Army of Me

Tobi had never considered himself the type of person to hold a grudge. Once apologies had been exchanged it was time to move on. Living by the whole cliche saying that life was too short to be angry at the world around you, but obviously, Kai changed that. Even if his brother reappeared out of the shadows and said sorry for what he did Tobi wouldn’t forgive him. Some things were unforgivable and drowning your brother was one of them.

But it had been over two years since the coven was taken down by some mysterious killer, which everyone presumed was Kai, yet no sign of him. There was no way his brother would have stayed hiding in the shadows this long. No, he’d want to see his family, brag to them about what he had done and probably take a bow at the end of it all. Mab was offering him a lifeline. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, but he was beginning to wonder whether Kai had actually made it out of the prison world. When his parents told him they thought Kai was out Tobi laughed, insisting there was no way a siphoner could break out of there, but they were serious.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. Tobi had promised Mab he would help her and he wasn’t one to break a promise (unless it was promising his parents he’d stop smoking and stop coming at 3 am). Plus how hard would it be to break someone out of the college? A few Latin words would have whoever was in there out in a flash. The last time he exchanged words with her she said she was asking someone else to help as well. Another witch. Ugh, how many people did it take?

He had exactly told his siblings about his exchange of words with Mab though. Jo would lose her mind for starters, having grown into that big sister role quite nicely by now. She was a proper adult, like with a proper job and proper qualifications. Meanwhile, the others were trailing twenty years behind. Tobi was trailing behind to begin with anyway. No real desire to go to college or even stick with the coven. Once he’d learned all their fancy spells he wanted to hit the road and break away from the family, or so he thought. His time on the other side made him realize being alone wasn’t that great. When he was younger he would sit at the dining table craving silence as the others argued about who ate the last piece of bread (it was usually Tobi). He was granted that wish.

He still embraced the quietness though. All day in Coffee Bean where the air was filled with customers chatting nonsense, then he’d go home to the Parker household where he was greeted by more noise, minus the voice of Jo and Kai. He slipped out of the Coffee Bean as soon as that sign flipped to close. A doughnut hung out of his mouth as he unchained his bike from outside the shop. One he put down as disposed but obviously snuck into his bag. It all ended up in the garbage anyway, so it might as well go to the good home. His stomach.

Tobi cycling a short distance down the street, one hand on the bar, one hand feeding his mouth. He swung a left as soon as he hit the apartment buildings and cycled around the back. A place he enjoyed chilling after work. Smoking whilst listening to music off his phone, which was still a crazy concept. No need to carry his massive portable CD player with him, weighing down his pocket. He balanced his bike against the wall outside, finishing the doughnut as he rummaged around inside his rucksack.

Bingo. What a wonderful way to relax after serving sandwiches and coffees all day.

He balanced the rollie in his mouth, pulling his lighter out of his pocket as he lit up. Tobi inhaled deeply, before letting the smoke seep from his mouth. He heard the back door click open near him. He pushed himself up off the wall as he waffled the smoke away. “Don’t worry. Not a creep. Just a person enjoying some fresh air” He dragged the rollie along the wall, extinguishing it before slipping it into the top pocket of his denim jacket. “You’d be better off carrying around a taser. Those things are painful” His only weapon was his magic and his ability to run fast. He glanced over at the door she came from, “I always thought that was some kind of fire exit y’know” Hence why he chose to smoke around the back of the building, assuming he’d be alone.


SADIE VALENCIA

His parents were so adamant to keep their children safe, yet they brought them to Mystic Falls. It didn’t make sense to Tobi. Surely they could have chosen some small town in Utah or even a city like Houston. Apparently the town was infested with magic, which helped bring the Parker’s back from the other side but now that was done it was time to move on. It wasn’t that Tobi didn’t like Mystic Falls, but he just couldn’t understand his parent’s desire to stay. It wouldn’t take long for Kai to find them if this place was a beacon for the supernatural or maybe that was his parent’s plan all along. To draw their psychotic son and trap him away again in a prison world. A fate worse than death. Being trapped alone in some magical land where there was no one around you. It was comforting to know his brother went through the same thing as he did on the other side. Trapped and alone. Doomed to watch everyone go about their lives without him in it.

By his own opinion, Tobi was the least intimidating person you could bump into at night. The guy didn’t look like he could put up much of a fight and was usually away with the fairies half the time. He didn’t give much of a shit about what lurked out there though. Unless they were lurking near water. The mere thought of water had his lungs burning.

Despite his non threatening demeanour, the woman was still cagey. There was probably more muscle on a newborn than Tobi, which he didn’t mind. He had zero interest in going to the gym. Pumping weights whilst watching himself in the mirror. The only reason he would go was to check out the talent in there, maybe try that weird machine that jiggles your fat around then go home for a drink.

