The Blame

Jack wakes up from the bad dream and woke up to see no one holding him. That's when he remembered to come back to realty that his mother had died.

He gets up to look around him and sees the house all ruined. His eyes teared up to the thought that he'd loose his mother in a careless way when ever since that night, all he did was protect his mother from the forest and all the hings that might hurt her.

Why was I so careless? What did I do wrong? What was missing? WHY DID SHE DIE?! These are the thoughts that repeats and repeats loudly in his mind which made him soon shout Mother over and over again making himself think that she is just out in the lake, or walking for some air. Though,.... he still knows the truth so he cries shouting for his mother slowly just saying it and knees are down on the ground. He's crying again while he puts on a weird smile as he do so.

"I wish you were here, mother.." Then looks up the morning sky as the sun shines on him with his tears crawling down his face.

Cleaning the ruined house, he can't control but to think stupid of himself for ever leaving his mother on her own. His mother's only difference is that she never speak often and sometimes, just speaks to jack more than others which makes jack even more motivated to protect and be there for his mother 24/7. All his mother does is care for jack and that goes to jack as well for the both has this shared worries when it comes to each other. Jack is currently walking to his room to clean the mess and as he was searching for valuable things, he sets his sight on something. He knelt down and looked at it closer and saw a letter with a name written on it. "Valerie". Jack takes a hold of the letter and couldn't care less of it so, he places it on his mother's bed where it is neat. Jack has done his cleaning and went to grab a container. After he did so, he was walking down this path to the woods to head to the village nearby. As he was walking the event yesterday came back to him which he shivered out of him to calm for the first time.

He stopped in front of the village and some people were coming at him. They were giving him their gifts as a sorry on behalf of he children whom hurt him these times and some saying sorry for the death of his mother. He couldn't speak as His eyes widened because the people knew of it but let it go and carried the gifts in a big bag that one of the people gave him.The village knew all about Jack and how he loves his mother the dearest because of every time he comes by the well and fetch some water, all Valerie and jack talks is about his mother and how he talks greatly of her not like any other kids were expected to.

He heads to the well and as he was there, he saw a hair of a girl that he knows well. "Good morning" he says under his breath trying to smile. "I'm sorry for your loss, Jack." The girl stands up and looks at him directly. "we saw the fire. It was big. I went there to check but to my deepest fear,...it was your house.." she looks at him so sad but what disturbed her is that Jack looked pale. He stopped and looked at her with exact no emotions. "And because of you I lost my mother." Jack realizes of that earlier after he said his greetings while her,...well....her eyes widened and went speechless. "I...I....jack..I never....no.." She was starting to realize her mistake and all of yesterday came back to her. Jack finishes and carries the gifts and the container all by himself. While he was getting further away,Valerie ran to him and held him by the arm that made jack stop. He turns his head to look at her with a look of raging anger on his face. "What do you want, Valerie?" She catches her breath trying to speak as jack was trying to be released from her grip. "I...I need to clear myself..! ...I never would've wondered that...." she wanted to tell him it was by mistake and didn't meant that to happen at all but she also understood that if she were to be in his shoes, she would've done the same, which led her to confusion of words to say. Jack lets go of all the things he was carrying and turns to her with his whole body finally. "If you weren't to hold me back just like this yesterday, I would've gone there faster and much earlier..But I couldn't because of your stupid little hangouts and roaming the world!" He breathes for air as tears he held back were starting to be let go. But as he said that, Valerie's heart crashed.

Jack have always supported Valerie with her dreams to explore the wonders of world. She have always wanted for jack to come with her and maybe start exploring the village for a little but fun start. What she didn't realize as she was focused on it was people have their own preferences. She is still a young person and she's exploring things she doesn't know yet so you can't blame her.

"I lost the dearest person in my life, Valerie!" He shouts making every person in the village that was close to their position stop and become a little sad as they all knew about his situation. All the people looked at them but the two couldn't feel at all. "The last person I had. The last person I wanted to protect was killed by something I could've put out, if it wasn't for someone I almost cared fully-" Jack stopped as the words just got out of his mouth and his eyes widened to the surprise that also happened to Valerie's. He turns his back on her leaving the village in shock of all that and Valerie in a state of speech loss.

Jack was walking back when he remembers that he had their neighbors coming to his house so he came running as he saw someone coming at him. "Jack! Jack! We saw something!" The man reached his position as jack stood there. The man was catching his breath while trying to tell him that they found his mother's body. Jack clearly understands even after the confusion, carried the things and went running to his house. He stopped and catches his breath to see his mother's body on the ground. He dropped the things on the ground and sprinted to the body as soon as he recovered. He kneels down seeing her skin torn off a little to her face and her clothes covered in ashes. The men who carried her gave jack a time with his mother but one man stood there only. "We found her near the chicken coop leading to the forest. I think your mother was worried about you and tried to find you around the area and your house to the chicken coop. You came back a little late than before." Then leaves jack. Jack sits on the floor, gently lifted his mother from the ground and pulled her close to him hugging her. He shed little tears as he was still in the process of acceptance of her death. He was also tired of crying again and again.

A month after, his mother is now buried at her and jack's father's favorite place when they were teens. Jack heard a lot about his father from his mother when she was alive and jack found him amusing and he was inspired by his dad. Jack is now at the lake fishing. Yes. He still does his routine. He is now in the residence of the Liege family. He was adopted by a family whom really cared for him, since his mother's death, the family wanted for jack to be comfortable with them for they really cared for him. Jack was really fitting in with doing everything in the house which made the family surprised and soon got used to it. They think that jack just don't want to be a burden which is exactly what he thinks and the other thing of what jack thinks is that it was his routine to do all those.

