Chapter Twenty-Three

The next time Jaxsen woke it was light out. The bedside clock read 8:45. He woke feeling warm and safe, though the dark cloud of ‘Death Day’ had fully settled over him. He curled up further into Sebastian wanting simply not to exist.

“Hey, sweet boy,” Sebastian greeted gently in a consolatory tone. Jaxsen was surprised that he was awake. If he’d already woken, why hadn’t he gotten up for the day?

“Hi, Bastian.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up.

“Sleep alright?”

Jaxsen shook his head and looked away. “No. Not really.”

Sebastian slid his fingers through the boy’s golden locks. “Yeah, neither did I.”

“How long have you been awake?” Jaxsen asked, meeting his eyes again.

“Not too long. About an hour or so.”

Jaxsen was surprised. “How come you didn’t get up?”

“I wanted to ensure you weren’t alone if you woke up from a nightmare or something and were scared.”