"You alcoholic," Marks eyebrows raise and he swallows quickly, "Which leads me into my next question," Jack leans forward ready for anything. "How'd you end up here?" Jacks blood runs cold.

Anything but that.

Jack looks out the window and swallows hard. People don't talk about that. No one talks about that. His fingers begin to tremble and his body begins to shake.

His mother sat in the other room staring at the wall, she didn't move. His father was trying to give her comfort but even a young Jack could tell he wanted to stare at the wall too.

"Jack?" Marks voice doesn't make it to Jack as his breathing becomes heavy. His fingers tremble more and more. Does he even have fingers anymore? His skin feel too tight and he can't move or it'll snap.

"Its okay honey. We'll make it through," Jack knew that voice. That voice was hopeful lies.

"Jack?" Mark says again as he tentatively reaches out and touches his shoulder. When he doesn't respond he scoots into the seat next to him. Jack reaches out and touches the window, his body rocking back and forth. He was humming. Humming the song he sang to Mark.

"Vox nihili, vox populi," his dad sang softly. It sounded sad to Jack. His Dad touched his moms shoulder lightly, as if he had pressed too hard she would break. She didn't lean into it like she normally did. She looked dead.

"Jack? Jack? You're scaring me buddy. Come back," Jack blinked, hummed and didn't move.

"Te amo. Te amo Delicias," Jacks Dad hugged her and whispered and sang but she sat still. Her skin already looked saggier. She already looked dead.

"Come on! Please," Mark was becoming frantic but his voice was nothing but a swirling everything else. Jack saw the window, the window needed to be cleaned with bleach. Bleach. Bleach. Bleach.

Jack didn't know what was going on but he didn't have too. All he had to see was his mother looking at a blank wall with even blanker eyes. His dad spoke more in latin when he was upset. Jack knew that.

"Baby," Mark turned Jack to him and shook. He shook and shook and shook until Jacks eyes had life in them.

"Bleach," Jack mumbled. "Haec fenestras lautus cum inficiatque,"

"What? I don't speak...?"

"Dad speaks latin," Jack mumbles again. His voiced slurred like he'd drunk a whole bottle of cherry vodka. Jack didn't see Mark. He was right there, right in front of him. Maybe his Mom didn't see the wall. Maybe she saw something else, just like Jack didn't see Mark.

"No one asks me about that," Jacks eyes gleam into focus. Now seeing nothing but Mark. His eyes are brown. Were his Dads eyes brown?

"Oh god say something. Please darling say something," Jacks dad cried. Jack peaked around the corner, watching them. His father was then shaking. His mother was still staring. She didn't even flinch.

"I've seen a dead person with a heartbeat. They walked and talked and breathed but they were dead. I watched them die. Did you know that could happen?" Jacks eyes fill with tears and Mark releases a little sigh. Its the first sign of real emotion. "They were dead but they walked and talked and breathed. Why can that happen?" Jacks voice is getting louder now.

"Shh baby it's okay,"

"Why Mark? Why can someone be dead but still function? Why can their blue eyes have no life but their heart can still beat? Why is it like that?!" Jacks voice is verging on shrill. Attracting attention. Mark pulls him in a hug. The tight arms around Jack wrapping him in a tight hug. Jack remembers his last hug like that.

Jacks dad noticed him a round the corner, peaking, watching. His stumbled his way over. Leaving his mom at the wall. His was shaking. He was shaking so bad.

"It's going to be okay Jack. Semper ad meliora," He leaned in and scooped up Jack into his arms. He hugged tightly and it was nothing less than pure love.
"Semper ad meliora," Jack repeated quietly.

"Semper ad meliora," Jack repeats as Mark hugs him just like his dad. "Semper ad meliora,"

A/N
Pumpkin Jack! Baby! Okay so I've come to write this because I'm curious if you're enjoying this. Also is this chapter any good? I liked it and I know this book doesn't have lots of septiplier yet but I swear that will happen soon. I just want to give the characters character before I thrust them into a hopeless spiral of literal love hell. Anyway this was fun to write which is kinda odd I guess but it was. So I have nothing left to say besides the usual keep going and thanks for reading!
-RewReader-