Four days have passed and Gibson and I spend more time together, in a way he is like the big brother I never had, When you're little, you like to think you know everything, but the last thing you really want is to know too much. What you really want is for grownups to make the world a safe place where dreams can come true and promises are never broken. And when you're little, it doesn't seem like a lot to ask when I was younger and didn't fully comprehend the fullness of my visions I used to ask my adoptive parents if I could have a sibling, they always said one day but as I got older I realised that would somehow not happen. This made me angry as I was never told that I had been adopted, all they told me was that I was special.
Monica and John agree to come with us to Des Monies, for added protection and in return Walter will accompany Grams back to D.C. The day finally comes for us to leave the reservation. Eric, Sophia and Gibson accompany us to the cars, as I load my bag in the trunk, I turn and look back to the corral, Spirit looks out between the bars and calls to me. I run over to him and Thara. "Take care, young one" says Thara and I nod in agreement as he lets me stroke him. "William will you ever come back?" asks Spirit. "Hey of course I will, I won't ever forget you bud" he almost smiles at my comment, but his black eyes still display sadness. "Take care of him Thara" I say and as I stroke him one last time I hear him say "For always my young friend" I head back to the car wiping the tears from my eyes. Gibson looks down at me "Hey you aren't crying over little old me are you?, true enough I do have that great effect on people" I punch him playfully as he scoops me into a bear hug. " Take care William and if you ever come across a super soldier kick its ass for me won't you?" I begin to laugh as my Mom glares at him but then laughs as she hugs him too. Everyone hugs each other in return and as I stand back and gaze at these people, I feel immensely overjoyed at the fact that I have gotten to know them. How can anyone let someone they have become close to go? How do you understand that its alright, that everything changes, how does it make you feel good about life, instead of breaking your heart, I think the hardest thing a person can learn is how to say goodbye.
We get inside the cars, and Mom begins to cry as we pull away from the reservation, I turn back and look one last time at Eric, Sophia and Gibson and the horses and know that for the rest of my life this is one of the places that I will hold dear in my heart. A few hours later we get to San Jose airport, where we must separate. Once we check in Grams turns to me and stoops down to my eye level, she has tears in her eyes and I know she doesn't want to leave me. "Now you listen to me my boy" she says I laugh as she takes my face in her hands and our eyes lock and I read her mind, her thought displays one message " I love you William" I send the message back into her mind " I love you too Grams and thank you for helping me" At first she is surprised my voice is in her head, but then says to me " I knew there was always something extraordinary about you" she says kissing my forehead. Walter stands beside her and I look up at him " Well William, I just want to thank you for saving my life, you truly are your father's son" My Dad smiles proudly down at me then at Walter who in turn puts a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks again Skinman, for all your help, in bringing William back to us safetly." Walter smiles then just as he is about to turn away I walk forward and hug him around the waist, he looks down at me surprised, then smiles and ruffles my hair " I will see you soon" he says as he hugs me back. As we part we wave goodbye to one another and know that it will be a long time until I see Grams and Walter again.
Later as the plane takes off into the sky, I stare out of the window and Dad turns to me "You okay?" I nod but an hour later I begin to have a queasy feeling in my stomach, something is not right. Another hour passes and the sickness seems to have subsided a little. We touchdown and go to collect our luggage, Dad and John go and hire a car while we wait, but at that moment I feel faint and feel myself falling I hear screams of pain in my head, I search my head for the source of who the screams are coming from but I can't see, I suddenly feel blinded and know that it's a super soldier immediately mind blocking me. I feel arms around me and being placed in the backseat of the car. "Dad !" I gasp as if I am in pain Mom is holding me tightly brushing my hair from my head telling me to breathe slowly "Shhh its okay" she whispers I begin to calm down but my heart is still racing. "Mulder, we need to get him to a hospital" she says.
