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Chapter Fifty-three
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Dad?” Sebastian looked to his right where the small voice carried from. Jaxsen stood in the doorway of his study, hands twisting nervously in front of him, his eyes cast downward.
“What’s up, sweet boy?” Sebastian gave him his full attention.
“Um…a-am I grounded still?” Sebastian studied him for a moment. His shoulders were hunched, drawn up around his ears, his head lowered; red faced and tear streaked, his long eyelashes clumped in a wet mass.
“No, Jack.”
“Th-then can it be okay if Basil spends the n-night? I wouldn’t ask, but I really n-n-need to to to-” He pressed his lips together, his eyes pleading for him to understand.
“Sure. Come he
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“Dad?” Sebastian looked up from his preparation of dinner. “What’s up, Jack?” “Well, I was, um, wondering if maybe over spring break you could take Basil and me to the monster truck show?” Sebastian chuckled and turned back to stirring the pasta. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. Do you know what day it’s on?” Jaxsen smiled brightly. “Saturday. It’s an important day.” “Yeah? What’s so important about it?” Jaxsen’s smile brightened. “It’s his birthday. I want to make the day special for him.” Sebastian smiled and turned the fire down on his home-made sauce he was going to pour over the pasta. “He’s been sad the last few days. I wanna cheer him up.”
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“Dad?” Sebastian looked up from his preparation of dinner. “What’s up, Jack?” “Well, I was, um, wondering if maybe over spring break you could take Basil and me to the monster truck show?” Sebastian chuckled and turned back to stirring the pasta. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. Do you know what day it’s on?” Jaxsen smiled brightly. “Saturday. It’s an important day.” “Yeah? What’s so important about it?” Jaxsen’s smile brightened. “It’s his birthday. I want to make the day special for him.” Sebastian smiled and turned the fire down on his home-made sauce he was going to pour over the pasta. “He’s been sad the last few days. I wanna cheer him up.”
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After a light breakfast Saturday morning, the explanation being there would be plenty of food where they were going, they headed off to the store to purchase Basil a new outfit for the day. Jaxsen couldn’t help but smile at the smile that was plastered across Basil’s face as he picked out each item with great care and equal excitement. Once everything was purchased Basil took the bags to the restroom to change. “He’s really excited,” Jaxsen commented as they waited outside the restroom entrance. Sebastian smiled down at his son and ruffled his hair. Jaxsen’s smile widened. He loved it when Sebastian did that. He loved the pride in the older man’s eyes and the pride in himself that he didn’t flinch away. “He’s a good kid. He deserves something special. Especially today.” The words Sebastian didn’t say hung in the air, and Jaxsen, even still being seven m
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Jaxsen and Nizhoni waited in the living room when Sebastian and Basil arrived back at the house. Jaxsen met him in the middle of the living room.“Are you okay?” Basil shook his head. “Do you want a hug?” When Basil nodded Jaxsen wrapped his arms around his friend.“Jack, Nizhoni and I need to talk to Basil for a bit. Can you go wait in your room?” Jaxsen nodded and with one last look at Basil, turned and went upstairs.“Basil, sit, sweetheart. Are you hungry? Did you eat dinner?” Nizhoni asked him softly.“I ate a snack when I got home from school. I had a bowl of cereal later.” His voice was low. He didn’t sit down as suggested but stood where Jaxsen had left him standing. With a word, Nizhoni went to he
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“There’s nothing a child can do to force away a parent’s love, Basil. If something like that happens, it’s the failing of the parent, not the child.”“Still doesn’t answer as to why. This has been happening for some time now, Jax…I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m tired of being alone all the time. Sometimes…” He sighed and wiped his face. “Sometimes I don’t think she goes to work like she says.”Jaxsen frowned slightly in confusion. “Where do you think she’s going if not to work?”Basil hesitated. “A few weeks ago I was doing laundry while she was at work, or so she said anyway…and I checked her coat pocket before washing it and found a receipt from a bar from a couple nights before…wh
