Chapter four: visions and broken nails
Will and Helen were on their seconded day of work and they were almost as empty as Nights.
Helen looked at her blistered fingers, "I didn't even know you could get blisters from carrying water and paper cups," she said tiredly.
"Well at least we get to take a brake," Will laid down and looked at the grey sky. Helen stared at Nights, he was sitting on his knees, and watching Elise as she mixed up some paper cups, when she stopped he pointed at one of the cups; the look of disappointment on his face told Helen that he had lost.
"It's so sad to see Nights like this," Helen said to Will, "he seems so…"
"Stupid," Will suggested.
Helen smacked Will's stomach, "No, he's…lost."
Helen watched as Nights suddenly drooped, he got on all fours and crawled up to where Reala was, and snuggled into his chest.
Helen and Will walked over and sat with Adia and Reala.
"What's with Nights," Will asked.
Reala looked down at his sleeping brother, "He's tired."
"He sleeps a lot, doesn't he," Helen said.
Reala just nodded and laid his forehead on the top of Nights' head.
Nights stirred and moaned, "Understand what?"
Reala got up quickly and laid Nights' head down onto the grass.
"Come back," Nights rolled over so that he was facing Helen and Will.
"His fingers," Helen pointed at Nights' fingers, "They're bleeding!"
Adia rolled Nights onto his back, and carefully removed Nights' blood-stained gloves, and wiped the blood off of his fingers.
Helen gasped when she saw the state of Nights' fingers, his nails had been broken and cracked and blood poured from under them, Helen hid her face in Will's chest.
"What happened to him," Will asked in horror.
"Sometimes," Reala explained, "Nights' double is behind a locked door, and Nights tries to claw his way through it and, for some reason, the damage from the vision becomes damage in reality."
"That's awful," Helen said looking at Nights' fingers as Adia bandaged them.
Nights awoke with a start, and then began to cry when he noticed the pain in his fingers, "Re- I- want," Nights sobbed loudly, unable to finish his sentence, but Reala knew what he wanted.
"Let Adia finish bandaging your fingers," Reala said, wiping Nights' eyes, "then I'll take you to master."