It had been another week in the Price household and everything was great. Sarah had taken to teaching Paxton how to read and write, and, although he couldn't speak yet, he was quickly learning the alphabet and even a few words.
His first lesson started when he caught Sarah doing some of her homeschooling work. She was reading a book the size of her head with a small smile on her face. Paxton wanted to know what was making her happy, so naturally, he crept over to her and looked over her shoulder at the foreign writing on the pages. He looked at it confusedly and turned his questioning gaze to her. How could she like this? Why did it make her happy?
Noticing his close proximity, Sarah gasped and shrunk back a little. Noticing it was just Paxton, she smiled again at him. "Paxton, you scared me. Warn someone next time, will ya?" she chuckled. Paxton stared at her then turned his attention to the book. He reach for it and grabbed it from her hands, turning it upside down and flipping through the pages. Sarah's laugh sounded behind him. "Paxton, if you keep doing that, the book's pages will rip and you'll ruin it." She made a grab for it and he let her take the foreign thing from his hands. "This is called a book, book. You read words that form stories and learn things from each one." she tried explaining.
He kept staring.
After a minute, it finally clicked in Sarah's head that he'd never read anything and could probably not understand what anything in the book said. He didn't speak, for crying out loud. "How about this; I teach you how to read and write and you teach me how you put away food so fast. I'll remind you of this deal again once you're a pro at speech." she offered her hand to him. He stared at her outstretched hand for a minute before grabbing onto it with both of his, encasing her smaller one with his. She smiled up at him.
After that first time, she taught him a few letters a day and how to write them. They progressed onto words and she would sound them out slowly for him. He showed no signs of speaking, but whenever she sounded something out, he would mouth the words with her and would get the occasional petting that signaled he was doing okay.
~~~
Michael had stayed away from the Price household. He couldn't stand to see Justine with her kids. He couldn't stand to see Sarah looking at someone else. He couldn't stand Paxton. The boy had to go. He had to get rid of him somehow.
Looking around the town square, he noticed the police putting up a picture of Paxton's face on the town's board of events billboard. Hoping it was a wanted flier, he waltzed up to the two officers and looked at the paper. Taking in its contents, Michael scoffed at it and turned his attention to the two officers staring at him.
"So, they're just now looking for his family?" Michael sneered, turning his attention back to the clean-looking boy with no expression on his face. The ghost of a smile seemed to appear on it, but Michael couldn't tell for sure. The boy was a freak of nature, a human being gone wrong. Who cares about his family?
"Well, yes. A kid should be with their family, don't you think?" one officer questioned.
Michael turned on his charm for the men, knowing it wouldn't be smart to mouth off about Paxton to the authorities. He'd need these men on his side if something were to ever go down between the two, so if a front is what would get a better outcome, a front is what these two idiots would get. "I agree, I'm just concerned that you haven't look for his family sooner. Poor boy must be scared and wondering where his family is. I know I would." he gave them his softest smile and the two officers' skeptical gazes turned into genuine smiles.
"Yeah, we'll be working diligently on bringing him back to his folks, I can assure you of that, sir." the second cop stated with a determined look set upon his face.
"Thank you for all your hard work, gentlemen. I sure hope you find them fast." Michael wished them well and waved them off, watching them leave his line of sight before turning back to the flier.
"A freak like you deserves solitude and confinement." Michael snapped before ripping the paper off the board and tearing it to shreds before tossing it to the wind and letting nature run its course on the paper that once held Paxton's expressionless face.
"If I have to be the one to put you in such a condition, so be it. You're not getting in the way of my plans, Paxton." Michael vowed before walking off like nothing happened. He would see to it that Paxton would be removed permanently from the Price household and if he had to rid of his existence from this Earth entirely, then so be it.
Hello, everyone! I'm back and it's Summer! Things have been going great with me and your wishes and kind words are what have helped me to push on and graduate from high school. Though I hit a bit of a block the last week with Senior pranks and having my entire class hate me for "telling" when I was reporting assault, I thought, "Screw this, you all won't matter after this week." and have been keeping this same mind frame. I have two very good friends that have been helping me and very supportive family that's been helping me with the issues I presented in the last chapter. So, you can skip this last bit because I kinda want to update you all on what's been going on.
My younger sister and I are talking again! We have resolved the conflicts of last summer and are both very close once again and I'm very relieved and happy. I don't talk to my older sister, but that's just what it is.
I start college next month and I'm very excited and anxious on what this new stage in my life will lead me.
And yeah, that's pretty much it. If you read up to this point, I want to say one last thing and that's to check out a new story I've put up called "Imprints - Twilight Werewolves {Paul Lahote}". It's a different take on the Twilight werewolves and I hit a Twilight fever a couple weeks ago and that story was born. I would really appreciate it if you all would read through it and comment or vote on it so I can continue writing since you guys give me so much inspiration.
I'm kinda rambling now, but thank you all again! Vote, comment, follow, do you! I'll see you all in the next chapter soon!
