10. Toy Soldiers

For Riley, everything finally fell into place too.

“It was you, wasn’t it? All of it. My mother. My… my father, speaking about vampires and basements during his last days. We thought it was his delirium, but it wasn’t, was it? Calo.” She spit out his name as though it were filth. “It was all you.”

Calo tried for a winsome smile. “Oh come on, baby…”

“Don’t,” Riley interrupted him. The anger in her voice made it sound foreign even to her. “Don’t ever call me that again. Not after what you’ve done. The way you played me for a fool… God, what a fool I’ve been. I can’t even fathom anymore how I could have ever fallen for someone the likes of you. You’re a monster. You’re disgusting.”

“Riley…” Calo tried once again.

But Riley wasn’t having it. Not anymore.

When he proceeded to sigh and change into his game face, Riley wasn’t fazed. She didn’t care anymore.

She wouldn’t give him the gratification of having her fear.

He didn’t.

He had nothing of hers. Not anymore.

One day, Riley vowed, as Calo drank from her, he will be mine.

One day I’ll defeat him.

That was, if Bella didn’t get to him first.

— Pariah, En Fin

🦇

For the first time in decades, Riley stood in front of the door of the house that had once been her home. The house where she had been born, raised, and loved.

And for the first time in decades, as uncomfortable as she felt standing before this house, as difficult as it was not to let the rotten memories of the last time she had been here get to her, Riley felt confident – if only minimally. She felt confident that one day, this house – the house she used to love – could be hers again.

Because she had a plan.

And she wasn’t alone.

When she stepped into the house and Calo saw her, his hand went to the back of his neck to scratch it awkwardly.

“Riley,” he spoke. She could have sworn she heard a tremble.

Calo didn’t know what it was, that had him so ruffled – she was just a human, for Vlad’s sake. Maybe it was her demeanor. The last time he had seen her, she had felt small and soft. But, now… there was something about her. The way she was standing before him, it felt like she was towering over him even when she wasn’t. There was something about her, that had raised the hairs on Calo’s neck even when they really shouldn’t have. He should be able to defeat her in a heartbeat.

“Long time no see,” Riley said. There was no emotion in her voice, apart from, maybe, a slight touch of amusement.

“Yeah… what do you want?”

“Oh come on now, Calo.” Riley’s voice remained perfectly even. “Is that really the way to treat an old friend?”

She held up a bottle. “I just thought we were long overdue for a good catch-up.”

Calo’s face turned wary as he looked at her, trying to detect any anger or resentment. He couldn’t find any. Finally, he shrugged. Forced his lips into a smirk.

“I agree.”

He should’ve known that one day, she would come back to him. He tended to have that effect on people.

***

“To the old days,” Riley smiled, raising her glass. They were a few drinks in by now, and everything was going exactly as she had hoped. She smiled to herself. Knew she could always count on his arrogance.

When, a few more drinks later, Bella walked down the stairs, Riley had to fight not to morph her features into a big, happy smile. She would smile later – she would smile once he had been defeated.

“Riley,” Bella spoke.

Calo stared at the two women, his gaze alternating between them. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t just a little anxious.

“Mother,” Riley forced herself to spit out the word. It was difficult.

When they stepped closer to each other, Calo gulped – he was too drunk to really have any idea of what was going on, but he felt like he had a hunch.

That hunch proved entirely wrong when, suddenly, Riley attacked Bella. He stood and stared for a short while, his eyes at least thrice their size, before blinking hard.

Leaving the two fighting family members, he stumbled up the stairs.

With Calo upstairs, Riley and Bella stopped fighting. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Just a little while longer, Mom,” Riley told Bella. “And he’ll be gone.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

Bella then sighed, and looked up at the stairs.

“Time to do my part.”

“You don’t have to, you know. If you don’t want to…”

“No, I want to.”

And she did. Leading Calo to their bedroom, she felt more confident than she had in decades. Finally, it was time to let Calo know that between them, she would be the one in charge.

“I–I can’t believe this,” Calo uttered. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“Well,” Bella managed to say. “Guess you thought wrong.”

***

Calo had been laying low, gathering his troops, planning his revenge on Tika, finally enjoying Bella… when one day, he found a familiar face walk down the street.

As soon as he realized just where he recognized him from, his lips curled into a grin. Approached the child and greeted him cheerfully.

The child, naïve and eager for attention – Calo had to suppress a laugh; he was not even surprised that vain Tika was not looking after his children – readily accepted Calo’s explanation about why his face looked so distorted by saying that he was “different, like you.”

The fact that he’d met someone who was ‘different, like him’ made Emil feel that much closer to Calo, and he accepted Calo’s invitation into his house.

When, after a bit of chatting, Calo asked to take a picture together, Emil didn’t see the harm in it.

A little while later, Tika saw he’d received a new text message. He didn’t recognize the number.

Hey Tika. Didn’t you ever teach your children not to talk to strangers? Don’t worry. I’ll just teach him for you.