Jack is with his new father, which by the way, the only father who he really saw and sees. Damon is his name. He's the kindest person jack has ever known besides his mother; he thinks. They beautifully has this fishing times and moments to talk and bond. Which doesn't happen.

Jack seems to quiet down when it comes to other people besides his mother. But lately, these past few days, he had been adjusting and been really comfortable with his situation. He and Damon goes back to their home with a lot of fishes caught. They were faced with a lot of smiling faces. The new mother and jack's adoptive siblings. The new mother, Cassie, takes the basket of fishes from the hands of Damon and goes to prepare something while Damon was being greeted by his triplets; Paula(like Paul with an A on the end), Phinn(like a fin of a shark), and Palle(as in pale). Jack goes on ahead to place the things to where they belong while Damon was strangled by his children. "Dad! Look at my new dress mommy bought earlier!" Palle says with a quirky smile to him. "Dad! Look at my new sword!" Phinn then poses to his father. "D-dad...look at my new g-glasses mom bought" Paula stutters while shyly looking away. "ehehe...they all look nice kids" Damon struggles as they were all going at him. The kids' eyes then sparked and all hoorayed their new things out loud.

While for jack, he was walking to the side of the house and places the fishing rods leaned on the brick wall of the house. "you don't seem elated." A voice was heard. Jack looks up and sees his other adoptive sibling, David.

David was leaning on the door with crossed arm grinning at jack. "why would I be?" Jack mumbles making it loud enough for David to hear. David then stands up and arms were down having this annoyed face looking at jack. "C'mon Jack. There might've been women bathing in the lake while you were fishing." He says while waving his hands crazy as he explained to jack.

David is a pervert.

He ignores David leaving him in disappointment. David follows jack as jack puts the things back to places. "look. Dad doesn't allow me to fish with you guys.-" Jack interrupts, "'Cause all you do is look at women" That annoyed the world out of David. "Jack. Do me a favor." Jack is walking everywhere as David kept talking and following him.

"Everyone! The food's ready!" Cassie shouts. All of them stopped what they were doing and sat on their seats. Coming down from the stairs, was Jack who just got done washing himself as he rubs the towel drying his hair. He stops as he noticed everyone looking at him. Soon, he realized, ran, and sat on his seat just beside David.

After dinner, Jack went to grab a blanket, went outside, sat on a bench that was right outside their house and covered himself with the blanket.

He stares at the beautiful night sky that was filled with shining stars and a moon.

Later, A woman peaks by the door. "come inside, Jack. It must've been tiring" He looks at where the voice came from and saw Cassie.

He smiles a little remembering it. "that's also what my mother always said." Cassie walks towards him and sat beside him. She tilts her head and looked at jack smiling at him. "Always?" she chuckles a little. "I do it always so that I could hear her voice." She looks at him confused and soon realized it. "right.. she was always the silent type." she then moves her head and looked up to the sky. "you were always talking about her when you come to this village." He then moves his head down and looks at the floor. "I loved her. She was an amazing parent to me." he looks at her. "I wish I portray that kind of mother to all of you..Someone you always talk about..someone dearest out of all the people you meet." Her smile then disappears.

Jack looks down on the ground. "It's not on how you portray yourself. It's how they see you. It's automatic to be a caring parent, and I see it in you..that....I can almost see my mother." Her eyes widened and was surprised. Cassie and Damon were always trying hard to be as sweetest and as caring jack's mother was, but didn't know that jack was observing them because of his silence ever since he became a Liege. Her eyes started tearing up and she hugged jack as she tried holding her tears back. Jack's eyes widened at that point and was surprised with her act.

He started to go along with it and even though he was under the blanket his hands reached the sides of her torso hugging her. "Are we allowed to be in that hug?" Jack heard a voice and it was from Damon and David who are peaking from the door and the triplets peaking from the window.

"u-uh..-" Jack stutters when Cassie interrupted saying yes, yes, yes. And came a big group of people. The all joined in the hug and Jack was being a small pumpkin being crushed by the Liege family but soon, as the hug was stating to get comfortable, he sighs relief and smiles, "I'm glad to be a member of your family.." He says under his breath but they heard it and hugged tightly saying "aww!" except for David.

Next day, morning going afternoon,Damon and Jack are out fishing again. "Jack. Do me a favor..."

"what is it?" Jack asks not knowing what it'll be.

David smirks and jack already had a bad feeling.

Jack is now looking around back and forth like crazy. His father notices it and thinks that it was his talk with David that Damon heard from afar yesterday. He can't stop giggling that can lead to him laughing out loud so he hides his face from him. Jack is looking around and saw from further ahead a bunch of teens around 15-18 year old bathing in the lake. Jack stopped from moving his head but was also debating if he'll do it. "tomorrow, Watch the women bathing the whole time and when you get home, describe to me EVERYTHING that happened." David said with a perverted smile. David's face turns serious. You can't escape this, jack. If you give me the wrong info, you'll never know what's coming for you." He then leaves.

And there it is. Jack is watching the women starting to take off layers and to their undergarments, he started to debate again. Until his mind focused on one woman. The woman had this brunette hair and a beautiful smile. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He gulped as she was bathing but then turned his look away. His face was full of guilt as he was starting to fee like that looking at the woman... She looked like a 17 year old teen, she had her hair tied up in a ponytail and had her beautiful smile mesmerizing the silent Jack. "Valerie Clydee Faine." Damon says looking at Jack. "Why haven't you talked to her yet? You live in the same village now." Jack looks at the lake. "It's...been complicated after my mistake...."