Chapter 1 – The Wish

-:-:-

Chad was a person with very simple needs.

He had to be, because if he raised his standards any he'd be living a life of perpetual disappointment. So he tried to keep things basic. He couldn't be sad if he aspired for small things, right? Instead of straight A's, he aimed for grades good enough to help him pass. Instead of hoping for his dad to talk to him, he looked forward to his monthly phone calls with his grandfather. Instead of hoping for a lot of friends, he developed a good sense of humor so it was like he had a lot of friends even if he didn't.

Small things. Achievable things. These were healthy life goals.

And maybe Chad had like, one not so simple thing he wanted. To be fair, Audrey was pretty amazing. She was strong and determined and so very pretty, and she always looked poised and never seemed sad and Chad wanted to be just like her. Be popular and strong and pretty and loved – and since he couldn't do that, the next best thing would be to date her, because Ben had been stupid enough to break up with her, and Chad had managed to weasel himself into the position of second-most popular prince in the entire school despite not being that charming. That was how far his hard work had gotten him. And maybe it wasn't a huge achievement, but it was his, and Chad was proud of it.

When Audrey had stooped to dating him, Chad had done his best to be at her disposal in whatever capacity she needed. Did she need a distraction? Someone to hold her shopping bags? Did she need someone to rant to late at night, or to save her the best seat in the dining hall (it was by the window that looked out over the rose bushes – her favorite). Chad did all of those things without complaint, because Audrey was amazing. Ben had pretty much proven that by dating her above all the other princesses. It was how Chad knew she was good without question.

So Chad did what he could to appease her, and when she invited him over to visit her in Auroria at the last-minute because someone else had canceled on her, he did that, and when she told him to stay put because her distant cousin or future lady-in-waiting had uncanceled but she wanted him around for later, he did that as well.

He was such a good boyfriend; it was weird no one had dated him before Audrey.

All those other princesses were going to be so sad they had turned him down. Politely, of course, but they'd still said no. And that was fair, they just- they didn't know what they were missing out on, was all. They didn't know how committed Chad was.

He was very committed. It was one of his most redeeming qualities.

Audrey had left him with explicit orders not to mess anything up, but Chad found himself cleaning her room on instinct anyway. After all, no one could hate you for being clean. If he had a clean room, there was no reason for anyone to be mad at him.

There were only benefits.

It was a lifestyle he'd applied to Audrey's room many a time. Sometimes he thought she invited him over just to clean her room, which Chad was more than happy to do (even if he was confused about it, because unlike him, he was pretty sure she had maids). Audrey's room was very pretty – all pinks and golds and pastels. Chad wished his own room could be something like it – but his space had to be manly. It was bad enough that he sewed clothes sometimes. Being good at Tourney could only counteract so much, even if he donated most of the stuff he made. Just- he wanted to be closer to his mom, was all, that didn't seem unfair.

These were the things Chad was stewing over when he'd accidentally stumbled upon Audrey's diary, only he hadn't known it was Audrey's diary at the time. It was just a pretty pink book that he had spent too long admiring, that he had fumbled because he thought he'd heard a noise out in the hall only there wasn't anyone there, and then he'd dropped the pretty book which was just his luck.

It landed open, face down, and Chad rushed to pick it up, glancing over the lettering inside and pausing when he recognized Audrey's handwriting. It was done in pink gel pen – one from the pack he'd gotten her, and he'd smiled for a moment before some of the words seemed to catch his gaze.

Specifically, his name.

'Chad will never be good enough for me,' they read, making his heart tense painfully in his chest. 'I know that now. I have to get Ben back. In the meantime, Chad is… useful, but I can't settle for him. I have to do better.'

There was more, but Chad couldn't bear to read it, not when he shouldn't have read this much. He swallowed hard, a familiar heat building behind his eyes as he placed the book back where he had found it with shaking hands.

Men didn't cry. Men were tough. Sardinia didn't have time for crybabies, so Chad needed to get over himself.

He tried not to sniffle, to croak. Blinked his eyes quickly and started counting backwards from a hundred until his face didn't feel as hot.

So.

Audrey didn't actually like him.