He attempted to push away the smoke but the woman clocked on. “Medical reasons.” He responded with a cheeky smile. He then shook his head at her comment, “Nah. I watched some police documentary the other week based in New York. They were going after some huge guys. One zap from the taser and they were down.” It was one of those pointless documentaries that pop up on television in the early hours of the morning. Tobi lying across the sofa, his eyes barely open with one hand fishing chips out of the packet nearby. Crumbs scattered all down his top, with just as much on the floor. He managed to watch thirty minutes or so before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only to be woken up at 7 am by Liv banging around in the kitchen. Moments like that he missed the peace and quiet on the other side.

Tobi’s eyes ticked up at the large apartment block in front of them. “Sadly not. They look pretty cool from the outside though. Are they just as nice inside?” He looked back down at the woman. He was just a middle-aged man trapped in a teenager's body living with his parents. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford a swanky apartment with a king-size bed.” With one of those fridges that dispense ice.


SADIE VALENCIA

One thing he noticed about the people in Mystic Falls was the fact that everyone was cagey. People second guessing your intentions or slide their hand into their bag for pepper spray. He understood why though. The stories that were shared between locals weren’t exactly comforting. In fact, he was surprised his parents completely overlooked them when they decided to move here, potentially putting them in further danger. It was either here or face a lynching in Portland after people realised the Parker kids were back from the dead. Tobi had considered going back there, just to see the look on people's faces but Jo gave her a stern word of warning when he made a joke about it.

It was still weird to see Jo as an adult. One that had her own apartment, a career and paid bills. She was no longer the teenager he once remembered. As for Liv and Luke, that was even more strange. From toddlers to college students.

This woman was one of the cagey ones, hand in her bag as she was ready to reach for something. As if Tobi looked like much of a fighter. His oversized denim jacket and key chain swinging from the band of his jeans to the wallet in his pocket. He was just a kid trying to find a quiet place to smoke. She weighed up the risks though and removed her hand from her bag.

He’d heard through the grapevine that there were places in America where it was legal to smoke. You could walk down the street, lighting up whatever you wanted and no cop could pull you aside. Sounded like a fucking dreamland to Tobi, but he wasn’t going to get there with the few dollars lying in his wallet. Alongside some ticket for a shitty action movie, he watched last week and a receipt for an energy drink he bought from the shop. “Exactly. Gotta do what you can while you can.” Which meant filling his lungs with tar and other shit. It was better than having them filled with water at the bottom of the family pool.

Thank God she didn’t have a taser. It would have knocked him out with ease. Maybe even before he had a chance to mutter some latin incantations. “I walked around a ladder this morning rather than under it.” No black cats crossed his path on his cycle to work either.

He wasn’t lurking as such. Tobi was there with a purpose. His lips parted for a second as he was about to comment on how he loved Sesame Street as a kid before reconsidering. Was it even still a thing? Were children even watching TV nowadays or were they too busy being glued to the tiny screen in their hands. “Bet you could find some wild stuff in the dumpster here.” Although if they were anything like his dad they’d shred absolutely everything. “Portland, Oregon. Moved here a few years ago with my family. How about you?”


SADIE VALENCIA

Portland wasn’t exactly the safest place in the world, but it was like Tokyo compared to Mystic Falls. Tobi couldn’t understand why his parents were adamant to stay in the town. There were a hundred cities out there they could settle down in. Maybe they were waiting for Kai to arrive or maybe it was a feeble attempt to try and lure their son in. Either way, the family was there to stay for the foreseeable future in their large town house on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. The only thing Tobi was elated about was the fact the property didn’t have a pool in the back garden. In fact, there were no signs of open water nearby. Not even a small pond.

Tobi didn’t exactly believe that if a cracked a mirror you were doomed to seven years of bad luck, “Maybe… but fuck tempting fate” Surely he’d ran out of that by now after being brought back to life. So for now he was left walking around ladders rather than under them just in case. “I sense you’re a skeptic.” He could show her things that would change her mind in an instant unless she was one of those people who call bullshit on absolutely everything in life. There would always be people who witnessed the supernatural as clear as day and still remain a non-believer. Nonetheless, he wasn’t stupid enough to practice magic in public (most of the time).

Okay there was a line Tobi wasn’t willing to cross. Have a peek into the dumpster but he wasn’t willing to actually throw himself over the edge and submerge into the trash. “Ah, Friday is usually my dumpster diving day.” He retorted with a wide grin on his face. Knowing the shit that went down in the town he would probably fling himself in there only to find a dead body.

Tobi leaned against the brick wall, hands deep in his pocket as he drew one leg up to press his foot into the wall. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a local.” He said with a small nod. The fact she was a skeptic was even weirder now considering she was local or maybe she buried her head in the sand like the rest of them. “Nah, not all night. Gonna head home in a bit.” Slope off into his cozy bed to sleep. Then he'll be violently woken up the following morning by his alarm to get himself ready for another day of serving coffee.


SADIE VALENCIA - wrap up with yours?