of the past couple hours.

Over the next week we get settled in rather nicely at the cabin. Grandpa even took me fishing at the nearby river, although I didn't catch anything. Things are still a bit tense between him and Mom. Grandma died in childbirth and I think part of him blames my mother for it. At least that's what I think the problem is, I could be wrong.

Finally, I awake to my alarm on the first day of middle school. I'm so nervous. Most of my elementary school friends are going to a different school than the one I was assigned. I'm shy and quiet and have a hard time making new friends. It took me until fourth grade to make my first school friend and now I was back at square one.

Mom makes me pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I don't have much of an appetite, but I force myself to eat all the food she had kindly made me. "I know you're nervous honey, but I just know you're gonna make new friends there. You have a great personality; you just have to come out of your shell." she says as she grabs her purse. She then walks over to me and plants her muzzle on my forehead, giving me a kiss. "Have a great day, sweetie. Call the salon if you need me, okay?" And with that she leaves out the front door.

I get my backpack and shoes on and look out the front window, watching for my bus. I start thinking "She's wrong. I'm not going to make any friends. I don't have it in me. She doesn't know what it's like to have social anxiety." My thoughts are interrupted by the honk of the yellow school bus at the end of Grandpa's driveway. I walk out the front door, lock it behind me and walk to the bus parked in the street. An otter woman is driving and smiles as I climb on. The bus is practically full already, though I do manage to find a window seat in the last row. The chatter of my schoolmates dominates the bus on the ride there. I feel sick to my stomach. I am utterly alone in the back of the bus and people are already making friends. I have an intense fear of making conversation for fear of being judged. Kids at school have also picked on me in the past for crying when I get lonely. I fight back my tears this time though.

We arrive at Lakeside Middle School about ten minutes after pulling away from Grandpa's driveway. The bus pulls up along the curb of the school's front entrance and the doors to the bus swing open. I was the last one off the bus, of course. A banner above the front doors reads "ALL INCOMING STUDENTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CAFETERIA FOR ORIENTATION". Walking into the school, signs are posted on the walls directing me to the cafeteria. Most of the students from the bus go another direction though, telling me they were either 7th or 8th graders, so I feel mildly better about not being in on the chit-chat of the bus. I turn a corner and come to the double-door entrance of the cafeteria. Inside, a dozen or so lunch tables are set up and scattered about the room. I notice there is only one empty table at the corner of the cafeteria, and I immediately walk to it and sit on the end seat.

It will still be a few minutes until the official start of the school day and I can see some faculty seated in some chairs at the far end of the room, one of them setting up the microphone and checking it every so often. Again, I notice other students already socializing and making new friends, and here I am alone in the corner. I'm such a coward, it's all my fault. I'm gonna get bullied and beat up for sure. "Crybaby!" I hear David's voice in my head shout. He was right. I can feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes again and I bury my face in my hands. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don-

"Hey there, are you okay?" a voice asks. I slowly rub my eyes, my vision blurry for a moment from the tears, but then everything becomes clear. A brown wolf has taken the seat right next to me. My heart skips a beat. He has beautiful green eyes and warm smile on his face. Instantly, all my negative thoughts go away and I feel at ease. "U-uh... I... Um..." I stutter. I realize I am blushing. He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too. But we'll get through it. My name is Marty. What's yours?"