Accidents Made Right 1: Pistanthrophobia

Chapter 8: Manipulated Emotions

I went about my usual daily business, which included waking up, changing clothes, and eating breakfast, and then after I headed out the door, I saw my father leaning against one of the columns that held up the front part of the house's roof.

"D-do you want something, f-father?"

"Yes," he said as he walked to me. Continuing, he said "Remember how I told you to get Steve to come to the nearby school?"

"Y-yes?"

He sighed, knelt down, looking in my eyes, and said "Tell him... that you ran away."

"W-what?"

"I'm launching an attack on their camp today, and I want you and Steve to stay out of the way. I'm planning on the two of you... surviving by yourselves. With zero help."

"B-but... why?"

He sighed again as he stood up and explained "Want me to be honest? I'm planning on consuming Steve's power, which will kill him, but... because of his connection to the voices, I have to emotionally destroy him first. He has to be knee-deep in the lake of fear before I can take his power for my own."

"B-but... I... I-I like h-him."

"I know, and it pains me to have to tell you this... but think about it. If he ever finds out what you are... what we are, do you really think he'll give you a chance?"

"W-what do you m-mean?"

"He'll reject you, possibly even try to kill you. That's the curse of us being... well, us. Most people would hate us no matter what if we told them our true nature."

"B-but... you told m-mom."

"And she's a wonderful women for accepting me. But the truth is... I got lucky."

"W-wait. H-how would the both o-of us surviving o-on our own h-have anything to do with t-that?"

"Because has a crush on you. And... after his parents die today, you'll be the only thing he'll have left."

I looked down at the ground, processing what my father had just said, then looked back up at him and nodded, before walking away to the school.

30 minutes later

I waited on a pillar next to the school, reflecting on my previous conversation.

Just because I'm connected to Fear... that doesn't mean I'm bad, right?

No, it doesn't. I mean... you're connected to me as well, Hope responded.

Nah... you're wrong. He's connected to me, which automatically means he's evil, Fear said.

But if he's connected to me, he's automatically good, Hope countered.

Which makes the two counteract, and since he's part human, he automatically counts as evil.

That... just because he's human doesn't mean he's evil.

Sure, but most humans are.

Please, guys, stop. Steve's coming, I said to Hope and Fear.

"H-hey Steve! Over h-here," I called over to Steve.

"What's up," Steve asked as he walked to me.

"I'm g-good! W-wondering how I-I found this p-place," I asked, realizing I hadn't even come up with an excuse for why I ran away yet.

"Yeah, actually," Steve responded, reaching the pillar I was sitting on, and sitting next to me.

"W-well, y-you see..." I started to say, trying to quickly come up with a good excuse.

"I may or m-may not have... ran a-away."

"Oh."

"Y-yeah. An argument c-came out between my p-parents, and after a f-few minutes, my f-father directed the b-blame towards me, a-and...," I lied.

"I understand. You don't have to tell me anymore," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I blushed.

"T-thanks."

"No problem! So... anyways, you wanna go explore," Steve asked as he hopped off of the column.

"S-sure," I responded before getting off the column too.

I feel so bad for the both of them... anyways, stuffs my entire face into popcorn.