"Ike, this is getting to be too much of a problem to just push aside anymore!"
"He's just a kid, he'll grow out of it eventually Marth.."
"He won't! At this rate he's just going to get worse until he is exactly like Roy! And I'm sorry if you don't want to be hard on Pike, but you have to stop coddling him! He needs to know that he's done something wrong instead of getting a light tap on the wrist!"
I sighed angrily, imagining my breath coming out as a cloud of air. It didn't though, as it wasn't cold in my room, but the arguing from behind my door seemed to be making the temperature drop lower and lower every second.
They had been yelling for a while. Well…Marth had been anyway; Roy too when he spoke up, but dad kept talking in a calm voice, and he was sighing every other sentence. Sometimes he would agree with Marth, sometimes he wouldn't.
"If Marth keeps screaming he's going to lose his voice. And all those frowns will give him wrinkles." I spoke to the darkness, pulling my legs up and hugging them, resting my head back against the door. Some light was coming through the cracks, but not enough to stop the fear growing in me.
At least if I talk to the dark, it takes my mind off of how much I was afraid of it. I could hear dad gravitating closer to the door sometimes, but Marth would pull him away with the likely endless words he could think up. I wish dad would just open the door already.
"So you want me to punish Pike then? What am I supposed to do!?"
I felt the shudder run down my back and through my wings. I pull them around me and shiver again. Dad was getting mad, he only yells when he's really, really mad.
"Why punish Pike!?" Roy was butting in now. "I'm the one to blame here! If anything punish me! Pike just listens and does what I tell him to without thinking, he's not bad!"
I sigh again. Roy's trying to cover for me. I wish he wouldn't. I could have backed out of any of his pranks any time I wanted. I voice my thoughts to the darkness again.
"Pike has the common sense to know that you're a bad influence! He's been with you too long, he's developing a habit of rebellion!"
"Oh for Paulentina's sake! Marth, you have no idea what you're talking about! Pike is just following Roy's lead and he wants to have a bit of freedom! He would never hurt anyone or do things like this on his own, so there really is nothing to be punishing here!"
It's nice to know dad is on my side. But I just wish he would open the door and let me out already.
"I'm saying he could. Not now, but someday! A prank gone wrong can easily turn into a disaster. He needs to learn how to quit it and ignore the urge to do such things!"
"And what, locking him in his room and telling him he can't even talk to me is the way to go? Nice thinking Marth, absolutely brilliant. Saying someone can't do something will just make them want to do it more!"
A nice point by Roy.
Now…open the door?
"Okay, that's it. I'm not arguing this anymore. Marth, Pike isn't going to stay away from Roy so maybe you should keep Roy away from Pike. Don't make that face at me! …Alright, if you're going to be like that, get out!"
Dad was close to yelling as loud as Marth was while Marth was just making undignified noises, and Roy was suddenly silent- I can tell he wanted to say something, he always wanted to say something.
All those emotions behind the door. Anger, hurt, pride…I could feel them all, being so close to the source of it anyway. I could always do that, since forever it seemed- sensing emotions. Though sometimes I'm not very good at it, sadness and some other emotions were hard for me to pick up on unless they were really strong. Anger and happiness however…
I shuddered again. Everything was silent now, and the air was tense, almost electric. Then I could hear someone turning and leaving, slamming the door behind them.
Then someone sighed. "I'm sorry about this Ike. But…Pike just seems so happy to be a part of things. I'm sorry I ever started bringing him along."
"It's alright Roy. I know you didn't mean any harm…but could you lay up a little now? It wouldn't do if Pike became too good at what you do. Marth may be right by saying he could be learning from you."
"Okay, okay, I'll try. Just….don't get angry at Pike. He really hates it. He gets enough anger from Marth, and he's practically a second mother to the kid."
"I know…I just wish Marth wouldn't take his motherly instincts too seriously. You'd better go calm Marth down, you did say your share to him."
There was a silent agreement and then Roy left.
Now open the door dad, please.
"…Pike?"
"Yeah?" I call back. I can hear him coming, he's going to open the door, he is, isn't he? Then he'll let me out into the light-
I could hear him sigh and I knew it.
He wasn't opening the door.
"I know it wasn't your plan to break into Link's room, but you still accompanied Roy instead of telling me or Marth. I…"
Come on dad. Open the door. Please. Please.
"….I'll let you out for dinner, but you'll stay in your room for the rest of the night, okay?"
I didn't reply. I was too busy trying to collect myself. I'd never been locked in my room at night. The other two times it was during the day. Never at night. Dad knew I was afraid.
Then he was walking away and it took everything I had not to scream out for him to come back. The dark seemed so much thicker now that I was alone. Everything was silent and menacing and-
I jumped to my feet and bolted to my bed, diving under the covers and screwing my eyes shut. My only thought was that dinner wasn't too far away.
So I waited.
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"Pike?"
Ike slowly pushed open the door and peered at the bulge in the sheets. A pang of guilt ran through him as he made his way closer.
Pike was asleep, clenching the covers tightly, whimpering quietly. He was having a nightmare. The guilt grew and Ike bit his lip angrily. He knew that being alone unsettled the boy, but the dark was his biggest fear. He couldn't even go outside at night without becoming petrified.
"Pike? Pike, wake up…"
The angel woke with a start, flailing his arms wildly and letting out a frightened scream before he became aware that he wasn't in his dream anymore.
Ike brushed his hands against the child's cheek as he quivered wide eyed. "It's alright, it's just a dream." Pike whimpered in response.
As a child Pike had had many nightmares, each one would result in screaming which would bring Ike to his side instantly, but recently the nightmares had continued with Pike trying his best to keep silent, smothering his screams into his pillow, leaving Ike unaware.
But that wasn't what unsettled Ike about the nightmares. As a child Pike would tell Ike what his nightmares were about, and it must have been his angelic genes which caused most of them- but lately he had refused to tell Ike or anyone about them.
"Tell me what you dreamt about." Ike tried quietly, running his hand through his son's hair.
Pike let out a shuddered breath. "It seemed so real." He paused to sit up, rubbing his eyes, but the pause grew into a long silence, and Ike knew he wasn't going to be told anything.
"…come on, food's ready." He sighed, leading Pike out of the dark room and towards the kitchen, where comforting aromas travelled down the halls to meet them.
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Late at night, a small angel slept in bed, his night light shining brightly, guiding his dreams through fields of golden grass and a golden sky, a completely safe world where he was happy. He flew through those golden skies and trailed his hands through cotton clouds. His father watched and laughed, a hand was guiding him through the clouds, higher, higher- it was exhilarating!
Late at night, a small angel slept in bed, his night light flickering and dying until darkness swallowed the light and he was no longer alone- but the angel slept unawares as his fears crept closer and closer, silent as the grave.