~3rd Person POV~
*****
*BANG*BANG*BANG*
A young woman's frantic actions echoed through the room as she hurled objects towards a firmly closed door. Her long, unkempt black hair hung in disarray around her bloodshot eyes, and her clothes were torn and tattered from her desperate outburst.
"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU DEVIL!" she screamed, her voice strained with emotion. "YOU'RE NOT WANTED HERE, LEAVE!"
Tears streamed down her face as she continued to shout, blaming an unseen presence for her turmoil. "IT'S YOUR FAULT! WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?"
*****
*THUD*
In a large room that looked clean with a king-sized bed in the middle, a grand king-sized bed stood in the middle with a child laying on it, and a massive TV was mounted on the opposite wall. A small desk sat nearby, cluttered with a desktop computer and a few scattered books, while a cozy bean chair beckoned from across the room on a fluffy white rug.
Suddenly, the child lying on the bed jolted awake, tumbling to the floor in a mix of confusion and fear. As he struggled to make sense of his surroundings, he backed into a corner in fear.
The child curled up in the corner hugging his legs while humming a song. The door of the room opened and a person with blond hair, light brown almond-shaped eyes, a sharp chiseled jaw, and a straight nose walked inside with a worried expression.
"Erin?" The person flipped on the lights, scanning the room until their gaze settled on the child huddled in the corner.
At the sound of their voice, Erin's eyes snapped open, and the fear in his small frame eased. Slowly, he took in his surroundings, piecing together the familiar elements of the room as his fear began to dissipate.
~Erin POV~
"It happened again," I muttered, my voice barely audible as I hung my head in shame.
Sean approached me, settling in front of me and offering a comforting pat on the head. "Feeling better?" he inquired, genuine concern etched on his face.
I nodded, my gaze fixed on the ground. "Sorry," I mumbled softly, feeling a pang of guilt.
This wasn't the first time I'd experienced such nightmares. When I was younger I had them a lot after my mom first left but then they stopped after living alone for a while. Then the next instance occurred on my very first night here. Everything felt so unfamiliar, and sleeping in a peaceful environment felt strange. But since then, the nightmares had stopped until now.
"There's no need to apologize," Sean reassured me. "It's normal to have nightmares, especially after what you've been through. There's nothing wrong with you," he added.
"I-Is there really something wrong with me?" I couldn't shake off the harsh words my mother had thrown at me, the doubts lingering in my mind.
"Erin," He said.
I looked up at him still thinking of the words, they wouldn't leave my head.
"There's nothing wrong with you, you are just like everyone else."He said looking at me.
"Then how come there wasn't anyone with white hair, and eyebrows like me when we went to the training center yesterday? Why am I the only one who's extremely pale and has two different eye colors." I asked him.
He let me gather my thoughts before speaking again. "Do you know about albinism?" he asked, prompting me to look at him, puzzled. I shook my head in response.
"Well, to try and put it in simple terms," he began, choosing his words carefully.
He took a moment to explain. "It's a genetic condition that affects the production of melanin in the body. Melanin is what gives our skin, hair, and eyes their color. People with albinism often have very fair skin, hair that can range from very light blond to white, and light-colored eyes. Because they have little to no melanin, they can be more sensitive to sunlight and may have vision problems."
As he spoke, I listened intently, trying to process this new information. It was a lot to take in, but it helped me understand a bit more about myself and why I might be different from others.
As I was processing the information I looked back up at him with another question. "Then my eyes why are they two different colors," I asked him.
Sean smiled softly, his eyes filled with understanding. "That's called heterochromia," he explained. "It's another genetic trait where a person has different colored eyes. It can occur in people with or without albinism. In your case, it's likely a result of the same genetic factors that caused your albinism."
I nodded slowly, absorbing this new piece of information. It was strange to think that my eyes were a result of genetics, but it also made sense in a way.
As Sean answered my questions, I began to feel a sense of relief wash over me. "T-Then why did she call me the devil? Am I that bad of a person because of this condition?" I asked, my vulnerability now evident in my expression.
