Sebastian sat on the cold floor, his breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps.
Despite the visible fury radiating from his grandfather, he seemed entirely unable to grasp the gravity of the situation.
It wasn't that he was brave; it was simply that his mind refused to process a reality where he was not the center of the universe.
To Sebastian, being struck with a cane was an impossibility, a breach of the natural order that governed his pampered life.
He looked up at the old man, his eyes swimming with tears and confusion, and spoke with a voice that was still laced with a stubborn, misplaced defiance.
"Who is he? Who exactly is this man?" Sebastian demanded, his voice cracking.
"Isn't he just a professor? Why are you hitting me over a common teacher? I don't understand why you are doing this to me!"
Grandfather Frost felt a fresh wave of heat rise to his chest. The boy's words were like fuel on a fire.
