“I’ll make it good for you, I promise.”

“No…please…I don’t want to.”

“It’ll feel good. Just relax.”

“No…don’t.”

“No!!”

I sit up, suddenly wide awake as the nightmare fades. It’s one of many recurring dreams and always leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. My skin feels like it’s crawling, and I know I probably won’t be able to go back to sleep tonight. Turning on my side, I pull my jacket around me tighter and close my eyes. Trying in vain to let sleep grab hold of me once more. Just when I think I’ve managed it a bright light is shined in my face by a potbellied police officer.

“Hey kid, you can’t sleep there.”

“Sorry, I’ll move.”

Sitting up, I pull on the cheap jacket I stole from a donation bin and sling my backpack onto my shoulders. It has everything of value in it that I managed to take with me from my house when my mother kicked me out. The officer looks at me with concern. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

Shrugging, I say, “I can find a place.”

“How about I take you to a shelter?”

“That’s a nice offer sir, but the shelters are full.”

Standing, I say, “There’s no need to be concerned for me. I can handle myself. Have a nice night, officer.”

Turning away from him, I start walking through the park mentally going over a list of places I could probably stay tonight as well as places where I could grab a shower. I haven’t had one in three days since I snuck into the high school before classes and took one in the boys’ locker room. I have a job interview at a local gas station tomorrow and I don’t want to show up smelling like a cesspit. Hopefully, I’ll walk out of there with a job this time instead of another crushing disappointment. I’ve lived on the streets ever since that fateful night two years ago.

I was thirteen when my mother’s boyfriend started showing an interest in me. Being a kid, I thought he was trying to get me to accept him as a father figure. Boy was I wrong. When I was sixteen, my mother walked in on him forcing me to suck his cock. She took one look at the situation and blamed me. My mother was never the best parent in the world, but I thought she loved me. Seems I was wrong about that too. Instead of listening to what I had to say, she slapped me, called me a faggot slut and kicked me out of the house for trying to steal her man. I was given enough time to grab some of my things and the important documents like my birth certificate, I.D and social security card, before I was tossed out on my ass.

We lived in a trailer park outside of a small town called Pine Valley. Since I never wanted to cross paths with my mom or her boyfriend ever again, I hitchhiked my way to a city three states over and have been there ever since. Rockydale is a great place even though it’s a bit strange. Living on the streets and sleeping outdoors means I’ve seen some things most people wouldn’t believe. The first time I saw a naked man in the woods turn into a wolf, I thought I was crazy and hallucinating because I hadn’t eaten in a few days. Then, a few weeks later I saw another man turn into a lion and I came to the realization that paranormals exist.

Since then, I’ve seen a number of different shifter types as well as other things, like people running through the woods so fast they’re nothing but a blur and a couple guys with colorful hair and pointy ears. Most people probably would’ve freaked out when they realized they weren’t alone in the world, but I’ve always loved books about paranormals so, seeing them in real life is a dream come true. Sure, I have a lot of questions, but I’ve never worked up the courage to walk up to one of the people I’ve seen and say, “Hey, I know what you are, can you answer some questions for me?” Yeah, I doubt that would go over well.

Shaking my head, I continue walking until I exit the park. Rockydale isn’t a large city like New York and is like a hidden gem because instead of being surrounded by other towns, it butts up to the national forest. Because the city isn’t that large it doesn’t have as many homeless shelters. In fact, Rockydale only has two but the homeless population in Rockydale is so low, the shelters are small and always full because they allow people to live there until they find their feet. I’m able to go there for a meal when I need to, but they never have any beds available so, I usually have to find somewhere else to sleep and shower. The volunteers are nice though and I consider a few of them friends.

They helped me figure out how to apply for jobs but because of how young I am and with the little experience I have, I’ve been turned down every time. It’s also why I haven’t been back to the shelter in a while because I know my friends will ask about me and I don’t have the heart to tell them I’m still living on the street. My friends there gave me some money to help tide me over until I found a job and I’ve made it last as long as I could. I’m sure one of them would let me cruise their couch if I asked but I’m afraid if I do, I’ll never strike out on my own and will end up taking advantage of them. Besides, I’d rather not let anyone know about my nightmares.

