Hedgesville, West Virginia
Caspian Residence
Sunday, August 25, 1996
4:40 PM

“You’re dad?” Reiyl questioned the baffled girl as he was wrapping gauze bandaging around his hand. His eyes were on her.
“But that can’t be right,” she mumbled. “The picture I have of him was taken seventeen years ago when he was like…twelve or something. That guy looks no older than sixteen. That guy can‘t be him, right?”
“That guy is a demon,” Reiyl stated flatly as he eyed her with a dull expression, “so it‘s possible. You have to remember that a demon can stop is aging.”
“But I‘m not a demon,” Jennie replied hastily, eyeing Reiyl abruptly with wide, startled eyes. “I can’t have a demon dad.”
“Just because you’re human doesn’t mean your father wasn’t a demon,” Reiyl said with a heavy sigh. “The child of demon and human will be either one or the other. There’s no such thing as a half-human, half-demon.”
“So…he could be my dad?” Jennie asked as Reiyl nodded. A cold sensation rushed through her body as she broke her gaze with Reiyl to stare at the doorway where the young man had left through. “How do I ask?”
“Simple really,” Reiyl remarked as he placed his hands behind his head and looked to the ceiling for a brief moment before eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes. “You said you have a picture of your father? Well, get the picture and ask the guy, ‘Is this you?’”
Without hesitating, he turned and walked off while muttering to himself. “Stupid. I need get some tape for this stuff…”
Jennie’s eyes lit up as her mouth dropped opened. “You’re right!” she exclaimed as she clutched her hands together in front of her face.
“But…” Slowly she let her hands fall to the sides of her body as she gazed blankly into the distance. “I guess it’s worth a shot.”
Making her way to her bedroom, Jennie entered and opened the door to her closet. Her eyes settled on a box that still contained unpacked items and began ruffling through it to find the picture of her father.
With the photo in her hands, she stared down at it with disgust. A frown formed on her face. Then a sigh escaped her as she dropped her hands to her lap.
“Almost identical,” she replied. “Down to the stupid star tattoo on the cheek.”
Bouncing back downstairs, she turned to Nick’s study, but paused when she heard yelling from within the room. Her heart quickened.
Everything around her became quiet as she tried to concentrate on what was being said inside. She tiptoed closer, holding her breath and urging herself not to make a sound.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Coming back only to ask for money?!” Jennie recognized the voice to be Nick. “Didn’t Morey give you anything?!”
“No, the fucker said he wouldn’t give me anything,” the other said.
“Then what makes you think I ought to give you anything?” Nick proclaimed.
“Because we’re old buddies,” the fellow replied in a singsong voice.
“Since when?” Nick stated in a tone that sent chills down Jennie’s spine. She had never heard Nick sound so malicious and callous.
“Ah, come on, Nick, we’re old friends,” the guy said.
“You left,” Nick growled as the sound of hands hitting something hard was heard. “You made us all suffer. And for what? Simple revenge? Grow up, Cori. You need to open your fucking eyes. You’re not a twelve year old kid who can get away with treason. You’re an adult and you should start acting like one.”
“Damn, you’re going to start lecturing me, too?” the man called Cori replied with a huffy tone.
“You ought to listen to what’s being said,” Nick responded hastily. “You have responsibilities here.”
“Responsibilities are for fucking tools,” Cori snarled. “I don’t need to be weighed down by shit.”
“I shouldn’t be the one having to pick up after your messes,” Nick stated flatly.
“What messes?” Cori replied coldly.
“How about the one who has her ear up to that door,” Nick said as Jennie backed away from the door with her eyes wide.
“Shit,” she mumbled as she looked about frantically. With a simple dash forward, she headed back to the kitchen. Breathing slowly to herself, she watched as Reiyl walked back into the kitchen with a stern look on his face.
“Well?” Reiyl questioned without looking at her. His attention was still on his wounded hand. He was applying adhesive tape to the gauze in order to hold it in place.
“I didn’t get to ask, but I think…I think he is my dad,” Jennie said quietly as she sat down in a chair. “Nick didn’t seem to happy about him…and he knew I was there, listening in on him.”
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Reiyl gruffly stated as he looked over his shoulder at her. “I didn’t mean to get all hotheaded about Kasei. If it comes down to it, that he has to stay and I have to go back, then I want you to look after him for me. He’s really fond of you.”
“I noticed,” Jennie said as she laid her head down on the kitchen table. Placing the photo of her biological father on the tabletop, she groaned then looked up at Reiyl.
“Reiyl…could I ask you something?”
“Sure,” he said as he went back to the dishes, drying them now.
“What was your father like?” she asked.
“Masato Hidaka,” Reiyl said in a calm voice. “He was a man who would stand up against someone twice his size and not back down. He would never let anyone touch his family. And yet…it never occurred to him that family could be the enemy.”
“Your brother?” Jennie asked as Reiyl looked over his shoulder at her then nodded.
“To kill your own without hesitation,” he whispered, “means changing your own fate. You become cursed.”
The demon stood at the counter, holding a plate in both hands while staring at the wall vacantly. Jennie gazed at the back of his head, eyeing his long hair that hung down his back loosely.
“My brother was a cat demon,” Reiyl stated in a composed voice, “a very strong one at that, and he tossed it all away to kill the ones that raised him. The Goddess Alitheea doesn‘t allow for such a dishonor to occur. To betray your family, it is an atrocity against her. And she cursed him for his transgression.”
