Endless Souls

A Spiral into Oblivion

I fold the laundry angrily.

"Ember where's daddy?"

"He's not here."

"He left too?" I stop for a minute to look at Wendy.

"Listen. Whoever that is on that couch downstairs is not our father."

"Ember he's spiraling. He needs us right now."

"You can be there for him. But as long as he's drinking his worries away that's not my father."

"Please-"

"No more discussion Wendy."

"When's the baby due?"

"October." She nods.

"Why do you care about saving him? Right now he doesn't mean a damn to me."

"I can hear you Ember." I hear him shout from downstairs.

"You really think I give a damn?" My almost drunk father comes up the stairs.

"I'm your father. You listen to me."

"No, I'm almost 25, I can do whatever the hell I want. And obviously you don't care, or you wouldn't be spiraling into oblivion jackass."

"You do not talk to me that way."

"Don't make that petty excuse 'I am your father' because whoever you are, you're not my father."

"I am your father Ember Rose."

"Ugh would you please just shut up and leave me alone?"

"Ember!"

"I'm moving out with Xavier tomorrow anyways."

"Oh hell no you're not."

"Again, I'm 24. You can't tell me what I can and can't do."

"Yes I can."

"Arrogant asshole."

"Damn you're starting to sound like you're mother."

"I'm starting to realize why she always called you an arrogant, self-centered, manipulative jackass."

"Mommy?"

"Move." I push him out of the way and I go downstairs.

"What's up Lizzie?"

"I can't find my bear."

"Have daddy look for it I gotta do some more laundry." She nods and runs off. The asshole that supposedly is my father comes down the stairs.

"Where's Klaus?"

"I don't know jackass. Probably out looking for Aunt Caroline and Mom."

"Where are they?"

"Who the hell knows?!? You stopped taking vervain and let another woman sleep with you! I can see where mom's coming from!"

"And how is that?"

"Because my daughter's arrogant hybrid asshole of a birth father slept with another girl the night before our wedding. And this girl was also my supposed best friend. I don't think mom was overreacting. Xavier's a better father for her anyways." I shoot him a glare.

"Why do you hate me again?"

"Because you're not taking care of your 5 year old daughter and your 9 year old son! I have to raise them all on my own and if you hadn't noticed, I'm 5 months pregnant and I'm raising my daughter! You didn't even bother to ask me about your grandchild which you don't seem to give a damn about. Sometimes I wonder if you ever wanted us in the first place, if you ever really loved Mom or maybe she was just a challenge because she was in love with Uncle Stefan and you manipulated her like you manipulated Aunt Lexi and so many other girls you slept with over the years."

"Your mother is my entire life! But she's never going to forgive me! I have nothing else to live for."

"YOU ARE KIDDING ME!" He stares intently at the bottle of bourbon in his hand.

"Damien! Wendy!" They come bounding down the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to meet Damon Salvatore."

"Dad?"

"Hey jackass. Look at us. Look. At. Us." I growl. He looks up at the 3 of us.

"Wendy is terrified! She wants to help you but she doesn't know how. You're not even in her life anymore." I point to Damien.

"Look at your son! My brother! He's in love with someone! He needs a guy to talk to! His father!" Dad looks at me.

"Look at me Dad. I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant. I'm a mother about to have another baby with a runaway vampire mother and a drunken vampire father. I'm taking care of my little brother and sister. I'm not kicking them to the curb like you. I'm maintaining a stable education while busy taking care of the baby inside of me. I thought you said you'd always protect us! Be here for us! You're a dirty liar and I wish you weren't my father." I wish I regret the words that leave my mouth.

Sadly, I don't.

He looks up at me with hurt written across his face. Tears fall out of my eyes.

"I have to do all that and I'm only 24. Sometimes I just need my daddy to hold me and rock me and tell me that everything's going to be alright that I'll see mom again. Because she's not answering her phone, neither is Aunt Caroline. I don't know if I'm ever going to see my mother again. Excuse me if I'm not in the mood to see you spiral out of control until you just leave us too and we can call ourselves orphans. Because you're not being the daddy I had when I was young that held me at my mother's funeral. I saw my own mother's heart ripped out. I'm only 24 and I've been through too much to deal with." Hurt and guilt plastered across his face, I march up to start another load of laundry.