Crossing main street, I head for the church. For years, I never set foot in one of these places but as I hitchhiked my way to Rockydale, I found sanctuary in some when the shelters were full. The priest at this one is by far one of the nicest men I’ve ever met. He leaves food and other essentials for me hidden in the pulpit and always turns a blind eye when he finds me sleeping in one of the pews. He never asks questions and for that I’ll always be grateful.

Sneaking in the back door that’s always unlocked for me, I grab a blanket and pillow from the pulpit as well as a granola bar and a bottle of water. After I’ve eaten, and finished off the water, I settle into my favorite pew and try to catch some z’s.

I didn’t have time to shower when I woke up this morning if I wanted to make it to my interview on time. Instead, I used some of the wet wipes the priest left to clean up a bit before putting my blanket back in the pulpit and exiting through the back door.

As soon as I walk into the gas station and tell the attendant who I am, he hands me a broom and a dustpan and says, “You start now.”

“But what about the interview?”

“You’re the only one who applied that actually showed up for an interview. Everyone else found other jobs already. So, you’re hired. Start with sweeping up and then you can clean the bathroom. After that, we’ll take care of the paperwork, and I’ll start teaching you how things work behind the counter.”

“Can I stash my backpack somewhere?”

“There’s a room in the back. You can put it in there.”

Taking the broom and dustpan from him, I stash my backpack behind a cabinet so it’s not easy to find and get to work. While sweeping up the main aisles, I glance surreptitiously at Jellal who is sitting on a stool behind the register flipping through a magazine with a bored expression on his face. I get the sense that he’d rather be anywhere else but here. Walking over to the trashcan, I empty the dustpan and say, “Is it always this slow?”

Jellal looks up from his magazine and says, “Not usually. It’ll get busier in the afternoon once people start getting off work.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“Five years. I started when I was seventeen. My uncle owns the place. I’m working here until I save enough money to pay for what my dad can’t. If I want to go to school to become a pastry chef in France, I have to earn enough money to cover the cost of my language lessons as well as my living expenses until I can find a job over there. My dad is going to pay for my school costs.”

“That’s awesome, how close are you to that goal?”

He grins brightly and says, “I’ve already got the amount I need and have bought a plane ticket. I went with my dad a couple weeks ago to sort out living arrangements for me and get my stuff shipped so it’ll arrive on the same day I do. I’m only here until the end of the month. I’d be gone already but I promised my uncle I’d help him hire a few more people before I leave so, he isn’t scrambling to replace me.”

“Congratulations, that’s awesome news.”

“I’m excited. After I graduate, I’m going to come back and open a shop here. Make sure you come try my cakes.”

“I will.”

When I’m cleaning the bathroom an hour later, I find a lottery ticket on the floor. It’s for tonight’s drawing. Thinking someone must’ve dropped it, I exit the bathrooms and look around the store. The only other person around is Jellal the guy I’m working with. Walking up to the counter, I hold up the ticket and say, “I found this in the bathroom.”

Jellal looks at it and says, “Keep it. The drawing is for tonight and whoever lost it will probably just buy another. You found it, it’s yours.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s just a lottery ticket. We have a lost and found box for the other shit, like clothes, phones, whatever.”

Stuffing the ticket into my pocket, I nod at him and go back to cleaning the bathrooms.

Later that night, I walk into one of those sports bar places. Since it doubles as a restaurant, I don’t have to worry about being underage. I find myself a table with a good view of the TV. There aren’t any games on tonight and the channel is turned on the news as the election votes are tallied. I only have twenty dollars left out of the money my friends gave me so when the waitress comes over to take my order, I order something off the kids’ menu. It might be a small serving but it’s cheap and all I can afford right now. At least, until I get my first paycheck.

Taking a sip of my water, I keep an eye on the TV. When the lottery drawing starts, I pull out my ticket and read the numbers as they come across the screen. My hands start to shake as each number is revealed and when it’s over, I’m so overwhelmed I feel like I might throw up. The waitress brings me my food and I scarf it down as quick as I can before throwing my last twenty on the table and rushing from the restaurant. Crossing the street, I head straight for the police station. I need someone to talk to who’s objective and the sheriff seems like my best bet. I’ve seen him around town, and he seems like a decent, trustworthy man.

Stalking up to the front desk, I say, “I need to speak to the sheriff. It’s important.”

She takes one look at me and picks up the phone. Minutes later, the sheriff opens the door to his office and says, “Come on in, Casper.”

