Chapter Eight: Broken Promises and Ruined Lives
The next few days were uneventful in the Turner household, making Mrs. Bates wonder if somehow they had all been kidnapped and just had decoys in their places. Each one moped aimlessly around the house instead of running around and getting into trouble.
Even when Will took the twins to the docks they hadn't talked much, just staring, awed at their surroundings, in silence. And with a heavy heart Will heard the ocean calling his name as it so often did. Ever since that fateful night.
The boys knew their father wasn't going to stay as long as he told them he would. He never did. They knew it hurt him to stay, but it hurt them when he wasn't there. They just wished that he could forget about her, just for one day. Forget about their mother so he could be free to live.
They had very few memories of her, and it was only a few things, like a memory of a specific flower or book she liked.
So none of them were surprised when he announced that he was going to leave the next Monday, instead of the week after.
"But you PROMISED!" Jack yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He had expected it, but it still hurt regardless of how predictable it was.
"I know," Will sighed, setting down the book he was reading.
"You always know but you never care!" Jack accused angrily. Will's heart skipped a beat at his son's accusations. "You don't care that you leave us here while you're off on one of your aimless pursuits for peace!"
Will suddenly became angry as the comment struck him. "I do care!"
"No you don't!" James argued, stomping his foot in utter frustration. "You don't care! If you did you wouldn't have gone off in the first place. You left us! You abandoned us!"
Will's eyes blazed as he stood up and glared down at his son who, despite his
father's height advantage, stood still as a stone wall.
"You almost KILLED Alaina when you left the first time, and you hurt all of us over and over again when you promise to stay for a few weeks than leave after only a few days. And I'll be damned before you destroy us!"
Will's face softened as tears poured down Jack's face.
"We need you dad," Jack said, his tone lowering to slightly above a whisper. "We love you, and we aren't complete without you."
Will reached to give his son a hug, but Jack shrank away, his anger rising again.
"Why can't you just leave us alone for good? Why do you always have to break a simple promise to stay with us for just a few weeks?" Jack asked, his voice once again rising to a yell. "Are we really that bad as to where our own father abandons us?"
The room was silent for a moment except for Jack's heavy breathing. When Will had just found his words and was about to speak, Jack raced out of the room.
"Jack!" Will called, running after him.
Jack didn't pay any attention and headed out of the study, past Alaina and James, up the stairs and into his room.
Will stopped short as he saw Alaina and James sitting on the bottom half of the stairs. James wiped away the tears on his face and walked down and past his father, then out the front door. Will's eyes followed his youngest son until James shut the door on him. Will then fixed his gaze on his daughter who was sitting alone on the stairs, her eyes piercing into his, her expression cold as ice.
"We miss her too," she said simply and coolly. "The boys the most because they have no memory of her. Or did you forget that too?"
Will closed his eyes for a few seconds, than headed to where she sat. "I don't know what to do," he confessed to her. "Its just this house, this place," he continued, clasping his hands together. "There's just so much of her here."
Alaina nodded her head in agreement and looked around the large front hall.
"Sometimes when I'm in my study, I can close my eyes and feel her presence. I can see her face and almost smell her. Its like she's standing right next to me, like she never went away." Will's eyes began to blur with tears. "But then I open them again only to get pulled back into reality that she's no longer a part of."
Alaina took a deep breath and looked over at Will, who was studying his hands intently. "She'll always be a part of me – of all of us. Even Jack and James, because she was someone you couldn't forget," Alaina told him softly.
Will slowly nodded his head. It amazed him sometimes at the maturity that his daughter possessed, although he knew that part of it had to do with her having to grow up too fast because of Elizabeth. But if it were up him, Alaina would get to stay a child as long as she wanted.
The two just sat there on the stairs listing to the silence that cursed the house, except for the grandfather clock, whose ticks seemed to magnify in sound at each second the silence continued.
Finally Alaina spoke. "You know, when I'm by my self in my room with the window open, I can hear her laughing. It seems so real sometimes that I just want to call out to her, beg her to come talk to me like she used to…" Her voice trailed off, making Will look over at her.
"Why'd she have to go?" Alaina asked almost inaudibly, as though she was asking herself.
Will shrugged and pulled her into an embrace. "I don't know why, but I'm glad I'm not alone." He sobbed clinging onto her.
Alaina allowed her father to hold her for a few moments, then she gently pulled away from him.
"You go talk to Jack, I'll talk to James," she told him.
Will nodded and Alaina gave him a quick hug before getting up and going out the front door. Will sat there for a moment, allowing the silence to engulf him. The silence reflected on the condition of his heart.
Silent and empty.
A light touch on his shoulder made him snap out of his trance. He turned around only to find no one there. But a small ray of hope found its way into his soul, giving him the strength he needed to get up, walk up the stairs to the twin's room and knock on the closed door.
As he stood there, waiting for a reply, he prayed that it wasn't too late.
***
A/N: Hey to everyone who's reading my story! Thanks for all the reviews! And if anyone has any idea where I should go next, PLEASE tell me, cuz I'm running low on ideas! Thanks!
