Chapter Ninety-One: Resilient Hearts

Shiloh’s Point of View

When I woke up, I was more than a little disoriented. I realized that I wasn’t at home in my bed. I looked around frantically until I remembered what had happened the day before and where I was. I sat up slowly in the bed, taking in my surroundings.

The room was silent, and it felt as though the entire house was quiet, too. I was sure guards were still patrolling the grounds, considering who Uncle Aamon was—and who I had become. Now that I had the chance to stop, breathe, and think about everything, my mind was overwhelmed. I wished I had someone to talk to about this, but none of my friends were mature enough to discuss it on that level. I sighed deeply, knowing Salem and Onyx would look to me for clarity. The problem was, I just couldn’t make sense of it all for myself right now.

I hadn’t heard any screaming last night, so I hoped my Mom and Aunt Grace had found a way to listen to each other and resolve their issues as best as possible. I wasn’t naive; I understood there was much more to this situation than I knew, and I was mature enough to recognize that I didn’t want to know. Some things were better left for the adults to figure out.

There was a knock at the door, initially quiet but growing louder. Just as I was about to get out of bed to see who it was, Salem decided to announce himself at the top of his lungs. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the door, flinging it open and shushing him. I could only imagine how late it was when all the adults went to bed last night. The last thing we needed was for Aunt Grace to wake up earlier than she had planned. An overtired Aunt Grace could be pretty scary. Life was complicated enough without having to deal with her grumpiness.

“I want to play video games, but Onyx wants to keep sleeping. Will you go with me, please, Shiloh?” Salem asked, his eyes wide and pleading like a puppy dog.

I shook my head, but he turned up the charm with that pleading look. I couldn’t help but laugh; he was getting really good at this tactic to get what he wanted from Mom. I knew it wouldn’t work much longer, especially when he became a preteen.

“Fine, but you have to be quiet,” I said, and Salem let out a shriek of joy.

I groaned and facepalmed.

“My version of quiet,” I growled.

Salem got really quiet at that and nodded solemnly. Shit, did I scare him?

“I’m sorry. I had fun playing video games last night, and I wanted to do it again. I didn’t mean to make so much noise. Everyone is really angry, and I’m scared. It’s fun here, but it’s not our house. I had bad dreams last night. I didn’t wake anybody up; I just held onto my pillow really tight and squeezed my eyes shut until I fell asleep again,” Salem said, tears streaming down his cheeks rapidly.

I opened my arms to him, and he ran into them, sobbing. His tiny body trembled as he struggled to hold back his tears, but they overwhelmed him. I couldn't help but start crying as well. There was a gentle knock on the door, and Onyx stood there, looking at us both with concern.

“Why is everyone crying? Did something happen?” Onyx asked, worry evident in his voice.

“No, I’m just sad,” Salem choked out.

“Shiloh is too,” he added in between sobs.

Onyx looked at me, and I nodded in response. He sighed and walked over to give us both a hug. I couldn’t help but giggle as Onyx awkwardly patted Salem and me on the back. I knew he meant to comfort us, but the awkwardness of it made me laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” Onyx asked, looking confused.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was because of his awkward attempt to be nice. Still, I couldn’t stop laughing. For some reason, Salem stopped crying and looked up at me, laughing too, while Onyx had his arms around us. He and Onyx exchanged glances, and suddenly, we all burst out laughing. I don’t think we were all laughing for the same reasons, but it felt much better to laugh than to cry.

"Well, this is unexpected, but it's nice to see," Mom said as she stood at the door with Xavier behind her. They wore the same clothes as the night before but looked much calmer. That was a good sign—or at least I hoped it was.

“Do you boys want to play some video games? I heard that your Uncle Aamon has an awesome setup. Would you like to show me while your Mom and Shiloh talk?” Xavier asked.

They quickly ran out the bedroom door past Xavier. Mom quickly kissed him before he turned to follow them. It was fast, but I didn’t miss it. He smiled softly at her and then promptly left to follow the boys.

I sat on the bed and patted a spot next to me, and my Mom quickly joined me.

“How are you?” she asked, her voice calm and serene. I don’t think I have ever remembered her being like this. Despite all the crazy stuff around us, I was glad to see my Mom happy and chill.

“Confused, relieved, happy, terrified, and sad. I think. Maybe a bit more, but I’m not quite sure how to articulate those emotions right now,” I answered honestly while my Mom chuckled.

“Did you sleep okay? I know it’s not your bed at home, but it seems comfortable,” Mom smiled.

“It was okay. I was a bit out of it when I woke up. It took me a few minutes to figure out where I was. I know we’re going to be here for a while. We’ll get used to it. But we are going to need clothes, and so are you,” I smirked as my Mom blushed.

“I’ll borrow some from Aunt Grace. She’s, um, busy right now,” Mom said uncomfortably.

I decided I might as well have some fun teasing my Mom. The opportunities were plentiful, but this one was too perfect.

“So… where did you sleep last night?” I asked with the most innocent look I could plaster on my face.

The shades of red that flashed across my Mom’s face as she struggled to articulate a coherent response will forever be etched in my mind. I kept a straight face and waited for her response.

“Shiloh, you know that Xavier and I have been spending a lot of time together and that things have progressed rather quickly…” Her voice trailed off awkwardly, and I decided to be merciful and put her out of her misery.

“Mom, we love him. I’m glad you’re with him. I was just teasing you. However, you’ll need to come up with an age-appropriate answer for Salem. Hopefully, he hasn’t asked Xavier that same question yet,” I said with a smirk.

Mom's face turned pale, and she quickly dashed out of the room. It might have been a bit mean, but I couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. I was happy that Xavier was going to be sticking around. Although I wasn't sure how I would adjust to having a “father figure” in my life, I was ready for the change.