3: Unexpected

Curled up on the couch, holding his feet closely staring at nothing. That was what Ethan did.

He was still in his black suit, the one he wore for his Papi's burial. The cause of his death was still unknown, but it is suspected to be a homicide. All he could recall was the deadly sight when he had opened the door.

Flashbacks of neighbors running in at his hysteric screams. Them pulling him away from his Papi's corpse. The questions of the cops, the paramedics and his funeral.

His warm tears hit his fabric cover thigh. He couldn't help but feel guilty for sending his Papi off to get his device.

"Hey honey." Teresa called, as she sat by his side drawing circles on his back trying to sooth him.

He collapsed on her chest, hugging her as he was full on sobbing. "It was my fault! It was my fault." He muttered over and over again. Feeling like a part of him was been ripped and buried along with his Papi.

"Shush Darling, is not." She ran her fingers in his dusty black hair. 

"Granny, I shouldn't have let him go alone, I shouldn't have allowed them to smash my device, I should have told him the truth." He choked.

She sigh, raising his chin so he could look her in the eye. "You are not to be blame, the cop will get hold of whoever did it and put them behind bars!"

"But now, I'm lonely, I don't have parents, he was all to me, it hurts so much." He continued sobbing resulting in a hyperventilation as the thought of him been all alone with nobody scared him to death. He was only fifteen not fifty.

Teresa helped him with his inhaler which after she laid him on her lap to get him to calm down.

"I'm here with you, you're not alone." She said. "I'm your grandfather's best friend since childhood, he automatically becomes a relation and I see you as my grandson, I'll never let you get hurt. I'll be here for you." She whispered to him as he squeezed her hand tightly.

His sobs had quieted and he was peacefully dosing off. Poor boy she thought while taking off his glasses. His mother died, and he was fatherless, now he has lose his grandfather. Why is life so unfair?

The low 'ding dong' of the porch bell was what brought her to the door after she had carefully placed Ethan's head on the pillow.

All their visitors were long gone and it was getting to midnight, who could it be?

She flipped the door opened staring at the men on the porch.

"Thomas, this late?" She said to the younger boy while staring at the mysterious young man in black.

"Sorry ma'am but he wanted to know your new address." Thomas responded.

"Hm, help with the kid on the couch." She said to him letting him go in.

"Long time Maria Teresa." The man in black said and immediately she recognized him.

"W-will?" She stuttered batting her eyes multiple times. "What are you doing here?"

"Where is Gregory?" The man in black suit and sunglasses asked.

"Why do you care?" She responded pretty aggressively.

"Tell me where the fuck he is or I fucking burn the house down." His tone was monotonous but the seriousness was more than clear.

Teresa's gaze dropped to the floor, as she whispered "He died yesterday."

Williams took off his glasses as she let him in and narrated the incident about Gregory's death.

"Right now Ethaniel is all alone?" He asked.

"Not at all, he is with his grandma. Me." She said defensively.

"He has stayed here enough, he is coming with me." William said.

"You don't want this William, I don't need you to sympathize over your own son. They one you made a choice over and abandoned."

"Is not an option Teresa. Ethaniel will be with me as from now on." He said.

"What will I tell him? Huh?"

"Whatever you want. I'll come pick him tomorrow." With that William stood up and started for the door.

"And you will take him down far from me?"

He paused in his tracks, his back turned to her. "His security is our priority, that was what Brianna and Gregory had wished." Like that he left disappearing in the darkness of the night.

Teresa sigh while gripping her chest and stroking the old family photo with her free hand. A tough decision.

*******

Ethan got up with a terrible headache from crying so much the previous night. He crawled out of bed reluctantly and took a shower with memories of his Papi, it made him only grim and moody.

Once he was fully dressed in his white button down, and a red sweat vest with a black trouser. He stood in front of the mirror to brush his hair and put his eyes drop. He grabbed his new device having a flashback on when he had seen it on the table.

He closed his palm and held it tightly while going to put it in his secret box under the bed, as he wiped the tear off his face. He could be partly deaf for one day other than have Dan smash it.

He went down the stairs walking straight to the door.

"Ethan, honey." Teresa called.

"Granny?" He responded in a soar voice.

"Breakfast." She held the cookies up for him knowing it was his favourite. And his lunch box which he gratefully grabbed.

He glanced at the warm delicious cookies, but his stomach was in such a knot. "I'm l-late." He wiped his nose.

"Aw, come on, just one for me?" She urged him.

He reach for one waving her off but again she stopped him.

"Ethan? We need to talk after school." She said. He got anxious, having a talk was always never good, he almost never had talks except when it came to serious business with his Papi, like his lack of progress in sport, or his constant zone out in public, or his mental and medical health, just maybe when his little secrets were revealed.

"W-what did I do?" He blinked behind his glasses pushing them up.

"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong I just want us to talk about your father." She said.

He sigh, having been told once by his Papi that his father was not the best daddy ever.

He only nodded, trying to be obedient to his Granny.

His journey to school didn't changed but it wasn't as exciting as it used to be. With the memories of the funeral haunting him down.

