Ethan Mars awoke with a yawn next to his beautiful wife, Grace. The sun was out, and it was around noon. He got out of bed and checked on Shaun, only to notice that Shaun was not in his room.
Drowsy and disgruntled, Ethan walked downstairs. He saw Shaun sitting in the living room on the couch and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Good morning, Shaun."
"Good morning, Dad..." Shaun mumbled.
Ethan shrugged it off and went to make coffee when he noticed that a cup was missing. He looked around until he found it on its side in one of the bottom cupboards. He narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything about it to Shaun.
He also noticed that Shaun's shoes and rainjacket were soaked. "Shaun?"
"Yeah, dad?"
"Did you go outside?" Ethan asked, worried for his son's safety.
"Yeah... I went out into the backyard." Shaun lied, terrified of worrying his father by telling him that the Origami Killer had just driven him back home minutes ago.
"Really? Alright, I'll believe you." Ethan checked the pocket of Shaun's coat, and his eyes widened. He stormed over to Shaun and revealed the origami echidna that had been stashed away. "Where did you get this?"
Shaun looked at it. "I've never seen that before."
"I found it in your coat pocket, Shaun. Where did you get it?"
Shaun looked his father in the eyes. "I swear, Dad, I've never seen it before."
Ethan was about to argue about how Shaun must have seen it when the phone started to ring. He answered the phone hastefully. "Hello?"
"Ethan Mars?" It was Scott Shelby.
Ethan put a hand over his mouth and the receiver as if to prevent Shaun from clearly hearing. "Why are you calling me? Where did you get my number?"
"You need to come see me. It's important."
"Why should I believe you?" Ethan grumbled.
"It's about Jayden."
"Where are you?"
Ethan Mars got out of the car in front of Scott Shelby's 'hideout'. Scott was leaning against the doorway waiting for him.
"Where's Norman?" Ethan asked quickly, wanting to get this over with as he still wasn't on very good terms with Scott.
"He's inside. I had to drug him to put him to sleep, so you can come inside, but be quiet about it." Scott replied with a frown.
Ethan stepped inside Scott's home quietly. Norman Jayden was asleep on the couch.
Scott quietly sighed after he closed the door. He started to speak. "Something's wrong with Jayden."
"I'll say. He looks so sick."
"Ethan, did you read the newspaper recently? About the murders of Blake and Madison?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"That was his work, Ethan. Jayden killed them."
Ethan quickly backed away from Jayden. "No way, that can't be true. Jayden might not like them, but he wouldn't kill them."
"He tried to kill Shaun, didn't he?"
Ethan fell silent and stared at Jayden; he still looked so innocent in his sleep...
"That's not all, Ethan. Last night..." Scott sighed again and shook his head before continuing. "Last night, Jayden showed up here. I'm not sure how he knew where I was; I swear, I haven't spoken to him since the warehouse. He... He had Shaun, Ethan."
"What?!"
"I brought him back to your place just a few minutes before I called you. Jayden was acting crazy. He wanted you to find Shaun yourself; he refused to bring him back to you himself. He kept asking me for my help, but I'm not entirely sure what he meant exactly..."
Ethan went numb from shock with the idea that Jayden still wanted to hurt Shaun. "Why does he want my son to suffer more than he already has...?!"
"... I think it's John."
"Huh?"
"I think John's finally pushed Jayden over the edge. You still remember John right?"
"Refresh my memory..."
"John Sheppard? My brother? Jayden looks just like him. Who would'a thunk it that my speculation that John would be within him would turn out to be true..."
"But why would either of them want my son or I to die?"
"Perhaps John feels like you didn't do enough to prove your love for Shaun..."
"Does John know about the trials?"
Scott shrugged. "Probably? I never told him, but he might have figured it out on his own in the ARI..."
Ethan blinked. "... Excuse me?"
"Do you know about Jayden's glasses?"
"Yes, of course."
"How do you know about them?"
"SHUT UP SCOTT JUST KEEP SAYING WHATEVER YOU'RE SAYING" Ethan screamed, surprisingly not waking Jayden up.
"Well, I can assume that John would utilize them... Especially now that Jayden can apparently use the glasses without even having them on..."
"... What's the truth, Scott?"
