Chapter 13 (Pt. 3) - Cody


Cody found himself settled in the comfortable visiting room. He debated taking one of the cushions back to his room, but decided against it on account of getting in trouble just for making a decision. As far as he knew, the nurses would feed him another set of pills just for making his own choices. Still, he traced his fingers across the felt of the pillow, enjoying it. At least this place had soft things. Prison would never have been like this.

The hissing of the door and the beeping of the card-identification device drew his attention toward the door. The man's mouth stretched into an uncomfortably-wide grin when his daughter, uneasy as she appeared, walked in. She settled neatly down on the chair across from him, her eyes down, head lowered, and arms crossed. She wasn't ever this withdrawn. Something was on her mind.

Still, he wanted to be with his daughter. The man anxiously scooted closer. Stretching his arms out toward her, his eyes shimmered. Hers did, too, but in a much less positive light. "Dad... why him? Why Camilo?" These words, her stature, the way she presented herself, it was like she was being forced. This wasn't his confident little girl. He expected some negative repercussions on her for his actions, but this? It wasn't Evelyn at all. He squinted, trying to figure out the game. "Who put you up to this? Amelia? Her parents?" The man asked, thumb pressed into his cheek.

When Evelyn jerked her head up, he could almost hear her heartbeat hastening. He must be close with one of those. "Dad, I have a bo- a boyfri-" The words were still difficult, even when he could do nothing about it. His eyes grew wide, and her face burned with, almost shame. Surely it couldn't be Trevor. That kid was in juve, right? Was it that Justin kid, maybe? He was a jerk though wasn't he? Who else would put her through this questionnaire?

"It's Viktor." The girl cleared her throat. Well, that was a relief. At least he knew this kid was a good guy. The man let out a breath of relief, and leaned back in his seat. "Thank you for wisening up with your romantic choices. I used to play around with his parents and joke about you two ending up together. You were so cute together." The man's eyes softened on his daughter. Her expression only grew colder.

"You know who else was so amazing? Camilo. So why, dad, did you kill him? Why tie him up, and put him down like some kind of dog? Why mutilate his corpse? If he meant nothing to you, how can Viktor? Or Amelia? Or... or me?" That last part caused the man's joints to stiffen. His face drained of color, lungs ceasing to function if but for a few seconds.

What else could he say? He opened his mouth, expecting something to spontaneously blurt out, like an epic monologue about fatherhood, but all he said after moments of hesitation was "Evelyn, you know that I love you." The look she gave him, however? It told him she didn't believe him at all. Perhaps that was even more reason to change who he was. "You blended in perfectly, dad. You always did. For years. How many years, dad?" She huffed. "Nevermind, I'm not interested." She hissed, standing now.

He didn't know what to say to keep her here. He didn't even know if his explanation would do anything for her but make her feel worse. Could she handle the truth? Maybe not. But she did deserve it, as his child. "I chose Camilo instead of the others because he was so, so happy. He had the perfect life. He always did. I... know it doesn't make sense, especially from someone like me. I promise you, I never wanted to come after our family. We're not the perfect little pair who have everything. We've always lacked a lot of good influence. Both of us. So we didn't count on my uh, 'list' of qualifications." His lips pursed, eyes following his disgusted daughter to the door.

"You had a list, huh? All the happy-go-lucky suckers out there. Only your family could be happy and successful, hm?" She scoffed, eyes rolling. When she put it that way, it actually sounded better to him than just killing happy people. It made more sense, in a weird way.

He had to move the conversation somewhere else, right? Maybe since she had Viktor, he could speak to her about the woman he'd gotten to know so well in this place. "I've met someone in my time here." The man noted, head perking up. Smiling at the teenager, he just wanted to make her happy again.

She appeared curious only for a moment. "Her name is Cosette. We've become very close, and I think you-" "I'm so glad you've found another psycho to be besties with dad." Evelyn's eyes rolled. He could tell she was angry. He could understand that. How else was she supposed to feel? Apologizing wouldn't do anything now. It was too late for that. "She's not crazy, Princess. She's healed up, I guess would be the best way to put it." Stroking his chin, he debated what to say next. "For the record? I really am trying to change. I don't just want to blend in with my society. I want to become a part of it." These words were his only consolation for her.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she only saw a snake with a silver tongue. A weasel trying to slip around the cracks. An eel that had already escaped the worst of it. A fox as sly and intelligent as any escape artist. He was nothing. The pain he felt wasn't because of that, though. It was rather her own pain, only revealing itself in her physical posture, which she struggled to keep up. She tried to stand strong in front of him, but just being in his presence ruined her.

"I'm not coming back. If you ever get out of here, which you won't, don't look for me. Don't drive by my house, wherever it is. I'm not going to be associated with... this." She waved a loose hand in his direction. The man's face fell when she turned from him. He wanted to say one last 'I love you', but didn't have the heart. That was another regret, now. Possibly the last time he'd see his daughter, and he couldn't even say it? "Princess, Evelyn, I-" "I don't want to hear it!" Her cracking voice and teary eyes made him clam up.

She whisked away into nothingness past the door. It was time for a change in him, was it not? But how could he change? The monster wasn't anything he feared or despised. It wasn't something he had to become. It was always there, biding its time. It only ever came out when he, well, was in the act of being Dr. Demise.

~~Problem: He had to kill the monster raging within.

Problem Two: He didn't claim to have a demon, he himself was the monster.

Solution: Literally anything but killing people-?~~

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