Charlie thanked everyone for coming and announced that the food was ready in the dining room. Standing room only Tish imagined it would be cafeteria style, the large dining room table serving as a buffet. Tish stood motionless as she waited for the wrath of her father, but he turned and left the room through the outside door. Pam followed him. The greatness she was feeling earlier had plummeted. The disappointment she had caused pulled her heart down like a heavy anchor. She wanted to sit down and rest, wait until all the guests had left before returning to her room. The ordeal was surprisingly exhausting.
Once again she sensed fear from her mother, even though she was outside separated from her by an exterior wall. It made her think that maybe she was in danger. Tish made her way to the door and cracked it open enough to see and hear. The rain had stopped, leaving the ground glistening but not very damp.
"What the hell did you say to her?" Charlie demanded from his wife.
"I didn't think that I said anything that would lead to this," Pam pleaded, physically cowering away like Charlie might hit her. Tish had never seen her father lay a hand on her mother, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. The fits of anger he would have could be fuel for violence.
"Well, you must have said something! You know she wasn't planning to be a worker before she found out she was a Kamilian. You must have scared her about the possibility of failure, with all this going on with the rogues." Charlie paced the backyard patio.
Pam cried, "I didn't mean to, and I didn't think I did. Maybe we can explain more to her now and she'll change her mind."
"Are you shitting me?" Charlie snapped, turning to face his wife. "You know she can't change her mind now. She made her announcement to a hundred damn Kamilians. The transmission to the home world will go out it within minutes. You know we were filming."
Pam walked over to the patio set, pulled out a chair and plopped down in it. "Well, at least we should get some ratings out of this fiasco. I'm sure all the viewers are as surprised as we are."
As Charlie was mulling over the possible implications of the night's events he had to agree that there would be a spike in the ratings. Maybe he could feed viewer interest and manipulate matters to twist this into a good thing, or at least not so tragic as it currently appeared. Tish slipped through the open door and shut it behind her silently. But once her heels struck the patio cement both parents turned in her direction.
"I'm sorry that I disappointed you both so badly," Tish said. "But you are wrong about one thing. I had planned on this decision before I knew anything about my life as a Kamilian. This is truly what I had decided to do."
Pam forced a smile, not having the energy to bounce out of her patio chair and embrace her daughter like she knew she should. "Why?"
"To be completely honest," Tish answered. "I wanted what you two have." Charlie spun around in shock. "You both seem so fulfilled on a daily basis. And the strength you draw from each other keeps you so strong that nothing can knock you down. Well, at least not until today. I worried that college, a career, and drive for fame would prevent me from having that kind of relationship."
Gentle warmth came from Pam as Tish slid into another chair at the patio table. Charlie's anger was subsiding as he stood behind her. She was crushed at letting down her mother in particular. It seemed at that moment that so much had built up to today. All Pam had done to support Charlie and the company, was for nothing. She was the most disappointed perhaps.
"I didn't know about the great things I had done on the planet Dior before I made my decision. I guess that could have swayed me, maybe." As Tish spoke Pam darted an irritated glance at her father. At that moment Tish felt an intense string of emotions spike from him as he remained behind her staring off into the woods at the edge of the backyard. Alarm, fear, anger, then cool cunning and satisfaction. The string of feelings was so quick that Tish could not turn quick enough to see him until they had passed. She did not have any idea how she was feeling these sensations.
Pam had seen him, though. He blurred in an instant, like he was going to change form. Then he didn't. Was it difficulty controlling his anger that made him almost morph? She knew full well how much of a challenge he had keeping his feelings true around their daughter. It scared him as much as anything. That was why he avoided her so much.
"Is everything okay?" Pam asked her husband. Tish turned to see his response. Surprisingly he looked fine.
"Yes," he said as he turned and headed for the door to the house. "We have guests waiting inside. We shouldn't be out here this long. It will look bad to the viewers." Always concerned about the ratings. That was the Charlie they knew.
Pam and Tish both rose from their chairs and headed for the door behind Charlie. He took a deep breath before turning to face them, his hand on the door knob. "Pam and I should take care of the guests. Tish, I think it would be better if you waited a few minutes before you return inside, and try to think of what you will say to all these people that came here expecting something else tonight."
Tish was surprised by her father, but his words rang true. She had disappointed these people and needed to come up with what would be appropriate to say to them. Reluctantly, Pam left her daughter outside as she returned inside with her husband. Tish felt a smooth flow of satisfaction coming from her father. Apparently he was happy to have put Tish in her place, leaving her out there to think about what she had done.
Tish returned to the patio chair once again to think. Then a swift breeze blew through the yard, blurring the dark shadows and striking her in the gut like a thrown brick. The patio table and umbrella went flying through the air, as did the chair she was sitting on. Tish felt a concrete grip around her waist as she was propelled into the woods, nearly giving her whiplash. Everything after that was trees flying past her at a nightmarish rate as she was carried backwards through the woods for miles before losing consciousness.
