Sebastian opened his eyes, squinting against the bright mid-day’s sun. He was fully dressed, standing alone in an exhibit of monkeys. His eyes were scanning the area unsure what exactly he was looking for. Then he heard a scream coming from his right, where he instantly set off running. He felt as if he were in a large maze. A mouse hunting the ever elusive chunk of cheese in the center. As he ran through a plastic jungle with hanging plastic vines and unrealistic shiny green leaves he heard the scream again. The leaves slapped against his face as he ran, following the screams that led the way. Hearing voices he slowed his run, his military instincts kicking fully in, and he felt himself shift into black ops mode.

Huddled in the far corner of the room was Jaxsen. Four feet to his left and in front of him lay his mother, bleeding and dead, her lifeless eyes wide and staring into Jaxsen’s face, just her hand reaching out for his slightly outstretched foot. Directly in front of him was a woman. Sebastian could not see her face from his position behind her, but noticed her long, dark braid that flowed down her back.

To his right he saw movement and was amazed to see Glen coming forth from the shadows of the plastic jungle. He said nothing for long moments, watching his son scream in terror from the woman whose face he could not see. As Glen stood watching, Sebastian attempted to walk in front of her. As he moved, she too moved, as if she were standing on a rotating pedestal; her back always to him. Giving up on it he returned to Glen’s side and looked at the cowering boy.

Jaxsen had tears in his eyes, sobs and terror-filled wails escaping from an agape mouth, a trail of drool ending on his night-shirt. He screamed for Daddy as the woman took a step toward him, and another, and another.

“He’s not calling for me anymore,” Glen spoke, his voice analytical and detached. 

Sebastian looked at his friend. “Glen, what’s going on? Help me understand this.” Glen said nothing in response, but watched as the woman came within inches of the screaming child. In the background the monkeys in the exhibit clamored around screaming in tune with Jaxsen. The woman raised her weapon and fired. Sebastian looked transfixed as Jaxsen’s body slumped over with a sickening thump as he hit the ground.

He heard Glen’s voice in the background. “Don’t let Dawn steal your sunshine.”

Sebastian bolted upright, Jaxsen’s name spilling from his lips like spilled milk. Nizhoni sat up with him, roused by the sound of screaming. Before she could gather her wits about her, Sebastian was already gone. In less than five strides Sebastian had reached Jaxsen’s closed bedroom door. He hesitated, momentarily fearful about what may be lying on the other side. He pushed the door open allowing enough light into the room to see what lay beyond.

He smiled, his eyes watering in pure relief. Both boys were sound asleep in the bed. Jaxsen was positioned on his back, his head slightly turned toward the left. Basil lay against Jaxsen’s side, arm thrown over Jaxsen as if protecting him against unseen forces. Slowly, so as to not wake them, Sebastian gently rested his palm flat on Jaxsen’s chest. Once satisfied all was well, kissed his son’s forehead, and returned to his room.

Nizhoni took him into her arms upon his return. “You okay?” she whispered. 

He shook his head. “No. No, I’m not at all.” 

Nizhoni stroked his hair. “Wanna tell me about it?” And he did. The dream poured out of him like a confession.

“And always that same warning. ‘Don’t let dawn steal your sunshine.” He sighed.

“‘The dawn’ or just ‘dawn’?” Nizhoni asked with a contemplative frown.

“Just ‘dawn.’ Why?” he asked, wondering what she was getting at.

“What if whomever this mystery woman is, is Dawn?” 

Sebastian stared at her a moment. “You really believe this?” He sounded doubtful and wary.

“Indians put a great deal of prudence in the messages a dream is trying to convey. You believe it too, or it wouldn’t worry you so much. You said it yourself, you feel the dreams have been warning you.”

Sebastian nodded. “This is really beginning to scare me, Zhoni.”

