Kai tried not to panic. He didn’t need anthing else to be wrong between him and Bard. “What? Why? Is there —”

Jude raised his hands in a gentle stop gesture. “Not great, but nothing we can’t work through.” He set his hands back down, folded them in his lap. “I crossed paths with Roger Fox a few times when I first came to Milton. Four of the worker bees from the factory—kids about your age or a little older—I had taught them in a music program for students, and then they came to study meditation with me. I helped a couple of them apply to university. The others went to work in jobs that suited them better. It didn’t sit well with Roger Fox for some reason. He accused me of corrupting youth—which made me laugh, since that’s what they accused Socrates of, too—threatened to have me deported. He sent the police over half a dozen times, but he was just one of the factory managers then, not running the whole operation, so he didn’t have the same clout. The woman who was general manager then reined him in eventually.”

Kai frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would he be so obsessed with you? Over four kids?”

Jude shrugged. “Some people can’t stand having the status quo shaken up. The establishment feels safe. Those kids’ friends saw they didn’t have to go straight from secondary school to the factory, like their parents did. If kids stop taking factory jobs, if they start getting ideas about getting above their station—who’s gonna be the cogs, then? And then there are the kind of men who can’t handle not being in control of everything. He’s one of those.”

Kai nodded. When he had been in Bard’s mind, he had seen was Bard’s beliefs. And those beliefs were in his own mind and his own creativity. But then there was something else—not doubting the beliefs, but doubting that he even should have those beliefs. There was an influence there that Kai hadn’t been able to work out, but now he knew—that was Roger Fox. 

And suddenly he hated Bard’s father. He didn’t have to think about if it was right or reasonable, he just knew he had to. He had to hate him.

“Easy there, Kai,” Jude said. “Watch out for your darker instincts.”

Kai glowered at his uncle. “My instincts are always right.”

“Maybe. But what you do because of them isn’t.” Jude rubbed his beard.  “And you’re going to have to keep that in check because this could get messy.”

“Like most things do when I’m involved.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You thought it, though.”

Jude tucked his lips in and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

“It’s OK,” Kai said, not really meaning it. He scowled. “It’s true.”

“You gotta know that’s half your charm. Maybe even more than half. Your dad always says that.” 

“But not my mom.”

Jude gave an exaggerated shrug. “Joy... well, she’s Joy. She wants things to be easier for you.”

“Everything that she thinks is important is easy for her because she’s good at it,” Kai said. “She doesn’t get that it isn’t that way for everyone.”

“My sister is an insufferable know-it-all. Trust me, I know this. I’m the weird brother of California’s first Asian American congresswoman, remember? She’s figuring it out—you’re good at the stuff you’re good at.” Jude resettled himself on the beanbag. “So, look. Roger Fox is not a... tolerant man. Do you understand what I mean?”

Kai nodded.

“When Roger was accusing me of corrupting the kids who used to work for him, that was his thing—saying it was people like me who would turn his son into... well, he used a word I won’t repeat.” Jude leaned forward and held his nephew in his gaze until Kai raised his eyes. “So just know that I support you. But I also don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know, Uncle Jude.”

“So is this boy worth it?”

Kai didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Jude slapped his palms against his knees. “Well, there you go. Now, help an old man up.”

He held out his hand, and Kai stood and took it, hauling up his uncle, who actually could get up just fine on his own, Kai knew. Just another one of Jude’s tricks to make sure there was contact and camaraderie between them. Even though Kai knew it was a ruse, it still worked. 

“Seems like you could do with some meditation tonight,” Jude said, raising his eyebrows. “Get your mind clear so you can see the path forward.”

Kai sighed. “OK.”

“Remember,” Jude said as he headed back into the kitchen. “Focus on your —“

“Breathing. Yeah, I know.” Kai heard the snap in his voice. He’d been doing this for almost a year now. Jude had more in common with Joy than he liked to think. Who’s the know-it-all here? Kai thought.

“Easy, kid.”

Kai huffed, breathed in, trying to calm the roil of frustration that was curling in his gut. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, not loud enough for Jude to hear.

“See you in the morning, kid,” Jude said, his back to Kai.