Chapter 1: My Name Is Ethan Vend (Arc: Rookie Boy)

"Hi, my name is Ethan Vend, I'm seventeen and I live in Houston in the state of Texas. And today is my eighteenth birthday and what a beautiful morning it is. And I was enjoying the smell of roasted coffee beans early in the morning at the nearby coffee shop ten meters away. In my hand is the sandwich I saved last night for breakfast this morning."

Ethan was a young guy, he had short messy black hair and blue eyes. He wore a white shirt and dark blue jeans with a few rips, beside him was a brown backpack containing some of his belongings such as clothes, toothbrush and ID card. He was sitting on a park bench, next to a tree branch hung his dry pants and this was probably where he slept last night.

"Ah, what a wonderful Wednesday morning, maybe I have to go to work."

Ethan stood up and was about to get his pants to put away but suddenly a homeless guy ran over and snatched them away. Ethan whispered in tears:

"That's the third pair of pants this month."

Then Ethan packed his stuffs and went to work, he walked comfortably and happily in the streets, surrounded by business people looking busy and busy with their work. Ethan whistled with excitement for something new today. Everyone thought he was just a positive young man with a great future and career, he might be studying at some prestigious university. But no, he stopped in front of a McDonald's restaurant and he said:

"A new day at the workplace, great!"

Ethan entered the staff room at the back door, he quickly changed into a staff uniform and went to the cashier to serve customers. He smiled brightly and said:

"Welcome to McDonald's, what can I do for you?"

His shift started at eight o'clock in the morning until twelve o'clock. His main job was helping customers order food, clean the table and take out the trash. Everything would be fine until a kid ate a burger and got dirty all over the table and their parents whistled as if ordering Ethan to clean up the trash. But he still didn't complain and worked diligently to clean up the mess. After a boy's birthday, Ethan dressed up as a clown to have fun with the kids. But his parents ordered a game to beat the clown, so the kids picked up plastic baseball bats and beat Ethan a lot. When Ethan took off the mask he had a headache and a nosebleed, but he still smiled lightly.

"Yes, that's my job. I dropped out when I was in 9th grade, the knowledge I learned through was useless. Then I worked part-time to pay for medicine for my grandmother, my only family. She had Alzheimer's and heart disease when I was in eighth grade, and when she went to the hospital, I knew I had to do something to make money right away, so I dropped out."

Ethan put back on staff clothes and took the trash bag outside to take out the trash.

"I've been doing everything I can for the past three years, but her illness hasn't gone away. So I have to work harder to get more money for her medicine."

Ethan approached the large trash bins near the restaurant, there was a drunk guy dozing, he didn't seem surprised. Suddenly Ethan walked past him like he was walking through the air, he opened the trash bin and inside was another drunk. He dropped the trash bag and it fell through him like he wasn't there.

"And a very strange thing about me, I can see ghosts. I don't know why but I could see ghosts when I was a kid, sometimes I was bullied because of it at school. But I'm used to it, just pretending not to know their existence and they don't have shadows, it also helps me distinguish ghosts from humans."

Ethan looked up at the sky and around there were many ghosts flying around, they all didn't know they were dead and continued their activities like when they were alive.

"It's sad because they still can't get out of the loop of being busy with work. But sometimes I see people flying in the same direction into the woods, for some reason."

Ethan went back into the restaurant, it was noon and his stomach was rumbling, he said:

"Manager! My shift is done."

The manager replied:

"Yeah, thanks for today Ethan, remember to put ice on the wound."

Ethan said cheerfully:

"I will, sir."

Ethan changed clothes and took his backpack to the hospital to visit his grandmother, but before that he went to the familiar Mexican bakery.

"This is my favorite place for lunch, Mexican bakery Dulce Y Amor. I don't know the pronunciation but it means Sweet And Love."

Ethan walked in and said joyfully:

"Hola Mr. Robert."

Robert, the owner of the bakery, also replied cheerfully:

"Ethan, my amigo. Very punctual, what do you want for today."