30 – Leaders
Pam was livid. It was not often that she screamed at her husband. She recalled how cool he appeared when they returned back inside to their guests. He had to have known. He must have sensed the vampire in the woods when they were on the patio. That was why he had almost morphed into his Magavi form. His first impulse was to attack the intruder, capture the rogue. She now assumed there was only one. His reaction may have been the same if he sensed two, or possibly even three. But if the whole coven was out there he would have panicked.
No, she guessed there was only one. What infuriated her was that Charlie intentionally left their daughter out there to be taken by it. That was why his composure had changed so much. He must have quickly came up with a plan to divert the attention away from Tish's disappointing announcement. 'The great expected leader announces her intention to follow instead, then gets kidnapped by the rogues from her own house where a hundred Kamilians are having a party.' The viewer interest in their band of outlaw vampires would be rekindled with an explosion. The whole planet would want to see this episode. Charlie and Silver Silhouette would once again be the most popular focus of Kamilian media.
It was a strong play, she had to admit. It was the kind of decision making that earned him the position of President of the company. But their own daughter? She could be killed! Those stinking vampires could extinguish the life of one of the greatest Kamilians that ever lived! They might do that in their anger. Or, it could happen by accident. That's what apparently happened at the hunting lodge when that boy Hunter was killed. And Thomas claimed that many of the executions he performed on rogues were actually accidental deaths. The Sanguillens had trouble estimating their own strength on this planet. And they survived mostly on instinct instead of intellect and compassion. That was one of the reasons why she hated the vampires so much.
When Tish was little it was encouraging to see her so close to another Kamilian, Aaron. She did not know it would grow into such a strong friendship. But, in time, she came to terms with it. Aaron was a Kamilian after all, not originally a Sanguillen. He would only take that form by
choice. Perhaps he would stay human his entire life, never exposing his ugly past to her daughter. It happened all the time, she assumed. Not every Kamilian that lived on that dark planet was destined for failure. Most succeeded in fact. She held onto that hope. But when the Vohs went down they had to wrestle them apart. It was for the best she knew.
Still, it hurt her so much to see what the separation had done to her daughter. Pam and Charlie manipulated events to constantly have Tish and Aaron at odds until that fight they had when his eyes went black. Then they promoted the idea of staying away from him. When Tish took an interest in the new girl at school, Susan, they were relieved. The two girls became best friends quickly and Aaron was left behind. It was no shock that Susan was so drawn to their daughter. Everybody was. She had always had that presence, especially as a Moneake when she single handedly united the planet Dior. Pam knew that Charlie thought of it more as a skill, that Tish would consciously sway the emotions of others. But Pam had no reason to believe that at this point. She believed that people were just drawn to Tish, and had a desire to please her.
For some the desire was overwhelming. For others it was quite mild and possible to ignore. She herself had what she imagined was an average pull toward their daughter. But Charlie's draw to her was so strong that he didn't trust himself in her presence. He worried that his thoughts and feelings were never his own. It angered him so much that he felt attacked by his own daughter ever since she was old enough to go to school. Pam did her best to keep the family together despite this serious problem.
In some ways Pam felt sorry for her daughter. Many Kamilians would feel like Charlie. It could cause her to not be fully accepted by them. But humans would not likely know the difference. In that way she was envious of Tish. Imagine having a lover that had a crippling desire to please you every time they saw you. Would it even be possible to grow tired of that relationship? She could not imagine. Her intimate moments with Charlie were so few and far between these days. Their marriage was more about work and raising Tish than it was a romantic interest. She long ago gave up hoping that it would be any different. And now that her husband sacrificed his own daughter for his career they would never be close again. She no longer even had the desire to be supportive to him at work.
She must be careful, though. Plan, scheme, and time her actions perfectly. She had a job to do and she must do it right. Falling from public favor would not help her cause. But she must get Tish returned home safely. It would be a complete joy to work alongside her daughter at Silver Silhouette. She could train her in public relations, particularly Kamilian influence. Imagine that, the most effective Swayer in history as a reporter and interviewer. Talk about ratings. The rest of the Kamilian companies on earth, and throughout the universe, would not have a chance.
Pam's resolve had strengthened the more she thought things through. She would leave Charlie, live with her daughter, and take control of Silver Silhouette. She did not even need to depose Charlie to control the company. Her influence in media was almost strong enough on her own. With Tish's help that bastard would do whatever they told him. A quiet calm came over her. She knew what she had to do. Keep Tish safe. Keep favor in Kamilian eyes. Everything else would fall into place.
She wore a sincere smile as the camera rolled. She was doing reports all day long covering the kidnapping, and subsequent search for rogues. The ratings spiked, like they knew they would. Not since the loss of the great Kamilian that was considered the king of rock and roll had viewers been so interested in the news. And Pam was the star. It would all go according to plan.
