Silence Tells the Cruelest of Lies

"So, you're pregnant, then?" Matt asked when I entered our bedroom for the night. I nodded my head, and a small smile appeared on his face. It seemed that Matt had a soft spot of sorts for children, so long as they were of his seed. "That's good, I suppose. But that means you'll have to keep off of your feet, just as you did when you were pregnant with Aileen."

Of course, I agreed, slipping into a pair of pajamas.

When I finally laid down next to him, Matt pulled me near and rested a hand on my stomach, which had barely began to expand. "Let's hope it's a boy this time," he said. "Oh, and Calyx? Don't think I haven't thought of the possibility of this baby belonging to that bastard. And if that just so happens to be true, I will kill that child the instant it leaves your womb." As Matt said this, his black eyes glittered darkly and he seized the Reaper Blade from his bedside table, slashing it through the air as though slitting a throat. "Do you understand me?"

In response, I nodded my head. But inside, I was thinking just the opposite. I would never allow Matt to do such a horrendous thing. This tiny thing growing inside my stomach was my child, and just as I had refused to allow Matt to lay a hand on Ryder or Aileen, I would also refuse to allow him to lay a hand on this new baby. Even if this new baby was Jimmy's, he or she would live. I would make sure of that.

I hadn't seen Jimmy in a month, and I was anxious about what had happened to him. Surely if he had been gone this long with no form of contact, something terrible had happened. Jimmy had perished somewhere within the bowels of the Realm of Monsters, and I would never see him again.

I felt a few tears slip down my cheeks, and hid them from Matt. He would think my tears were trivial. He wanted to see Jimmy as much as I did, although his reason was much different. I wanted to see Jimmy again because I loved him and I wanted to hold him close, but I knew that the instant Matt laid eyes on Jimmy, my love would drop dead to the floor. But this didn't stop me from wanting to see Jimmy again, and it could not stop my tears on his behalf.

"Oh, would you quit your damn crying?" Matt snapped. I jumped, because I'd assumed he was already asleep. "Don't think that just because you're pregnant and hormonal, I'm going to let you keep me awake all hours of the night. Just shut the fuck up and go to sleep."

I will not you stupid bastard, I mouthed as I rolled over away from Matt. I was not going to fall asleep just because he ordered me to. But within fifteen minutes, my black eyes were slipping closed and I drifted under.

The next morning, I woke up to a feeling of nauseousness. I went to the bathroom where Matt was showering, ignoring his protests, and vomited in the toilet. After I'd finished being sick, I left the bathroom and headed to the nursery, which was where I spent the majority of my days.

"Miss Calyx!" a voice called. I turned around just as I reached the nursery and saw a female servant running up to me. She shoved something into my hands. "This came for you today. There's no return address, but I still thought you would've wanted to see it."

Thank you, I said, and the servant left with a dip of her head. I continued into the nursery, and surprisingly, both of my children were sound asleep. I sat down in the chair I used to rock Aileen to sleep and opened the envelope the servant had given me. Inside there was only a single piece of paper, and its message was very short.

Calyx,

I know you're probably wondering where I am. Unfortunately, I can't tell you, because I don't want you caught in the crossfire between myself and that monster. It took a lot to get this letter to you, but it was worth it. Calyx, I love you so much. Ryder, too. And I promise that as soon as all of this shit is over and done with, we'll be together again. All of us. I'll be back soon. Don't you worry. And then me, you, Ryder, and even Aileen can be a family. So I'll see you soon, I promise.

Love, Jimmy

I clutched the letter to my chest and twirled happily around the nursery. Jimmy was alive. Jimmy was alive. Oh, this made me happy beyond words. The man I loved, the father of one of my children, was still alive despite Matt's massive attempts to find him. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I tucked the letter back inside of its envelope and went to Ryder's crib.

Miraculously, my rambunctious son was still asleep. I brushed a few strands of his soft brown hair away from his forehead, and was alarmed at the temperature of his skin. I pressed my hand fully against his forehead and sure enough, it was unnaturally warm. Ryder squirmed at my touch, and slowly blinked open his sharp blue eyes.

"Mommy?" he mumbled groggily. His voice was scratchy and rough. "I don't feel good."

Come here baby, I said dotingly, picking him up from his crib. Let's take you to the nurses' office.

"No!" he shrieked half-heartedly. Lord, even his protest was suffering. "I don't wanna!"

Ryder, you need some medicine to help you feel better, I mouthed.

In lieu of an answer, my son started whimpering, and a few tears fell down his cheeks. He curled up close to my chest, his tears leaving a warm, wet spot on my shirt, and I rubbed his back comfortingly. Very quietly so as not to disturb Aileen, I walked down the hall to my bedroom to drop off Jimmy's letter, then took Ryder down the hall to the nurses' office. For some reason, and I had my ideas why, the nurses seemed hesitant to care for Ryder. But at my insistance, they took Ryder into a exam room.

"Well, what seems to be his problem, Miss Calyx?" the nurse assigned to Ryder asked.

My son is sick, I stated flatly. The look the nurse was giving Ryder was irritating me. It was as if she thought he was infested with the Black Plague.

"I'll just take his temperature, then," she said. She fetched a thermometer from her drawer of supplies and started walking towards Ryder. My son was not thrilled about this new development and began to whine loudly.