"No" I shout "We need to go straight to the farm, I think something's happened, please we need to go now!" Dad begins to race down the long stretch of road as I direct him into the town of Des Monies then further outside the town where the farm is. He drives as fast as the car will go, "Stop!!" I shout I get up and jump out the car racing through the crop field, I hear my parents and John and Monica shouting after me I use the the route I had always used when coming home from school, as I near the house my legs feel heavier, and I am out of breath I scramble up the top stairs, there are strange tyre tracks in the dirt, I run inside expecting to see Fawkes our sheepdog at the door. I run inside searching the house "Mom! Dad!, Fawkes, here boy its me William !" I search out with my mind to find them but cannot feel them. I head upstairs to my room, there is something under my quilt as I go towards my bed I pull it back and see my adoptive mother's body, She is holding my stuffed bear Rocky in her arms her eyes are open and stare back at me. I begin to break down crying "Why!!!!" I shout through my tears I take my hand and pull her eyelids down, in the corner I hear a whimper and its Fawkes he limps forward there is blood all over the white patches on his fur, I communicate to him through my head "It's okay boy" I sob "William they came, people looking for you I tried to protect them as best as I could I've failed you" he cries in his head to me I stroke him and he leads me outside towards the barn " They came to the house first and killed your mother, then went and attacked me as I tried to get to your father to raise the alarm." We went inside and found my father I ran over to him he was still breathing but barely alive looking at his injuries. " Dad its me Will, I'm back, can you hear me" I say my voice quavering. "William, you must go, hide with your mother," he chokes out. " Dad, Mom's….gone" I say through my tears. His face contorts with the pain. "Nooo she can't be" he moans I nod again as he hugs me to him and his eyes lock with mine and they are full of fear, he says "William, I want you to go and hide, get away from the farm, take Fawkes and raise the alarm." I feel his life is slipping away with every breath he takes. "Dad I'm staying here with you" I say.
The next minute I hear the barn door squeak and footsteps outside. Fawkes begins to bare his teeth and moves towards the door barking incrediously. I use my heightened senses to read who is outside. Its my parents and John and Monica. "You guys! we are in here! Hurry!" They step inside Mom runs towards us and sees my Dad his blood has seeped everywhere all over me, Monica motions me to her as Mom Dad and John run forward and try to get my Father to regain conciouness. A few minutes later he comes round and he calls me to him, Fawkes wimpers by his side. Mom beckons me forward to him and she and Dad sit away from us they're heads bowed. "William there's nothing more we can do" I hear my Mom say "Daaad" I moan through my tears. I lay my head against my father's chest his breathing is now ragged. "Always remember we love you Will, and for always, you will be our son, never forget you were a Van Der Kemp, take care of Fawkes too, he protected us the only way he knew how," Then he looks to my Mom and Dad and smiles up at them "You gave us a fine boy, thank you for sending him to us, please take care of him" he says. "For always" answer my parents, and with that my Father takes his last breath and his eyes close.
I become hysterical, crying and shouting "Why them?" to the heavens Mom and Dad pull me close. Monica and John call the police and all I remember is being exhausted and carried to the car, to rest. Later we are led from the farm to a nearby motel, the police want to question me and my parents. John says that he is going to take Fawkes to the local vet. Fawkes looks into my eyes, but I cannot meet his gaze " It's okay boy, go with John" I say. John lifts him up into his arms, as Fawkes can barely stand another minute "We will be back soon" whispers Monica to my Mom as they exit the room. I stare out of the window it has begun to rain, they both approach me. "Will honey? How about we take of those clothes huh?" I look down at myself I didn't realise I was still covered in their blood, I nod to my Mom and she lifts me to take me through to the bathroom, I shower in silence and put on clean pyjamas. Dad is sitting at the table staring out into the rain. "Where's Mom ?" I murmur. "She is out getting some food, you need to eat son, keep your strength up" At that moment something snaps inside of me, an anger that has suddenly bubbled to the surface. "I DON'T WANT TO EAT! DON'T YOU GET IT???, THE ONLY PEOPLE I HAD IN MY LIFE UNTIL YOU GUYS WAS THEM!!! AND LOOK WHAT THEY GOT IN RETURN, THEY'RE DEAD BECAUSE OF ME, I WISH I WAS DEAD, IT WOULD MAKE THE WHOLE GODDAMN WORLD A BETTER PLACE IF IT WAS WITHOUT ME, I DIDN'T ASK FOR TO BE LIKE THIS" I roar the room begins to shake as I become more angrier, unleashing my power on objects in the room, Dad dodges the objects flying at him and tackles me soflty onto the bed, where I struggle against him. "Sssssshh let it out its okay" he says as I begin to realise what I've just did, and I break down again letting out heartfelt sobs. My mother and father used to joke that maybe I was a wise man reincarnated due to the way I acted, I had never truly acted like other children my age. At that moment all I am is a scared little kid safe in his father's arms, and know that in time I will avenge my adoptive parents deaths if it's the last thing I do.
