To Have & To Hold

Chapter 5: Deliver Us Not Unto Evil

The last evening spent at his parental home was a difficult one. Joseph had locked his bedroom door and would not come out no matter what anyone said or did. The sound of things hitting walls or falling to the floor came from his room at regular intervals until at last he appeared to have fallen asleep.

When Margret came home and heard the news she lost all interest in dinner and spent most of the evening glued to Jaiden's side. She felt compelled to bring back old memories of when they were kids, asking in particular if he recalled any of the really early ones when she had been a young girl and he no more than a year old.

His father, aside from occasionally walking up the stairs to try and coax Joseph out of his room, alternated between sitting at the kitchen table listening to Margret talking about the past and pacing back and forth in the living room. It was as though he too felt the need to take action but couldn't think of anything to do.

Later that evening after what would have been dinner time the doorbell rang. Some of the neighbors had come over to offer their support. A few of them wanted to come in for a drink and a chat with Jaiden before he was sure to disappear for good.

Father glanced over his shoulder at Jaiden who looked at Marge. She was still very busy trying to spend as much time with him as she could so Jaiden shook his head at his father who nodded and turned back to the people waiting by the door.

"You tell 'im it's always the good ones that get picked." he heard one of the neighbors calling in to the door before bidding his father a good night and walking back down the porch.

Jaiden hissed softly. Even though it had been meant as a compliment of sorts it also meant they felt that the people who weren't picked weren't 'good enough'. It was a slap in the face of the rest of the Colony, with the best of intentions of course.

Closing the door gently Hoyden walked back over in to the kitchen and sat down heavily. Margret had taken a break from talking incessantly and was instead quietly humming a tune while holding on to Jaiden's hand.

Jaiden looked at her and hoped she would snap out of it eventually. He knew it was a terrible thing to have to say goodbye to a loved one so suddenly but Margret had a tendency to overreact. He wouldn't want it to change her permanently, affecting the rest of her life.

He made a mental note to talk to dad about it in the morning or whenever he could get a moment alone with him before being swept away.

Apparently unable to watch Margret for very long Hoyden got back up again with a huff.

"I'll see if he wants to come down now," they said, headed for the door.

"Nah, just leave him. I'll catch him in the morning," Jaiden replied, "Besides, I haven't heard him in a while so he might be sleeping finally."

The references to her youngest brother sparked a new train of thought in Margret's mind. She looked at the stairs suddenly then back at Jaiden, her eyes glossy.

"You were only three when he was born, do you remember that? The doctor gave you some candy because you wouldn't stop crying because,"

"I know, Margret," Jaiden interjected, stroking her hand reassuringly. In truth he didn't remember that but he needed her mind to come back to the present.

"You know," he began, forcing a smile on his face. "I'll bet you they're nice people that just wanted to give some Colony kid a chance for a better life. It happens, I know it."

"You think so?" Margret asked hopefully, clinging on to any positive news she could find.

"Sure. And I'll write whenever I can and send photo's. With a bit of luck they'll allow me to come back for visits every now and then to see how you're all doing."