Book I: Burnt Bliss [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 2: The Darkest Light Before the Dawn

"What?" Will exclaimed. "Why not?" That didn't sound like Caroline at all.

"Mother said we could catch it from her, so we could only see her for a few minutes each time. We tried to make her happy, we gave her all her favorite toys and brought her food, but if she was bored, or crying, we could only do so much."

"That sounds horrible." Will said softly. "Children can get scared when they're sick. I can't imagine being scared and sick and alone."

"That's the first thing I thought of. I argued with my mother about it."

"You? And your mother?" Will's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine either Augustus or Caroline arguing, least of all with each other.

"I felt I had to. But," he paused sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure I just made everything worse..."

"I want to help her." He had argued to Caroline, pacing around the room. He felt the bare plaster walls pushing ever closer to him. They were trapped in an untenable situation, through no fault of their own.

"I know you want to help," she replied patiently from her seat at the table, taking hold of his arm as he walked past, "but that isn't the right way. A few minutes each. Morning, noon and night. That's all. All any of us can safely do."

"So what?" Augustus shot back, gaping at her. "We just leave her there, scared and alone? I can't even hold her hand, or play a game with her? Anything?" his voice broke on the last word, as it was his last hope.

"You don't think I want to do that? I'm her mother!" Caroline had yelped, rising to her feet. "It's my responsibility to care for her as much as I can. Don't you imagine my first concern is making her feel better?"

"But leaving her alone, for almost an entire day feels wrong!" he'd cried, stamping his foot.

Caroline sprang to action in a way her son had never seen. She seized his shoulders and looked at him sternly. Her usually pleasant face had hardened, stressing every inch of skin, tight and unflinching.

"Do you think I want to lose two of you?" she hissed in a sharp, guttural tone.

"Oh, my God..." Will softly marveled.

"Didn't anyone try to help you?" he looked at his friend wistfully.

"Well, we had a doctor come 'round, but he was just there for charity cases like us." Augustus said resentfully.

"I will say he tried, and I was grateful, but we all knew the Apothecaries would have more treatments, or something. You can't get their help unless you pay. And it's not cheap." Augustus huffed with a sigh.

"One person doesn't deserve more help because he's got more pounds in his pocket." he scoffed.

But Augustus tried to temper himself. This was about helping the needy, not resenting things he couldn't change.

"Aren't we supposed to help the helpless first? I suppose he did the best he could. It only took him ten minutes."

Augustus let out a long, slow sigh, like a cheerful balloon deflating into rubbish on cold pavement. "He said it was a type of the Plague that was in her lungs, and that he's never seen anyone survive it. After that, I asked if there was anything we could do. He just shook his head and said: 'it's up to God now.'"

Augustus paused and stared at the floor once again.

As the silence stretched gloomily between them, Will felt uneasy.

He busied himself with the pitcher and handed Augustus a fresh glass of water. He drank it all down without a second thought.

"I--I believe in God, but I have to be honest: I don't think hurting a little girl is God's will."