    â you would think so, wouldnât you? â  perhaps his fear is foolish, like a child scared of the monster under his bed. ( his monster is a bit worse than a childâs.  heâs afraid of them. )  he refuses to give his fear its name ( it makes it more likely that they will take him back to the chambers of cold & isolation. )  but he has his mantra, repeated over & over in dark nights he canât sleep for fear of wretched nightmares. they canât get you. they canât hurt you. itâs one thing to say it, but itâs another to truly believe it.  he is doing the best he can to believe it. he must.Â
   her words cut off & his head jerks upwards a bit to see why & thereâs no real reason. she speaks differently to him ( james echoes in his head every time she says it.  he only knows how to say that itâs different. )  & it causes his attention to be drawn.   she switches gears & begins to leave & his hand shoots out to almost reach for hers ( or her arm or something. heâs not sure. )  â wait.  â â   his arm is outstretched, not close enough to touch her, but there. his eyes jump up to hers.   â stay here. â     he hasnât been good at saying what he wants ( & heâs not sure exactly why he wants her to stay,) so his words leave as more of a question.     â youâre not the only one with a target on your back. â
    @widovv here