“I know, baby. We’ll figure it out. Let’s lie down and get a bit more sleep. There’s nothing to be done tonight.” He nodded unsure if sleep would make an encore, but drew Nizhoni close to him anyway, basking in her calming energy, before finally succumbing to slumber.

Saturday afternoon saw the boys walking through a deserted park. They silently agreed to take a seat at a picnic table not far from the swings. Basil gandered around at the playground and it left him feeling hollow.

“I feel like this place.”

Jaxsen frowned and looked to his best friend. “What do you mean?”

Basil shrugged. “Look at this place.” They both did before Jaxsen looked at Basil again. Basil stared out straight ahead, eyes scanning the forgotten piece of earth. “I imagine this park used to be filled with laughter, play, and innocence.  Look at it now, Jax. Rusted, dilapidated, and left to ruin. They don’t even cut the grass anymore. The ones that are supposed to care for and maintain this place just…gave up and walked away.” 

Jaxsen nodded before adding. “Or killed. Leaving it to fend for itself before society tears down what foundation remains, leaving little more behind than smoldering coals.”

Basil chuckled. “Sounds a bit over-dramatic, huh?”

Jaxsen smiled and looked down at his folded hands. “Maybe. But maybe accurate as well.”

There was a pause for several moments in conversation, each caught in their own thoughts. “I really don’t wanna go home Monday, Jax.” Basil closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotions. 

“Does she do anything else to you? I mean, hit you or anything?”

He shook his head. “No. Never physical marks. It’s all verbal and mental and emotional. She’s killing me from the inside out. It hurts, Jax. It really hurts.” Jaxsen nodded in perfect understanding and Basil sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. “I’m sorry, Jax.”

“For what?”

He shrugged. “Being like this all the time. I don’t wanna always bring you down.”

Jaxsen bumped Basil’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t worry about it. We’re friends. If you can’t be yourself around the family you create, then who can you be yourself around?”

Basil shrugged and looked at the blades of newly overgrown grass, reborn from winter’s destruction. “I don’t know.”

“Basil,” Jaxsen said as he placed a hand on Basil’s. Basil glanced at their hands before looking at Jaxsen. “You never have to pretend with me.”

Basil half smiled. “Thanks, Jax. It means a lot to me. You, either, you know…I mean…I know you’re hurting, too. You can always come to me.”

Jaxsen nodded, unable to speak for a moment. “It hurts to talk about.”

“It hurts to hold it in,” Basil countered.

Jaxsen nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.” He paused before continuing. “It scares me, though.”

“What does?” 

Jaxsen picked at the scab against his cuticle and shrugged. “The very prospect of telling anyone what happened to me. I mean…I told a little to my mom and dad, but…what if…someone else, I mean…” He shrugged again. “What if they see me differently? What if their opinion shifts and they’re no longer my friend?” Jaxsen looked at Basil quickly before looking back to the playground.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can say you never have to worry about me. You’re stuck with me, now.” Basil smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood. Jaxsen stared at him with great scrutiny for several, long minutes. Basil met his gaze unwavering. “I do mean it, Jaxsen.”

Jaxsen nodded and counted the blades of grass to keep himself in control. The wounds were healing slowly, but still they bled. 

“It’s hard to wrap my head around what they told me is…wrong. That it’s all a big lie.”

Basil frowned and wondered if he should press a little bit. “Well…what did they say?”

“Which ones?” Jaxsen laughed bitterly.

“Any of them. All of them. Whatever you wanna tell me, Jax.” Basil’s voice was light but serious, calm and comforting.

Jaxsen was silent in contemplation, considering the offer and the risks that ran with it. “They said that I was ‘too pretty’ and they were gonna make me ugly. Make it to where no one would love me because of what they did.” 

Basil glanced at the few scars he could see on Jaxsen’s arms and drew his fingers lightly across them. “They did this?”

Jaxsen closed his eyes. “They did a lot of things.” His voice was thick and he felt like he was choking on the words.

