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Howie grabbed a small shoulder bag and followed after Alex. He thought about everything and nothing as they walked out of Hus house and into the forest. This kid, Alex, wasn't like any other person he'd met before. He didn't act the same. He didn't feel the same. It was odd. The way he reacted to Howie's description of Nokto too...Howie wasn't one for superstitions.. But it was starting to seem like one.

Alex had been told before that he had a strange feeling around him, but he knew it was the power that flowed through his veins. What he didn't know was that he had more power than he could believe, but he would find out when he turned sixteen. Alex smiled and took a deep breath of the warm, clean air of the forest. The different smells of lake, oaks, wild flowers, and all kinds of different scents that were all mixed in with the forest. Alex knew the sun was going down, and that only made his smile brighten. He already saw the fireflies flying around, blinking their lights to the others in their silent commutation. He looked over at Howie, his smile still bright.

Howie felt Alex look to him and returned his gaze. In a moment he returned his smile. It was hard not to smile when someone like Alex was smiling at you. The fireflies were starting to awaken, heading for the long grass and lake shore where they would search for their mates. Howie opened his notebook and began to sketch a matching scene as they continued to walk. "Nighttime is my favorite atmosphere. What's yours?"

Alex smiled at Howie. "Nighttime as well. I love to look up at the stars and moon, beautiful and bright. As well as to see the fireflies flicker their lights and the crickets make their music." To Alex, it was hard to find the night time scary or fearful when there was the light of the sun reflecting of the moon and the stars bright. The sound of the wind lightly blowing through the trees as the crickets and frogs played their music. He really didn't draw a lot, he didn't think he was that good at it, but his drawings were decent.

Howie made a thoughtful "Mhm" sound and listened closely to what Alex was saying. He added them into his sketch, because they fit there. "That's very true. I've never seen the night as a frightening thing. The night is simply beautiful to me." At this point the fireflies had begun to stand out in the trees, and there were insects making music. The forest seemed to come alive at their footsteps.

Alex smiled. "Neither have I. I could understand if it was dark night with no moon or stars and it is winter were the fireflies and crickets are less active. Then it would seem more scary but during the warmer months, it truly is something amazing." He noticed that Howie was writing in his sketchbook but he really didn't think much of it.

"Winter is a good season all in itself. There are unique animals that appear in the forest around winter, while the bears are asleep." He reached into his bag and took out a highlighter, coloring the fireflies so that they were the focal points of the sketch. He finished his notes in the margins and signed the date. "It seems the summer this year will actually reach where we live."

Alex nodded. "Winter is a good season as well, during the day mostly." He shrugged lightly. He smiled at the mention of summer. "Maybe the lake will be warm enough so we can swim in it during summer." He suggested. The weather here wasn't that bad, it was worse in England, always raining and cold.

Howie thought about the idea of swimming. "It seems like a dangerous thing for me to do.." In all honestly, he didn't know how to swim. Howie had never been allowed to swim in the lake, because it wasn't ever warm enough during the summer, and that the exposure to the water could get him sick.

"Really? That sucks." Alex knew how to swim and it was something he liked to do. It really didn't matter mush to him. He knew that there were millions of different types of viruses and bacteria in lake water, so it was probably better for Howie not to go swimming in a lake, a pool would be better suited.

Howie sighed. "Yeah, I know." There were millions of things he'd never done or been able to do because of his conditions. It was a major drawback for his mind, making him grow accustomed to a little lifestyle with no dangers or fear of the unknown. Howie wished things could be different all the time, even though he wasn't one for wishing. "You can swim though, no need to be drawn back by my inabilities."

Alex shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair to you, I will be fine. Swimming isn't really anything of big importance to me. I can live with out it." He gave Howie a bright, reassuring smile. The only thing Alex couldn't experience that other kids could his age was to know that both their parents were around, even if they didn't seem there, they were still alive, breathing. Other kids didn't wake up in the middle of the night with the memories of his parents being all burnt to ash in a large cloud of smoke.

"Well alright. Thank you for your consideration." He was surprised by the fact that Alex was willing to give something up for his sake. He never seemed to be unsurprised by Alex. He took a turn and walked into a large field of tall grass with a single willow tree in the distance. Howie adored this area. He came here often.

Alex followed beside Howie and smiled at seeing the tall grass and willow tree. It looked like a peaceful place to work, or just to think. Alex wished he had a place like this during those first few months after his parents death so he could sit back and think about it all and what happened that night. "Wow, this place is peaceful."

Howie sighed and closed his eyes. "This place calms me after an especially rough day." He walked over to the willow tree and slipped between is branches. The place was simply covered in fireflies, the little creatures hovering everywhere.

Alex waited until Howie climbed up the tree and was settled down in one of the branches before he climbed up. "It really is beautiful, I could understand why you would come here." He held out his hand, letting a firefly land there then soon fly away, with it's bright light.

Howie relaxed for the first time in a long time. It had been months since he'd come out here. He was always in his room, busy studying for...his project! His mind raced as he realized that today he hadn't done anything for his project. What a funny thought. He had actually taken the time to do something else. Maybe it could wait, he thought to himself. Taking a break sometimes wasn't too bad. He looked at the sky and the stars. After a moment he very quietly asked, "What is it like, Alex? Never having had somewhere to stay permenantly for all this time.."

Alex frowned. "It isn't the best thing in the world. I end up losing a lot of friends, some which who put a lot of trust in me. I also can't go back and visit my parents graves when I want to because it is back in England. Only one friend of mine I have been able to keep in contact with, and that is because I've known her since we were both little kids and her mother was my mother's best friend. But moving around so much can get annoying at times because you never know where you will end up or who you will move around." Alex quickly wiped away a few tears that threaten to fall out of his eyes at the memory of all the friends he had back in the other foster homes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Howie had maybe one friend, Cyrus, who always got him into nothing but trouble. He knew if he ever lost Cyrus, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. He could't imagine what it must be like for Alex. All he knew is that he didn't want Alex to feel that way ever again. He didn't want the boy, his temporary companion in a sense, to stop smiling.
Howie wasn't sure what to do with this new thought. What had happened? He never gave a care about anyone before, yet suddenly he felt drawn to this boy, whom he didn't know besides a gentle smile and good manners. He lightly reached over and ruffled Alex's blonde hair. "You don't have to worry about that for a while. We won't be going anywhere."

Alex looked up at Howie and smiled at him. "Yeah, that is true. It's good to know that I don't have to move around a lot anymore." He was glad that Howie's father had adopted him, even if it was for a reason Alex didn't agree with. Howie actually reminded his friend back in England, not only because she had gotten cancer and was lucky to survive, but they had the similar personality once you got to know them.