Scott shrugged. "Okay, well, maybe I tampered with them a little..."
"You bastard!" Ethan yelled. This time, Jayden awoke.
He sat up with a smile, both of the other men staring at him quietly.
"The'e ya a'e, Ethan. I've been waitin' fer ya."
Ethan felt a bit shaken up. "Who am I speaking to...?"
"Who d'ya think, Ethan?" Jayden laughed a little. "It's me, Nahman! Nahman Jayden! Have y'gone blind?"
"You're not Norman."
Jayden raised a brow. "Huh? That's crazy talk, Ethan."
"Norman wouldn't kidnap my son!" Ethan approached him accusingly. "Norman wouldn't kill Madison and Blake! Norman wouldn't come running to the fucking Origami Killer for help!"
Jayden frowned, looking up at Ethan. "Nahman wouldn't spa'e ya."
"... Wait, wha-" Ethan suddenly got a knife to his throat, alarming Scott.
"How sad that yer gonna be killed with yer own knife, Ethan." Jayden purred, seeming to take pleasure in seeing the scared look in Ethan's petrified blue eyes.
"Jayden, relax." Scott said in a soothing tone. "You don't want to kill him."
"I can't trust him!" Jayden snapped. "He must die!"
"Jayden, you can't even trust your own thoughts. You don't even know where the hell you are!"
"I'm..." Jayden tried to concentrate. "I'm... I'm he'e."
"Where's 'here', Jayden?"
Seeming to be at a loss for words, Jayden opened a mouth wide to speak, but only produced a noise, his free hand trembling wildly. "... The construction site." He said this with a tone of uncertainty.
"Wrong, Jayden. We're in my home. Who the hell is here, Jayden?"
"Myself, Ethan, you..." Jayden looked over his shoulder with a sneer. "... and him."
Ethan remained silent.
"Who's 'him'?" Scott asked calmly.
"Him!" Jayden turned to face Scott, still holding the knife to Ethan's throat with his right hand, but gesturing openly to his side with his left. Behind him was his other self, who held his father, threatening to kill him if Jayden didn't do as he was told. In the back of his head, Jayden knew that his father was already dead, but he didn't want to lose whatever he had left of him.
Ethan took the opportunity to shove Jayden back, receiving a small nick on his chin - however, Ethan assumed that was better than having his throat cut open.
Scott stepped quickly and caught Jayden, holding his arms in a way that left him practically helpless.
To their mild surprise, Jayden struggled for just a moment before he gave up and started to cry. "Make him sto-o-oppp..." He bawled. He tried to let go of the knife, but his grip on it only tightened. "I don't wanna hurt enehone else..."
Scott and Ethan exchanged glaces for a moment, as if speaking telepathically.
Without saying a word, Ethan grabbed Scott's phone and walked into a different room. Jayden continued to beg for help from someone. Scott held Jayden tightly, refusing to let him go.
Soon, Ethan stepped back into the room and signaled for them to be at ease.
Scott noticed how Jayden still seemed to be lethal, so he simply sat while still holding him.
After a few minutes, Jayden stopped crying a little when he heard car doors close outside. "Who's outside?" He asked.
"No one, Norman..." Ethan averted his eyes as he opened the door.
In stepped some men in white.
Jayden's eyes widened, and he screamed, now struggling feverishly against Scott's hold. He couldn't understand why these men were here, but he knew that they were after him. They grabbed Jayden and restrained him even more harshly than Scott had, and he kicked and screamed like a banshee as they dragged him back towards the ambulance.
Scott looked at Ethan, who had his head in his hand, feeling remorse for his actions already.
Ethan Mars stood outside of a room, trying to relax. Slowly, he opened the door. Inside the padded cell was Norman Jayden, who was dressed in white and wore a strait-jacket.
Ethan timidly stepped inside. "N-Norman... I'm so sorry... but what else could I have done for you...?"
Jayden said nothing.
The two of them remained in silence for a moment.
"Uh, maybe I sh-" Ethan started and was about to turn to leave.
"They arrested Scott, didn't they?" Jayden asked in a hoarse voice, not making eye contact with Ethan.
Ethan shook his head slowly. "I... I didn't rat him out. I feel too much pity for that asshole..."