The first three classes were smooth, but lack focused from him. The teachers did understand as Teresa had reported to the school about his loss.

"Ethan?" Mrs Clara his math teacher called while he made his way out of class after the lunch bell had rung.

He turned around not meeting her eyes as she beckon for him to come over and pointed at a seat.

"Are you okay? Wanna see a counselor?" She asked.

He shook his head, and muttered a barely audible. "No." While wiping his nose. She knew he had problems looking straight in people's eyes. It made him nervous and uncomfortable.

"If you need anything do not hesitate to come to me, I'm here if you wanna talk." She smiled encouragingly at him.

He nodded and left.

The hall was just as filled and noisy as usual during lunch from everybody wanting to chat at the same time. He grabbed his lunch box and headed to a corner in the lunch room with all his project papers. The little table was his usual spot far from everyone and words.

His stomach was still in a knot as his heart bleed. He started on his projects able to drag his mind on focus. He never enjoyed anything that much than his school works. A well known scientists he vowed to become and with that no one would ever mock him.

He was brought out of his thoughts by loud laughter. Everyone was pointing and laughing, before he realised what was happening water was getting to his inner shirt, it felt wet and cold. He quickly sprang up trying to shake the water off his body.

"Hey Effigy Ethan, how is it possible for you not to feel the water on your skull?" Dan asked with a smug grin.

"He was probably in another planet." Someone yelled from the audience. Everyone laughed.

"Aw, now your shits are wet." Dan threw his works down. He reach down slowly picking it up then adjusting his eyeglasses and attempting to leave but he tripped and fell due to Dan's stupid leg stunt. Once again everyone were laughing their asses off.

"Watch it clumsy ass." He chuckled.

The embarrassment was too much, his cheeks hit up and he wished he could just make himself small and disappear. He tried to hold it back this time but it seem to be impossible. He quickly pick his stuffs and head straight to the toilet. He found a stall and lock himself up crying out his eyes for minutes totally ignoring the bells something he had never done.

He felt like he was mentally drained, exhaust and felt too sick to continue. He pulled out his phone with shaky hands wiping his eyes.

"G-granny?" He spoked in a wobbly voice.

"Oh my God! Ethan, honey are you okay?" She blurted.

"Y-yeah." He sniffed, "I'm just feeling u-unwell." He mumbled the last part wiping his nose.

"I knew you shouldn't have gone to school today, but I also know how much you loved your academics and I was not going to deprive you from that."

"I wanna disappear." He whispered. But she heard.

"Come back home baby, I'll inform your school, right now." She said and with that he hung up.

He waited some few minutes the time for the halls to be cleared. He got his stuff and head to the reception, signing himself out.

He made his journey home with tears filled eyes. The closed watch shop made it even worst. He raced home and bursted in.

"Ethan!" Teresa called as he raced upstairs to his room. Flinging himself on the bed he brought his pillows over his head and sobbed.

"Eath, honey." She went to him and drew little round circles on his back.

"Why did they have to leave? First it was Joey with the car crash now is Papi!" He tried to block the memories of his best friend's death, and the news of the car crash. Joey was like a big brother to him since they were kids. He had protected him and made him smile, but unfortunately he passed away with his family at ten in a car accident which Ethan was also a victim and it hadn't' been easy at school since then.

"Calm down Ethan." She said feeling worried about his reaction when she would tell him about his moving.

She told him about random stuffs till he was asleep. He was the easily exhausted type always feeling mentally drained.

She went down to the kitchen after some time deciding to make dinner for when he wakes up while forming the words to announce the bad news as gentle as possible.

Just finished, she heard the doorbell. She walked to the door while wiping her hands. She unlocked it frowning at the people on her porch.

"Robin, Dian." She said with a harsh tone before letting them in.

The couples looked totally alerted, unlike the usual old couples still together the were young and looked like fighters. Dian had her dark brown curly hair in a short Bob-like hair cut but with curly locks.

Robin tall and huge, with a glossy fair skin. Looking almost white.

She stare in his amber eyes looking displeased.

"Such harshness." Dian said going to find a seat on the long couch.

"What do you expect from a woman who is having her treasure ripped?" Teresa replied.

Robin sigh, "order of the Alpha, we can't do anything about it."

"But the boy isn't ready yet, with the lost of Gregory he's only gotten worst, what will this news do to him? He doesn't know his father, I doubt he believes he has a good one, and god, what will he do when he sees Nathan? He had never been confronted to so many problems. His place is up here with the humans!"

"Williams thinks is time he gets down and learn to be what he is." Robin said standing so he was towering over Teresa.

"You. Do. Not. understand! He isn't what you're all expecting! He is different, you won't understand him! I doubt Williams will even try! He is so obsessed with power!" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Hiding him in here forever will only make it worst. You need to learn to let go and be happy." Dian said going to pull her husband back on the couch.

"He is too fragile! He isn't ready for this!" She yelled. Getting frustrated with the idea of letting Ethan out, she knew the dangers that locked in the other world.

"Granny?" A croaky voice came from the stairs, all heads turn to stare at the fully awaken teen looking frightened.