9.

Ruby Roux began going to school at five years of age. There was pre-school before this time of course though that was no more than a couple hours twice a week. David felt horrible that first day of leaving Ruby at school. She cried, not wanting to stay. Teacher told David that all would be fine. As David moved away from leaving his sister at school that first day, his mother's words returned, once again haunting every fiber of his being.

'You are not good enough ... you will never be good enough ... you'll never be the person my daughter will be ...'

Perhaps leaving his sister, no matter how temporarily, made him feel as if he was abandoning her, perhaps it made him feel as if he were not doing a well enough job of taking care of her when in actuality the reverse were true. Still his mother's words were with him, no matter the fact that she wasn't herself when she spoke them. In hindsight perhaps he should have abandoned her, such a thing is just not in David's DNA.

Being a guardian with one child in his care, David does receive an allowance. To make ends meet however, he does need a job and he has one in a supermarket starting the day Ruby starts school. There are two hours of after school care for Ruby so over five days a week David can work through a decent number of hours to ensure that financial ends do meet.

Walking away that first day, leaving Ruby in school, it was difficult, it was rather difficult. David's own eyes welled, and he couldn't help but shed a tear or two though as he did move on to his new place of employment David did notice the presence of insects. There were a number of various insects flying around him, not a whole lot of them but enough to cause worry.

His first thoughts upon seeing these insects, once his eyes dried a little, was maybe his father was possibly about to make another visitation but no, there was no sign of dad on this occasion. David even called out for his dad and yeah, he did not receive a response. A shadow close by did go unnoticed, however. It was an unnatural shadow and did not belong to any of the surroundings. Just as well that David did not see this moving darkness follow him; for if he does not know it is there, he cannot worry as to what it might be or as to what may be creating it.

Those insects, they would not leave David be. He got through his first day of work, performed what was required of him though his personal hygiene was questioned. He had showered that morning, his clothing was fresh and clean, still there were those insects. They only bothered him at work this one time, their presence unfortunately tainted his name, no matter though, there are better things waiting out in the world other than stacking shelves at a supermarket. A job is a job and he'll take it and continue on with it as long as it is available.

As it is, there would be other instances of insect activity, the next of which occurring the Friday afternoon of the week Ruby started school and David started work in that supermarket. Having finished his shift, finished his first week in this job and having picked up his sister David arrives back to his apartment.

He opens the living room window and bees begin making their way inside via that window almost right away. There is a beehive hanging just above and on the outside of the window and David only sees it when it is too late.

'Ah crap' he speaks out loud before beginning to make his way over to the adjoining kitchen to grab a cloth with the possible intent of using it to shoo the bees back out through that window.

The oddest thing then occurs. Having come back out from the kitchen alcove, cloth in hand, David is unsure of what to make of what he sees. The bees seem to have gravitated towards Ruby; they are circling around and above her head and this is occurring as her right hand is raised towards them, in itself twisting as if she were instructing their movement. She then moves her hand towards the window and they in turn move in that direction. Is she controlling them? Is she actually giving them instruction? This can't be right.

As if Ruby has given some sort of instruction, the bees, every last one of them, head back towards and out of the window. As soon as they all are outside David rushes to the window and closes it. Seconds pass before he turns to his sister. She is smiling such an odd smile.

Ah hell, is this what dead dad meant by saying that Ruby is special? Sure, on the two occasions his dead self-visited with David, there were those insects flying about him. David can only consider and speculate as to what any of it could mean.

10.

Not long after Samuel Lemmontine Fontaine turned nineteen years of age, he made a decision. A little less than two years prior, Sammy had made another decision, a different decision, a decision to move away from Darkness and to make a return to the Light though his return to Light felt a little incomplete. He has something he wants to accomplish where, depending on how things go, he may just need some of that Darkness he lived with for four years.

