Chapter Sixty-Four

“Come in,” Jaxsen called at the knock on his door. Sebastian poked his head into the bedroom. The boys were set in the center of Jaxsen’s area rug, cross-legged and facing one another. Basil dropped his head to hide his face, subtly shouldering away any moisture on his cheeks.

“Everything okay?” Sebastian asked in concern.

“Yeah, Dad, we’re okay.” Jaxsen glanced quickly at Basil before looking back to his father. “We’re just talking.”

Sebastian nodded. “Well, Nizhoni doesn’t feel good, so I’m going to run to the store and get her some crackers. You boys want anything specific for dinner?”

“Can we have spaghetti and meatballs?” Jaxsen beamed. It was one of his favorite meals.

Sebastian smiled. “Again, Jack? If we keep eating spaghetti, we’re all gonna morph into noodles.” Jaxsen giggled. “You boys wanna come with me or stay here?”

Jaxsen glanced at Basil again then back to Sebastian. “No, Dad, it’s okay, we’ll just stay here.”