Ethan checked his wallet, only about three hundred dollars left, he said:

"A Hurrito, please. I want to eat special today."

Robert quickly wrapped a burrito and replied:

"Hoho boy, today is your birthday, what a wonderful day!"

Robert handed Ethan the Burrito and continued:

"Free today, after all, it's your birthday."

Ethan took the food and replied:

"Thank you Mr. Robert, thank you very much for the food. I'll be leaving soon so bye."

Robert said joyfully:

"Adios Ethan, hahaha!"

Ethan continued on his way to the hospital, he ate while watching the blue sky and the ghosts flying around him. Ethan walked as the only one walking on both worlds of life and death.

"I was lucky to have Robert to help me. After selling the apartment I shared with my grandmother for money, I became homeless and just slept on a park bench.

And Robert was the one who helped me with the meals, he didn't have any excuses, it was just that he helped a lot of people."

Ethan arrived at Texas Medical Center, where his grandmother was being treated. A very happy old woman was sitting looking at flowers and being infused with water, nearby was a nurse checking her health, she was Ethan's grandmother, Lara Vend. Ethan came in and said:

"Grandma, I'm here."

The nurse stood up and replied:

"Ethan, are you here to visit grandma? I'll let you two talk."

Ethan bowed to the nurse then he sat next to his grandmother and said:

"Grandmother, how are you today?"

Lara looked at Ethan and smiled brightly, although she had almost forgotten everything about Ethan, she could still understand that he was a very nice person for always visiting her. Lara said gently:

"Ohhh, my little boy. Who are you?"

Ethan replied cheerfully:

"It's me, Ethan, your grandson here."

Lara clapped her hands and said:

"Ahhh, John, my son."

Ethan only laughed lightly because he was used to it. Lara said:

"Oh John, where's your little sister? She ran away for a long time and suddenly brought me a lovely grandson, what's his name anyways? Oh right, Ethan Vend, where's he now? Maybe he was just playing around."

Ethan just laughed softly and listened to her tell everything, he'd heard all of them for three years but he never got bored or tired because it was his grandmother's story. Lara told a lot, from when she was a child, when she got married and her life, she told about the past as if she tried to remember all those things because of her Alzheimer's disease. Ethan also understood that, he listened and remembered all of her stories, he always tried to remind the things she forgot so that she could keep those memories longer.

"And I stayed like that, listening to her story, although not much, but as long as she lived with me, I would be happy enough. She is my last family. I don't know who my mother is but her name is Sanra Vend, my grandmother said my mother was very beautiful and gentle but suddenly she ran away from home to follow my father when they were young. A year later, she returned with me and left me in the care of my grandmother and left again. Uncle John, big brother of my mother and my grandparents raised me until I was five years old and he passed away by accident and my grandfather passed away not long after that. Oh my life, why does it so suck like that?"

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Ethan stood up and said:

"Oh, it's time. I have to go to work... go to school. I'll see you again in the evening."

But Lara held Ethan's hand and replied nervously:

"No John, don't leave me here alone. I don't want to see another child leave me."

But Ethan took Lara's hand and said with tenderness:

"But I have to work to earn money for you. I promised you grandmother, I'll visit you tonight. I'm always with you."

When Lara heard that, she slowly released Ethan's hand and said happily:

"That's it, see you later. Hahaha, having you always with me is number one."

Ethan laughed with Lara then asked the nurse to take care of his grandmother so he could continue working. Ethan's next job was at a hotel where he would clean floors for floors. And this was just another low-paying job and just enough to pay for Lara's hospital bills. At work, Ethan was cleaning the house while watching the rich guests enjoy the service here. Ethan always wanted to be like that once but it was probably too difficult so he could only work hard for the future. Suddenly there is a call from the hospital, Ethan picks up the phone and hears:

"Hello?"

The other end of the line replied:

"Sorry Ethan, your grandma has passed away."

