“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
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.
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
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?”
Clashing of ClansHe’d never been on a plane before. He stood silently, his hair falling into his eyes and watched the different planes taxi down the runway. He was aware of the woman standing behind and to his left watching him. He ignored her. He waited. He abided his time by losing himself in the progression of the dance each plane seemed to be engaged in. He succinctly conjectured whether or not JFK was always this busy or if sometimes it slowed down. He watched the reflections of strangers as they passed by, the planes momentarily omitted from his deliberations. He still looked for them. In every adult he saw, he still looked. He shook his head, unkempt bangs falling over his closed eyes. He was being stupid again. Dead. He knew what that meant. Still…he looked. He took a deep breath and promised himself he wouldn’t cry as he boarded the plane and said goodbye to the only
Jaxsen woke up thirsty. His mouth felt like the entire world’s supply of cotton balls were soaking up every bit of moisture within his body. He sat up, his feet going slightly chilly upon landing on the floor. He flexed his toes feeling the edge of the rug he’d picked out for his room. Jaxsen looked around the room and couldn’t help the small smile that betrayed him. He wanted to relax, he felt himself begin to sometimes, but always caught himself.So far Sebastian seemed really nice…but so had a couple others…he shook himself of those thoughts like a dog shaking off water. He didn’t want to go there. He stood and took a deep breath. He took a few steps around the bed, his feet feeling very heavy. He was hyper-aware of every sensation. He felt each individual fiber in his rug. Every grain of wood in the bed post. He paused, jumping slightly at a sudden noise. Jus
Sebastian watched Jaxsen leave the room while wanting nothing more than to follow him and hide under the boy’s bed. He could see the tension and anxieties in Jaxsen’s body and wanted nothing more than to hold him. Taking a deep breath Sebastian turned to his former wife. She was still just as beautiful as she’d been the day they’d met. Her hair was shorter now, cropped, but knew she was letting it grow long again. Her brown eyes were closed off to him and the only thing he saw in those chocolate depths was pain. Anger. So much more he couldn’t put into words; he didn’t dare to.“When did you talk to Mom?” he asked as she fixated on the chair Jaxsen had just vacated. Sebastian felt his body tense and there was a fleeting thought of how a similar feeling always propelled him into battle. He suddenly became very aware of his racing pulse; he could feel his
When they returned home it was dark. They’d had a hefty breakfast, which Sebastian supposed was actually lunch, and made their way to the theater. Sebastian asked Jaxsen what he wanted to see and lifted him into his arms so the boy could view his options without the vicissitudes of bodies in his range of vision. Jaxsen smiled brilliantly, giggling slightly as he was lifted into the air. He picked a movie with much excitement until he noticed the movie didn’t start for another couple of hours.Sebastian noticed his sudden change in demeanor and inquired to the sudden mood shift.“Well, how about this,” Sebastian said as they moved up one in line. “How about we get the tickets now and come back when it’s time?”Jaxsen shrugged, sullen. “What do we do until th
“Jaxen, sh, sh, sweet boy. You’re not going anywhere. I promise, Jack, you’re staying right here. You’re not going anywhere. I promise, baby, sh, sh, it’s okay.” He wrapped his arms more securely around his small body, gently rocking. “Sh, baby, you’re okay. You’re not going anywhere, Jack. I promise, sweet boy.” Sebastian gently kissed the boy’s head, rocking, calming. Jaxsen lifted his head, eyes clearly shouting assumed betrayal and devastated heartbreak.“Then why do you still have that lady’s card? Why do you have that out if you’re gonna keep me still?” His voice was small, fragile, and completely unsure. Sebastian sighed and decided honesty was best. The kid had been lied to enough.“Because, Jack, when I was putting you to bed last night, I saw all the scarri
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?”
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
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.
“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
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.
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
“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
“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
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