Page 18

statements and interviews

S unday morning, I laid in bed watching Ren and Delilah Vicary make a public statement about their daughter on my phone. The pressure of Soulesity finally got to them.

The camera shutters went wild as Ren and Delilah stepped towards the platform. Delilah, solemn in a modest white fitted dress, held their three-year-old daughter Marigold in her arms, Ren serious in a dark blue suit.

He looked towards his wife, giving her a reassuring nod.

“Good morning.” He spoke into the microphone, staring straight ahead, at what I'm sure was a crowd of media.

“We thank you all for giving my family and I the space we needed to process all of what has happened in the last couple of months,” he began.

“After all these years of endless searching, Datura is alive.” He paused as the clicking of cameras went feral again.

Marigold blinked rapidly and Delilah shielded her eyes from it.

“Though, as painful as it is, she has chosen not to live with us. We wish her all the best and if she ever does decide to come home…” His voice broke, and he fixed his tie, taking a moment to breathe. “We will wait for her to come home.”

“Senator Vicary! Senator Vicary!”

Ren shifted his gaze to the press, patiently waiting for the questions to come.

“Is it true she's now affiliated with clans? ”

“Yes, that’s correct,” he confirmed. “We do not condone this careless and violent lifestyle, but there is only so much we, as parents, can do. Though, as Senator of Soulesity, we are of course always continuing our work to make this city a safer place from these barbaric thugs.”

“Do you know how she became a part of it?”

“After the manipulation and influence of Octavius Gautier.” Ren sighed. “He and his friends pressured her into their circle. It only went downhill from there.”

“We heard the clan is associated with Stygians, is that something you’re concerned about?”

Ren’s face didn’t falter, composed and seemingly expectant of the question. “Of course, we are extremely worried for her. She has become one who abuses substances like alcohol and illegal drugs, selling her body to get what she wants. Stygians only encourage that type of antisocial behaviour.”

“Has she attempted to contact you since her disappearance?”

“No, she has not.”

“What are Vasos’s thoughts on the matter?”

Ren paused for a long moment. “Due to the heartbreak of what we all assumed happened to Datura, he could not bear to be in Soulesity. This news has hurt him far worse than before, knowing she did not want to be with us and instead choosing to become this degenerate delinquent over her family.”

“Do you still love her?”

“Delilah and I have had a difficult and long discussion.” Ren exchanged a comforting look with his wife before turning back to the crowd.

“Datura is not the same innocent, good little girl we raised her to be before she was manipulated by the likes of Octavius Gautier. There is nothing we can do except wait for her to come back to us and until Datura returns home safe with us, we will not be associating our name with hers and she is no longer considered a Vicary. Delilah and I will be putting our attention and focus on our daughter, Marigold, and will no longer be addressing anything to do with Datura.”

The crowd roared into more questions and rumours they wanted clarified, but Ren steadied himself. “No further questions will be answered.”

Resting a hand on the curve of Delilah's back, he gently guided her and Marigold off the stage and the video ended there.

I wondered if Reaper watched the announcement. It was streamed live before playing on repeat on every screen the rest of the day. I'd be surprised if she hadn't seen it… I guess I was more curious on what her thoughts about it were, if she’d go back to her old life as a Vicary.

And I wasn't the only one. Every media and talk show host, every person in Soulesity wanted to know what was going to happen now.

People were dissecting the statement, replaying it over and over, discussing and laughing about it.

I had assumed there would be an update that she was back with the Vicarys that evening.

Instead, another interview had been released.

Eugene Vicary, father of Ren Vicary and now a retired Senator, had given a short interview. It was only ten minutes long and filmed inside Eugene’s home. He sat on his deep brown leather lounge chair, next to a fireplace, wearing a simple button-up shirt and trousers.

“Was there a time when you realised there was something wrong with Datura?” the interviewer asked out of frame.

Eugene cleared his throat, adjusting the collar on his shirt.

“Datura has always been a bad egg. It must have been something she caught from her biological father.” He waved a hand in the air dismissively.

“She never had any friends in school and people didn’t like her because she was rather odd.

