Chapter 3
Hugh was still young, about ten, but his eyes held a certain maturity no ten year old should have. Liam sat beside him under an oak tree, picking at the grass around them. Horace noted that he still had his regular glasses, not the black ones he had questioned multiple times. He also noted that Hugh's face was streaked with tears and Liam had moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"Everything will be alright, Hugh. You shouldn't listen to them," Liam soothed, hesitating before holding Hugh close and resting his head on his. Hugh sniffled and nuzzled into Liam's chest, his small hands trying to wipe away his tears. He was about to speak, but his tears started to fall faster and he sobbed. Liam grimaced and pulled him into his lap, cradling him in his arms and running a hand through his hair in an attempt to comfort him. Hugh's bees swarmed around the two of them, buzzing sadly. Horace swallowed, feeling like an intruder on such a delicate moment. He backed away and sat against a tree, his back to Hugh and his brother. He peeked around the edge though, not wanting to miss anything important.
"B-But...But they c-called me a witch! A-And they h-hurt me!" Hugh sobbed, clinging to Liam like a lifeline. Horace's face paled when Hugh's shirt lifted slightly, revealing a blood stained bandage wrapped around his frail body. At first, Horace was horrified. But as he saw the pain in little Hugh's eyes and the occasional gasp that horror slowly turned to rage. He was angry at the people who had hurt Hugh, a small boy, who had no control over the fact that he was peculiar! Hugh didn't deserve to be hurt, in any way. Clearly, Horace wasn't the only one who was pissed off by this, pardon his language. Liam's eyes widened in shock and he glanced down at his brother.
"Do you mind telling me what happened?" Liam asked, his hand beginning to shake against Hugh's chest. Hugh's breathing was growing heavy and he was still crying, and he managed to nod weakly. Horace leaned against a tree and cocked his head slightly, listening closely. This information may or may not be useful in the future. Hugh whimpered before he began.
"I was pollinating my b-bees and a group of kids from school... they saw... and..." Hugh started to sob and couldn't continue, his body shaking as he collapsed against Liam pitifully. Horace bit his lip, trying to fight back tears as Liam moved his hand from Hugh's chest and held him close, murmuring unintelligibly and rocking back and forth slightly. The scene faded and Horace let out a choked sob, hugging himself and trying not to lose all self control. Horace came to a horrific conclusion. Hugh's quietness and reluctance to use his peculiarity in large groups, flinching when someone accidentally bumped into or touched him, it added up! It all added up... He was scared of being hurt. Why he still manifested that fear in a group of his own kind Horace had figured out as well. Whatever those other children had done to Hugh was enough to scare him out of his mind. Wiping his tears with a shaking hand and getting to his feet, Horace awaited the next portion of his dream.