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By the end of the week Basil had crawled from his shell just a bit. His general posture had loosened, he was talking more, and Jaxsen had even managed to get a smile or two from him. Jaxsen, to his credit, did what he could in keeping the other boy distracted; something Basil was quite grateful for. He didn’t want to be stuck in his thoughts all day. He had enough trouble at night when he was trying to sleep. It was on such a night that Basil lie awake, hands behind his head, sorting through his thoughts, when a sudden, very small, scared whimper emanated through the dark to his right. His eyes had adjusted enough to see Jaxsen’s face in the sliver of moonlight pouring gently in through the window.He lay still, waiting, watching, wondering if he would need to wake his friend or not. Jaxsen’s breathing accelerated as his face scrunched up in pain unknown to the room’s other occupant
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Sebastian opened his eyes to find he’d become bathed in bright afternoon sunlight. He was dressed and standing in a field of lilies, the colors mixing and melting together in the wind. It reminded him briefly of an LSD trip when he was a teenager.“Daddy!” The voice echoed in the field coming at him from all sides. “Daddy, help me!” Sebastian began to panic as the voice blasted in surround sound.“Jaxsen! Where are you? Jack?”“Daddy!”Not knowing which way to run Sebastian picked a random direction and pumped his legs as quickly as he could. Jaxsen’s screams of terror rang out, closer, amidst the tree line that appeared before him. As he ran through the field of lilies it
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Jaxsen watched the display with mixed emotions as he remembered a similar conversation between the two of them. He frowned at the surge of jealousy that fluttered through his veins. He swallowed it, feeling it vanish as quickly as it appeared as he saw the silent tears on Basil’s cheeks. He found lately Basil needed their reassurances the same way he did several months ago. He realized that he did still need that extra assurance from time to time, but that his fears of them suddenly up and leaving him behind had quelled significantly. As he watched a tear fall and hit the floor at their feet, he realized that maybe he wasn’t the only one with those fears. Basil needed a mother who would care for and love him, just like he did. He no longer felt jealous, but instead felt happy at his own personal growth, and incredibly sad that a soul as pure as Basil’s could develop scars that matched some of his own.
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Around one-thirty the telephone rang and with a big grin Nizhoni answered, listened, responded, and hung up.“Jaxsen, come outside with me, baby.”He took her outstretched hand with a puzzled look and allowed himself to be led outside. Moments later Sebastian pulled into the driveway. He got out and rounded the front, calling Jaxsen over to the passenger side of the truck. Sebastian smiled, his grin mirroring Nizhoni’s, who gently set her hands on Jaxsen’s shoulders. Jaxsen looked at Sebastian before looking up at her, a question in his eyes. Nizhoni smiled wider.“Jack, Zhoni and I have a surprise for you.”Jaxsen smiled. “You do? What is it?”“You ready?”
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When they exited the monkey house Sebastian attempted to set Jaxsen down to make sure that he really was okay, but the boy would have none of it. He did not scream. Or panic, or make a scene. He simply whimpered and held tighter to him.“No, Daddy, don’t put me down. Take me home, Daddy, I wanna go home.”Sebastian nodded. “Okay, sweet boy. What happened, Jack?” Jaxsen, who was already trembling, began shaking quite a bit more.“Th-th-they found me, Daddy.”While still walking Sebastian glanced around, his stomach falling to his toes. He saw no one that struck him dangerous, but kept a sharp eye out nonetheless. When they reached the truck Sebastian had a hell of a time trying to convince the boy to let him go to get
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Jaxsen spoke excitedly about all he’d seen so far during lunch. Sebastian wondered if the boy was going to collapse from insufficient oxygen.Sebastian didn’t dare attempt to taper his enthusiasm. He would much rather have a happy, chatty Jaxsen who was all laughter and childish giggles. He still remembered the frightened, teary-eyed boy he’d first met and was proud of the young man he was becoming.“Daddy, what can we go see next?” Jaxsen asked once their meal was eaten. Sebastian checked his watch.“It’s getting pretty late, Jack. We have time for probably one more exhibit before we have to head home,” Sebastian told him, checking his watch.“Are we still gonna eat dinner at the tower?” he asked excitedly.
