Chapter 7
Nights looked up at the starry sky. It puzzled him how, sometimes, he could be so tired that he could sleep for days, and sometimes he couldn't sleep at all.
He hugged himself, wishing he could hug his son, "I tried to stop them," he said to the sky, "really I did, but, I was too late," he wiped the tears out of his eyes, "I'm sorry William, I'm so sorry."
"Liar,"
Nights looked up. William was sitting up in the tree that Nights was standing under, "William."
William jumped out of the tree and looked at his father angrily, "liar, you're not sorry."
"Yes, William, I am," Nights tried to reason with his son, "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't, I got there to late," Nights wiped tears from his eyes again.
"Why didn't you stop them before they had a knife to my head," William rubbed his forehead.
"Does it hurt?" Nights reached out to touch his son's forehead.
William pulled away, "no, I'm dead, I can't feel, anything." He looked at his feet.
"You don't look dead to me," Nights said tenderly.
William laughed wryly, "why do you pretend to care?"
"I'm not pretending William; I really do care about you."
"Why?"
Nights pulled William into a hug, "because, you're my son."
Nights felt sharp pain in his side; he tore away from William and grabbed at the pain. He was bleeding. He looked up at William.
William held a bloody knife in his hand, more surprised then anything else, "I… I…" what was he? He didn't feel satisfied, not at all. He dropped the knife, hands shaking. His father was dieing, "Dad!" he went to his fathers side, "what do I do?"
"Help me get home," Nights gasped.
"But, I can't go back,"
Nights moaned, and fell.
"Dad!" William pulled his father to his feet, and helped him back to the Crystal Castile.
Reala walked down the steps of the Crystal Castile; Nights was missing. He was sure Elijah was behind this.
He saw two figures in the distance. He flew closer and saw that one was Nights, "Nights," he picked his brother up, and cradled him in his arms, "he didn't hurt you did he?"
Nights shook his head.
"But Nights, you're bleeding!"
"Don't be mad at him Re," Nights said faintly, "he's just confused."
Reala looked to the person that had brought Nights home, "William?"
William said nothing, he was still in shock.
"Don't worry, we'll fix you," Reala walked up into the Castile, followed, mechanically, by William.
Nights recovered quickly, the same could not be said for William. He sat silently in his room, periodically visited by his father and sister.
Nights came into William's room with a tray of food, "good morning, sunshine."
William didn't answer.
Nights frowned, "if you don't start talking soon you're going to lose your voice."
"Where's mom?"
Nights sat down next to William, and said sadly, "she left."
They sat in silence.
"So," William said agitated by the silence, "what's for breakfast?"
"Pancakes, eggs, and sausage, you do like that, don't you?"
"Did you bring orange juice?"
"Ah," Nights smacked his forehead, "I knew I forgot something."
William laughed.
"I'm glad you came back William."
William looked up, "I never said I was going to stay."
"Would you at least stay for the holidays?"
"What?"
"It's almost Christmas," Nights smiled, "will you stay?"
"What would everyone else think?"
"That doesn't matter," Nights laughed, "what matters is what you think."
William thought, then nodded, "okay."
"Yay!" Nights jumped joyfully, and hugged his son, "how about you come out and eat breakfast with everyone else?"
"Sure," William smiled slightly.
Nights grabbed William's hand and they ran out to the dinning hall, together.