Gehenna: An Awakening

Chapter 6

Will was shocked that Julio was in the living room the next morning, wide awake. He was sure that the creature had scared his uncle all the way back to Peru. Julio seemed shaken, but only a little. It was pretty clear that he was holding in his fear and humiliation. It was pretty funny though, Will had to suppress a giggle.

Last night, after the creature had scared Julio off, it simply flew away. It didn't give Will the chance to talk to it, but ultimately that was a step forward. Besides, it was awesome to have a guardian angel, something that scared away Will's biggest foe. Not permanently, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

Will had no idea if Sam saw any of it, but if he did, he gave no indication of it. Or, more specifically, Will's phone was empty of any notifications related to a sighting of a winged individual.

A part of Will still wanted Sam to see it, but another part realized that he didn't need to. His desire for Sam to be proven wrong was beginning to dissipate. Will knew the creature existed, and that's what mattered most.

Julio said nothing to Will as the latter walked into the living room the next morning. Not a peep, nor a sigh, not even a glance. The silence was a little unsettling, but it was better than being belittled, or being forced to clean up a broken beer bottle. Perhaps the best part was that Will had actually kept his backpack in his room that night. And what could Julio do about it? Nothing. That's what.

Of course, there was every chance that Julio could call the police, though Will found that unlikely. What self-respecting cop would believe a drunk who claimed to see a winged man scare him away? None. That's who.

As Will was about to leave for school, Julio spoke up. "Before you go..." He didn't even look at Will as his voice trailed off. "Never mind," He eventually said. "Just go."

Will, without even acknowledging Julio, walked out of the house. He walked out right as Sam drove up to his driveway. Will smiled and got in. Sam, though, seemed incredibly upset. "Hey," Will inquired. "What's wrong?"

Sam began to drive, a grimacing look greeting the road in front of him. "Um... just some family stuff,"

"Isn't your family in Ireland right now?" He asked. According to Sam, they had been there for a couple of years now, leaving Sam alone in their home. It seemed illegal or... something. But none of the legalities of it ever seemed to come up or be an issue.

Sam's family was apparently rich as all hell, leaving Sam with an exorbitant amount of money. Surprisingly for someone Sam's age, he was actually pretty good with his money. Maybe that was part of why Will found him so interesting, so friendly, because despite his wealth, he didn't abuse it. Of course, whenever he could, Sam took Will out for a lavish dinner, simply because of Will's shitty home life.

Will always found it odd that Sam's family didn't bring him along to Ireland, but ultimately that was none of Will's business, and despite his curiosity, he didn't bring it up, simply hoping for Sam to do it. He never did.

"Yeah," Sam began. "It's... uh... well, it's not my family. I have this pen pal, and she's dealing with some shit. Her dad's kind of a douche,"

"I can understand that feeling," Will confessed. "What'd he do?"

"The guy holds her to such a high standard, and she's always trying to prove to him that he can be proud of her. But no matter what she does, it isn't enough for him. And because of that she's starting to feel worthless. I just... I wish I could help, you know?"

Will found it odd that Sam had some pen pal that Will had never heard of, like he was keeping more secrets, but Will quickly pushed the thought out of his head.