I met Sheriff Johnson when I first started getting help from the volunteers at the shelter. He was helping serve food in the kitchen and since that first meeting, he’s caught me sleeping on benches a few times. Sometimes he’d take me to get something to eat if he wasn’t busy. Because I know he’s a good man and someone I can trust, he’s the first person I thought to come to when I realized I held a winning ticket.

Walking into the office, I take a seat and do my best not to fidget. I’m absolutely terrified of suddenly being so wealthy. Any what-if scenario I can think of is running through my mind at warp speed. What if I die, who gets the money then? Will it just go to my mom and her scumbag boyfriend? I don’t want that. What if someone tries to say I stole the ticket from them? Will I be arrested? Thrown in jail? It’s all so overwhelming that I feel like I’m on the verge of a panic attack.

The sheriff closes the office door and sits down. “You look like a scared rabbit. Did something happen?”

Pulling the ticket from my pocket with shaking hands, I take a deep breath to get myself under control and say, “I just won 1.6 billion dollars and I have no idea what to do.”

He hands me a pen and says, “First, I want you to sign your name on that ticket then, once you’ve calmed down a little, we’ll see about getting you a lawyer. Your life is about to change kid, and I have a feeling it’ll be for the better.”

Taking the pen from him, I will my hand to stop shaking long enough to write my name legibly. After signing my name on the ticket, I return his pen and say, “Now, about that lawyer…”

The sheriff pulls his rolodex over and begins flipping through the business cards clipped in the wheel. When he finally finds the card he’s looking for, he pulls out a notepad and writes down all the information before tearing the sheet of paper off and handing it to me.

“Caleb Devine isn’t from around here but he’s a damn good lawyer. He helped me with my divorce when my wife decided to move to Coal Springs. Caleb is originally based in Asphalt Bay but since there aren’t many lawyers in the area, he’s the one my ex-wife and I dealt with. I had one other lawyer that I know is reputable and could’ve recommended you but since Damon is a federal prosecutor now, he doesn’t take as many non-criminal cases as he used to.”

Taking the paper from him, I say, “Are there any locals? Asphalt Bay is really far away.”

“There are, but I wouldn’t trust them with your situation. They’re likely to take you for granted. Caleb is a good man and he’ll come here if you need him to.”

“Okay. Can I borrow your phone to call him?”

He checks his watch and says, “I don’t think he’ll still be in the office now, but I have his cell phone number. Let me call and see if he’s still at the office or not. Either way, I’ll let you talk to him. He can get your information and tell you what steps to take next.”

With a nod, I lean back in the chair and fold my arms, doing my best not to show how terrified and overwhelmed I am. It’s a huge amount of money and I have no idea where to go from here. Going from having nothing when I woke up this morning to suddenly having everything, is daunting, and I have to fight back the rising panic. Instead of focusing on the what ifs, I decide to try and calm down by listening to what the sheriff is saying.

“Hello, Caleb? This is Sheriff Johnson from Rockydale. Sorry to bother you so late but, I have a bit of an emergency. I just had a young man walk in with tonight’s winning lottery ticket. He needs a lawyer to help him claim his winnings and I recommended you.”

He pauses, then nods, “Yes, he’s here. Would you like to speak to him?”

Another nod, and he holds out the phone to me. Taking it from him, I say, “Hello? Mr. Devine?”

“Call me Caleb. Now, can I get your name?”

“Casper Romano.”

“And your age?”

“I’m nineteen.”

“What’s your current address?”

“I don’t have one.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I’ve been living on the streets. I finally managed to get a job this morning and by chance, found the ticket on the floor of the bathroom. I never expected to win anything, let alone 1.6 billion dollars. I’m not sure what to do or where to go from here.”

“Don’t worry, Casper, I’ll take care of everything. First things first though, we need to find you somewhere to stay, I’m sure the sheriff will put you up in a motel for the night. I’ll meet you there first thing in the morning and we’ll discuss things. I’ll bring some paperwork with me for you to sign so, we can claim your winnings while keeping your name anonymous and then we’ll work on putting a team together to help you manage your finances as well as figure out what you plan to do from here on out. Sound good?”

“Yes. I do have to work tomorrow but my shift doesn’t start until noon. Will we have enough time?”

