Mental Voids of the Mind

Chapter 2: Thoughts Left Unspoken

'Is he alive?' William was begging to stir from his sleep, but refused to open his eyes. He did not want to know what was going on. He heard voices but was too tired to care. 'Hold him down, he's not going to like this.' He jumped as he felt two people hold him down, one person holding his arms down the other holding his legs. He opened his eyes and screamed trying to get away from the people. He saw a man standing next to his head with a needle in his hand and struggled harder. He heard a woman talking to him, but could not make out what she was saying over his screams.

"Its ok!" The woman said, "We're just trying to help you!" William still struggled and continued screaming. The woman got fed up and slapped him across the face. William stopped screaming for a moment in shock and stared at her. Never in his life had he been slapped, open handed, before. He had been hit by his father many times and beaten up by other random people when he was caught stealing, but it was never with an open hand and it shocked him. "Calm down, we're just trying to help you!"

William paused trying to take in what she had just said and for the first time, looked around him. He was no longer outside on the pile of cloth. Now he was inside lying on a bed. That was another thing that shocked him. Never in his life had he laid on a bed before. Both he and his sister slept on the splintered floor, ever since they could remember. "Do you know where you are?" She asked, already knowing he didn't. William shook his head. "Your in my home. My husband found you this morning outside of his book shop." She paused a moment letting the boy take in the information. "Do you have a name?" William nodded then paused a moment, thinking about it. It had been so long since anyone had used his real name.

His mother couldn't speak, and his sister never said it since he was always the only one in the room when she talked, other than last night. And his father never called him anything other than 'boy' "Are you going to tell me then?" The woman asked. William looked at her and shook his head. "No?" She asked surprised. "Can you talk?" William nodded. "Why won't you tell me?" She asked. William didn't say anything and flinched once, when the man that had the needle began to stitch up the cut on his eyebrow. The woman held down tighter on his legs expecting him to resist against the Doctor, but to her surprise, he didn't. "My name's Anne by the way." He looked at her, not moving his head. "Well since your not going to tell me your name, should I try to guess?" William shrugged as the doctor finished the last stitch and snipped the string. "Ok… Jason?" William shook his head, now free from the doctor. "Jacob?" He shook his head again. "Does it start with a J?" William shook his head. The woman made a show of thinking about it and looked up at her husband who had let go of his arms, to allow the boy to sit up. "Ok, how about an M?" William shook his head again. "How about Francis?" William's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. Anne laughed, now enjoying the game of guessing the boys name, as that is what it had turned into.

"Does it start with an L?" He husband, Adam, asked. William looked at him and shook his head and made a W shape with his fingers. "W huh?" The man thought a moment.

"Willard?" Anne asked. William once again shook his head.

"William?" Adam asked, one side of William's mouth went up in a half smile and he nodded. "William! It's nice to meet you William. I'm Adam." William raised his uninjured eyebrow as the man dramatically outstretched his hand to shake William's. William looked down at his hand and didn't know what to do. The man looked surprised by this and put his hand back down.

"Do you have parents William?" Anne asked. William thought about it a moment, wondering whether or not to tell them, before he shook his head. "Do you have anyone?" William shook his head. "Well that settles it!" The woman said. "You're staying here!" The boys eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever wanted him. Why would these people?

Anne's looked at him with delight as he opened his mouth to speak, but to Anne's dismay he quickly closed it again. William looked down at his hands and saw that they were shaking. Anne smiled at him. "How old are you?" William looked back up at her, before shrugging. "You don't know. When's your birthday?" William looked at her confused. "When were you born?" William shrugged again, and Anne shook her head sadly. 'What happened to you my dear boy?' She went to go pick him up off the bed but he jumped away from her, falling off the bed and hit his head on the floor. "Oh! William are you ok?" She asked, running around the bed and picking up his small frame from the floor. She looked at him in surprise as he just rubbed his head. 'Any child his age would have been crying their eyes out.' She thought, as she walked out the room with him. She took him into another room placing him on a small chair, and took off his tattered shirt, revealing the dirt hidden underneath it, same as that of the dirt on his face. She than picked up a wet cloth from the bowl of water, that she had placed there when the boy had first arrived, and began washing the dirt off his face.

"You know, I used to have a son." She said simply. "He would have been about your age now." He smiled sadly at her and she smiled back. "Ah, I got a smile. It was a sad smile, but it was still a smile." She said, making him smiled even more. She washed the last bits of dirt off his face and smiled. "Ah there we are!" William knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "I knew there was a little boy under all that mess!" She said. After she was done cleaning him, she gave him a new pair of cloths that she had the maid go and buy for him and helped him put it on. She looked at him and smiled and led him to a mirror. "See, you make a very refined young man." William looked at himself in the mirror confused, and walked up to it. He looked at the boy looking back at him and put his hand up to its face, his hand leaving small fingerprints on the mirror. He walked back up to Anne and gave her a hug. She smiled down at him.

"Thank you." William whispered. Anne smiled and hugged him back.

"Your welcome."

TBC… PLZ R&R