"You seem all happy. What happened?" Leon asked.
"I have the whole of tomorrow free, so we can spend some time together," Grace replied.
Leon watched the sparkle in her eyes as she spoke, and his heart celebrated at her words, but his mind couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong.
Physically and by law, he was only 15, soon to be 16 by the end of next month. However, he was once over 40 years old. To be more precise, he would be in his fifties or so if they added his current age.
Looking at the happy girl who gladly skipped as they walked and even played with the pebbles by the roadside, Leon didn't know what to do.
"Leon, do you think we'll get married someday?" Grace suddenly asked.
"What?" Leon asked as he stopped in his tracks.
"No, I mean, I like you, and you like me… Dad will never reject you as his son-in-law, so do you think we'll ever get married?" she asked as she continued staring at him.
"You were reading my mind?" Leon asked.
"Definitely, but don't worry, I'll wait. It's just four more years," Grace suddenly said with a smile before continuing to walk ahead.
Hearing her, a bright smile appeared on Leon's face as he ran ahead to meet her. If she was willing to wait, then he had no problems with it.
With that settled, the two walked all the way back home. Leon had long since taken permission to pick her up from school, so they were free for a while.
About thirty minutes later, they were standing before the Frost Mansion. This was one of the major reasons why Winston had agreed to such an absurd arrangement.
The house wasn't exactly far from her school, so he had no qualms about letting Leon pick her up.
"Okay, you're home," Leon said as he let down the girl he was carrying on his back.
"What? No!! Let's go another round," Grace shouted, refusing to come down.
"You know we can't. Besides, my legs are already weak," Leon replied as his knees buckled under her weight, and he fell to the ground.
As he did, Grace immediately jumped off to safety. Seeing her reaction, Leon immediately began to laugh.
"Hey!!" the two heard a new voice as they both turned to the source.
Before Leon could even do anything, he felt a punch on his face, throwing him back a few centimeters.
Quickly catching himself, he turned to see a familiar young man standing where he once was, his fists glowing.
"Christian!!" Grace shouted as Leon stood up.
"You stay away from my family!!" the young boy shouted as he immediately charged toward Leon.
Enduring the pain from the initial punch, Leon quickly stood up and took a step to the side to dodge the attack.
With Christian's fist missing by just a hair's breadth, Leon immediately grabbed his arm and, forcing the only move he remembered from his many failed attempts at martial arts training in his past life, flipped Christian onto his back, letting the 16-year-old hit the floor with enough force that they were sure they heard a crack.
"Leon, stop!" Grace shouted as she immediately placed herself between the two boys.
"What's wrong with you?" Grace asked, turning to her brother.
"It's all because of this bastard. Ever since he came…" Christian began but suddenly stopped himself, simply picking up his bag and turning to leave.
"Bro, I did nothing to harm your family. Also, in case you haven't noticed, fighting me will only continue to prove your father right."
"What did you say?!" Christian replied as he immediately threw his bag away.
He rushed in again, only for Grace to stand between them. Her powers might not work on her family members, but she didn't need them to know why her brother was acting like this.
"Grace, stay out," Leon said gently as he put her aside.
"What? You'll die," Grace said, surprised by his actions.
Leon himself had no idea what he was doing, but he was done putting up with the boy's stupid behavior. Yes, he had a shitty father who could have handled their situation in many ways.
However, Christian himself was a shitty son. He wasn't even 18 yet, and the boy was knee-deep in drugs. Just a month ago, there was a rumor all over that he and his friends had raped someone.
As for the truth of that situation—since no girl was seen or heard from—no one knew. However, the fact that people believed such an absurd rumor said a lot about his character.
"You're clinging to my father for dear life, and now you think you have it made," Christian said as he shoved Leon in the chest.
Leon merely kept standing where he was. This was a fight he wasn't sure he would win in the first place.
Christian was a mutant, just like Grace—at least, the faint pinkish energy swirling around his fists suggested so.
Leon, on the other hand, had yet to figure out what exactly his ability was.
"Who do you think you are?" Christian continued, pushing Leon further back, but again, Leon didn't react.