Daddy's Home

"D-dad."

The little rat was visibly shaken by the man. Both his hair and shirt were greasy and undone.

"Who the hell did you let'n our house?!"

She jumped lowering her head. Wiping the soap off onto her pants.

"You're not scared of me, but you are of him?" She just quickly glanced up at me. As if to tell me to stay quiet.

This man had a darkness to him. One that looms around him and controls his every move.

"Those bruises from before, was he the one who did that to you?" Her head sunk lower.

I'll take that as a yes.

"Do you want me to take care of him?" I whispered to her.

She shook violently.

"Hey, you little shit. I'm talkin' to ya." He walked past me shoving her roughly against the sink.

"Because I will." I clenched my fists.

"I-I'm helping a f-friend get better. He, he was hurt so I-"

"What! Did you think something like you could actually help anyone? Get him out my house!" He pushed her towards me.

"D-dad please, he's hurt and he needs-"

"Shut up! I don't care about what he needs. Either you get him out or I will." His face scrunched together.

I laughed to myself.

"What the hell is so funny?" He turned his attention to me.

"I'd like to see you try." I couldn't help but smile.

"Kai don't." She pulled at my arm.

"The fuck did you just say to me boy?" He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"Stop! His hurt. You can't do that to him." She clung to his arm. Trying to pull him away.

"Get off me!" He tossed her aside. Throwing me back down into my seat.

Her little body mashed into the kitchen cabinets. A tiny whine echoed throughout the house causing a fire to bubble within me.

"You worthless little-" He raised the liquor bottle. Aiming his swing down towards Ben.

My body reacted on its own. Before I knew it, my hand was wrapped around that man's neck. Dangling him in the air above her. He wiggled and squealed like a pig within my grasp.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" I snarled at him. Pushing my horns from beneath my scalp.

"P-p-plea-!" I tightened my grip.

"Come on, weren't you all big and bad a second ago. What, cat got your tongue?"

He gagged clawing at my hand.

"Stop!" Ben struggled to get up off the floor.

"I want to hear you beg for your pathetic little life."

Images of that grotesque figure from my nightmares flared in the back of my mind. I could feel a chilling darkness take over me as blue flames cascaded out from my shoulders. Spiraling down my arms to crawl up my neck. Red filled my vision. I could feel myself losing control. My grip tightened around his neck. I could feel my teeth sharpen against my gums as an immense heat burned within me. Then a thought trickled from the back of my mind. That with a quick twist of my hand I could simply snap this man's neck. Freeing us from this hell.

"Kai stop!"

My body froze.

"Please calm down." She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you worried about him? He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as us." I snapped at her.

"It's not him I'm worried about. It's you. I don't want you to become this kind of person. So please, let him go." I could feel her little hands clutch at my shirt. Dispelling the darkness that tried to take me over.

I released her father letting him fall to the ground.

"You demon!" He yelled at her, coughing for air.

She hid behind my legs. Not afraid of the flames that grew out of them.

"I knew that there was nothin' good about you. You bring this thing into my house and have it attack me! We should've thrown you away when we had the chance. You killed your mother! You hear me you demon. You killed her!" He spat at her.

"HEY! If I were you, I'd leave this house and never come back. If I catch you within a hundred yards of this place I will break every bone in your body and I will make sure that I take my time to hear you scream. She won't be able to save you then. Now go." He glared at me before stumbling out the door.

"Ah, shit!" Pain sliced through my side.

"Kai! What's wrong?"

I fell to my knees clutching my wound. Blood seeped out through my fingers.

"I was careless. My ah! My wound opened again." I winced.

"I-I'll get you some bandages." She ran to the bedroom and came back with a first aid kit.

I pulled myself up onto a chair. Holding up my shirt with my mouth while ripping off the old bandages.

I can't believe I let myself lose control like that. I can never allow that to happen again. Next time, Ben won't be so lucky.

"Sorry." She sniffled cleaning my wound.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"My dad was mean to you and now your hurt again." She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes as she applied the medicine.

"This had nothing to do with you. I lost control and your dad is just an ass. Is he always like that?" I winced as she wrapped me up.

"I lied before about my mom. Since she died he's been really bad. He blames me for it and maybe he's right. It's all my fault th-that mom is gone." Her little hands trembled.

"Look at me." She glanced up and I flicked her forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" She held her head.

"You need to shut up and stop playing this whole blame game shit. Nothing that's happened to you is your fault. We are just two small pebbles in a large lake. Sometimes where we land, we become stable and strong enough not to be moved. But sometimes the current is just too rough to withstand. It'll move us and toss us around just for the hell of it, and it's not the pebble's or current's fault. It's just life. Shit happens. But there is always something you can do about it. So don't just stand there and take it. Fight back. Otherwise, this world will eat you alive." I snatched the tape from the kit and tapped down the edges of the bandage.

"I wish I was strong like you."

"With enough training, you could be." I slowly stood up and made my way back to the bed.

"You really were telling the truth when you said you were a demon." She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well not completely."

"Hm?"

"Since you've told me something personal, I'll do the same."

She watched me intently as she sat with her legs crossed.

"I come from is a land called Holndusk. It's one of the many countries where the beings staying there are derived from demons and devils of all kinds. It has been centuries since a purebred has been born. The only ones left are those of higher power, like the royals. Most of us come from a lineage of mixed blood. Like there are different kinds of humans, not all of us are evil by nature. Because of all the crossbreeding, we were able to break free from our ancestors' hold on our lives. Some, still live by old rules. Following the code of their ancestors."

"Then what are you mixed with?"

"My mother was a mixed Fae Fire demon. While my father was a Lunar demon, who used the energy of

the moon as his power source."

"Ooh. That is amazing." Her eyes went all big.

"Yup. That's my background."

"But wait, why is there a bad guy trying to hurt you?"

"That little rat is a story for another time." I shooed her away.

"Aw, what! Why? I wanna know!"

"When you're older I'll tell you."

"That's what they all say." She pouted.

"Shut up and move. You're in my way." I lightly pushed her with my foot.

"Do you wanna watch a movie with me?" She jumped up.

"Argh, sure." I sighed.

"We can watch this one. It's my favorite movie ever." She picked up a CD.

"And what's so special about it?" I placed some pillows underneath my back to keep my body elevated.

"Everything! It's called Peter Pan. There's this magical boy who can fly because of his fairy, Tinker Bell.

And he comes into Wendy's room and takes her away on adventures." She played the movie. Sitting on the floor in front of the TV.

"I have always wished to be Wendy. For my Peter Pan to come and take me away." She sadly smiled watching the screen.

"Hey, you never know."