"She doesn't know," Sean replied, his words causing confusion to flicker across my face. "To her, you're too different, since she's never seen an albino person before. That's why she treated you so differently."
With each word, my anxiety began to ease, and gradually, I felt my eyelids grow heavy as a dull ache throbbed in my head. Sean's reassurance was a soothing balm to my troubled mind.
"You can sleep, Erin. We can go to the training center to take your mind off things, okay?" he suggested, a warm smile on his face. I nodded slowly as he lifted me up and gently laid me back on the bed. As sleep overtook me once again, I felt a sense of comfort knowing that Sean was there for me.
*****
~? POV~
"This is so boring," I grumbled to myself as I slouched on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. All I wanted was to hit the training center today, but thanks to my 'lovely mother' and her obsession with school rules, here I am, stuck watching mindless TV.
With nothing interesting on the screen, I resorted to scrolling through my phone. One post caught my eye with the headline: "WORLD'S UNDEFEATED FORMER RANKED ONE SEAN RYANS FINALLY SEEN OUT IN PUBLIC." I blinked in disbelief, reading the title over and over again. "You have to be kidding me," I muttered, staring at the screen in shock. Beneath the headline was a photo of Sean Ryans at the training center, standing alongside the current number one, Chris Dames, number two, Grey Thomas, and number five, Anthony Rein.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the photo, feeling a surge of frustration and regret. "You've got to be kidding me, the one day I don't go, this happens," I grumbled inwardly. The image was accompanied by a video showing a small meet-and-greet session right next to the food court. I sighed as I watched people happily getting their photos taken with Sean Ryans. 'If only that could have been me,' I thought, feeling a pang of envy.
Scrolling down, I couldn't help but notice the wide range of reactions in the comments section, starting from 'normal' to full out 'you mentally need help'.
It started off innocently with comments like
"Meeting him was so cool!!" or "I can't believe I got to meet him!" These reactions were normal and then there was the 'you mentally need help' section.
"The way I would let this man ruin my life!!" was concerning enough, but it was quickly overshadowed by an even more inappropriate comment.
"OMG, he can stretch my p-".
I refused to read to the end.
Yeah let's stop there, I don't want to read any more deranged comments like that.
The next headline I stumbled upon was even more intriguing but also raised some questions. It read: "SEAN RYANS - RETURNS AS A PARENT?"
"Oh?" I muttered, my curiosity piqued as I looked at the photos in surprise. In the image, Sean was shown walking into the training center while holding a child's hand. I couldn't help but notice the child's striking appearance. "Holy shit, this kid looks better than me!" I thought to myself. With white hair, eyebrows, a button nose, and the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen, he seemed like a child model straight out of a magazine. His left eye was a light grey, while his right eye was a mesmerizing blueish-green.
"Wow, how lucky!" I murmured as I continued to stare at the photo. "This kid has good looks and is also the son of my childhood hero. Life is really unfair."
The accompanying video showed Sean assisting the child out of the car, guiding him towards the training center, and later, helping him back into the car as they left.
I couldn't help but be surprised at the sudden news. 'First Sean shows up in public after so many years, and now he has a child.' I couldn't help but look through the comments.
-"OMG, the kid looks so good!!!"
-"He's so adorable."
-"Yes guys, this is true, that is my child with Sean, sorry for keeping it a secret for so long :("
-"Wait, is it true? Does that mean I don't have a chance with him anymore?????"
-"Sean darling, is this true? Did you cheat on me?"
-"Is this why he was gone for so long?"
'Some people need help,' I thought while reading some comments. There were many more rumors surrounding Sean's reappearance in public and his 'child'. I put my phone down and got up.
'Maybe I can meet him tomorrow!' I thought excitedly as I started running to my room. On various parts of my wall were photos of Sean Ryans either with a trophy or playing against an opponent.
'I really hope he's there,' I said to myself as I took out an old photo with a very young Sean Ryans. The photo I had was from his debut match when he faced off against the upcoming star at the time. People thought it was going to be one-sided, but in the end, everyone was looking at him in disbelief.
He won two out of three sets with 6-0. Sean had made his mark in just one game.