Shh sweetheart, Mommy's here, I soothed, rubbing his back. The nurse just needs to take your temperature. It won't hurt, I promise.

"No," Ryder protested. Then he began to cough, a very deep, chesty sound.

Due only to my ability to hold my son still, the nurse was able to take Ryder's temperature. After she'd gotten her reading, she glanced at the thermometer and blinked in surprise. This worried me. Surely Ryder's temperature was not a cause for alarm.

"Miss Calyx, your son has a fever of one hundred and four degrees," the nurse said quitely. My heart doubled its pace. That was quite a high fever, especially for such a young child. "I'll give him a shot of antibiotics and a shot of fever reducer, and then he'll need to rest."

Of course, I said, watching as the nurse readied two syringes.

"Alright now, I'll need his arm," the nurse stated as he ridded the syringe of any air bubbles. Ryder saw her approaching with the needles and let out an earpiercing wail.

"No!" he shouted, squirming in my lap. He was trying very hard to get away, but I held him tight. "No shots!"

Ryder, this medicine that will help you feel better, I told him, pulling him back down into my lap. Now hold still.

Ryder screamed very loudly when the nurse injected the first needle into his upper arm. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks, and it broke my heart. I was dreading having to put him through the second shot. After the nurse had given him his second shot and place army men bandaids over the entry sites, Ryder looked up at me with a look on his face that portrayed to me that he thought I'd betrayed him.

"I don't like you, Mommy," Ryder grumbled sleepily as I carried him back down the hall. "You made me get shots! Dey hurt!"

Ryder, do you wanna sleep in the bed with Mommy?, I asked, hoping this would erase his negative feelings towards me.

"No," Ryder answered, tucking his head underneath my chin. "Da big mean man sweeps in dere."

If that's what you want, I sighed. I stopped at the nursery and gently placed Ryder in his crib. He immediately curled into the fetal position, sucking on his thumb, and hugged onto a small stuffed animal I'd procured for him recently. I rubbed his back soothingly, and after quite awhile he was sleeping, albeit fitfully.

Suddenly I found myself surpressing a yawn. It was still early evening, but I was exhausted, and so I decided to retire to bed. I dragged my feet as I walked down the hall, looking forward to burrowing beneath my duvet and getting a good night's sleep. I didn't even give a single thought to Matt, as I expected him to still be busy around the castle.

"What the fuck is this?" a low angry male voice asked before I'd even closed the bedroom door. I literally jumped several inches off of the floor at Matt's inquiry. When I turned around, I saw that in his hand Matt held my letter from Jimmy. Oh my God. "Well, Calyx? What is this? Did you think you could hide this from me?"

I-I just got it today, I answered shakily. I promise.

"You lying little bitch," Matt hissed. He walked over to me and seized my upper arm, then violently threw me onto the bed. He shook the letter in my face angrily. "Now where is that bastard? I know you know. Where is he?"

I don't know!, I shouted, then shrieked when his open palm struck my cheek.

"I know you're lying to me!" Matt yelled. "Now tell me where that bastard is!"

I don't know!, I shouted again, then I shrunk away in fear.

But Matt did not hit me again. A strange calm overtook his body, and he moved away from me. "You're going to pay fro lying to me, Calyx," he warned darkly, and then he left the room with a slam of the door. Matt didn't return for the rest of the night, but I didn't get my anticipated peaceful night's rest. My mind was racing along at a million miles per hour, busy wondering what Matt meant by his ominous warning.

I waited until light began to filter through the slanted blinds of our window before I slipped out of bed. All was quiet in the halls as I walked hurriedly towards the nursery, my first fear being that Matt had done something with Ryder. But both Ryder and Aileen were still sleeping peacefully in their cribs, and so I left. As I neared the main room of the castle, I could hear Matt's voice filtering from inside.

"-and don't hesitate to kill her," he was saying as I opened the door. Two guard-type men I hadn't noticed before brushed past me hurriedly as I walked inside the room, obviously having been ordered to do so by Matt. I could sense Matt's eyes on me immediately, and I shivered outwardly. Oh, why had I come in here? "Hello, Calyx," Matt greeted. I looked up and saw him motion me forward. "Come here. There's something you should know."

What have you done?, I asked when I finally stood in front of him.

Matt shook his head with a light chuckle. His black eyes zoned in on me and I looked away, squirming in discomfort. "Calyx, I told you that you were going to pay for lying to me about where that bastard is hiding," he growled. "Does the name Dezzy sound familiar to you?"

My eyes widened in horror. Dezzy had been one of my childhood friends. Granted, I hadn't seen her in five years or so, but that was not all my fault. What did you do to her?, I gasped.

"I told you that you would pay," Matt reiterated. "And pay your will. For every day that you do not tell me where that bastard is, someone innocent will die. If it comes to it, you stupid son by that bastard will die, too, although I hate to kill children. But that one has it coming."

You will not touch my son!, I hissed. Or anyone else. This battle is between you and Jimmy. Why should innocent people pay for your hatred?

"Because I know that if you see innocent people die, sooner or later you will tell me where your precious Jimmy is hiding," Matt snarled.

Don't hold your fucking breath, I snapped, and I stormed away.