“I’ll be there early, say around eight. That’ll give us four hours to take care of everything.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“No problem. Can you hand the phone back to the sheriff? I have a couple more things to discuss with him.”

“Sure.”

I hand the phone back to the sheriff, who takes it and says, “Yes?” then pauses and adds, “I’ll take care of it. As soon as he’s settled, I’ll text you the information.”

After a few more nods, the sheriff ends the call and stands. “Come with me, Casper. We’ll get you into a hotel room for the night.”

Shaking my head, I bite my lip and say, “I can’t pay for a room.”

He grins and pats me on the back. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll cover the cost of the room. You don’t have to pay me back either. It’s my job to help people.”

Shoulders sagging in relief, I nod. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He pulls a business card from his wallet and hands it to me. “If you need anything, call me and I’ll do what I can to help.”

Taking the card, I tuck it in my pocket, then grab my bag and follow the sheriff out of the precinct. I’m not sure what the future will hold for me, but I do know that with people like Caleb and the sheriff helping me out, it’s a lot less overwhelming. I’ve got a lot to think about, like what I want to do with the money now that I have it and how to protect myself from people who’d love nothing more than to take advantage of me and my newfound wealth. Hopefully, Caleb will be able to help me accomplish whatever I decide.

On the bright side, I’ll finally be able to sleep in a bed tonight instead of a park bench or church pew. It’s been years since I slept on something as soft as a mattress. It’s that thought that has me smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time. Instead of leading me towards his cruiser, the sheriff starts walking down the sidewalk. “There’s a hotel about two blocks up. As I said earlier, I’ll take care of the bill so if you want to order room service or anything feel free to. You look like you could use a decent meal.”

Feeling a blush stain my cheeks, I look down at the sidewalk. The sheriff says, “So, how long have you been living on the streets? I know I’ve caught you on a bench a few times in the past year, and we met at the shelter around new year’s but that’s all I know.”

“Since I was sixteen. My mother threw me out when she found out I was gay.” It’s not a total lie, but I get the sense he knows I’m not telling him everything judging by the expression on his face.

Sheriff Johnson runs a finger along his goatee and says, “Some people don’t deserve to be parents. If I had a dollar for every time, I heard a kid say they were thrown out because of their sexual orientation, I’d probably be as rich as you are.” If I had a thing for silver foxes, Sheriff Johnson would be my type. With salt and pepper hair, slate gray eyes, and a body fit enough you could probably bounce a quarter off his butt, he’s the epitome of what every male strives to be at his age. Not that I know how old he is exactly, I just assume it’s old enough to be my father.

We enter the hotel lobby and head for the front desk. The receptionist there greets us with a smile, and after the sheriff hands over his credit card and I.D. she gives us a set of room keys. As we enter the elevator, I turn to the sheriff and say, “Why did you put the room in your name?”

“For your safety. You can stay in this room for however long you need to, I’ll foot the bill but since you just won a huge amount of money, it’s best if people don’t know where you are. I know Caleb is planning to keep your name anonymous but eventually, someone will find out and while I hope it won’t be until after we’ve helped you hire someone for security, it’s possible that your name could be out there as soon as you deposit the money in your bank account.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry though, between Caleb and I, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

The elevator doors open, and we walk down the hall to my room. The sheriff enters the room ahead of me and turns on the lights. “Do you have everything you need?”

I nod and put my bag on a chair. “Alright, I’ll head out then. I’m going to text Caleb your room number, so he knows where to go in the morning. You should get some rest.”

“I will.”

He hands me the room keys and says, “I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you,” then heads for the door.

“Thank you, Sheriff.”

“You’re welcome.”

When the door closes behind him, I lock it and turn out the lights as I head for the bed. I should take a shower, but I’m exhausted so instead, I decide to go to sleep. The next morning, I wake up early, order room service and take a shower. By the time I’ve finished breakfast, Caleb has arrived. He’s wearing an expensive suit that looks like it’s been tailored to fit him perfectly. His hair is brown and tousled, so it looks like he just rolled out of bed. As for his build, it’s thin but muscular and his features have that high, angled cheekbone quality most models would kill for. We sit at the table and he pulls out a stack of papers and some files from his briefcase.

