"Are you ready?"

Tanner stood with his back to Gryphon, his broad shoulders encased in a dark, charcoal suit. His dark hair was combed, and his skin was pale. His eyes though were determined.

When he turned towards the younger man, Tanner's eyes softened. Despite the long hours of writing speeches and trying to win people over, Gryphon had been there by his side, giving him cups of mint tea and listening to his mock-speeches.

Tanner didn't know why his chest felt so tight when he looked at the dark skinned high schooler.

"I'm ready to show my dad that he made a mistake."

Before Gryphon could fit in a response, Minny and Lennard entered backstage. While they looked identical, Minny was much more nervous than Lennard showed. Lennard looked stone cold, his face blank and his mouth straight. Minny, though, was a mess of nerves.

"Tanner, you need to deliver the speech, and you need to do it well. Father had you speaking in front of people about God. And now you need to do it for an actual reason. You need to win over those people like you did in church. You need to put on the charm and be the man that father raised."

Words Tanner didn't want to hear. The man father raised.

Minny didn't say anything for a moment, just banging a fist against his forehead. He chomped away on his mint gum, and then he let out a long sigh. "Think about Polly, Tanner. Think about her, and what you've done, and who you're fighting for. Think about Gryphon, cause you're fighting for him, too."

Tanner's eyes looked over at Gryphon, his chest tightening. He didn't want to let anyone down, least of all the person who has been his rock for the past few weeks.

"You know all of father's weak points. Hit them, and hit them hard. And when he hits yours, defend and hit again. Got it?"

Despite their age difference, Tanner felt like he was the younger child. He wasn't used to that, the feeling of being inferior, but he knew Lennard was right. He needed to take down the very man who shaped him to be a torture machine, and he was going to do it well.

Gryphon patted Tanner on the shoulder, and held his eyes. "Polly and Kenzie are in the crowd. They'll be cheering you on." And then, after a beat of silence, "I'll be cheering you on."

Tanner nodded, and then a man wearing a headset motioned him forward. "It's showtime. Let's go, Mr. Higgins."

Mr. Higgins. Had a different ring than Dr. Higgins. A different ring that he liked, that gave him promise for a better future, a restart to life that he so desperately needed. And no he was about to do just that.

Gryphon, Lennard, and Minny watched as Tanner walked out on stage, disappearing from view. All three of them felt like they couldn't breathe, knowing that everything depended on this first speech. Tanner needed to do well.

Lennard turned to Minny. "Can you believe it? Can you believe we've made it this far? That we're relying on Tanner to fix this mess?"

Minny looked at his twin, and for a moment, felt tears come to his eyes. He could remember all the times as kids that they had goofed around with Tanner, wondering about their older brother, dreaming of ways to get their father to focus on them for once. It was a dream that was never destined to come true, but as children, neither of them knew it yet.

And now, looking at each other, they realized that they'd dodged a bullet. That if Tanner hadn't been his star child, then it would have been Minny or Lennard. And both of them knew exactly who their father would have picked between the two.

"How could a family be so messed up in so many ways?" Minny laughed, but it was sad and reflective of their lives. Of how twisted their family dynamic was. Tanner, the boy without a mom. Lennard and Minny, the separated twins without caring parents.

"If Tanner can do this, then we've made it. After this, we could leave mom and dad. We could finally be free."

The words sounded sweet to Minny's ears, but he knew better than to trust them. Lennard may be free from his parents, but Minny still lived with them. Minny still attended private school, still had to dress up in uniforms, still had to bare with the family of rich adults who didn't care.

"Should we go out and listen?" Gryphon asked, butting into their conversation. His stomach was a knot of nerves, but he knew Tanner would do well up there. He was a man of poise and confidence.

Lennard nodded, spinning on his heel. "Yeah. Let's grab a seat. See how our brother does against pressure."

Gryphon turned to go with the twins, both identical in their stride and in the way their bodies moved in sync. But, then he paused, hearing Tanner's voice fill behind the stage, and he looked back over his shoulder. If he leaned enough to the left, he could see Tanner, his body straight and tall, his voice confident. And, despite the fact that he'd suggested it, Gryphon stayed behind, catching sight of Tanner well enough from the side.

The way his body was at ease, the slope of his relaxed shoulders, and the way Tanner held the microphone were the signs of a man who was well versed in political speeches. He was confident in his words and in his body posture, and Gryphon almost didn't recognize Tanner. The past few weeks, Tanner had been motivated but nervous. And now, he was winning the crowd over with his youthful good looks, his confidence, and his natural skill to win people over.

Tanner could sell anything confidently. Anything.