His words were spoken clearly and yet seemed forced. It was as if he didn’t want to say them, but had been told it many times before. A speech he had memorized in the past.
“Cursed him?” she asked. Her eyes followed Reiyl’s movements as he put down the dish.
“Nakatsu,” Reiyl whispered, turning around and taking a seat in front of Jennie. He placed his elbows on the table then placed his head in his hands, not wanting to look at her. “His skin paled and eyes went lifeless. Even his demon mark changed.“
Reiyl shifted in his seat then dropped his hands and looked to Jennie. “He wasn’t the same person I knew. He started to crave for the blood of his own.”
Jennie dropped her head, staring at the tabletop. She was unsure what to say to him.
“I remember one night he tried to attack Kasei,” he continued, “Our parents were already gone because of him and now he was after my younger brother. What could I do? I was scared and trembling…“
“Of course you were!“ Jennie shouted abruptly, startling herself and Reiyl.
Both stared at each other as Reiyl smiled slightly. He reached out a hand, touching herself lightly from across the table.
“I did the only thing I could,“ he whispered, “I held onto Kasei while my grandparents fought Nakatsu off. My grandfather died that night. And my grandmother, being the head of the village, turned him away. And he fled…”
“I don’t understand,” Jennie said with confused eyes.
“Nakatsu had been turned into an undead, a vampire,” Reiyl whispered. “It’s a curse that Alitheea inflicts on those who disobey her laws. A loving, but cruel goddess.”
“Why…why did he kill your parents?” she questioned.
“He didn‘t wish to follow the rules of the village anymore,” Reiyl stated. He looked up at her with troubled eyes. “He was seduced by Sanction and gave him the means to kill a demon. Then he felt the need to slaughter his family…”
“But maybe there was a reason for it,” she said.
“There’s no reason to kill your parents,” Reiyl growled.
“What’s up with the somber attitudes in here?”
Riley had stepped into the kitchen, wearing his usual pair of sleep pants. He had a hand down his pants and appears he be scratching himself.
“Nothing,” Jennie said as she stood up. “What’s up with you?”
“Just getting myself a drink before heading upstairs,” Riley replied as he walked toward the refrigerator. He paused when his eyes saw the photograph on the table. “What’s this doing here?”
The green haired man froze and his face went white when he noticed the guitar case that sat near the table. He looked to Jennie quickly then to Reiyl, but said nothing.
“Your dad is talking to a guy who looks just like this,” Jennie said as she picked up the picture, holding it up to him. “When you saw this picture before, did you recognize him?”
“It‘s possible…maybe?” he said with noticeable discomfort, turning his attention quickly back to the refrigerator.
“Then tell me who the hell this guy is.” She pushed the photo in Riley’s face before he could open the door to the fridge. But then it hit her. “Wait, your dad called that guy Cori. Cori…Cori…”
“Coriander Byrant,” Riley said. “That’s his name.”
“Coriander Byrant,” she repeated.
“Byrant, like Janiston?” Reiyl asked from the table as Jennie’s eyes questioned what Reiyl said.
“Yeah,” Riley whispered.
Jennie stood with a perplexed look on her face. Pieces of various information flowed through her head.
“Oh my God!” she screamed suddenly as she dropped to her knees. “Cori is Morey’s little brother…Janiston’s uncle… That makes Morey my uncle and Janiston is my cousin. Meaning I still have family. I have a family still.”
Tears began to form in her eyes as she sat laughing to herself. “And I have a dad after all.”
“Jennie, wait a minute,” Riley replied, kneeling down in front of her. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. Yeah, you’re right about Morey and Janiston. They are related to you, but don’t rely on Cori. Don’t look at him to be a father to you.”
“I know,” Jennie whispered, hugging the picture to herself. “I said I didn’t care if he was rotting in a ditch somewhere and that’s the truth. But I’m just happy to know I still have someone out there. I thought I was the only one left.”
Grabbing a hold of Jennie’s shoulders, Riley helped her to her feet then stared down at her with concerned eyes. “Just forgo everything,” he said. “When he comes out, just ignore him. He’s ignored you for sixteen years, so you can do the same.”
Standing quietly while staring at the photograph, Jennie nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered.
“I learned a long time ago that’s it not who gave birth to you, but who raised you. So I know who my parents are. And I know that that man isn’t my dad. Just the man who helped create me. Although…”
Her eyes narrowed as her fists clenched. “Something’s up with the whole situation. And I want to know what.”
“Oh God,” Reiyl said with a heavy sigh. Opening the refrigerator and grabbing a soda, he shook his head. “She’s got that look on her face again.”
“Nick is going to explain,” Jennie said as she pointed hastily at Riley. “Even if it means I have to…um, how do you restrain a demon?”
“Be careful,” Riley whispered.
Turning around, he headed back out of the kitchen. With a sigh, he looked over his shoulder for a moment then smiled. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jennie replied with a laugh. “I’ve been through worse.”
Reiyl gazed at the girl who was trying to act stronger than what she was. “I’m going to head upstairs,” he said, catching Jennie off guard.
“Oh, okay,” she said. “Did you finish…oh, guess you did.” Looking toward the sink to see that the dishes were finished, she smiled at Reiyl.
“Like Riley said, be careful,” Reiyl said calmly as he placed his bandaged hand on Jennie’s head. He looked into her eyes and gave her a sympathetic smile. “I don’t want to see you hurt either.”
“And like I said I’ll be fine,” she replied hastily, pushing Reiyl’s hand from her head.