"I see ya moved?"
Ethan raised a brow. "Uh... excuse me?"
"Ya moved houses and ya got a new job as an architect... Not bad, Ethan..."
Ethan was confused.
Jayden giggled insanely. "So that's yer birthday... I was always wonderin' that..."
Ethan gulped. "I... I'll just be going now, Norman. It... was nice to see you again."
"How's Shaun?" Jayden tried to get Ethan to stay a while longer.
"He's fine, Norman... He's just fine..."
"How's Grace?"
"She's fine too."
Jayden suddenly frowned. "Ethan, please... Ya need t'get me outta he'e... I'm not crazy, truly, I'm not...! But I'm gonna go crazy if I have to spend one mo'e day in he'e, alone with him...!"
Ethan felt more pity for Jayden than he did for Scott at this point. "See, Norman... It's just... I don't have any idea who you're talking about when you say 'him'."
"Him! He's right the'e behind ya!" Jayden blinked back tears, hurt that Ethan didn't believe him and refused to see what was really there.
Ethan turned slowly, but saw no one behind him. "There's no one there, Norman..."
Jayden started to tremble. "Ethan... Please...! Ya have t'help me...!"
"I really can't, Norman."
"Is it because it isn't legal?!" Jayden protested, getting onto his knees somehow. "I got ya outta that police station! I helped ya escape, and that wasn't legal! Why won't ya help me?! Ya owe me this much!"
"I stopped owing you the second you tried to kill my son." Ethan replied coldly. "Goodbye, Norman." He walked out of the room, but looked back on Jayden.
"I'll get ya fer this, Ethan Mars. I'll make ya pay, even if it's the last fuckin' thin' I do!" This was the last thing Jayden said before the door was shut in his face.
Ethan scoffed. He felt sorry for Jayden, and how this case had driven him to insanity, but he decided to shake it off for now as he walked back to his car to pick Shaun up from school.
Jayden fell back into a sitting position, his knees up and his back against the wall. He felt his hands shaking in their restraints, and he didn't bother to look at his other self as he crawled over from the wall and grabbed his chin.
Jayden started to cry quietly as his other self started dragging his nails across his cheeks painfully and his eyes started to bleed, as per normal now.
Scott Shelby was sitting alone in his home, reading the newspaper. All the newspapers spoke about now was some shit Scott didn't care to understand.
It had been a year since the incident with Norman Jayden and Ethan Mars, and he hadn't resumed being the Origami Killer; instead, he had officially become a private investimagatorrator.
Last he had heard about Jayden was that he was sent to a mental hospital and was being 'cared for'. He still worried about the now ex-federal agent now and again, and also about John.
He was, in fact, thinking about Jayden when the doorbell rung. Lethargically, Scott stood, placed the newspaper down on the table, and walked over to the door. He opened it, and then his eyes widened.
In front of him stood Jayden, with a young woman standing behind him.
Scott nearly fell back. "J-Jayden?"
"Hello, Scott."
"Wh-what are you doing here? Weren't you in a hospital?"
"I escaped with ha' help."
The girl raised her head a bit, gaining Jayden's attention. "D-... Well, it... It wasn't just me, you know that..." She said.
Jayden looked back at Scott. "I escaped with the help of ha' and ha' entity."
"Entity...?" Scott raised a brow in confusion.
"His name is Aiden. I've... I've been connected with him ever since I was born." The girl clarified.
"... Uh huh. And... what is your name, exactly?" Scott asked with a certain skeptic tone.
"Jodie Holmes. I should be asking you your name now, shouldn't I?"
"I'm Scott. Scott Shelby. Thanks for bringing Jayden back. I'll be keeping him here, if you don't mind."
Jodie perked up in protest. "Uh, I... I do mind. I need him to come with me."
Scott was about to argue, but Jayden spoke first.
"Sorry, Scott, but I do owe ha'..." He turned and walked down the steps with Jodie. He looked back at Scott as he got on the girl's motorcycle behind her. "Say hello t'Ethan fer me."
When the two of them drove away, Scott numbly walked over and grabbed his phone.
"Hello?" Ethan Mars answered.
"Ethan... It's me, Scott Shelby. You're not going to believe who just visited me..."
