The Devil Child

Chapter Fifty-One

 "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.