Harvest King Files: Closest Thing to Home

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"Devlin, it's been years!" The grizzled cop had just opened the door of his suburban home to see the visage of an old friend standing in the threshold. "I hope you still found this place alright!"
"If only I were here under better circumstances, Ricky." The old friend in question was a lot taller than Ricky remembered him being. Wider, too. More regal, He surmised. Ricky's friend came in before being invited, brushing past him with haste while scanning the room.
"I told you ten years ago we should have told her. She's my daughter; I could have prepared her for this!" Ricky was upset.
Devlin remained calm. "Prepared her for what? The day she found out normal is no longer an option?" Devlin failed to notice the young girl coming into the living room from the kitchen, a fresh cup of water in her hand. She was shaking, spilling small droplets of water on the ground. Devlin sighed, angry at himself for not seeing her there.
"Rita..." Ricky trailed off. This was his only daughter, or at least the one he had a chance to raise. He felt like a failure. He thought since he couldn't save the other one, at least this Rita he could protect.
"Sit down on the couch, dear. We need to talk." Devlin tried to sound calm, but his worries about the Head-Taker could not be assuaged. The 'original' Rita, although Devlin hated the term, was calling herself that, and had made her intentions of killing this Rita all too clear.
Rita had a hard time keeping back the tears. The massive wooden man covered in bark and paint was a sight to behold, and she had so far had no luck with crazy creatures in her life, although she had only met her first 'monster' a few days prior. "O-okay."
"Rita, I am the Harvest King. I live at a place where we keep people like us safe and away from harm. It's just on the other side of town, so you wouldn't have to change jobs or move away from your family."
"I'm s-s-sorry, b-but, why should I trust you?" Rita couldn't bring herself to give this King eye-contact.
"Rita, please, Dempsey knows what he's doing, and I trust him with my life." Ricky softly grabbed his daughter's hands. "Your mom and I... we've seen him protect others who went through exactly what you are going through... I wish I knew how to help but I don't, other than to tell you that he can".
"W-what is this p-place?" Rita's eyes still avoided Devlin's gaze.
"It is the freehold of Cresthaven. It is my home, and it is the closest thing to home where you can be safe." He used two fingers under her chin to raise her head, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Just trust me." His smile was kind and knowing, although how knowing she would not realize for weeks to come.
The rest of the day was fairly quiet. Rita was put into the backseat of Devlin's vintage four-door. Soon they picked up Suzy, who knew far more about what Rita was going through than any of them. From there it was off to Rita's apartment to pick up some of her things, and then on towards the hotel, towards the closest thing to home.
Category:Fiction