Polly Playtime vs. Jamison Logan/The One

[TheOne]

{JUDGES: Chapter 2}

As I settled more and more into my role as the true authority figure for The Compound, much was made aware to me that wasn't previously known.  The amount of corruption and power that The Prophets and my predecessor had amassed among those in town really made it more apparent why the knowledge of The Compound may have become more and more prevalent, but even more hush hush.  I realized that many people were being funneled money in exchange for simply looking the other way, and knowing who not to bother if seen entering or exiting the woods in our location.

It was also at this point The Prophets also made sure there were things I turned a blind eye to as well.  I had to look away at the copious amounts of illicit substances that would flow in and out of the facility and simply know that it was happening.  I had to be trained in ways to act in case of potential overdoses, cover up evidence in case actual medical personnel had to be called in, and had to also ensure that the, effectively illegal, restaurant and bar were continually stocked with their provisions.

Initially, this was something difficult for me.  I wanted to clean the place up.  Yes, I knew it was a glorified brothel and the idea disgusted me, but it was consenting adults, and I didn't have to see it.  Plus, by this time my new personal "compound" was setup at the entrance of the facility so I had everything I needed for comfort, security monitoring, and basically just letting all of my new systems run themselves.  So as time progressed, I simply settled into my role, and I got over the stuff that, in the end, wasn't causing me any extra stress, nor causing me to feel like I had sold myself out, after preaching that I was not going to fall into the corrupt ways of the guy who ran the show before me.

It didn't stop people from trying...

Being The One was something more than I expected.  I expected it to be something I did on weekends.  Instead, I was a full time employee.  I effectively lived at The Compound, and like I said, I had all of my own accommodations and was pretty self-sustainable.  But there were days when I could go out, close The Compound down, and run errands in town, and if I felt the need, I could go home.

Since becoming The One, my parents and I had not really spoken.  I always did my best to go home, if needed, when I knew they wouldn't be there.  The way they treated me and completely lacked empathy for how I felt, it led to me wanting to show them who I could be, and that I wasn't this "kid" who they looked at me as.  I wasn't this princess they wanted me to be.  Hell, I wasn't this person who would be completely appreciative of their lifestyle like they hoped.  Instead, I was a free spirit, and I was a lot more physical than they imagined.  So I turned into an almost polar opposite of who they thought I would become.

And now, they figure, maybe, just maybe, they can start to use that to their advantage as well.

As any individual would, The One had grown tired of wearing many of the same articles of clothes on a routine basis, and wanted to make one of her rare pilgrimages home to get some necessities.  It was early afternoon, midweek, and a time where The One felt she would be safe getting to her house and getting away before anyone noticed or knew she was gone.  Unfortunately as she turns onto her street she's greeted with a surprise that equals a lump of coal in your Christmas morning stocking.

Her parents are home.

She immediately slows her vehicle down and pauses, just staring at the house before sighing.

The One: Well this should be fun...

The One accelerates her vehicle toward the house before parking in the street, in her mind, to provide a quick getaway.  She gets out of her vehicle before making a quick, and very direct, heading for the front door.  She quickly walks in and tries to go unnoticed.  Unfortunately her parents are sitting in the living room and quickly watch her walk in, wasting no time acknowledging her.

Dad: THERE'S MY LITTLE GIRL!  How're ya doing, kiddo?

Mom: Oh hun she's not our little girl anymore.  She's all grown up, and honestly, I couldn't be prouder.  A strong woman is something the world needs more of!

The One can feel the very awkward nature of the comments coming from both parents.

The One: Well... Umm... I appreciate it... I just am here to grab a few things and get back to my post...

Her father approaches.

Dad: Oh you don't have to grab and go that quickly!  Hell we hardly have seen you since you took over things out there at The Compound.  You have that automatic gate now that scans the chip on our windshield so we don't even know if you're there half the time...

The One: Oh trust me... I'm watching everything...

Dad: Well hopefully not EVERYTHING, am I right?

The douchechill that goes up the spine of The One, hearing her dad make reference to the sexual nature of what The Compound actually is, makes her cringe.

The One: Yeah we didn't need to go there, alright?  That's not my business...

The father is quick to realize that was a nerve he didn't mean to strike.

Dad: I was just trying to make a joke, I'm sorry...

The One: Listen... It's fine... Like I said I'm just going to grab my things, and get out of your hair...