Ethan dropped the phone before the other side's words were finished. He immediately packed his stuff and left work to run as fast as he could to the hospital. And what Ethan got there was the urn of his grandmother's ashes, the last of her. Nurse who took care for Lara condolences to Ethan:

"Sorry Ethan, she had such a bad heart attack that she passed away when we did the best we could. You can take your grandmother's ashes away."

Ethan looked still in shock when he heard his grandmother passed away, he said with sadness:

"I'll be fine, I'll bury her ashes. Thank you to everyone who has tried to help me and her over the years."

Ethan took the urn and left the hospital, he went to the park he used to sleep in. On the way Ethan was caught by a group of delinquents and beat him to steal money. When they left, Ethan stood up, still holding his grandmother's urn and grabbed his backpack to continue despite the wounds on his face. Entering the park, Ethan sat next to the water fountain and looked at the jar of ashes, he said sadly:

"Three years of hard work for you. And you leave me here alone, grandmother?"

Ethan burst into tears and continued:

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cried, today is my birthday. But I don't want to be alone, you are the only reason I can die for. What can I do now without you?"

Ethan collapsed and weakened due to the death of his grandmother, he had no reason to work anymore. Now only Ethan was left alone in the city, did a hardworking and positive person like him deserved it? The positive smile he always had on his lips disappeared, leaving behind pain, sadness and tears. What could he do next? Suddenly, a huge bat flew over the city, Ethan looked at it and said:

"It's that creature again? Every few nights there's a giant monster like that and this time a bat?"

That bat seemed to be created from a black mist, it flew around in the city as if it was prowling for something. At the same time, a loud car horn sounded as if there was a chase in the city. Ethan said:

"A car chase? Oh my."

Suddenly the bat flew towards Ethan, he thought:

"Hmm? Is it flying towards me?"

And suddenly a car rushed into the park following that bat, Ethan hugged the urn and shouted:

"Oh my God! What is that?!"

Ethan saw two people in the car raise their guns and shoot at the bat, they didn't notice they were about to hit him. Ethan screamed in fear as the headlights of an oncoming car came. But the occupants pressed the brakes and stopped, and Ethan breathed a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop just a short distance from him. A man stepped out, about forty years old, with dark hair, blue eyes, a neatly trimmed silver beard, and muscular build. He wore a white shirt, brown jeans, brown boots and sunglasses. He had a cowboy belt with the belt buckle was the eye symbol with a flame in the pupil. He had two Remington Model 1858 revolvers, one in his right holster, the other he was holding in his left hand. The man was smoking a cigarette, he said while looking at Ethan:

"Who the hell are you kid? Sorry for the situation, we're a bit drunk."

The person sitting on the right brought out the person, it was the ghost of a cowboy about twenty-three years old, black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, black jeans, black pair of shoes, and sunglasses like the other man. His belt had buckle belt was an eye symbol with skull in pupil. He wielded an Austrian Model 1870 Gasser revolver. He looked at Ethan and said with his half Southern, half Mexican accent:

"Damn it Tommy. Why the hell you can drive like that?"

Ethan was a bit shocked at them, he said with confusion:

"Uhhhh, cowboy? Why are you going with a cowboy ghost?"

The man's name was Tommy, he replied with surprise:

"What? You can see that Billy The Kid? Don't tell me you can see ghosts."

Ethan said:

"Yes... Yes, I can see ghosts. And behind of you!"

Tommy and the cowboy ghost quickly turned around and shot at the bat that flew behind them. Their bullets burned the black smoke and the bat rushed past them to dodge the bullets. It flew high to wait for an opportunity to attack again. Tommy was reloading as he said with excitement:

"Oh shit! Damn kid, you can see that bat!"

Ethan replied with further confusion:

"Yeah, you can't? I thought you could both see ghosts and see it as well."

Tommy raised his gun and said:

"The name is Tommy Grant, that son of the bitch over there is Leo Chiron. We are Ghost Riders of Texas cowboys. And we can see ghosts like you... What is your name anyways?"

Ethan replied with some worry in his voice:

"Ethan... Ethan Vend."

"On that day, that moments, I never believed it could change my life forever."