He wasn't surprised by this. Audrey was the best princess in all of Auradon. She deserved better than him, she was right about that, he just thought… he'd hoped…

It was like all his hard work had been for nothing, and maybe that was just a little bit upsetting. He'd done everything Audrey had ever wanted, he'd never complained, he'd never asked for anything in return. She'd asked him out – planned all their dates down to the last detail and Chad carried them out perfectly and he- he just- he thought-

Couldn't that have made him worthy of her? Even a little bit?

The idea that he wasn't despite that hurt. It hurt a lot. Enough that he didn't actually want to stay and see Audrey later, because she'd probably want him to rub her shoulders or her feet and maybe steam her dress and he could do that but she still wouldn't like him all that much anyway.

He finished cleaning her room in mechanical movements. He left through the secret passageways until he could retreat to the safety of his car. Only when he was inside did he cry because it was safe, because no one was there, and with shaky movements, he drove back to Sardinia.

He just- he needed to think. He needed to find a way to fix this. To make himself more appealing than Ben. Obviously, he needed to work harder.

Okay, yeah, that was- he had a plan now, plans were good. And where better to start a great plan than with some research?

Right, Chad just needed to go to the library.

So that was what he did.

-:-:-

Because his future was at stake, Chad did not go to just any library. No, he went to the secret library full of magic tomes his grandfather likely thought he didn't know about, but Chad had grown bored in his confinement to Sardinia Castle and as such, reviewed every nook and cranny until he knew it like the back of his hand. It was why he didn't hesitate to slip into the small place after he'd washed his face off, his sorrow done away with so he could focus on the future, on Audrey, on doing good.

He paused as soon as he entered the secluded space, because it seemed like his grandfather had been there relatively recently.

Super recently, in fact, because he had a candle still burning and whatever he'd been working on was still splayed out across the work table.

Unable to restrain his interest, Chad walked over to the book, blinking when he realized his grandfather had been following some other tome to create the second one, which was written in a weird, brownish sort of ink. There was a legit quill abandoned beside the second book, meaning his grandfather had gone old school, using that instead of a pen. He was such a traditionalist. Chad would admire that about him more if the man would treat him as more than an obligation.

"Wow," Chad muttered on reflex, shutting what seemed to be the instruction book and getting a look at the title. 'Threads of Fate Matrix', it read – 'Use in only the most dire of circumstance.'

The words made Chad panic. Were they in dire circumstances? Perhaps his grandfather was preparing this thing just in case, but if not, they could need this thing at any moment. In a rush, Chad flipped back to the page his grandfather had been looking at – the last set of instructions, and read it over. It seemed like only a few more weird squiggles needed to be added to the bottom of the page, but his grandfather had stopped because he'd… run out of blood.

Oh wow, the book was written in blood. That was- that was quite a commitment.

The thought made Chad queasy, but if his grandfather was doing this, it must be for the good of Sardinia. His tutors were always getting on him to do his part, so for once Chad did that, using his pocket knife to make a small cut on the back of his hand before he squeezed a few blood drops onto the table beside him, wetting the pen in that before he moved to copy the instruction book.

It only took him a few minutes, and Chad was reveling in a job when done when he seemed to accidentally activatethe weird thing.

That was- that was probably bad. It was not good, certainly. His grandfather was going to kill him, he'd messed up all his hard work-

Chad was pondering that when the glowing visage of a woman seemed to materialize before him, bathed entirely in light, her eyes seeming milky and unseeing.

"Chadwick James," she murmured, her voice seeming to come from all corners of the room. "You complete that which you do not know. Why have you finished your grandfather's task?"

"I was um- trying to help?" Chad asked. "I didn't mean to activate you. I'm sorry, I can- if you'll just wait for my grandfather-"

"No," the woman said, the words making Chad tense. "The deed is done by you; it is you who must change the threads of fate. What is your heart's desire?"

"I- what?" Chad was lightheaded, but mostly he felt underqualified. He should have known better than to help his grandfather. He always made things worse.

"The universe is at your disposal," the woman said. "To be changed at your will through blood born in patience. So, what is your heart's desire?"

For a grand, sparkling moment, Chad thought back to the one thing that had plagued his childhood, the thing that he had wished for more than anything else. "My mother-"

"I cannot give her back," the woman murmured, though she seemed sympathetic. "I'm afraid her loss is a fixed point in time that even my powers cannot undo."

"Oh." Chad felt his eyes heat with tears. "I um…"

In his anxiousness, he thought back to what had brought him here in the first place, and realized even if he had hijacked his grandfather's whatever, maybe he could still do something right.