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“Did you have fun today, sweet boy?” Sebastian asked as the two of them walked back to the truck after the cave tour ended. Jaxsen smiled up at him, his face beaming with excitement.“Yes! That was so much fun, Daddy. Can we do it again next year?” He bounced a bit on his toes, turning toward Sebastian, that megawatt smile growing that much brighter.“If that’s what you want to do, Jack.” Sebastian unlocked the truck and opened the back door so Jaxsen could climb inside. “You want to stop and get some dinner on the way back to the hotel?”Jaxsen nodded. “Can we go eat at the tower?” he asked excitedly. Sebastian ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled.“How about we eat at the tower tomorrow be
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Jaxsen smiled and nodded. “Can you, um, help me with my suitcase?” While Sebastian hauled Jaxsen’s luggage to the truck, Nizhoni gathered Jaxsen in a hug that made him giggle.“I love you, my sweet Yanaha. Take good care of your daddy for me, okay? Make sure he doesn’t do something stupid and lose an eye, or something, alright?”Jaxsen giggled again and hugged Nizhoni tightly, expressed his love for her, kissed her cheek and went out to the truck, Nizhoni following behind.“What time is Cori gonna be here?” Sebastian asked as he set the case in the bed of the truck. “Here, I thought you might want this inside with us.” Sebastian handed Jaxsen his backpack which contained his journal, a book, and a few other items to keep his occupation.
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The boys met at the park a few minutes later. River and Phoenix were swinging lazily on the swings, their feet dragging the ground and kicking small clouds of dirt and dust with each pass.“Hey,” Jaxsen greeted.The twins smiled, River waved. “Hey, guys,” Phoenix said, hopping off the swings.“Are you okay, Basil?” River signed, a concerned look in his eyes.Jaxsen translated and Basil looked back to River. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a hard day, you know?”River read lips well, therefore did not need either Jaxsen or his brother to sign Basil’s answer. He nodded and patted Basil on the back.&ld
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“So, what did you crazy kids get into today?” Sebastian asked with a grin as they sat down to dinner later that night.“We meddled in the private affairs of the wealthy man who owns the haunted mansion at the upper end of town and solved the mystery of the rattling chains,” Jaxsen answered Sebastian with a grin. “We made new friends. Brothers that moved here a couple weeks ago. They’re twins.”Sebastian smiled. “Yeah?”“Mhm.” Jaxsen forked a mouthful of spaghetti into his mouth.“The boy we met first, River, he’s deaf. Some kids roughed him up, but Jaxsen calmed him down and signed with him, and then we took him home. That’s where we were when you called. We were killing zombies on
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“Come in,” Jaxsen called at the knock on his door. Sebastian poked his head into the bedroom. The boys were set in the center of Jaxsen’s area rug, cross-legged and facing one another. Basil dropped his head to hide his face, subtly shouldering away any moisture on his cheeks.“Everything okay?” Sebastian asked in concern.“Yeah, Dad, we’re okay.” Jaxsen glanced quickly at Basil before looking back to his father. “We’re just talking.”Sebastian nodded. “Well, Nizhoni doesn’t feel good, so I’m going to run to the store and get her some crackers. You boys want anything specific for dinner?”“Can we have spaghetti and meatballs?” Jaxsen beamed. It was one of his favorite me
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Basil put the last article of clothing in his backpack and slowly zipped it closed. The small suitcase Sebastian had packed for him was lying closed on the bed.“I wish I could stay.”Jaxsen nodded. “Me, too.”“I’m scared, Jax,” Basil admitted as he sat down on the bed.“I know,” Jaxsen said sitting next to him.“What if it doesn’t get any better?”“Then tell my dad again. Perhaps if there’s a repeated pattern there will be something he can do. And if nothing else you could just come stay here for an extended sleepover or something.”Basil shook h