But Charlie had his own plan, of course. Tish would no doubt realize what he had done, and hate him for it. Her love for Aaron could possibly make her sympathetic of the rogues. Eighteen now she had made her life choice. It was important for her to make good decisions now. That boy Aaron made a fatal mistake himself. He may have been pardoned for his crimes since he was under age. But kidnapping the great Tish Hawkins would seal his doom if Charlie had anything to do with it. Perhaps she would decide to run off with them herself. If Charlie could get Tish sent back to the home world he could go on living on earth without the fear of that girl's influence. Those two could go back to the home world together, and love each other for the rest of their lives. He didn't give a shit. As long as they weren't here.
An attractive alternative, though, was to allow them both to be killed here on earth. His fatherly instinct, as small as it was, discouraged him from promoting that course. But it could happen without his control. Thomas was often overzealous in bringing rogues to justice. They could be another couple notches on his belt, so to speak. Charlie could live with that.
Maybe with Tish out of the way Pam would finally be a good wife to him. Her entire focus since the girl arrived had been diverted to raising their child. Pam still did a fine job at work, of course. In fact, she was getting better and better at it. Kamilians absolutely loved her. Once she recovers from the emotional drain that comes from a loss of a child she would be his. His devoted wife, his attentive lover, his true mate. Tish was the only thing that stood in the way. And soon she would be gone. The recent turn of events had been much better than he could have imagined. He had been so focused on one of his greatest accomplishments on earth being the human father of whatever Tish was going to end up being. President of Silver Silhouette would likely be secondary in his list of accomplishments. But things were different now, and he was happier for it. Perhaps everything would be in his control, just how he liked it. He finally felt happy. Charlie smiled as he watched the monitor showing his lovely wife's broadcast. He could not wait to have her to himself.
31 – It’s All Over Now
Susan felt betrayed. She tossed her cap and gown onto the floor of the car and stomped it with her feet repeatedly. Everyone else stayed silent, even her little sister Jenny beside her in the back seat. She was too shocked to speak. It was not the first tantrum her baby sister had ever seen out of her. Not by a long shot. But her parents had mentioned before graduation the need to save her cap and gown as a symbol of this milestone in her life.
Graduating high school was no great accomplishment, Susan thought. Almost everybody did it. If any students in her class failed to pass twelfth grade she was not aware of it. To her knowledge only a couple kids had dropped out of school either. So pretty much everybody graduated. The slackers got their diplomas handed to them in front of the same crowd that she did. The only thing she could be proud of was her acceptance by the few colleges that she applied. And to be honest, there were dozens of others in her class that could have done that as well. The cap and gown did not symbolize any remarkable achievement in her eyes. Instead it represented betrayal. She considered spitting on those items on the floor and grinding it in with her shoes, but that might not go without the disapproval of her parents in the front seat.
It was unbelievable that Tish was not returning her calls. It had been almost a week. The birthday celebration they had planned never happened. Why? And then to not even show for graduation? It was unforgivable in her eyes. Tish's parents refused to tell Susan where she was. It was all some big secret that Susan was not worthy of sharing. Tish had decided to skip college and go to work with her parents. That apparently meant leaving behind everybody else in her life, including her best friend.
Susan couldn't help but feel like the last two years were wasted. She may have fallen in love with that girl. She was not sure. But before that, she had stalled her desire to start dating because of Tish's reluctance. Things could have been much different. So much different. Maybe she still would have fallen for Hunter, but he would still be alive. Those awful vampires would not have attacked the lodge if Aaron and Tish were not there. She may have taken that opportunity to make love to that beautiful boy that very night. They could have been together today at graduation. They would be so happy and excited to be going to college together. She could be a cheerleader again, and he could be the star receiver for the football team. If only she had
not gotten so close to Tish.
That girl was some kind of curse, she thought. Hunter's death, Aaron's injuries and disappearance, and now Susan's ruined life. Tish was to blame for all of it. Okay, Aaron was probably responsible for his own problems. Susan was so incredibly pissed off that she asked her father to drive to the Hawkins home so she could do something terrible to their house or on their lawn. She felt like taking a big poopy on their front porch then setting it on fire. She knew for sure, though, that her parents would not condone that. She almost laughed as she thought about it. Imagine her parents watching from the car as she squatted on the Hawkins doorstep.
Well, at least she still had her sense of humor, she thought. Maybe not all was lost. When they were seated into a booth at the Glory Grill she was saddened again when both of her parents ordered alcohol for themselves. She could really use a drink. But it was best not to let her mother or baby sister see her drinking. She couldn't help but staring while her mother sipped her margarita and her dad downed two beers. Her father had noticed, but said nothing. What a shitty day, she thought to herself.
When Jenny needed to use the bathroom Chelsea asked Susan to go with her, but Nick requested that Chelsea go instead so he could talk in private with Susan. His third bottle of beer had just arrived. After those two were gone from view Nick poured his entire beer into an empty water glass, tilting the glass to prevent any foaming. He slid the beer over to his daughter.
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