“What upset him,” she continued, “is that when you zoned out, he couldn’t reach you and it scared him very much. He also thinks he hurt you which is something he won’t let go of easily. He probably feels like he betrayed and disappointed you, and the thought of you being afraid of him, of not feeling like you can rely on him, is something that…well, he can’t deal with it very well and he just doesn’t want you to see him upset. But it’s not you he’s upset with, Yanaha.”
Jaxsen nodded as he absorbed her words. “W-when will he come back?”
Nizhoni glanced at the door. “I don’t know, baby. He didn’t go far, though. I promise.”
“Will you find him?” She watched his eyes tear up. “Please, Zhoni?”
Jaxsen watched her vanish down the stairs before turning and taking a seat next to Sebastian. Without taking his eyes off the duffle bag Sebastian said, “This, and all its contents, were collected by either your dad or myself from all the places we traveled to together. The bag itself is Glen’s. We traded bags before he went home on our last mission. He took everything we’d collected, split it up and mailed the rest to Ellie for safe keeping.” The bag was a large green duffle with USMC stenciled to the front. It had a simple drawstring with a plastic sliding lock and a handle on the side for carrying. Slowly Sebastian pulled it open, the opening at the top of the bag widening like an attacking shark, all it was missing were the rows and rows of teeth.Slowly he withdrew a chain with two plates, metal in material, with words Jaxsen couldn’t quite see well enough to read. Sebast
“Jaxsen.” Jaxsen was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of his name.“Ma’am?”“Answer the question, please.”“Question?” He began to fidget with his fingers. Twisting them nervously around each other. Basil watched his hands, the sight making him dizzy. He resisted the urge to set his hands on top of his friend’s. He glared at Mrs. House. Didn’t she know why he’d been absent?“Yes.” The teacher crossed her arms impatiently, not giving anything away.“Um…” He looked around the room helplessly.“Since Mr. Michaels cannot seem to answer the question, can anyone else inform
Jaxsen sighed quietly as he placed the last remaining item in his suitcase. He hadn’t slept well since Sebastian had told him they would be spending a week at his mother’s house, and that she was anxious to meet him. To say he was nervous, and on several levels, was a huge understatement. The fact that all morning and for the last several days Sebastian had been snapping at both he and Nizhoni, didn’t settle his building anxieties. It was only eight a.m. and already his chest was tight. He hoped things would calm down soon. A light knock made him look up from the folded long-sleeve shirt in his hands.Nizhoni smiled as she entered the room. “Doing alright, Yanaha?” Jaxsen shrugged. He didn’t understand why Sebastian had been so impatient with him. Along with his nervousness about the trip, Jaxsen’s insecurities about his place at Sebastian’s house surfaced wi
Once he was done packing the rest of his suitcase, Jaxsen sat down in the center of his bed to write some in the journal Sebastian had given him shortly after some bullies at his old school destroyed the one his mother had given him not long before she was murdered. A light but heavy knocking brought him back from his mind.“Mind if I come in?”Jaxsen shrugged. “Sure.” Jaxsen began to fidget nervously as apprehension surrounded him. Sebastian sat on the mattress facing Jaxsen.“Listen, Jack, I owe you an apology for the way I’ve been acting the last few days.”Jaxsen looked down. “It’s okay. I understand, Daddy.”Sebastian smiled sadly. “No, you don&rsquo
When they exited I-41, Sebastian began to notice Jaxsen becoming a bit fidgety. “Jack, you need to go to the bathroom?” He nodded. “Are you hungry or want to snack on something?”“I’m not really hungry, but I’m thirsty. Can I have some chips?”“Whatever you want, sweet boy.” Jaxsen smiled. He had never mentioned it before, but he loved when Sebastian called him that. His father used to call him that and he wondered that if when he was a baby, Sebastian called him that endearment. They let Jaxsen use the restroom and walk around and grab an assortment of snacks ranging from sweet to salty, and in twenty minutes were back out onto the road again. They took the W-115 exit, traveled another twenty-five minutes and exited again.“Welcome to Camelia Populat
On the third day when he awoke Jaxsen lay in his bed for a moment listening to the sounds coming from the living room. He smiled. It was the sound of a family. His family. He pictured the scene in his mind. Sebastian and Nizhoni sitting on the sofa, his arm around her. It was a deep seated green cloth sofa with huge, pillow-like arm rests. When you sat down you felt like you were sinking safely into a cloud of comfort. Gramma Rose would be sitting across from them in her favorite armchair, an old, brown leather chair that matched nothing else in the whole house. Sebastian told him it was his father’s favorite armchair and his mother couldn’t get rid of it. He was sure they’d each have coffee cups in various states of full on the coffee table that was centered in the living room.He listened as they laughed in their conversation. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before climbing
Nizhoni walked up behind Sebastian and knelt down sometime later. Smiling, she hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and said, “Hey, babe, how’s it going?” She was referring to the two-thousand piece puzzle he and Jaxsen were putting together. The puzzle was of a fire breathing dragon flying around a burning castle, a mage standing in the forefront, arms outstretched as if conducting the mayhem from afar. It was a gift from Rose.“Great. Though I think he’ll have the whole thing done before I get this little corner completed.” Jaxsen looked up and grinned. Nizhoni smiled at him.“You boys hungry?”Jaxsen looked up and flexed his biceps. “We’re not boys, we’re men. Here to eat you out of house and home!” He growled before stomping dramaticall
When Jaxsen woke the next morning he found himself nestled still in Sebastian’s arms. He felt safe and warm and loved. He smiled at the feeling.“Daddy, wake up.” Jaxsen gently shook Sebastian awake. When he opened his eyes Sebastian smiled at the blue eyes smiling back at him. “Morning, Daddy. It’s Christmas. Let’s go see what Santa brought,” Jaxsen exclaimed excitedly. While he had admitted his knowledge about Old Saint Nick, Jaxsen had decided, just before succumbing to sleep, that he’d hold on to the magic Santa had to offer.Nizhoni and Rose, both hearing Jaxsen’s excited yelps about Santa, stepped from their rooms smiling. They found Jaxsen in the living room standing in front of the lighted tree, mouth a gape at the sight of the mountain of colorfully wrapped gifts.