After Ethan spoke his words, he felt that he had regained control over his body again. He looked into Jason's eyes with tension, his entire body trembling. Jason stood up and pushed away Ethan's hand, which was still holding onto him.

"I agree, and you'd better prepare your face, because it will need a lot of plastic surgeries to return to its normal shape."

Jason said in a state of rage, then stood up and left the schoolyard, which was filled with tension and astonishment. Ethan remained watching Jason leave, feeling a mixture of anxiety and fear. Suddenly, his body became drenched in sweat, and the air around him grew heavy. He looked around, and his eyes met those of the students, who were whispering among themselves. His panic worsened, so he forced himself to stand up with the little strength he had left and ran toward the yard's exit.

"Ethan, wait!"

Zack called out, trying to catch up with him, but Evan grabbed him by his jacket and said in a calm voice:

"Leave him, he needs some time alone."

Ethan kept running until he could no longer feel his legs, finally reaching the gloomy street where he lived. There was no joy, not even sunlight to brighten the darkness of those alleys. He stopped in front of their house's door, staring at the rusty handle, the worn-out wood, and the smell of cigarettes that filled the air. His anxious and fearful gaze slowly turned into sorrow. He took the house key out of his backpack pocket and quietly unlocked the door.

He entered and closed the door slowly, then took a long look at the silent home. The walls were faded in color, the lights were off, and only a faint glow slipped through the window near the door. The sound of water dripping from the old faucet echoed in the place as if it had awakened something in him that he had been oblivious to for a long time.

He stepped into his mother's room and heard her warm voice say:

"What is it, my little one? Are you back? Come sit next to me."

Ethan moved closer to her bed and sat beside her with a smile.

"It was a great day, Mom."

His mother lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek, immediately noticing his high temperature, heavy sweating, and exhausted eyes.

"My dear, you don't look well. Go and rest in your room for a while."

She spoke with concern, deliberately avoiding asking him about his condition.

"But what about dinner?"

Ethan asked with a surprised look.

"Go on, my son, don't worry, I don't need much food these days."

She replied while wiping his forehead. Ethan got up and said:

"Alright, I'll rest for a bit, then I'll prepare dinner."

He left his mother's room, while she remained staring at the door from the other side. He threw himself onto his bed and whispered:

"I'm completely unable to go to my part-time job… No problem, I'll just borrow money again from the shop owner."

Then, he drifted into a deep sleep.

"What is this? Who are you?"

Ethan said as he stared at a man whose face he couldn't quite see. The man chuckled ominously and approached him, his yellow eyes glowing. His features were blurred, but when he raised his hand and placed it on Ethan's head, a yellow symbol glowed on the man's arm. He smiled and said:

"I am like you. Don't worry… we will meet soon."

Ethan jolted awake, gasping for air. He spent minutes trying to steady his breath, but something felt different. His body, which had seemed so heavy that morning, now felt light, as if he had cast off a great burden.

And suddenly…

He heard the sound of something breaking inside his closet.

"Who's there?"

Ethan called out loudly, fear evident in his voice. He gathered his courage, stepped toward the closet door, and slowly opened it...

If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave a comment and give it the rating it deserves… or I'll tell Jason! 😝

❀✿ 𝒫𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝐿𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 ✿❀