***

When Tika saw the text message, he initially couldn’t believe it. The first thing he felt was disbelief. But then came the rage. Tika didn’t think he’d ever been this angry before. It took all his willpower to not immediately race over to Calo’s place and get himself caught in the latter’s trap again. Took him all his willpower to contain himself, and come with a plan that would actually help his son.

As he stood pondering, he heard the door. All but ran out and saw Emil, looking all happy and carefree – as though nothing had happened.

Tika couldn’t believe it.

“You,” he said, voice strangling with rage, pointing his finger at his son. Emil looked up, surprised.

“What’s up, dad?” he answered innocently.

“I can’t believe you… you…” Tika spat. “How stupid are you?!?! Have you EVER listened to me? Did you ever listen to me warning you against these damned vampires around town?! And here you go… befriending the worst one of them… leading yourself right into his trap! Into his home, even. He didn’t even need a trap, you naïve… gullible… blockhead! I can’t believe you, Emil! I can’t believe you could be this stupid.”

And then, for the first time in, well, ever, Emil decided he’d had enough – stomping his foot on the ground, he defied his father.

“I’m surprised you even noticed,” he called out. “Seeing as how you have no idea what goes on in my life anyway! You have no idea about my life or my friends or my grades… you don’t know anything about me! You don’t even know me… you don’t care. You never have. As long as I fit your agenda, you don’t care about me or Fenne. I may be naïve… but I’d rather be a naïve ‘blockhead’ than a selfish asshole like you!”

He stomped off.

Tika was left fuming with rage. How dare Emil say he doesn’t care about him or Fenne? Here he was, devoting so much time and money to their care – making sure they would have the best upbringing… and this was how they repaid him. By telling lies, trying to mess things up between him and Nancy, and making friends with his enemies.

God, being a father really sucked. Where was his reward? They would never realize the things he had sacrificed to ensure their happiness. They would never realize how much worse it could have been. Never.

***

Life inside the Madden residence went on as usual.

Well, apart from the few changes Tika had installed – one of said changes being Emil’s very new bodyguard.

Emil couldn’t be more displeased about this.

But for Fenne, something had changed – and the more days that passed where her father pretended that everything was all good and normal, the angrier she became.

It was sooner rather than later, that she finally exploded. “You’re just gonna pretend nothing happened?” she asked angrily.

Tika looked at her, surprised. “What are you talking about?”

“The way you yelled at me and Emil… calling Emil stupid… you’re not only not gonna apologize, you’re just gonna fail to acknowledge it at all?”

Tika squinted his eyes at her.

“Alright, I admit I may have been a bit too harsh on you… and Emil. I was just worried, Fenne… the last thing I want is for anything to happen to you–”

“Or maybe you were just angry because he was foiling your grand anti-vampire schemes. Admit it, dad. You didn’t really care for us. The only reason you took us is because you found out we’re actual aliens you could use in that war of yours.”

Tika was aghast. “How dare you even suggest–”

“Come on, dad. It’s like Emil said. There’s nothing you care more about than your anti-vamp agenda. Nothing. Not even us. You took us… using us to achieve your own goals with. We’re nothing but toy soldiers to you. You know, every night I wish… I wish you’d just left us with mom. We would’ve been so much better off without you.”

For a moment, Tika was left speechless. When he finally found his voice, it was strangled. “You’re grounded,” is all he said – and then he left the room, slamming the door shut behind him as he went.

***

Tika stared at the drink in front of him, lost in thought.

Fenne’s words kept ringing inside his mind. We’re nothing but toy soldiers to you.

Bringing the drink to his lips, he tried desperately to distract himself. She didn’t mean it. She couldn’t have.

By the time he got home, it was way past a godly hour – and he was way past drunk.

Nancy saw him stumbling from her room and reluctantly stood up.

“Good morning,” she told him – her eyebrow raised as she looked at him.

“Nancy!” Tika exclaimed as he saw her. Tried his hardest to get back to his feet. He managed. “I missed you!”

He enveloped in her into a hug.

“Yeah… I missed you too, baby.” Nancy’s voice came out halfhearted. “Where were you, anyway?”

“Just doing ssome drinks.”

“Some drinks.” Her eyebrow raised another inch.

“Had sssome sstuff to think about, you know, ssooo.”

“Yeah. Let’s get you upstairs now, shall we?”

She moved to support him, but he shot back.

“No, I’m fine.” He walked a few steps, then felt his balance slip and clung to the wall next to him for some much-needed support. “Never been better.”

“Sure, baby.”

To Nancy’s surprise, she actually managed to get him upstairs. It seemed that the closer to their bedroom they got, the more dejected Tika became. By the time they had reached it, his shoulders were slumped.

Then, finally, when his drunk brain could no longer hide the sadness he was feeling, she comforted him.

It worked only for a short while. No more than a few minutes had passed before he turned back to his moping.

“I’m a horrible dad.”

“No you’re not,” Nancy said.

“I am. I’m horrible. I failed as a father… God… I failed them so bad.”

“You didn’t fail anyone.”

“No but I did. I really, really did.”