"I um- I'd like to be worthy of Audrey's love," he said. "Can that be done? I don't want you to make her love me, but if she- I mean, there has to be a way she'd love me on her own, right?"

The woman seemed to think over this for a moment. Then, she nodded. "It will be done," she said, and before Chad could ask for clarification, the entire room filled with a blinding, white light, heating so hot it seemed to consume Chad in its entirety, until at last there was nothing but darkness.

-:-:-

When Chad woke up, he wasn't in the private library anymore.

Someone must have carried him back to his room, which was embarrassing. His grandfather must have gotten Captain Anozie to do it, since he was the only guardsman with enough authority to know about the private library. His grandfather- had he seen the completed book? Shit, Chad was going to get locked in the punishment closet again for sure. Maybe if he was lucky it'd only be for a few days, but considering the fact that Chad had hijacked his super intricate spell, that was unlikely.

It sort of made Chad wonder why his grandfather had the captain carry Chad to his room. Unless the captain had been the one to stumble upon him. Then his grandfather wouldn't know Chad had used the book and the blond could just pretend he hadn't- unless his grandfather recognized his handwriting-

So many issues, it was a struggle to keep up with them. Chad was trying to sort everything out when he sat up, blinking sleepily at his alarm clock. It read six in the morning.

Had he slept through the night? On second thought, he seemed to be in his pajamas now too. They usually only changed his clothes while he was out when he was too pathetic to do so himself, like when he was wasting away from hunger and needed to be presentable so as not to be a total insult to Sardinia, or when he was sick because he'd managed to eat something yet again that didn't settle with him. It wasn't something Chad tried to do, this stuff just seemed to sneak up on him sometimes.

Despite this, the castle doctor kept muttering that he had an iron stomach, whatever that meant.

Maybe the spell had ruined Chad's clothes, or something. Maybe that was why he was in his pjs, but that didn't explain the increase in photos on his nightstand. Chad noticed this because he usually just had the one picture of his family before his mother died and that was it. Other pictures were 'indulgences', his grandfather said, and besides, it made his room look cluttered anyway, and no one liked a messy person. Chad wasn't sure who'd gone and hung up all these extra photos, and to make things even more confusing, they seemed to be photo shopped? Because he couldn't remember a time when his father would ever smile like that, or his grandfather would willingly stand in a shot with him, and also Queen Snow White was in some of them for some reason.

If this was a prank, it was a weird one. Chad wondered if Jay and Carlos had done it. Jay seemed to pity him a little bit after Chad had gotten taken hostage by Audrey, but that sympathy could only last so long against Chad's inherent obnoxiousness. Carlos had informed him of this once when he was feeling more generous.

To be fair, Chad also spent a lot of time breaking into Jay and Carlos' room so he could pretend to have friends on occasion since Doug spent so much time with Evie, leaving their own dorm room mostly empty and awful.

So Chad could understand why Carlos didn't like him. He just thought that this was a weird way to go about showing his distaste.

Whatever, Chad could clean it up later, first he needed to get a handle on things. He'd just rewoven the threads of fate or whatever, so he needed to figure out what he'd actually done. He should be in a place where Audrey loved him now – maybe the magic had gotten her over Ben? In a healthy way? Oh, and then she realized how dedicated Chad was and figured out she had loved him all along. He'd have to call her later to find out though – there was no way he was disrupting her at six in the morning.

With that, Chad slid out of bed, remaking it on reflex until there was no evidence that anyone had ever slept there. He grabbed his phone to check his schedule for the day and frowned because it was an entirely different model. Like, it was a nicer model than the one he had before – like one of those next generation phones certain royals, like Ben, got access to before the common public. Which… it didn't make any sense. Was this another one of Carlos' pranks? Why would he upgrade Chad's phone?

At least the passcode was the same. Carlos kept weird hours, so Chad didn't feel bad about sending a text off to him – or at least attempting to do so. He sort of failed before he even got started because Carlos' contact seemed to have disappeared entirely.

Ah, so that was it. This had been a giant ruse just to get Chad to stop calling him. He knew that Chad didn't have his number memorized.

The prince contemplated complaining to Jay about this because the Agraben sometimes found his whining amusing when he realized with a hint of panic that he didn't have Jay's number either.