“Well, they were wrong, you know.” Basil said to him, watching closely the expressions that ghosted across his face at lightning speeds.

“How?”

“You’re not ugly, Jax. And you have people who love you.”

Jaxsen shook his head, refusing to meet Basil’s eyes. “You haven’t seen what they did…they maimed me, Basil.”

Basil considered this a moment before speaking. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Jaxsen frowned slightly at the question’s abrupt proposal, but looked to Basil awaiting the question.

“When you look at me, is a fat kid all you see?”

Momentarily stunned, Jaxsen stumbled over his answer, paused, and tried again. “N-no. Not at all. I mean, I’ve noticed you’re losing it, but it’s not what I see when I see you.”

“What do you see then?”

“I see you,” Jaxsen said, still confused about where this line of questioning was headed.

Basil grinned and lifted Jaxsen’s arm. Slowly he pushed up the sleeve on Jaxsen’s shirt where it rested upon his slender shoulder. Basil saw that the scars ran under the rest of his t-shirt, but did not attempt exposing more than what he had. It wasn’t necessary, and fear had begun to leak into Jaxsen’s eyes. With his fingertips Basil traced over the marred skin and looked Jaxsen directly in the eyes, not once straying his eyes to where his fingers worked their way down Jaxsen’s arm.

“I don’t see the scars, Jaxsen. It doesn’t matter to me how far they extend over your body. I just see you.” Slowly Basil rolled the sleeve back into its original place.

Jaxsen wanted to cry at his words but held it back. The words spoken as well as the speaker meant a great deal to him, but he was still terrified of the outcome if the rest of his body was displayed. Basil threw an arm around his shoulders and they sat in companionship without a need to fill the silence.

Sunday night Basil couldn’t sleep. He lay still as he could to not disturb Jaxsen, but the anxiety bubble that had settled in his chest wouldn’t abate and no longer could he lie still and quiet. Like a mouse he sneaked out of the bed and slipped from the room. He had no idea what time it was, just that it was late. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be in the living room and was surprised to find his presumption to be incorrect.

Sebastian sat alone on the couch, a steaming mug of coffee nestled between his palms. Sebastian half smiled at the boy as he came into the room. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked in a low tone.

Basil sighed. “No. I didn’t want to wake Jaxsen up moving around. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be awake. Do um, do you wanna be alone?”

“Nah, you can come keep me company, though, if you want.” Basil smiled. He didn’t really want to be alone. “You doing okay?” Sebastian asked once Basil sat down.

He shook his head. “No. I don’t wanna go home, Bastian.” Basil looked at him with resignation in his eyes. “I can’t stay though, can I?”

Sebastian sighed and shook his head. “Not legally, no. Not in the pretense of my having custody of you. I’m sorry, Basil.”

Basil shook his head as disappointment leaked from his eyes, “Would you let me? If I could stay, I mean. W-would you want me?” He sounded so broken.

“In a heartbeat.”

“Really?” His eyes were pleading for Sebastian to give him something.

“Really. You’re a damn good kid, Basil. It’s a shame your mother doesn’t see it. I will say this, though, son,” Sebastian began, “if you ever need to come back, you will always have a place here. If it’s just a few days, or a week, or years from now; or if things get bad again. You’ll never not have somewhere to go.”

Basil put the last article of clothing in his backpack and slowly zipped it closed. The small suitcase Sebastian had packed for him was lying closed on the bed.

“I wish I could stay.”

Jaxsen nodded. “Me, too.”

“I’m scared, Jax,” Basil admitted as he sat down on the bed.

“I know,” Jaxsen said, sitting next to him.

“What if it doesn’t get any better?”

“Then tell my dad again. Perhaps if there’s a repeated pattern there will be something he can do. And if nothing else you could just come stay here for an extended sleepover or something.”

Basil shook his head in despair. “She’s never gonna love me, is she, Jaxsen? I’ll always be too much like him.”