The Dawn will Break

Chapter Two

"'The sight is for the seeing, my boy.' That's what my mother used to say." Uncle Matt squinted, looking past the chainlink backstop toward the blue horizon. "As far as she was concerned, the fewer people who knew what we could see, what we understood to be true, the better."

His long legs, clad in worn denim, dangled over the edge of the ball diamond's bleachers. Sitting beside him, Will wove his thumbs over and under each other, like a physical mantra connecting him to the sound and cadence of his uncle's voice.

Stealing time alone with Matt had been a challenge since his arrival, so starved was Will's mom of her brother's company. Will's dad was another impasse, materializing in practically every room his son walked into. Though he didn't push, it was obvious he craved more dialogue about what happened at the Parker's house. Too bad for him, that was the last thing Will wanted.

The smell of Tom's alcohol-steeped breath, the sound of Bridget's voice pleading from the blood-stained hallway, and the sight of Skye slipping backwards through his fingertips soaked Will's dreams. He didn't want to spend his days wading through his nightmares, too. If his father wanted to talk, he'd have to wait.

So, when Uncle Matt suggested a walk, Will grabbed his shoes and shot out the front door before his mother could join or his father could follow. Even Toby was left behind, snoozing tummy-up underneath the dining room table, paws dangling in the air, dream-woofing about adventures to come.

"So, if you're wondering, the answer's no — we didn't speak of ... the sight... with my father. And, as you've probably gathered, that same approach went for your mom, too."

The sight. Hearing an actual term to describe the numbers he saw made Will's brain buzz. It suggested a sense of order, where before there'd been none. Catching a whiff of understanding, a sliver of sense to shape his unlikely experience, was heady. Will hung on his uncle's every word like a drowning man seized a saving hand.

"Does she know ... about you?" Matt cast a sidelong glance at his nephew.

"No." Will shook his head. "I mean, I asked about it when I was small, but it wasn't like she believed me. And dad just thought it was imaginative play. Always the psychologist, even at home. Sometimes they laugh about what a funny little kid I used to be. I just change the subject."

He looked down at his feet. The park smelled like freshly mown grass, and the soles of his sneakers were stained green from walking across the field. The scent, the season, the place were all so familiar, but the conversation was one Will never expected to have. Suddenly everything felt surreal, like he'd fallen asleep in one reality and woke up in the next.

"It couldn't have been easy for you, piecing things together on your own." Passing a hand through his thick, sandy hair, Matt cleared his throat. "Your grandma told me our ... gift ... it passes on from one generation to the next. I always thought one of my kids would inherit it; not that I ever got around to having any. I never expected Ellen to be the one who carried its potential."

"Yeah, well, I guess she did."

"I guess so."

They sat in silence for a minute.

"When my mother died, I needed space to process what happened, so I took off. After a while, being away just felt easier than coming home. I'm sorry, Will. That I wasn't here. I didn't know."

A soft breeze pushed curling leaves around on the trees. Three boys chased each other out onto the field, tossing a ball back and forth, their laughter catching on the wind.

Will sighed.

"Look, it's not like you purposely abandoned me or anything.  It is what it is." He shrugged. "I'm confused about something though —what made you show up after all this time? I know you have that conference in New York, but you've never visited us before. Why now?"

Uncle Matt shifted his weight on the bench. "I've been having ... dreams. For a while now. At first I shrugged them off, but they started getting more frequent over the last month or two. The conference was the push I needed to come back and find out if I was right, or if it was all in my head."

"What kind of dreams? And right about what exactly?"

"They were about you." Matt looked at Will straight on and the 4 in his left pupil seemed to glow. "You and the sight. I could feel ... well, I could feel your presence. Gradually my dreams shifted, and right before I arrived they were spiked with ... fear."

Will shivered in the sunlight, goosebumps raising on his skin despite the warm August air.

"Your mom told me a little about what happened to you. And ... your number. The last time I saw you, it was a 4, but now it's a 2. You've got to be more careful, Will. I should have listened to my gut earlier; maybe I could have helped. I'm sorry for that, too."

Something inside Will caught fire.

"Be more careful? Easy for you to say, isn't it? You had someone to look after you, to explain what this shitty sight as you call it means, didn't you?"

Chest heaving, Will's breath came quick and his nostrils flared. Hands shaking, he clasped them together. The hot spike of anger caught him off-guard.

"Hey." Uncle Matt grabbed his shoulders. His eyebrows knitted together, and the old scar that cut through the left one deepened with the furrow. "You have every right to be pissed off. And, you're right. I had everything you didn't. But I'm here now, and I'd like to help, if you'll let me."

Slowly, Will's fingers unclenched and his heart stopped rattling around his chest. Anger fading as quickly as it ignited, his insides felt empty, bruised, unsure.

"Okay," he sighed. "I'm not sure how you expect to help, but I'll take it. I'm tired of being alone in this."

Uncle Matt let Will's shoulders go. His smile was a flash of white teeth and scruff. "Your grandma would be proud. I promise I'll teach you everything she taught me, and then some."

"So there's more to know?"

"Let's just say, your education's about to begin. Listen, I've got a seminar later this afternoon so I should probably get ready. I'm staying overnight in the city, but we can go walking again when I'm back. What do you say?"

Will's eyes traveled to the boys playing on the field, then skipped back at his uncle's face.

"Sounds good to me. I'm in."

***

So there it is, chapter two. I wonder where Matt's education will take them? What are you interested in learning? Any reflections, observations or suggestions from this chapter? Were you glad to get back to Will's point of view again? Next chapter we're back to Skye's POV, so stay tuned!