Which- less cool, but-

Where some numbers were missing, there also seemed to be a deluge of new contacts he didn't remember acquiring. Like, all the young royals in his class and some below him – and also their parents for some odd reason, and a host of other miscellaneous people that apparently held pivotal positions in the Auradon Capital – as dictated by the notes section of their contacts.

This seemed like a weird prank. Why would Carlos give him these contacts? And more than that, why'd he reset the date on Chad's phone? It was pushed back what seemed to be two years, maybe more – to the summer before their sophomore year at Auradon Prep. Which also didn't make any sense.

Chad ran a distracted hand through his hair, trying to calm himself, and frowned when he realized it was much shorter than it had been the day before.

So… either someone had gone through some pretty extreme lengths for what was admittedly a weird prank, or this all had something to do with the gigantic spell Chad had accidentally cast.

The answer sort of came bustling through his door after two deft knocks, Chad blinking in confusion because literally no one came to his bedroom besides himself before the double doors were pushed open to reveal… Queen Snow White and a few servants.

"Oh good, you're already up," the queen chirped, grinning as the servants covered Chad's breakfast table with a healthy-balanced meal that he hadn't had to cook for himself. What. "And on your phone already?"

"Just- schedule," Chad said, feeling clumsy and dumb, but the queen only smiled at him like he was endearing or something. "How um- can I help you?"

"You could eat all your breakfast for starters," the queen tutted, picking up a dressing robe that had been draped across the foot of Chad's bed (which Chad would have never allowed, that was just- that wasn't where dressing robes went) and holding it up so he could slide into it. "I know you're determined to have your first decree absolutely perfect before you propose it – but the review committee is there to help you, you know. They're not going to expect you to have a perfect understanding of all the laws at your age." She didn't seem put off by his baffled blinking, the queen deftly tying his robe in place before motioning him over to where one of the servants was pouring him tea. "I know you want to do your father proud, but you still have six months until you're coronated – you need to enjoy your freedom while you can."

He was being coronated? Why was he- what had happened to his father? To his grandfather?

"Is dad okay?" Chad found himself asking, and despite his concern the queen had no issues nudging him into his chair while the servants got to work opening his curtains and doing general busywork they never did in his room.

"Oh, he's just fine," Queen Snow assured him, carding a hand through his newly-short hair. "A bit tearful at how fast our boy's growing up, but he'll get over it in time. Remember, while you will technically be king of the United States of Sardinia – your father and I, and even your grandfather, will still be able to help you. And no matter what your grandfather wants, your dad is still holding onto the throne of Sardinia – which is one less thing for you to worry about." She looked down at him with a smile. "I realize looking after a conglomerate of kingdoms isn't a small thing by any means, but trust your training and everything will be fine, Kit."

"Um," Chad said, staring down at his toast and his omelet and the pretty slices of tomato and wondering what the hell had happened. "What?"

"Sardinia the kingdom will stay under your father's rule," Queen Snow urged, gifting him a fond grin like he was being slow due to just waking up rather than being entirely bamboozled. "Sardinia the unification of kingdoms is the only thing you have to worry about."

But that- that should be Auradon. It was Central Auradon and the United States of Auradon and Ben ruled both of them, why was she talking about Sardinia like it was two different things?

Chad wanted to ask her, but he had the feeling this was something he should know, though he wasn't sure why.

"And with that, we shall leave you to your breakfast," she chirped, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Please, please do not work yourself too hard. Your presence is expected at dinner and if you think we won't send Captain Anozie after you, you've got another thing coming."

With that, she motioned the servants out of the room, gifting Chad with one last smile before the doors shut after her, leaving Chad with his sunny room and healthy breakfast and words of encouragement he never got ever.

Oh fuck. Oh, man. Did Chad- had he…

He needed to do some research. He needed to figure out what the hell he'd exactly changed.

So he picked up his phone and frantically got to work, shoveling his food down on reflex, because one was not wasteful when they were offered a homecooked meal. That was just common sense.

-:-:-

There was no United States of Auradon.

Chad had destroyed that somehow, because his wish had made it so they were operating under the United States of Sardinia which his father and Queen Snow (who was married to his father – and now technically Chad's stepmom) had run for the past ten or so years together, but now it was going to Chad because he was, in essence, this new universe's Ben.

