Wolf Pack: The Awakening

Chapter 23: Tying Up Loose Ends

Ashton had a new family now, beyond blood. But this was something he had to do alone.

      The Kennedy Mansion still looked just as bright and homely as it did all those months ago when he left.

      Wow...it's been 2 months since the Awakening. 2 months of training. 2 months of hard work, of fun with his friends and family....but also 2 months carrying more pain within him than his entire life.

      The living room looked as messy as he remembered. Marcus and him weren't exactly the neatest people. Books and magazines lay half-opened strewn everywhere, half-eaten plates of food moulding on the coffee table and an opened can of beans on the dining table. The open curtain let in fresh sunlight than made Ashton's skin tingle.

      He didn't let himself wander into memory lane. Without a single glance at anything else, he took 3 stairs at a time to Marcus' bedroom. 

      It was just as large as Ashton's but sported a rusty brown paint unlike the vibrant orange in his own room. Everything seemed to be in place, the made bed, closed blinds and drawers and neat floors. Ashton turned to the wooden nightstand and found what he was looking for. A black I-Pad mini stood with the cover stand opened. 

      He picked the gadget up and clicked on the 'Contacts' app. Scrolling down to the very end, he stopped at one name in particular. 'Work- Arjun Patel'. 

      The number rang thrice before a joyful accented voice replied cheerfully. " Haloo, Mr Kennedy. Will you be joining us in the office today?"

      Ashton took one more deep breath, just to calm his nerves, before answering. "Hi, Mr Patel. It's me, Ashton Kennedy. I was wondering if I could call the Board Of Directors for an emergency meeting?"

      "Oh? Will your father be in attendance to the meeting as well?"

      He flinched. "He's who we need to talk about."

Ashton's room was just as how he left it. Messy clothes, messy books, messy shelves. Just the way he liked it.

      When he left the first time, he only brought the initials, but now he took his time. Everything from the rest of his clothes to his collection of sports magazines, he carefully placed them in different boxes. Some he would bring with him, some would go to the trash while most of his belongings he would leave at the Horizon Peak Orphanage Center.

      Three hours later, his whole life had been packed in boxes.

      Looking at his cupboard one last time, he took the last piece of clothing left and put in on.

      The tuxedo fit him perfectly, despite the amount of muscle he gained from all his recent workout.  It was a crisp black and white suit, accompanied with a tie just as dark. He stared at the mirror with unease.

       A near-perfect image of Marcus Kennedy stared back at him. The resemblance was uncanny. 

     I look just like him. Doesn't that mean his evil is in my blood?

      Am I a ticking time-bomb, just waiting for the moment I turn into a monster like him?

      In some small part of his brain, it all made sense. Marcus Kennedy was a master manipulator and a serial killer, but he was kind too, wasn't he? He donated to charities, he helped the homeless, coached his basketball team in middle school. 

      And that was the part of Ashton Kennedy's soul that scared him the most.