Mom: But sweetie... We really do miss you.  Hell we haven't even talked to you since you became, well, The One.  It's weird to even think of you like that because you never had that aggression in you before.  You never were that type to want to be in a position of power.

The One looks down, and back up at her mom.

The One: Maybe it was just something that was always boiling inside?  But seriously... I just...

Dad: C'mon... Sit down with us for a bit.  Tell us about how you've been, kid... I know The Prophets wouldn't mind you talking to...

The One cuts him off.

The One: I would highly advise you not speak of them in public...

Dad: What?  The Prophets?  Why?

The One: You are WELL aware of the rules of The Compound.  NOTHING is discussed outside the walls unless those people want to have to deal with ME... And I can promise, when it comes to The One, you do NOT want to deal with me...

Dad: It's us, kid!  We're your parents.  You can talk to us...

The One shakes her head in disgust.

The One: Oh I can fucking talk to you now?  Because, when that guy was in charge, you two were letting him cuckold you both around like bitches.  And who faced the brunt of his anger?  ME!  You guys got to give him some money, big fucking deal.  I know how much you ACTUALLY make now, with what you get from The Prophets and their prophecies.  So it was a damn slap on the wrist to you two.  But me?  No... I had to endure that fucker's wrath and when I challenged him, I saw the look of disappointment on your faces because you thought I was going to lose.  My own parents, at that point actually afraid of being kicked out because of their little, harmless, daughter.  Instead, I'm in fucking charge now.

And the rules, they very much still apply now, just as they did then.  The only difference is I'm not extorting anyone for fucking money.

So in the nicest way I can put it, I HIGHLY suggest you two shut your mouths about The Compound, who I am, and anything else you both KNOW is off limits outside those walls because if you don't, and I find out, I won't hesitate to take action.  This is MY COMPOUND NOW.  You guys have to WORRY about me.  You don't get special favors or inside information from me.  NOBODY does.  I'm doing this the RIGHT way, and that means if you two present a conflict of interest, I'll fix that conflict quicker than I kicked that fucker in his shriveled up, roid raged, nuts.

The motherly instincts of The One's mom try to calm the situation.

Mom: Honey... I don't think he meant it that way...

The One isn't having any of it.

The One: Mom, stop... You allowed this to happen to me, too.  You want to talk about a strong woman and yet you basically fed me to the wolves so you could still go get your rocks off and be protected?  Don't placate me like that.  I'm not dumb.  Do I think you knew the EXTENT at which he was effectively torturing and threatening me, maybe, maybe not, but I know you knew I hated it there.

So I did what I had to do, and put myself in charge, and everyone now has to respect me, or try and take me down.

Now I'm going upstairs, I'm getting my shit, and I'm leaving.  If you want to try and be all mommy and daddy-like again, try being less awkward about it.  Maybe look at me like a person, and not just your carry-on luggage when you'd go for a fuck sesh with some randos, OK?

The One turns and immediately walks up the stairs and to her room.  She grabs the necessities she wanted to grab, and then comes back down, finding her parents both still where they were, and looking very guilty of what they had put their own daughter through.  She looks at both of them and simply nods in gesture of acknowledgment but still feeling upset and angry.  The two just watch as she makes her way out the door and shuts it before anyone has a chance to say another word.  The parents look at one another, hearing The One speed off, with guilt on their face, worried about what they have done to create such a divide with their daughter.

The audacity I felt... The pain I felt... The desire of my parents to act as if I was somehow something they could exploit for their own gain, and them not having a clue as to the monster they, alone, created.  It was cathartic in some ways to finally tell them off, like I did, but at the same time, this was family who had still raised me for all of these years, and now, I didn't know what to think.

Was I now alone?

Was I truly just The One, and not anyone else to anyone else?

Was I turning into something that I didn't even fathom when I took on the role?

I couldn't parse it all, and it was almost too much, but I knew I had to set the boundary with them.  They were no longer "my parents."  They were "patrons," they were "clients," and my job was to ensure their anonymity and treat them as I would anyone else I saw out in public.  Even if people knew who I was to them, I couldn't know it any longer.  I had to effectively divorce myself from their world, and in short time, when I knew they were on site at The Compound, I would finish that severance by leaving to collect the rest of my belongings, and moving into my new home, at The Compound, where I would begin my life, full time, as one of the most feared individuals in the area.

It may have happened a while back, but I was no longer anyone's family... I was alone.  I was The One.