Freaks: Year Two

I Can Do This, I Can Do This...I CAN'T DO THIS!

Ethan noticed pretty quickly that Toby was not coming home after seeing him leave with Jasper that day. He had originally thought that maybe it was just taking him a little longer than usual to come home, but after around three hours had passed, Ethan had a feeling he just wasn't coming home at all.

At first he was worried, but when he thought about it more, maybe Toby had ended up being magical too. Maybe it was late after all and Jasper had taken him to Hogwarts with him!

But then Ethan had gotten all upset with that idea he had created in his head because where was his magic? Why couldn't Jasper take all of them with him to his special, fancy school? It wasn't fair! Maybe if Jasper took them all, the magic from the school would somehow transfer to them!

"Where's Toby?" Edgar asked a few minutes before he was supposed to be in bed.

"At Hogwarts," Ethan blurted out before he could stop himself. "I am not sure, but it seems like it...lucky..."

"He...he's magic too?!"

Ethan shrugged. "I guess."

Edgar beamed. Finally after so long, Toby too could get something good in his life. Maybe this meant that Ethan and Francis would be magical too! Maybe they just needed a little bit more time.

Ethan on the other hand was feeling abandoned.

"He didn't even say goodbye..."

Edgar said, "We have to write them tomorrow using Peaches! I will go tell Francis!" and before Ethan could say anything else, his little brother had rushed up the stairs.

"But...but..." Ethan started, but Edgar was already gone. Ethan looked back at the door. If Toby really was not coming back that meant...

That meant it all relied on him.

Ethan wasn't sure if he was ready for that. It was all so sudden, there was no warning, no guidance on what to do; the two older brothers had just left them all and Ethan had no idea what to do!

Ethan quickly went up the stairs to Edgar and Francis' room to see that Edgar was in the middle of telling Francis all about how both Jasper and Toby were magical and how there still could have been hope for Ethan and him. Francis listened intently and Ethan just stared, eyes wide unsure what he was supposed to do with them.

"Okay...okay, bedtime," Ethan tried and luckily the two of them were already in their pyjamas.

"We need dinner," Francis said.

"Oh. Right. Food," Ethan said. Food...who cooked the food? Toby always cooked the food, but now Toby was not here! Did that mean he had to cook the food? He barely knew how to cook! What should he cook?

There was noise from downstairs. Ethan looked nervously at the door and turned to the two younger ones. "Stay here!" and he ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ethan clambered down the stairs, his nerves at an all time high about what he was supposed to do when he saw his mum in the kitchen. He slowed and walked down the rest of the steps as quietly as he could and approached her.

"Hi, mum."

"Do you know where your brothers went?" she asked.

"Er, well, um, Francis and Edgar are upstairs–"

"Not them, Jasper and Toby," and Ethan was worried he had made her annoyed. He had not meant to make her annoyed with him. He had just been answering her question, why did he have to answer the question wrong?

"Well...mum, I think, I mean, I-I think–"

His mother turned to him, a can of soup in her hand. "Spit it out, what did they do?"