Rise of the Retics Read Free Page B

possibly anywhere else in the world for that matter. It was why the other children refused to play with him, why the townsfolk grabbed their change purses as he went by, and, of course, why foster families dropped him faster than an angry skunk. [6] No one actually cared about who Jaxon was—they only saw what he was, an abomination of traits from species that have long tried to eradicate or enslave everyone else on the planet.
    After a few years of being treated like dirt, Jaxon noticed it was a lot easier, and certainly a lot more fun, to start acting in the way everyone expected you to. What was the point of trying so hard to be a good boy anyway?
    Rigby whimpered for her breakfast, snapping Jaxon from his thoughts. Patience was not her strong suit.
    “Oh, stop it, Rigby. You already ate back at the house!” The mottled young dog tilted her head to the side and stared at her horned master, unwilling to give up the request so quickly.
    “Oh, fine,” Jaxon replied after a few moments of trying to fight off his dog’s begging. “Take the fruits of my hard labor. Get it Rigs? Fruits of my labor?” Jaxon chuckled, again entertaining himself with his own jokes.
    He reached into his brown leather side satchel and pulled out one of the oranges. He peeled it, throwing the rind to the floor as he walked, tore it in half, and threw Rigby’s share down to her. She snatched it from the air, chewed once, and swallowed in a single fluid motion. Her large, bright pink tongue darted out to clean the juice from her jaw. The first thing Jaxon had learned about his dog was that as long as her target was edible, Rigby never missed a toss.
    Having Rigby around helped fill the void in Jaxon’s life where most children would have had family and friends. It was also quite nice that she liked to cause trouble as much as he did. Together they were often bringing mischief to the people of Rosehaven, whether it was stealing pies from the bakery or dumping gryphon dung in the well, Jaxon and Rigby relished in each and every misadventure, enjoying both the excitement and each other’s company.
    Today was to be no different. Jaxon had big plans for this morning. He was sure that today was going to be the day that he finally got Saan and William to blow their top. They were always so calm about everything. Nothing he ever did seemed to be able to provoke them. That was just one more thing Jaxon hated about them.
    To make it even worse, Jaxon’s current caretakers, a satyr couple, were important people in the community. Sir William, was one of Rosehaven’s prestigious Roune-Knights, a position of privilege and honor that afforded Jaxon quite a bit of leeway with the trouble he caused.
    His foster mother, Saan Hoofstomp, was a talented musician, who would often perform by the lagoon at the foot of the Lord Protector’s tower. Though people would often stop to throw her a coin, she would never allow it. “Music is a gift from the great horned gods,” she would always say, “and no such gift should ever be taxed or sold.” Jaxon firmly believed that she was born missing half her brain.              
    Normally in Rosehaven when a foster family was needed, one would be chosen from a community of the same species as the child, so as to help preserve the various different cultures. However, as there were neither any other demons, nor any other humans that lived there, he had always been passed between various people kind-hearted and naïve enough to think they could change him. It amazed him how many retics thought that their love was the only ingredient Nurture needed to hand Nature a stunning defeat.             
    As Jaxon bit into his half of the orange, closing his eyes to immerse himself in the flavor that was swishing around his mouth, he didn’t notice the obstacle that had taken root in his path and cast its shadow over him. Rigby stopped and let out a small whimper. Completely oblivious to his surroundings, he