Raphael (The Immortal Youth Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

but he hadn’t survived on the street for being tame and shook his head.
    “It’s okay. Really.” Mr. Quintilius too left his chair and made a show to mime Raphael’s cocky stance, then looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. “Kid, I understand your need to challenge me but I’m here to hire you for a decent job.” His expression relaxed as he added, “I’ll even offer you boarding.”
    “Why?” Raphael shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
    Shaking his head, Mr. Valdi stepped before Raphael, but not before casting him a disapproving look. “I apologize for his—”
    A loud snarl filled the room as the alpha’s chest inflated. “For the last time, there’s absolutely no need for apologies.” He breathed in and out, then let out a softer growl. “For the record, I’ll take an independent and smart thinker over a sheep, any day of the week.”
    Although Raphael remained silent, he couldn’t help but be pleased by Mr. Quintilius’s statement and it must have shown in his more relaxed stance, because the alpha gave him a bright smile and asked, “Any questions?”
    “Yes, I have one.” Raphael turned toward Mr. Valdi. “Where’s Darla? Is she okay?” As soon as he came back to RYS, he looked for the girl and discovered she didn’t live at the center anymore, but none of the kids knew what had become of her.
    Mr. Valdi rested both arms on the armchairs and cleared his voice. “Darla is well and living with her new family in Verona. A few months after you ran away, she was matched with a foster family that adopted her. Soon after she moved out, my predecessor received a terrible call from her foster parents. Darla broke in tears one night and told them about the counselor and what he did to her, to other kids, and to you.” He sighed, his eyes unfocused for a moment, then he looked back at Raphael. “The former rector looked for you everywhere, but you’re good at hiding—”
    “What happened to Mr. B?” Raphael asked.
    “He got his just punishment,” Mr. Quintilius answered, a cold edge in his tone.
    “Good.” Raphael’s opinion of the alpha had changed significantly for the better in the last few minutes, and he now felt more at ease in his presence. “So, clerical work you say—”
    “Filing documents, typing mails, secretarial tasks. That kind of work. Interested?”
    “Anything that gets me out of RYS and back to Rome interests me,” Raphael said, then looked at Mr. Valdi and added, “No offense, Mr. V.”
    Mr. Valdi shook his head, but smiled. “None taken.”
    “See you tomorrow then.” Mr. Quintilius thrust his hand forward before Raphael could answer and Raphael found himself shaking it.
    The next day, Raphael packed his meager belongings—a grocery bag stuffed with three shirts, one holey sweater with the Roma FC logo, a few mismatched socks, and underwear—and left RYS.

Chapter Three
    Sunday afternoon at the Den of Rejects meant board games, and Raphael couldn’t wait to show Angel the two Catan expansions he had just bought with his second paycheck.
    Two full months had passed under Quintilius’s reign, and having the alpha as his boss wasn’t bad. Even though the scholastic year would end in a month, the wolf tried to convince Raphael to enroll in a high school, but Raphael had shown him how—despite that he hadn’t seen the inside of a classroom in years—he had taken care of his education. Quintilius was pleasantly surprised by Raphael’s eclectic knowledge, but informed Raphael that he would pay for a private high school next fall. Not particularly pleased with that prospect, Raphael regarded the date as far away in the future, forgot about it, and focused on his current job instead. The clerical work was boring but easy, and he had the weekends free.
    For once, life didn’t suck.
    Had he had found Luisa already it would have been perfect. Maybe Quintilius would help her too and maybe they could go to public school together—he wouldn’t dare