"This is where you'll sleep, and right now all the other boys are in the play room, waiting to eat."
Derek said.

I nodded. I had always been shy.

Derek left, and I sat on the bed. I didn't wanna play. I had a couple tears leave my eyes.

I wiped them with my shirt.-only shirt I have now, everything is getting moved to Bri's.

I fell asleep, but Derek woke me back up for lunch.

I ate.
Then went out to play.
I was just sitting under a tree, when a boy a little older than me, came up to me and said hello.
"Hello, my name is Conner. What's yours?"

"Alex."
I said.

"How old are you?"
Conner asked.

"I held up 3 fingers. What bout you?"
I replied.

"I'm 6, and a half."

"What does the half do?"

"What do you mean?"
Conner said.

"What's six and a half?"

"I don't know."
He replied.
Conner had short, red hair, and blue eyes just like me and Brian. He was a lot taller than me.

"So, Conner what happened to you?"
I asked.

"Happened? Oh, you mean how I got here."

I nodded.

"My parents divorced, and my mom moved out. My dad started drinking, and didn't want me, so here I am. And yours?"

"They, they died."

"Both? How?"
Conner asked.

"Just my mommy. In a fire. The house cough fire. I was taken in by an orphanage, and they hurt me, then ended up back on the streets."

"Then what?"

"A man. A nice man saved me, and took me home, I met his band, then I was placed in more orphanages."
I said.

"A band?"

"Yeah, he's a guitarist. He has a band with his friend."

"What's his name?"

"Keith, Keith Richards."
I said.

"What's his friends name?"

"Mick. Look if you mind, I can't talk about it."

"Ok. You've been in and out of a lot of orphanages?"

"How could you tell?"

"Welt marks, bruises. Your bleeding slightly."
Conner said pointing.

He wiped the blood from my face.
I stepped back at first.

"Six, six times."

"What?"
He said.

"That's how many times I've been in and out of orphanages."

"This is my second time. Which other orphanages were you, in?"

"Cradles Home, not pleasant, Over The Rainbow, this one, and probably gonna go through more."

"Wow."
Was all he could say.
And.....
"W-what's around your wrist?"

"Oh, my original guardian. His band, they gave it to me to remember them."

"Who's Breian?"
He asked puzzled.

"Brian. He's, my friend. One I trust."

We ate together during dinner, went up to the dorms, and my bed was right across from his.

I kept the bracelets on no matter what. It was my protection, my comfort.

The next morning, I was told I was leaving.

"Where?"
I asked.

"To a place called Silver Stone. Your being loaned out, again though."🏴