brother..?

I woke up to go to school today. My parents were unusually down. I asked, but none of them gave me an answer that satisfied my curiosity, so I just assumed it was bills-related again.

We get by, but it's hard. They are both quite old already and can't keep up with consistent changes.

"I'm almost late for the bus. See you, Dad."

Boom!

Will rushed out the door at a speed that surprised the two, but they just assumed it was the energy of youth mixed with lack of sleep on their end.

They had to prepare to pick up a new child.

Will was on the bus with his best friend Stetson, a Native American kid who is as quirky as he is tall.

He said, "Dude, have you seen the news? Some poor couple was killed, the police were everywhere."

I looked over and said, "Yes... sigh, the walls aren't exactly thin." I chuckled. "They were at it for a while."

School went by, and I was about to walk inside my house.

"HEY WILL!" Stetson yelled from the bus. I turned around, and before I could catch myself, I saw the loop he made with his fingers. "Got ya!" he yelled.

The bus drove off.

I sighed as I turned back around.

The door opened, and...

"Shhhh, quiet. He is sleeping," my mom said, sitting on the couch with a finger to her mouth and the other pointed up.

"Come here, we have to talk," she patted the spot next to her.

I sat down, looking confused and wondering if I was in trouble or something.

Although now that I think about it, I have yet to do anything worth a talking to, so I'll be cautiously optimistic about it.

"So..." she said nervously, "have you ever thought about having a brother?"

We spent some time talking where she explained who he is and why he is suddenly here, although she left out some harder details.

"He is in the room that we were using for extra storage. We spent the whole day fixing it up."

We walked up the stairs, and the door on the right was cracked. Inside, I heard Dad humming a soothing tune.

As we entered the room, it became apparent that he was humming to an unconscious child my age.

"He has had a rough day," Ben said in a whisper. He patted the unconscious boy on his head and left the room with the door cracked so a thin shaft of light pierced the dark.

We walked down the stairs in dead silence.

"We hope you are okay with this change, William. We know these things can be scary, especially at your age."

William sighed and sat down next to the kind woman.

Ben soon followed us down the stairs, and we had a talk about what happened and why Peter is here.

A look of shock was all Will could manage.

Soon, William headed to his room to finish his homework and get a good night's sleep. However...

In another part of the city, a man in a loosely kempt suit was on a call.

"Is it done?" a voice commanded more than asked.

"Yeah, boss. I even spared the kiddy. I know how much you appreciate that," the man added in a panic.

"Good. We don't need THAT kind of attention. Standby for future orders." The phone connection was cut.

"Sigh... what a mess."

The suited man took a quick drag off his cigarette before skulking off to who knows where.

A few hours later, the sun rises -

William woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes and bacon.

I rushed down and found my mom helping an obviously depressed child. The occasional soothing word could be overheard as little Peter just sat there with a half-finished plate.

Soon, my arrival was noticed, and Mom gestured for me to come sit.

"William, this is your new brother, Peter."

The boy looked up, and our eyes met.

Just like that, a familial bond was formed.

-Somewhere in a realm between realms-

A chuckle escaped an ancient visage before a single word.

"Finally."

The surroundings shook.

A golden three-headed man appeared, confused, as THE ONE typically only moved when he had commands for him.

"Master?"

He received no answer.

Soon, the three-headed man disappeared to continue his duties, and the surroundings returned to normal.

The One looked over and thought, "I'll tell him when the boy grows up, then again, I might not have to."

A few moments later, he pointed in a direction and released a powerful but completely imperceptible snap.

"Your gift, as I said in the beginning."

-Back on Earth-

William was crashed out on his bed after school when suddenly...?