The next few days were uneventful in the Turner household, making Mrs. Bates wonder if somehow they had all been kidnapped and just had decoys in their places. Each one moped aimlessly around the house instead of running around and getting into trouble.
Even when Will took the twins to the docks they hadn't talked much, just staring, awed at their surroundings, in silence. And with a heavy heart Will heard the ocean calling his name as it so often did. Ever since that fateful night.
The boys knew their father wasn't going to stay as long as he told them he would. He never did. They knew it hurt him to stay, but it hurt them when he wasn't there. They just wished that he could forget about her, just for one day. Forget about their mother so he could be free to live.
They had very few memories of her, and it was only a few things, like a memory of a specific flower or book she liked.
So none of them were surprised when he announced that he was going to leave the next Monday, instead of the week after.
"But you PROMISED!" Jack yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He had expected it, but it still hurt regardless of how predictable it was.
"I know," Will sighed, setting down the book he was reading.
"You always know but you never care!" Jack accused angrily. Will's heart skipped a beat at his son's accusations. "You don't care that you leave us here while you're off on one of your aimless pursuits for peace!"
Will suddenly became angry as the comment struck him. "I do care!"
"No you don't!" James argued, stomping his foot in utter frustration. "You don't care! If you did you wouldn't have gone off in the first place. You left us! You abandoned us!"
Will's eyes blazed as he stood up and glared down at his son who, despite his
father's height advantage, stood still as a stone wall.
"You almost KILLED Alaina when you left the first time, and you hurt all of us over and over again when you promise to stay for a few weeks than leave after only a few days. And I'll be damned before you destroy us!"
Will's face softened as tears poured down Jack's face.
"We need you dad," Jack said, his tone lowering to slightly above a whisper. "We love you, and we aren't complete without you."
Will reached to give his son a hug, but Jack shrank away, his anger rising again.
"Why can't you just leave us alone for good? Why do you always have to break a simple promise to stay with us for just a few weeks?" Jack asked, his voice once again rising to a yell. "Are we really that bad as to where our own father abandons us?"
The room was silent for a moment except for Jack's heavy breathing. When Will had just found his words and was about to speak, Jack raced out of the room.
"Jack!" Will called, running after him.
Jack didn't pay any attention and headed out of the study, past Alaina and James, up the stairs and into his room.
Will stopped short as he saw Alaina and James sitting on the bottom half of the stairs. James wiped away the tears on his face and walked down and past his father, then out the front door. Will's eyes followed his youngest son until James shut the door on him. Will then fixed his gaze on his daughter who was sitting alone on the stairs, her eyes piercing into his, her expression cold as ice.
"We miss her too," she said simply and coolly. "The boys the most because they have no memory of her. Or did you forget that too?"
Will closed his eyes for a few seconds, than headed to where she sat. "I don't know what to do," he confessed to her. "Its just this house, this place," he continued, clasping his hands together. "There's just so much of her here."
Alaina nodded her head in agreement and looked around the large front hall.
"Sometimes when I'm in my study, I can close my eyes and feel her presence. I can see her face and almost smell her. Its like she's standing right next to me, like she never went away." Will's eyes began to blur with tears. "But then I open them again only to get pulled back into reality that she's no longer a part of."
Alaina took a deep breath and looked over at Will, who was studying his hands intently. "She'll always be a part of me – of all of us. Even Jack and James, because she was someone you couldn't forget," Alaina told him softly.
Will slowly nodded his head. It amazed him sometimes at the maturity that his daughter possessed, although he knew that part of it had to do with her having to grow up too fast because of Elizabeth. But if it were up him, Alaina would get to stay a child as long as she wanted.
The two just sat there on the stairs listing to the silence that cursed the house, except for the grandfather clock, whose ticks seemed to magnify in sound at each second the silence continued.
Finally Alaina spoke. "You know, when I'm by my self in my room with the window open, I can hear her laughing. It seems so real sometimes that I just want to call out to her, beg her to come talk to me like she used to…" Her voice trailed off, making Will look over at her.
"Why'd she have to go?" Alaina asked almost inaudibly, as though she was asking herself.
Will shrugged and pulled her into an embrace. "I don't know why, but I'm glad I'm not alone." He sobbed clinging onto her.
Alaina allowed her father to hold her for a few moments, then she gently pulled away from him.
"You go talk to Jack, I'll talk to James," she told him.
Will nodded and Alaina gave him a quick hug before getting up and going out the front door. Will sat there for a moment, allowing the silence to engulf him. The silence reflected on the condition of his heart.
Silent and empty.
A light touch on his shoulder made him snap out of his trance. He turned around only to find no one there. But a small ray of hope found its way into his soul, giving him the strength he needed to get up, walk up the stairs to the twin's room and knock on the closed door.
As he stood there, waiting for a reply, he prayed that it wasn't too late.
***
A/N: Hey to everyone who's reading my story! Thanks for all the reviews! And if anyone has any idea where I should go next, PLEASE tell me, cuz I'm running low on ideas! Thanks!