Which was a terrible, terrible crime. He shouldn't be the future king of everyone, that was Ben's job. It was Ben's job because he was literally the nicest, most thoughtful person ever. Chad shouldn't have his job. Chad could barely pass his classes.

Only this version of him- this new him? Apparently that guy was an honors student. He did charity work on the regular and had a ton of friends. Chad watched a few of the interviews this version of Chad had given and they were all the kind of charismatic that Ben had rather than the charisma Chad had kindled out of desperation.

This wasn't- none of this was right. He'd just wanted Audrey to love him, he hadn't wanted to take Ben's kingdom from him.

And that was another thing – Audrey.

She called sometime after breakfast, after Chad had bustled through his usual morning routine out of panic and was floundering with how to proceed because while he somehow magically understood the rough draft of the decree waiting on his laptop, he didn't know how he came to possess that knowledge, and that had freaked him out a little bit.

"Hey, Chaddykins," she greeted with a sweet tone she never used on him. "Just checking to see if we're still on for tea time at Salon Proust this Saturday – I know how crazy your schedule can be."

This was a thing she would do with Ben. She'd doublecheck with Ben even though she knew it was useless because he sucked at keeping track of stuff but she wanted him to know she was making the effort before she'd call and confirm with Ben's assistant, who actually knew his schedule. And Salon Proust- hadn't that been declared the most romantic tea room in all of Auradon City? Why would that be in Sardinia? Had Chad stolen the restaurants too?

"Um- I think so?" Chad offered, a little frazzled but mostly twisted up because Audrey was being nice to him in a way she normally never was, and on one hand that was great, but on the other it had taken him being the future king of Auradon, essentially, to get there.

She didn't even like him for him, she just wanted his position, his power.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, one that wasn't lessened by a melodious giggle that would have been a growl the day before. "I'll check with your secretary, sweetheart," she cooed. "Try not to work too hard. I love you."

"I um- love you too, Audrey," Chad said, the words feeling hollow in his mouth.

Oh man, oh no. He'd ruined Auradon. He'd ruined Auradon for a girl and she didn't even really love him and now he-

He had to fix this, obviously. Chad couldn't be king. Auradon needed Ben to look after it, not him. The obvious step one would be to find that instruction book his grandfather had so he could make another Fate Matrix or whatever the hell it had been called. After that, he had to find a way to recreate Ben's decree until he could get the other prince back to where he should be.

Despite having seemingly everyone else's number in his phone, he didn't have Ben's, which meant Chad would just have to go see him and get his advice. Maybe Chad should come clean about the giant spell. Ben wouldn't be happy about it, but he should know what to do, at least. That could be something.

Honestly, Chad could use all the help he could get. It was already evident when acting alone what a mess he could make.

So, to the library.

And then to Auradon, he guessed.

-:-:-

He found the book hidden in the depths of the secret library, shoved behind a cluster of other books that could seriously use a good dusting, the entire place seeming to have been untouched for years, if not longer.

In addition to the instruction book, he found what seemed to be the book he had finished for his grandfather – or at least, the empty remnants of it. The pages were all blank now, but that was fine, Chad would just fill them again. He could do that. It would take time, but that seemed like a fair enough exchange for a life-changing spell.

He tucked both books into his satchel and made his way down to the private garage to request his private car. Well, to use his private car. Chad wasn't driven around much nowadays, hadn't been since he'd gotten his license, but for whatever reason the head chauffeur really wanted him to take a limo. It took a bit of a back and forth before Chad was finally allowed to leave on his own, and that was only because he'd snuck past the poor man while he was calling to get permission from Chad's dad for some reason.

Which, again, weird.

He'd thought that was the end of it until he was driving down a familiar stretch of road that would eventually take him into Central Auradon – or just Auradon now, he guessed, since it was the only one. He'd been driving in peaceful silence, trying to organize his thoughts, when his phone automatically hooked up to the Bluetooth system and answered a phone call.

"Kit, you rascal," his father greeted – sounding happy and not even slightly drunk. "If you wanted some space, you could have just told Pierre that instead of giving the poor man a heart attack."

"Um." Chad blinked. "I did, though. He really wanted me to take the limo."

"It's for your own safety, Kit," his father reminded him. "It's not quite the same to have your guards follow in the car after you."

Chad paused, glancing at the rearview mirror to confirm that there was another official Sardinian car trailing after him.