“It’s nice to meet you Casper. I’ve brought some papers to go over with you. The files I brought are for you to look over so that we can decide on the other members of your team. Before you claim your prize, we’ll have to find you a financial advisor and an accountant as well as someone to manage your security. The files are backgrounds on the ones I’d recommend. You’ll also need to decide if you want a lump sum payout or to have it paid to you over time.”

He crosses his legs and says, “We have a number of things to do, like get you set up with a bank account and prepare your last will and testament. But, before we get into all of that, I’d like to ask you what you plan to do with the money.”

“I’ve thought about it a lot, since last night, and I’d like to build a resort, that doesn’t just cater to the wealthy but also helps the homeless but before I can do anything like that, I think I should take some business courses and figure out exactly how I want the money to be spent and what goals I have for the resort. I know it will be a lot of work, but the end result will be worth it.”

Caleb grins and says, “I can help you with that too. We can get you enrolled in online courses, and I can help you meet with a realtor for the purchase of the land as well as an architect and contractor for the build. Once everything is in order, I’ll help you do employee contracts so you can start hiring people but before we get to that, you need to claim your prize.”

“Alright, let’s get to it then.”

With a nod, Caleb begins explaining what the documents are for, and once I’ve signed everything, he helps me enroll in online business courses, then we hire my financial advisor and accountant and meet them at the bank so I can set up an account. As soon as I have my account information, and have a solid plan for my newfound wealth, my team takes my information and claims my prize, so I remain anonymous.

Later that night, after I get off work, I take my brand-new debit card and use it at the ATM. When the machine prints my receipt, seeing the current balance, has me in tears. Never again. I’ll never have to live like this again. Sending a quick prayer of thanks to whatever god decided to bless me with such luck, I head for my hotel room, excited to start my new life. My timeline for the resort is to start the ball rolling on it within a year. In order to do that, I need to complete my master’s degree in business within the next five years. It’s going to be exhausting, and hard, but I have faith that I can pull it off. Failure is not an option.

Four years and seven months later…

Taking the elevator downstairs, I walk over to the wall of mailboxes in the lobby of the apartment complex I’m staying in. My security team wanted me to buy a house because it’s easier to guard but I promised myself, I wouldn’t do anything like that until the resort was finished. Seeing the shocked expression of the doorman when he sees me, I can’t help but laugh. In order to reach my goal of getting my business degree in six months, I had to quit my job but I made sure that Jellal had a suitable replacement for me before leaving. Since then, I haven’t left my apartment. Even going as far as to have my groceries delivered. But, becoming a hermit was worth it. I graduated a few weeks ago and have been patiently waiting for my degree to come in the mail. As I open my mailbox, I see the long white envelope with my college’s name printed on the front.

Grinning, I tear open the envelope and pull out the certificate that says I now have a degree in business. With my degree in hand, I call Caleb and tell him to start the employee contracts. My goal is to have everyone I need hired before the resort is even finished that way, I won’t have to rush around trying to find people right before the grand opening. The contractors I met with say construction is going to take around five years, but I’m fine with that because I know once it’s finally done, I’ll be helping a lot of people. Because of my plans to use the resort as a way to help the homeless, I have to not only hire people to run the resort but also hire people like counselors to help the people we’ll be taking in with whatever they need.

It took a while to get approval to build because the land I purchased is in the forest and runs alongside the national forest. They felt there would be a threat to the environment. Once I told them of my plans to have the entire place be eco-friendly and self-sustaining, the plans were approved. Since the resort will be in the middle of the forest, I’ve decided to hire forest rangers to educate guests and lead hikes, so no one gets lost. Whether or not any will agree to work for me is another ballgame. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Thanks to Caleb and the sheriff, I have a great team of people at my back who help me with anything I need. Being a billionaire isn’t as overwhelming now as it was before. It was big news when it was discovered that I was the only person with a winning ticket and would get the full jackpot amount and luckily, Caleb managed to keep my name out of the limelight, the only thing they were able to find out was my age. It’s only a matter of time though before someone figures it out.

If it isn’t discovered soon, it will be when the resort is finished because as the owner, my name will be public knowledge, and it would only take a little digging to discover that I wasn’t always this rich. While I don’t look forward to being hassled when it all comes out, I am glad that I found that ticket and no amount of harassment will ever make me regret it. I’m living a better life than before, and I don’t plan on ever going back to the way things were. I’ve got money, a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and a nice warm bed. Now all I need is someone to share it with.