A Different Point of View

14. Axe

10th November 1983, 11:57 pm

SEVEN'S POV

I woke up to the sound of the back door being thrown open. I groaned at the thought of getting up to close it, guessing it opened because of the wind. I didn't want the door to slam closed again and possibly wake people up, so I crawled out of the chair I was sleeping on and walked up to the door.

I pushed the wooden door open and looked at the ground. I hurriedly took a step forward and raised my head to see where I was going.

I was met with someone's gaze, and my mouth dropped.

Will's Mom.

Joyce gasped and took a step backward, one hand covering her mouth. "Who- Wha-" she began but never got past her first word due to her unsteady breathing. She looked around frantically before returning to look at me.

"Sorry..." I whispered, lowering my head and attempting to avoid eye contact. This is it. One silly slip up and I've just ruined everything. She's going to think I'm a thief and send me back to the lab.

Once she took a good look at me and saw my height she calmed down slightly. "Sweetie, how old are you?" She asked, probably thinking I was homeless.

"12..." I replied, keeping my answers short and sharp.

She furrowed her eyebrows and reached a hand out to my shoulder. "Okay... what's your n..." She trailed off and studied what I was wearing. "Are those Will's shorts?" She asked, but more of a question to herself than to me.

"Nothing." I quickly said, hoping she would understand.

"You have nothing?" She questioned, looking back at my face. Well, at least she understood what I was saying.

I raised my head slightly, now looking into her dark brown eyes. I simply nodded. I didn't want to speak and scare her so, I didn't.

"Okay hon, come inside I'll get you fixed up." She said while pointing to the back door to her house as if I didn't know where to go. If only she knew that I had been inside her house before... yeah, I don't think she would like me if I told her that.

I looked back at the ground and slowly walked up to the back porch and held the already-open door. Before I went inside, I looked over my shoulder to see Joyce walking out of the shed with an axe in hand.

My eyes widened and I quickly went inside and sat with my knees to my chest behind a wall, assuming she was going to hurt me with the axe. I squeezed my eyes shut and started to rock back and forth. Joyce must have noticed my discomfort so when she came through the back door and saw me, she lowered the axe onto the kitchen bench.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I... I just want to know why you're here." She said as she crouched down to my level. I opened one eye and looked at her before opening both eyes and sighing at my stupidity.

JOYCE'S POV

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I... I just want to know why you're here." I asked. I was concerned for this kid, and why they were wearing Will's clothes. I tried to look her in the eyes but she just looked away. "You can trust me, it's okay" I soothed, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

She turned her head to face me, her blue eyes shining when they met mine. I've seen those eyes before; deep, blue, sparkly, but... never mind.

"Will..." She whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

"Will? Will? You... you know him? Is he... is he safe? Is he okay?" I asked in a panic. I could feel tears form in my eyes. I watched as fear grew on her face.

I bit my bottom lip in anticipation, awaiting her response. She looked me in the eye with sorrow and slowly shook her head.

"Oh god..." I mumbled, letting my tears fall. I shook my head in denial. "But you know him?" I questioned, closing my eyes and letting my head fall to face the ground.

"Yes." She responded quietly as if she was on the verge of tears herself.

"Okay..." I whispered. "I'll go get you some fresh clothes and a towel and you can have a shower. While you're doing that I'll make you a bed on the couch. Sound good sweetheart?"

"Yes." She replied and looked away.

Time Skip - 10th November, 12:23 am

SEVEN'S POV

The cold air brushed up against my skin as soon as I turned the hot water off. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I looked to the toilet seat to see a set of 'pyjamas' folded neatly. Apparently, I was supposed to wear them whilst I slept or something... I'm not too sure.

Things haven't been as bad as I thought they would be, but I'm still worried that Will's Mom will suddenly dislike me and call the police... You can never be too cautious.

I turned out of the bathroom with my fresh pyjamas on and my hair still damp. I walked down the hall to the lounge room to see Joyce sitting on an armchair with an axe in hand. I flinched at the sight and took a step back, making the floorboards creak.

Joyce whipped her head around to face me, and exhaled when she saw who it was.

"Hey, how you feeling?" She asked with a small, sad smile.

I simply returned the smile and walked over to the electric-box that I had seen earlier. I pointed to it and looked at her. A confused look was planted on her face until she realized what I was asking.

"Ah, that's a television. TV for short" She said, answering my question. I nodded in response and looked back at her. "I've set up the couch for you, just let me know if you need anything. I'll probably be awake for a bit..." She said, trailing off. "You're safe here" She spoke with doubt.

I awkwardly smiled again and walked over to the couch where the blankets had been pulled back for me. I laid down on the couch and slipped under the blankets that were half covering me. I didn't know what was wrong with them because they only came up to my thighs.

Joyce saw this and put her axe down, walked over to me and pulled the blankets up so that they were at my neck. I smiled at her as if saying 'thank you' and she gave me a faint smile in return. "Good night," she whispered, before kissing my forehead and turning off the lamp next to the couch.

The lightbulbs were still on but I didn't mind. They were kind of peaceful in a way, and it made it easier to sleep. There was still the fact that I was sleeping in a stranger's house... well, kind of. Joyce didn't feel like a stranger to me. Sure I just met her, but she was really gentle and understanding. I mean, come on! I was literally sleeping in her shed and she didn't get mad.

She hasn't asked me my name yet because I think she knows that I'm a bit skittish and I don't feel comfortable talking yet. It really made my heart break for her, seeing how kind she is to me given the situation she's stuck in. Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to her though. I have to. I'm going to tell her about me and my powers, the monster, Will, and even that I... may have been in her house before. The only thing I'm not telling her about is El.

I doubt that she would betray me and call the cops. Whether you call that betraying or doing something logical, I don't know. I guess it's kind of both. But, if she does call the cops and I get taken back to the lab, I don't want to drag El back with me.

I'd probably be able to talk to El in my dreams every so often, but lately I haven't been able to visit the void with her. I've been having normal dreams, or no dreams at all. Sometimes I feel like they're flashbacks. They feel so real, it's hard to tell the difference between dreams and reality.

So many things busied my mind but they all disappeared when I fell into a comfortable and well needed sleep.