I eventually stop fighting sleep as it overtakes me I hear Mom come in and she comes into the bed with me and Dad, I dream again, I am surrounded in darkness, there is a blinding light at the end as I try to reach it I hear my adoptive parents voices calling me, but when I get to the end of the tunnel they are no longer there. I close my eyes to try and transport myself from the dream but I cannot move. He is here I know he has found me and there is nothing I can do to stop him.
Billy Miles appears from the darkness, his cold grey eyes glaring right through me. "You thought you could escape us didn't you?" he says practically sneering into my mind telepathically. I stare at him hard my blood beginning to boil in my veins. "My parents and I escaped you once we can do it again" I say gritting my teeth " Don't you understand, it was never your parents we wanted, from the moment your mother became pregnant, for many years now our only target has been you. Your adoptive parents were nothing more, than our toys, they were only an obstacle in the way of our greatest possession, you should have seen your mother in her last moments towards her death, she begged for her life, begged for us not to harm her precious little boy" he laughs. I block him from feeling my pain at the mention of my adoptive mother. "What do you want from me?" I say cutting to the chase.
"Hmm, very surprising, straight to the point William?, Ahh your name, a name that so nobely fits you. You were prophecised to be the chosen one, you are filled with courage for one so young or perhaps you are very foolish with all those powers you have, it must be a great burden to carry for one so young. How is it a baby, born with no human or alien frailties was able to be born to a woman who could no longer have children, when her abomination of a daughter was unable to survive past 3 years of age and you being able to defeat one of the most strongest super soldiers of our kind? "
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU CARE, EMILY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU SHE WAS BEFORE YOUR TIME, SHE WAS NEVER AN ABOMINATION?" I shout at him. "Temper, temper, William we wouldn't want for you to get angry again. Your father did take a beating with your mind powers didn't he, it must be very difficult to deal with all those pent up emotions releasing your powers on someone you love? »
I stand with my hands clenched, and my teeth gritted. « What I want is for you to join us, you will be rewarded in many ways that you can never imagine, together we will destroy humanity and claim it for our own. You can become much more than you are now» he says. I quickly cut him off « You killed my adoptive parents, there was no need for that, why take away their lives when its been me you wanted all along ? » he begins to stare down at me and he begins to smile evily. « They were only the beginning, every other person in your life that you love or are close to will pay the same price, your parents made that mistake in not joining our side six years ago, I leave the decision to you, join us and you will rule the earth as our leader, but if you oppose us be prepared for a full scale war and a world full of pain and suffering on this mere planet. »
« I will never join you » I snarl at him. His eyes begin to become much more darker and turn to black « Then so be it » he practically growls at me his true alien voice, seething with hate and venom, and with that he disappears and I wake up short of breath as my parents comfort me and I begin to tell them about the dream. The next morning I awake to hear the shower running, Mom is still asleep next to me. I get up and slowly get my clothes from the bag that was brought from the farm and get dressed quickly. I look back at Mom as I close the door behind me. I run through town and come to the small highway that leads to the farm I run through the crop fields and eventually come to the barn, some of the animals are still here, I hear them all asking questions « William where are the masters ? » they ask as I go round and pet each of them comfortingly. « They're gone and they can't come back » I say. All of the animals look to each other obviously confused that a human child can talk to them, but their faces show pain and sorrow for the deaths of my adoptive parents. I say goodbye one last time and wish them luck in their new homes when they are moved from the farm. I go outside and stare at the house and the tractor. I have so many memories here that I never want to let this place go, or leave it. The memories flow back almost as if a movie is playing in my mind, from the minute that I was handed over to my adoptive parents, my first word, step, birthday, all happened in this house.