Destiny lifted the boy into her arms. The child circled her neck trustingly, leaned into her for shelter. The childish gesture of trust disarmed her. She tightened her arms protectively and took to the skies. She wanted to give this boy something to counteract the terrible memory of his mother’s death. Placing him in a dreamlike state, she flew through the sky, drifting through clouds and allowing the joy of flying to fill the boy’s mind and heart. He would always carry the dream with him, always have a sense of soaring free through the night sky.
Destiny had little else to give him, and it bothered her. She wanted to be able to free him of the weight of guilt. To somehow make him understand that he was a victim, a survivor, that his life could be rebuilt. As she took him around the small church’s steeple, she wondered how her life had gotten to this point. It wasn’t long ago that she had lived a solitary existence, yet now her life was intertwined with so many people.
Father Mulligan was waiting for her in his garden. He smiled a gentle greeting as Destiny released the boy from the shield. There was a soothing quality to the priest that even the distraught boy couldn’t fail to notice.
“This is Sam. Sam, my friend Father Mulligan.” She hunkered down to the boy’s level. His fingers were digging into her arm, clutching at her for protection.
The boy made a strangled sound as the priest turned his attention on him. He stepped closer to Destiny and her heart turned over. “Nicolae explained?” she asked Father Mulligan.
The priest nodded. “Sam, you’ll be safe here. A friend of Destiny’s has spoken with the social service worker, and she has agreed to allow you to stay in the rectory with the other priests and me for the time being. There is a priest here that you will find very easy to talk with. He’s waiting for you now. There are also two police officers who need to speak with you about what happened. Just tell them the truth. I will be with you if you like while you explain what happened.”
Sam squared his thin shoulders and nodded, but his gaze was pleading as he looked at Destiny. She smiled encouragingly at him. “Father Mulligan is a priest, Sam. He doesn’t lie and he’s greatly respected. He’ll make certain you are well cared for.”
“What if Jerome finds me?” Sam asked anxiously.
“Is Jerome your father?” Father Mulligan inquired.
Sam shook his head adamantly. “He moved in with us a couple of years ago. I don’t have a father. It’s just me and my mom.”
Destiny felt shaken. She had had a mother and a father. She remembered her mother’s face. Her smile. Her scent. She remembered her father tossing her high into the air so that she squealed and laughed and begged him for more. The memory was vivid and tore at the carefully built locks on the doors in her mind.
Why is this happening? I put all this away. She turned to Nicolae, the one person she believed in.
How could you not identify with this child? He had a decent life with his mother until a monster found them. It matters little that the monster was human. The monster found them, and the child could do nothing to change the outcome. He blames himself for something he had no control over. You look at him and you see yourself.
It was only the complete calm in his voice that steadied her. There was far too much truth in Nicolae’s observations. “You’ll be okay, Sam. Father Mulligan will look after you, and I’ll come often to see how you’re doing. Please do talk with the priest Father Mulligan has waiting for you, and tell the police officers exactly what happened.” She couldn’t help giving him another little boost to help him accept the priest’s aid.
Sam lifted his chin bravely. Destiny ruffled his hair. “I will come back, Sam, I promise. Tonight, there are some things I must do. I want you to get some sleep after you talk with the police.” She wanted to turn back time and save Sam the years of fighting for his life and sanity in a world that a monster had turned upside down. “I’ll come back,” she whispered again.