How long have you two been together?" Will inquired curiously.
His dad rubbed his neck and sighed. "Four years."
Four years...
That's still a little young, he thought.
Will glanced back at the picture of his mother. Her hair was blonde and long, tied back into two ponytails. She wore a light pink cardigan over a blue dress. She was smiling sweetly. Her expression screamed happiness.
He smiled sadly. He wondered what her life was like. Was she sick often? Did she ever smile because she was happy? What kind of life was she having?
Why did it matter where they lived? Couldn't they just go back to California, like everyone else?
"Where are they?" The question slipped past his lips and he regretted it immediately. Even though he didn't understand how the others could possibly have a different house, it still bothered him. It wasn't like he didn't have a right to ask.
"Who?"
Will blinked a couple of times. How could he forget that they hadn't answered him yet? "Your family."
The two men shared a quick glance and then Davey shrugged. "They're out."
"Huh?" Will tilted his head.
His father frowned and shook his head. "You haven't eaten breakfast today. Go downstairs and eat something. We'll be down shortly."
Will stared at him suspiciously, watching as he walked through the hallway towards the kitchen. He didn't trust them. Not at all. They acted weird. Like there was something that they weren't telling him. Or perhaps he was just being paranoid. But either way, he needed proof. Needed to find out if his suspicions were correct or not.
Without even realizing it, he stood up, opened the bedroom door and headed towards the stairs. When he passed by his mom's bedroom, his eyes caught sight of a dark figure sleeping quietly inside. A cold shiver ran through his spine.
He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He knew they would kill him if he told them about that. Maybe he was insane. Maybe he had finally lost his mind and his dreams. Maybe all that stuff he kept hearing about were crazy hallucinations. He should go downstairs. Eat some food and get ready.
As he reached the top of the staircase, he noticed a shadow moving behind his mother's door. Someone was looking after her.
He hesitated for a second. For some odd reason, he hated knowing that someone else was there watching over his mother. No matter how creepy it was. But then again, she never locked herself in her room. It was probably just a random neighbor coming to visit, checking on her. Nothing more.
Right?
Still, he took a step closer, almost unconsciously pressing his ear against the thin wall separating him from the room where he knew his mother lay peacefully asleep.
Her breathing was slow and even, but there was something strange about it. It was like a soft hum which was barely audible. As he listened closely, Will began to distinguish it. It sounded like something was humming faintly. And when he looked down at his feet, he realized it was the sound of his bare toes tapping against the hardwood floor.
Then it hit him. He froze. Suddenly everything was clear, as if a huge fog had lifted away from his thoughts. He didn't hear any humming, but there was no doubt about it. His mother was singing to herself. He had always assumed that she sang to herself to calm her nerves or simply because it helped her sleep, but he wasn't so sure anymore. Now it suddenly made sense.
She was dreaming. She was in another world.
Will lowered his eyes back towards the ground. His father had told him once that he had had a similar dream many years ago. Only that his dreams weren't so peaceful or so calm as he had imagined them to be. They were nightmares filled with fear and pain, nightmares which had led to nothing but suffering.
No wonder his father never mentioned her again.