Even in the crowd, Polly and Kenzie watched with awe, realizing that they truly had a chance. Despite who Tanner once was, he now was a man driven for change. And even Polly found herself slipping a little, forgiveness flooding her heart. Of course, forgiveness would take more than being able to speak publicly, but Tanner sounded like he believed in the words he was preaching.

Perhaps he truly did.

Polly was feeling pretty good until the blank screen behind Tanner blinked to life, showing an image of Polly. She was younger, tortured, afraid. It was a picture of her from the camp, dressed in her gown, her hair tangled and her eyes fearful.

Her stomach dropped.

Beside her, Kenzie gripped her hand tightly.

"This girl is one of the victims of how a gay concentration camp works. She was admitted into the program as a young girl, and stayed for many years before she was released. The camp though proved to be unuseful for its mission. Think to yourself: would you put your child through this?"

The next image was of Polly again, with scars and bleeding cuts and a tear stained face. She felt sick in her seat, vomit ready to come up as she looked at the picture of herself, wondering why she had been put through such torture. Torture by the man showing the images. The forgiveness she'd felt moments before evaporated.

"Polly, it's okay. I'm here." Kenzie's voice was reassuring, soft, safe. Polly clung to her voice as her eyes took in the sight of her as a bloody mess.

"The man running against me, he wants this for children. He wants to put people through this practice, beating them up, making them bloody, showing them what pain feels like. Is that how you want people to be treated?"

Polly shot up from her seat at the next image of her and bolted for the doors. Her commotion, while no one recognized her, was enough to make the crowd voice their angered opinions over the camp. A perfect diversion, but Polly wasn't thinking of that as the tears streamed down her face.

Memories popped into her head, violent and terrifying. Memories of her on the bed, memories of Tanner cutting her open, memories of her watching porn in his office as he showed her how people loved each other.

She collapsed in the bathroom, sobs racking her chest. The memories of sitting in her house, having her parents call her a devil child because she liked girls. Memories of her parents ripping apart her sketchbook. Calling her names that made her hate herself.

Kenzie burst into the bathroom behind her, gather Polly into her arms. Polly, the sweet, blonde haired girl who wore animal shirts. The last girl anyone would suspect had gone through a rough childhood.

Kenzie buried her face into Polly's shaking shoulders. "It's over, Polly. You're free, and you're safe, and I love you."

Polly gripped Kenzie close, crying into her purple hair. "It hurts so much. The memories. I didn't expect him to show those pictures."

Kenzie gripped Polly's cheeks, bringing them apart. "I know it does. Life isn't easy, Polly, but it's how you react that determines how you live it. You're so strong, so much stronger than I am. I need you to breathe. And I need you to know that you're safe now. Safe with me, with your aunt and uncle, and even safe with Tanner."

Polly didn't answer in words. She pressed her lips against Kenzie's and kissed the purple haired girl with everything she had. All the love to give. Because she knew Kenzie was one of the best things that had happened to her.

Kenzie gripped Polly tightly, kissing her back with just as much love. Because she never thought she'd find her person, and especially didn't think she'd find her in high school. But, Polly was her person. Polly was the best thing that had happened to her.

Just as Gryphon was probably the best thing that had happened to Tanner. As Tanner ended his speech and stepped backstage, the only one waiting for him was the dark skinned boy, with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on him.

"How did I do?" Tanner's voice was nervous, unstable after giving such a grand speech. He'd seen Polly leave. He'd seen her tears.

Gryphon didn't let himself think. He wrapped his arms around Tanner and hugged him close, breathing in the scent of his cologne. Tanner was taller, but only by a few inches, and it made a difference. Made Gryphon feel like he didn't have to be as strong.

"You did so well. I think you made a big difference." But Gryphon hadn't seen Polly, nor had he seen the pictures of the girl on the screen due to where he'd been standing during the speech. But Tanner didn't care, and hugged Gryphon tighter to him.

"What if it wasn't enough?"

"Tanner, it was enough. This just the first speech of many. We're going to run a great campaign. And when we win, it'll all be worth it. All your nerves, all those nights staying awake working on these speeches. It will all be worth it."

Just when Tanner was going to lean his head against Gryphon's, Lennard and Minny rounded the corner, forcing Tanner to pull away from Gryphon. From the warmth that was the younger boy.

Lennard shook Tanner's hand. "That was just about perfect."

Minny nodded. "Yeah, it was Tanner. I'm going to go find Polly."

Gryphon didn't say anymore; he didn't have to.

* * *

We're almost done, my skeleton children!

Also, this story has stopped getting views, which is upsetting, but I'm hoping that after I'm done, people will read it more. Who knows. One can hope!!

I also hope everyone is enjoying the character development of Tanner.

And maybe the relationship between Tanner and Gryphon. Will that be a thing? Guess you'll have to continue reading to find out.

Okay, love you all! XOXO