Yeah, at nineteen Sammy Fontaine has made the decision to return to his family home for the first time since he left it when he was thirteen years old. How is his mother? Has his father changed his ways? Finding out about his mom is more important to him than finding out about his dad. He has seen neither of them in over five, almost six years so the decision to visit that house was always going to come, it had only been a matter of timing and the time is now.

It may not be a huge amount of time that has passed but Sammy has been gone for a third of his own current lifespan. His home street is basically the same as it has always been though it looks oh so different as Sammy walks slowly along it. Despite a few house colour changes here and there the street appears to look greyer than what it had; it looks smaller as anywhere would if you have grown up since you were last there.

He tingles all over with uneasiness as he continues the slow pace down the street to his former home, to the point he needs to stretch out his arms a couple of times or so. Looking around is an obsession like constant until his destination is reached. If anyone were to observe him right now, they might suspect him to be some sort of an addict coming down or off something though such would not be truth.

At the garden gate he pauses, considering if he should leave and walk away or continue on and get what he came for. He needs to know. Is mother still here? Is father still here? How are they? There is only one way to find out.

Sammy opens the gate and leaves it open in case he might need to make a quick escape ... an escape from what? Who the hell knows? The front door is a different colour to what it had been; it used to be a bright red, now it is a dark blue. Sammy knocks, takes a couple steps back and waits. A few seconds pass and he considers knocking again before hearing the latch being opened. The door creaks inwards to reveal the presence of an older gentleman.

'Yes? ... Can I help you?'

Sammy gasps and takes another step backwards. His eyes open wide and his heartbeat quickens.

'D-d-dad?'

'Samuel? Is that you?'

The man who has come to the door looks healthy and well. He has indeed aged but aged well since Sammy last saw him especially with what Sammy expected to see if indeed his father were to open the door. The beer fuelled belly from before is gone and the man's clothing is a classy kind of casual. There is a thin circular metal framed pair of glasses on his face and he looks as well or better than Sammy ever remembers his father looking.

Before Sammy can do or say anything else the strangest thing happens, and it catches him so off guard that it makes him fall over onto his back side. For a brief second or two the image of a rather large Raven head is super imposed upon his father's head. This image is so disjointed it is as if two worlds briefly merged to create it.

'Son ... are you alright?'

What is this? A hallucination of some kind? Sammy's father has come out into the garden and has reached out with his right hand to help Sammy up. Perhaps, in a way, it is as if he is coming down off of something.

'Don't touch me ...' Sammy roars as he also slaps away his father's offered hand and seeing a brief repeat of that image from a moment ago. 'Don't come near me ...'

As he makes his way back to his feet Sammy begins to swipe away at thin air, for he is sure that he can now see a number of insects buzzing away before him.

'Son ...'

'I am not your son. You may be my father, but you were never my dad.'

Sammy, with his head having turned to one side, can now see that the garden grass has suddenly changed colour. It is not the green which he is sure it was when he arrived; somehow it now is a mix of yellow and brown. Has the garden just suddenly died? He has to get up and go, leave, he can't stay any longer.

Up on his feet he turns to leave the grounds he has come to, only to see the garden gate slam shut in front of him all by itself. He turns back towards his father. 'What the hell is going on here?'

'I don't understand ...'

'I asked you a question ...'

'And I do not understand what you mean by it ... son ... are you alright? Where have you been all these years?'

'Don't call me that ... and where is my mother? If you have hurt her ...'

'Son ... Samuel ... your mother isn't here. She left me a long time ago ...'

'I don't believe you.'

'It is the truth. C'mon now, why don't you come on inside and we can talk.'

'Talk? No, I don't want to talk ...'

'You came here, remember? C'mon now, we have a lot to make up for.'

'No, no we don't.'

With that Sammy turns towards the gate, he moves quickly and jumps over it and is gone before his father can plead with him any further.

Eight years would pass from this moment before Sammy would finally get to see his mother though at that, in what could he trust? There are conflicting tales and circumstance, so much so that he does not know what to believe, whether he could know if and when he would see his mother again for the moment he is not done with his father. Sammy wants answers, mostly pertaining to his mother.