Chapter 26: Ethan
When Ethan was a boy, he used to play in the garden behind their old house.
The maids would often talk about him, saying he was strange. They said he liked to hurt things just to see what would happen.
One afternoon, when he was only five, Ethan found a slug crawling on the stones. He picked it up, laughed, and cut off its eyes with a small knife he stole from the kitchen.
Then he poured salt on it and watched as it twisted and dried up. He laughed louder, clapping his hands like it was a show.
When Theodor was brought into the family a few years later, Ethan was already known for that same cruel smile.
Their father told him, "This is your brother." But Ethan didn't see him as a brother. He saw someone who was going to take what was his.
From the first day, he hated Theodor.
