The Space Speculation: Book 2 ~Painful Past~

Chapter 8: Back to Pluto

I spoke to Colin afterwards, describing how angry Chad was. Colin nodded when I said we should leave. I could see his eyes were still glazed over from shock. Poor Colin. 

"Mommy?" William stood from his bed, rubbing his eyes. 

"Why is the castle so quiet? Can I go play with Aunty Vi?" I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst into tears and hugged him tightly. Colin dropped to his knees and put his arms around us. 

"Willie, honey," I gasped, swallowing sobs. 

"Aunty Vi isn't here anymore." I couldn't say more, so Colin finished for me. 

When Colin was done, Will looked up at us with huge eyes. He quietly said, 

"Is Uncle Chaddy okay, Daddy? Is he really sad?"

 "Yes, Will, Uncle Chaddy is very sad. I think," Colin said, looking at me, "that we should stay away from him until he's not so sad anymore." I nodded and hugged Will. 

"We're leaving him?" William's untrusting stare was too much, and I looked away.

 "But he needs us now more than ever! His wife just died! Daddy, wouldn't you want Uncle Chad and Aunty Vi to be with you if Mommy died?" He directed the question at Colin.

 "No, Willie, but..." 

"Then we shouldn't leave him!" the six-year-old interrupted.

 "William," I joined in. 

"Uncle Chad is very angry as well as sad. It's not safe to be around him until he has calmed down." Colin agreed. 

Willie's usually sweet face was hard and determined.

 "Are we going home?" he asked softly.

 "Yes," Colin said. "We're going to Pluto. But William," he said, kneeling to look our son in the eyes. "Don't mention this to Uncle Chad just yet. I can have a servant inform him after we leave." Willie's eyes grew angry.

 "So now we're deserting him without even telling him? Why are you so scared of him?" 

Colin took a deep breath, glancing at me.

 "Just promise me you won't tell him, okay?" 

That night Will understood why we were afraid of Chad. 

He was in the dining room when Chad had another fit. Chad went crazy, knocking over tables and chairs and destroying everything in his path. 

Thankfully no one was hurt, but William was so frightened that he nodded numbly when Colin asked if he wanted to go to Pluto now. 

The next morning we had a shuttle prepared to take us to Pluto. 

We had to secretly pack our bags so Chad didn't find out we were leaving. Colin instructed a servant girl named Celia to tell Chad where we had gone; but only if he asked. 

Colin carried Will up the boarding ramp while he was still sleeping, so he wouldn't give us away. The shuttle was parked on the far side of the castle, away from Chad's sleeping quarters. 

While Colin was still loading our bags into the ship, Willie woke up, and without saying a word, ran back to the castle. I followed him, not wanting to call him back for fear of having Chad hear. 

I stopped short when William ran straight towards Chad in one of the sitting rooms. He wrapped his arms around his uncle and whispered in a couple of his ears, "I love you, Uncle Chaddy." Chad was so stunned he didn't move even after Willie left. 

In the ship, on the way to Pluto, Will didn't speak to either Colin or me for the whole almost-three-billion miles. We tried to join him in our conversations, but he just lay there, his eyes frozen open, staring into the distance.

 At my home planet, Mother and Father met us at the landing port and led us to our new home. It was just one large hole for all three of us. It was much less cramped than my small hole from when I was a girl, but in comparison to our room at the castle, it was tiny.

 "Lucky Plutonians don't toss around when they sleep." I winked at Willie, but he just stared back at me silently. I sighed. Getting William to open up after what happened would be harder than we thought. 

I lay awake almost all night, staring at the familiar dirt ceiling of my childhood. I just hoped Will would learn to love Pluto as much as I did when I was a girl. 

Sighing again, I rolled over and fell into a fitful sleep.

This section was written by Melina