Chapter 27 - A Troubled Ethan

Soon Ethan and Alina reached home, and Lena welcomed the two with a smile.

"You both are late. What happened?" Lena curiously asked as she saw the two enter.

Ethan and Alina glanced at each other as the two coincidentally spoke together,

"The train was a bit late, big sis."

"Aunt's train was running la—Well, there it is," Ethan said with a casual shrug. He and Alina had already decided to say the same excuse since they didn't want Lena to worry unnecessarily.

Lena raised her brows as she said with a smile, "Oh...Ethan, you could have given me a call then. The food almost got cold since I thought you two would be arriving here on time. Anyway, why don't you go upstairs and get freshened up while I reheat your food."

"Oh, big sis, there is no need for all that trouble. I cooked a dish for Ethan early in the morning itself. I am sure he would love to eat it. Right, Ethan?" Alina asked with a pure smile, her eyes sparkling expectantly.

"But I can't just throw away the food I made for him. Isn't that right, Ethan?" Lena asked as she also looked at Ethan with a soft smile.

Ethan awkwardly cleared his throat and felt as if he was getting cornered here. On one side was his mother, and on the other, his aunt. Still, he quickly said with a smile, "No worries. I can eat both."

He anyway loved Alina's food, no matter what she made, and as for his mother's dishes, they had the special mother's touch in them, which was tasty enough for him. So he was only happy to eat both their dishes.

Lena and Alina exchanged a subtle smile as Lena said with a slight laugh, "Alright. But I was simply joking. I was planning to keep your food for lunch anyway. The last thing I want is for you to get an upset stomach from overeating."

"Mom…" Ethan chuckled with a smile.

"So go upstairs and freshen up before your aunt's food gets cold too," Lena said as she patted his head, and Ethan nodded as he went upstairs.

However, while going towards his room, he couldn't stop thinking about what Nuan said as he slowly took out the small plastic-like earpiece. He decided to keep it somewhere hidden where his mother wouldn't find out.

Meanwhile, after Ethan closed the door to his room, Alina suddenly pulled Lena into the kitchen and said with a heavy sigh, "Big sis, how could you…how could you not tell me that Ethan became a Divergent?"

"So you already sensed the changes in his body. Do you always check up on him like that?" Lena asked in a slightly surprised tone.

Alina looked away briefly as she said in a low voice, "I am a Healer. And other than that, I am his aunt. So is it wrong for me to make sure he is always alright…especially when you were hiding that evil thing in the basement all along?"

Lena tightly pressed her lips together as she said, "We both know there was no choice. I wanted out so that I could take care of my son, and this was the condition they offered me. And considering that it could potentially help the world from one of the most dangerous threats, I accepted it. Who would have known that it would gain enough power on its own to break itself free like that? I am angry at myself just as much as you are angry at me."

Alina's expression softened as she hugged Lena and said, "I am sorry, big sis. I am not angry with you. It's just that I am worried for Ethan now that his life wouldn't exactly be the same anymore. How was his reaction when you told him what was going on with his body?"

Lena patted Alina's back and said, "It's okay. But don't worry. I have explained the needful to him. Just enough to let him know that his life will be in danger if he gets involved in these things. And that he should continue living a normal life."

Alina's slender eyebrows pulled together as she took a step back and looked at Lena, "Big sis, you cannot be serious. He needs to learn how to use his powers. If he doesn't, how will he protect himself if danger finds him?"

"Alina, you should be the last person to suggest that. You are still working at the Cosmic Bureau, and you should know best what life is like for those Divergents who risk their lives each time they visit a corrupted world. You have treated the nasty and horrifying injuries of these Divergents all these years, and you should also know how many die every year. Do you really want Ethan to…" Lena was unable to finish her sentence as her voice began to break.

"Of course not! The last thing I want him is for him to be in danger too. But without joining the Cosmic Bureau, he will be in more danger. Let him at least join as a trainee. At least, that way he will receive proper training on how to use his powers and I can be there to look after him as well. I promise," Alina said eagerly.

"No! Never…" Lena adamantly shook her head as certain memories flashed in her mind.

"Big sis, this is what's best for him. An Infernal Parasite had already made contact with his body once, and because of that, there is a chance that he could get targeted. So isn't it wise if we give him the chance to become strong enough to look after himself?"

Lena held Alina's hands as she said with a firm gaze, "But him getting involved with the bureau will only put him in even more danger. It's best if he doesn't become important enough to get targeted, as you said."

Alina pinched her lips together and felt as if Lena wasn't thinking straight, though she couldn't understand why. However, she knew she wouldn't be able to change her mind.

Meanwhile, Ethan had no idea about the argument going on between his mother and Alina. He had taken a long bath while deep in thought, thinking about the things that happened to him recently.

And after he was done with his bath, Ethan suddenly got a call, and his brows raised when he saw that it was from the hospital his mother was admitted in.

He quickly took it as he held his breath, "Hello?"

"Hello, sir. Am I speaking to Mr. Ethan Frey?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay…sir…I regret to inform you that your mother's name has been pushed back to the next slot due to an emergency."

"What emergency?" Ethan asked as his tone became taut.

"I am sorry, but we received a patient who suddenly required an immediate heart transplant, and thus we had to move her to the next slot. We have also notified Mrs. Lena Frey about the same. This was just a courtesy call to inform her next kin so that she may receive treatment from somewhere else in case there is an emergency."

"Courtesy call? Are you fucking kidding me? My mother has been waiting for an entire year. The doctors already said that she needs immediate treatment, and this means that my mother is the one who requires emergency treatment, not some VIP of yours. I know what is going on here," Ethan was no fool, and he could see that all this emergency treatment for some other patient was bullshit. In fact, he knew that this was not even allowed in hospitals. Nobody can just jump the waiting list like that unless...

"I am really sorry, sir. We really feel regretful for the inconvenience."

"Please…I am begging you…This is against the rules. You cannot just push back a patient who had already been in the queue for a long while."

"I am sorry, sir. Ms. Lena Frey herself signed the documents, which also mentioned our policies that it will be up to our discretion in emergency situations like these."

"Fuck your stupid policies!" Ethan cut the call as he threw his phone on the bed in a frustrated manner.

"Fuck!" Ethan shouted as he clutched his head, having no idea what to do. If they already had a fresh heart to give it to some VIP patient, then doesn't it mean that his mother was being played like a fool the entire time, especially when she was supposed to receive the next transplant?

"Corrupt assholes…" Ethan grumbled as he looked around with a vexed expression.. He then looked at his secret drawer, the place where he had hidden the earpiece Nuan had given him, his eyes increasingly focusing on them.