Evander shook his head. He wished he felt better, this would have turned out better, he knew it. He would have taken them both and made things better. He liked them both very much, if for no other reason than they'd been nice to him. But neither had any idea what it was like, what he'd gone through, and losing their way or choosing, it was far better than what had happened to him.
"Hard times are one thing, and if you are happy that is another," Evander said, the annoyance in his voice even a surprise to himself. "But when you lose your way because you're taken from your family.... when you're forced to do what someone says because they now own you and your life is in their hands.... when you never choose to do it but must because you think of nothing but home...."
Evander's voice choked in his throat. His eyes grew wide and he knew he'd said too much It was wrong and he needed to leave. "You're far more lucky than you ever know," he whispered. He tried to hold himself tall as he tried to move to the door of the room, his footsteps barely noticeable.