What.

He'd never had a bodyguard before. He'd asked for one once, back when he hoped that maybe they could double as his friend as well, but his grandfather thought it was an unnecessary indulgence.

"Where are you going, by the way?" his father continued. "I thought you were staying in to work on your decree today."

"I um- thought I would take a break," Chad decided. "Get some fresh air."

"Finally!" his father cheered, like that was something he'd been hoping for. "Take all the time you need, Kit, but do be back in time for dinner."

"Right," Chad said, unused to this level of involvement from… anyone. "See you later, dad."

"Safe travels, son."

And that was the end of the third interaction what would only be a growing series of strange conversations.

Thankfully, if there was something Chad was used to, it was being tailed. Usually it was by paparazzi, but he supposed being followed by guards wasn't all that different. Losing a tail was mostly a matter of being a terrible driver. Signally to go one way before turning the other, driving slowly, making bad decisions. Chad created a fake destination in his mind, meandered towards that before turning off in a loop that could get him back towards the highway when the other car was out of sight. Hopefully, they'd stick to Sardinia while he went to Auradon. He'd disabled the car's tracking device when he'd gotten inside out of habit (again, because of paparazzi hacking into it and his grandfather – no one good ever used that information), so it was only a matter of shutting off his phone and getting back on the road.

Properly, this time.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

If I remember correctly, this story was inspired by a tumblr post I saw that featured a few exerts from the 'Descendants 3: Audrey's Diary' book they published however long ago that was basically a fictional diary with all of Audrey's rambles. The specific post I saw highlighted how canonically terribly Audrey treated Chad despite him being her number one hype man and supporter, and that was what led to all this. Sort of. Like, the world-changing alternate reality thing was something I'd been wanting to do for a while, but I hadn't realized this would be the spark that set it off until it was happening.

Sorry to everyone who's gotten used to good-Audrey from me. I promise I do have a long multi-chapter story somewhere down the line where she gets to be featured in all her badass glory. Like, eventually. But until then, we have this stupidity ;)

This story will consist of 32 chapters of story content with an additional epilogue that will be posted along with the final chapter. I update once a week, generally on Sundays, but because things have been so crazy lately, I decided to make an effort to update twice a week. So there will be one update on Sunday and one update on Wednesday/Thursday for now :D

Please let me know if I missed anything in the tags. I prefer to ere on the side of caution with these things, but when you've been staring at something for so long, it can be easy for things to slip through the cracks. I'm also pretty sure I'm missing some sort of body confidence tags for this one, but I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, so if anyone has any idea, please comment! :)

Just a heads up – I update the story tags as I go in order to avoid spoilers. So characters, pairings, content warnings – all will be updated in correlation to the appropriate chapter as they are posted. Also, if you see a tag you're worried about, check the forenotes – the more hard-hitting stuff will have more thorough warnings listed there.

Story notes:

Sardinia my name for Cinderellasburg, as Cinderellasburg will forever and always be dumb.

So yeah, this Chad is the flavor of lonely and desperate where when he gets the opportunity to literally change the world, his panic response is going to be to focus on his definitely toxic girlfriend. It'll all turn out okay in the end, but like, he tried, okay? He tried for his mom first, that should be noted.

Because they didn't bother to name the Captain of the Guards in the live action Cinderella movie released in 2016, I named him after his actor. Hence, Captain Anozie. For I, too, can be lazy.

To clarify yes, there were references to Chad definitely being poisoned, he just never caught onto it and assumed he ate something bad. It's a good thing poison doesn't really work on the Fae-blessed.

I've mentioned this in my previous stories, but I tend to view the United States of Auradon and Central Auradon as two separate entities – one as the union of kingdoms under the Auradon name, and one as the kingdom in specific that Adam ruled. His part of the union. As such, the same logic applies to the United States of Sardinia and Sardinia. Chad is set to be coronated for the union of kingdoms, but Chad's father is still the king of Sardinia, the country, itself.

Salon Proust at the Paris Ritz is an actual restaurant available for high tea in Paris.

The information about losing a tail I got from the tv show 'Burn Notice', so I don't actually know how accurate it is.

For the sake of playing things safe, we are going to pretend Chad just turned seventeen when this story started, and is eighteen by the end of it. That will make more sense in time.

Until next time :)