All the Devils are Here

Daddy's Girl

Fallon

When I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to be just like my Father. I wanted to lead my family, I wanted to lead our entire faction. It wasn't because I was obsessed with the concept of power or because I enjoyed the idea of becoming an authoritative figure. It was because I adored my Father. So when I turned 16 and finally had a chance to go on a hunt, I was ecstatic. My father had been the leader of our faction - the Evanders, and his father, and his father's father. During my first hunt, I had witnessed a kill. I didn't flinch. My father would later tell me that he was proud and one day, I would carry on the legacy of our faction. One day, I will lead. I had always suspected it but, it was on this day that I confirmed that he had adored me just as much as I adored him. 

Today, I turned 24. Eight years since my first hunt and, Six since my first kill. I packed the belongings I needed most, the money that I started saving a year ago when I decided that I had to leave and I did the one thing I was never supposed to do - I left. That was 2 hours ago.

I hate to be a cliche but, this moment for me was as cliche as it gets. I could just picture it in my head - girl runs away from home and on her drive to her new city, the windows are rolled all the way down with the wind blowing her hair and a generic bubbly song blasting from the radio and of course a breathtaking view of the city in the background. Except, this whole running away from home thing isn't half as feel-good as it is portrayed. I've never had to drive in the crazy traffic in the center of the city before and let me simply say I got yelled at more than twice for my not-so-great driving skills. I yelled right back. I didn't exactly plan this whole thing well and even though I have enough money to pay a couple of months' rent, I don't actually have a place to stay yet. 

Thankfully the tank is full and since it's still the middle of the afternoon, I decide to drive around the city until I find a safe-looking motel that I can manage while I search for an apartment. On my drive, I acknowledge one of the things I've always known about Northview city. Everywhere in the city was noisy, from uptown where my family lived to Hayride, known to be the most notorious part of the city but, the noisiest part of the city is without a doubt the Center. From whatever angle you're standing, it's almost certain that you could be witnessing something unnecessarily dramatic or completely batshit insane. When I was much younger, my mother used to say those we saw behave wild and obnoxious were ' the others'. She used that phrase to refer to the werewolves or any of the less prevalent other being groups. If she was right, then that will mean everyone in the center of the city was one of ' the others' because the people here are loud. And I actually like it. 

After burning an hour driving around and psychoanalyzing the unsuspecting residents of this part of the city, I finally come across a motel that isn't located right beside a strip club, bar, or nightclub. Something tells me this part of the city doesn't care much about family values. Luckily for me, this motel is located in a more residential block and my temporary neighbouring buildings are condominiums and a bakery. The parking lot of the motel has only one free parking space that seems to have just been waiting for my arrival. For the first time in over three hours, I have a moment to pause. I have a moment to be present in my reality. I just left my family. I just left everything that I had ever known and all my previous dreams and aspirations. A new start; that's what this is supposed to be. Even though I left my family with no means to contact me, I know they'd find me sooner or later. After all, I'm still in Northview. Even with a population of over 3million people, I knew if they wanted to find me today, they probably will. It didn't matter if they found me because I'm not going back. I don't intend to hide from them, I just want space.

I get out of my car and head inside the motel with the only bag I bothered to pack. It has all the essentials in it. Money, gun, ID,  2 days change of clothes and, my knives because you can never be too prepared. The first impression of this motel is the smell - this place might as well be a bar from the distinct smell of beer. The receptionist is nose deep in a book and the sound of her loud gum chewing combines with the rattling noise from the aged air conditioner. She doesn't look up when I step in and before I reach her, a couple emerges from the staircase towards the left and they're two seconds from going into a full fistfight. I tune the yelling out and study the interior design of the building and I do appreciate the view of two stairways disappearing into where I'd have to assume leads to the rooms. From here, all I can see is the wide entrance with the receptionist's desk, two gold-painted stairways that have started to rust, and a hallway straight ahead that leads to the outdoor part of the building. 

I fully expect the receptionist to address them but, she doesn't even look up from her book. 

"Whatchu looking at?", the female part of the couple glares at me with the question and that's when I notice I must have been staring. I move my gaze away from their direction and draw closer to the receptionist. I say hey and she doesn't reply so I'm forced to flick my finger at her book causing it to almost fall out of her hand.

"Hey!", she finally addresses me with a frown on her face, I guess my frown is worse because she backs down when she sees my face.

"I need a room for two nights, how much does that cost?"

"40 a night". It's quieter now as the fighting couple exit the building and it's just me and the receptionist whose name tag says she's Mina. I hand her the 80 and she asks for my name. I'm taken aback at first but, then I realize she has to put it in the system. 

"Hera", I reply. In less than a second, I decided that in this my new life, I don't want to be Fallon anymore. 

"Last name?", she asks as she simultaneously pops her gum.

"Johnson". She types that, doesn't bother asking for my ID which certainly doesn't match my newly formed identity, and then she hands me the keys to room 012. I know she's s**t at her job but, I'm pleased with it because it benefits me.

"Welcome to Holiday", she mutters and picks her book back up. It takes me a minute to find my room and maybe 30 seconds to unpack. I don't care that my room is tinier than any space I've ever been in or that I just saw a cockroach majestically walk from one end of the room to the other, I'm content in this moment. Surprisingly, I fall asleep in a matter of minutes with my Glock in my hand and my door left unlocked.