《red light》不渡万山

11、第 11 章

　　Suddenly, I noticed the fire they had built was still burning and the smoke was billowing upward. A few moments later, I saw the flames shoot up towards the sky. My mom must have seen me staring at the flames, because she turned around and smiled at me. She held out her hands and shouted for me to come over and help them. I tried my best to follow her orders. However, I slipped and fell over. I was so scared that I started crying. I thought I was going to die right there and then, and that I would never see my family again.
　　"Then, my mom knelt beside me and gently grabbed me by the arm. I was shaking violently by now. Tears streamed down my cheeks. She wiped them away and smiled at me reassuringly.
　　"We didn't know where the fire was coming from, so we called the police immediately. When they arrived, they discovered a small pile of wood that had been thrown out on the side of the road. When the police investigated the area further, they found another pile of wood not far away. Apparently, someone had dropped it while walking back from their house. My parents reported the incident, hoping that maybe the person was innocent and hadn't meant any harm. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find any witnesses, nor any evidence that proved who actually caused the fire."
　　Castiel glanced back at Bobby who was listening intently, an understanding smile on his face.
　　"Sam came back to check on me a couple hours later. It was almost sunrise by then, and he was so angry that he couldn't even speak properly," Castiel continued. "At that point, he knew that I didn't cause the fire or fall down from exhaustion like I claimed. Instead he realized that I'd been watching them and that I was probably the reason that they' d done whatever it was they were doing. I knew that if I protested, it would only make things worse. I'd either lose my parents or my brother forever."
　　"And so you chose to stay silent?" Bobby asked calmly, although he was clearly a bit confused by Castiel's story.
　　"Yes," Castiel replied quietly. "My mom was extremely mad when I came back and told her what I'd witnessed. I thought that she'd kick me out of the house at that exact moment. But instead she apologized. Then she hugged me tightly, telling me how sorry she was. I told her that it was okay. I just wished that I hadn't had to witness such horrible things. I wish that I could forget them and pretend that I never saw anything."
　　Bobby remained silent for a few moments. He didn't say anything for a long time.
　　"How old were you then?" he finally asked.
　　Castiel let out a long sigh.
　　"Fourteen," he answered. "I was fourteen years old."
　　"So how did you end up staying here for so long?" Bobby inquired.
　　"That is a very long story," Castiel replied. "One that I'm not sure I want to share. Not yet, at least."
　　Bobby nodded in agreement.
　　After spending quite some time together, Castiel made his way back to the cabin. As soon as he entered, he found Sam pacing back and forth near the kitchen table. The younger Winchester shot his gaze in Castiel's direction. When the blonde entered the room, he took off running towards him.
　　"Finally!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the taller boy's neck. Castiel laughed softly as he returned the hug.
　　"Hey, Sammy," he greeted.
　　"Hey, Cas. How was your talk with Bobby?" Sam asked curiously.
　　"It was fine," Castiel assured. "Nothing really interesting happened. Though, you'll be happy to know that we can leave tomorrow evening."
　　"Tomorrow evening?" Sam repeated in surprise. "Really? Are we gonna go back there?"
　　Castiel sighed.
　　"Yeah," he replied. "We have to."
　　Dean stood leaning against the wall in front of his motel room door, waiting for Cas. When Castiel arrived a couple minutes later, Dean pushed himself away from the wall and opened the door.
　　"Hey," he said with a grin. "Didn't think you would arrive until later."
　　Cas shrugged as he stepped past Dean.
　　"We spent the whole day together yesterday," he commented. "Of course I wouldn't miss it."
　　"Good."
　　Dean closed the door and headed to the bed, sitting down.