” His eyes narrowed. “I always told Ren and Delilah to take her to see a psychologist. There was something… Not right with her, you know? She wa s very quiet, didn’t like to play with her dolls and never looked people in the eyes.

She was always getting into trouble, both at home and school.

Always causing problems for my poor son.

” He let out a frustrated breath, shaking his head.

“She’s not my biological granddaughter, but I still cared for her. ”

“And so when she met Octavius? Did you see any changes in her?”

“No, because I hardly saw her during that time at all. She was always off with that boy and his friends, doing who knows what!” His face grew red with anger. “If I had known how bad it had gotten, I’d have done something myself!”

“So you haven't seen her at all since she met Octavius Gautier?”

He propped one of his elbows onto the armrest, leaning his weight towards it.

“She came to me once.” He rubbed his lips and shook his head.

“And I knew something was terribly off.” His brows scrunched up, the wrinkles on his face more prominent as his head lowered.

“She wasn’t herself, on drugs I could only assume. ”

“Do you know which drugs?”

“How would I know? Whatever it was made her very emotional. She was sobbing, begging me on her knees to give her money.” He nodded a gesture behind the camera. “My staff had to physically remove her off my leg.”

“Did you give her money?”

“I knew it was going to be used on alcohol and drugs.”

“So, you didn’t help her?”

“Of course I offered help!” he snapped back. “I told her she could stay with me, that I would take her to the hospital, and she blew up at me, screaming like she was in pain… She left my house—”

“And you didn’t stop her?”

“I couldn’t stop her. She left so quickly and was scaring myself and my staff. I had to let her go for the safety of all of us. ”

“Do you know what happened to her during the time she was missing?”

Eugene shook his head. “As far as I know, she was hiding from everyone who was looking for her. She didn’t want to be found.”

“There’s talk that she sold her body for alcohol and drugs. Do you believe these rumours?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. The desperation on her face when she had come to me that day… She told me I was killing her if I didn’t help her.”

“And… What of Octavius Gautier. What do you think about his sentence?”

“I think that boy got what he deserved.” Eugene’s voice was cold and uncaring.

“Though we were all wrong that he murdered her, it doesn’t mean he didn’t do all those other things to her.

Datura had her faults, but she wouldn’t have fallen so low if it weren’t for him.

” He shook his head and released a sigh.

“Though, we can’t completely blame the boy, she knew what she looked like and always liked to tempt the people around her.

She always found herself in the attention of grown men and enjoyed it. ”

“So, are you saying she wasn’t innocent before meeting Octavius Gautier?”

“I’m saying that, that boy fell for her little trap and now she’s out manipulating clans. Datura has no idea what she’s dealing with anymore, the type of danger she’s in.”

“How do you feel, knowing that your grand– Apologies, adoptive granddaughter has lost herself like this?”

“Disappointment,” he replied, “in myself for not trying harder.”

“What would you say to Datura now?”

Eugene looked straight at the camera, his glassy eyes soft and sorrowful. “Datura, I do hope you realise what you are doing and get help. It’s never too late and there is no shame in it. Your parents and I only want what’s best for you. I love you and I miss you every day.”

The interview ended there.

** *

The Yarra Show hinted to the world that she had a special guest involving the Vicary’s, a response to their statements. So, that same Sunday night, everyone, including myself, tuned in to watch who would be interviewed next.

“Hello, how is everyone doing tonight?” Yarra began with a beaming smile and the crowd cheered.

Yarra nodded and waved, waiting for them to settle before continuing.

“Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen the Vicary family and their interviews on their missing daughter, Datura Vicary.

” The crowd murmured in anticipation. “Well, tonight we’ve got the exclusive, hearing the side of the story I’m sure we’re all dying to hear.

Please, join me in welcoming Octavius Gautier and Thessaly Zorlu!

” She clapped, and the camera panned to Octavius and Thessaly walking towards her, greeting her with a respectful bow of their head.

Thessaly smiled, no doubt here to try to convince everyone of Octavius’s innocence again, not that it worked in his trial. But Octavius didn’t, nor did he look at the crowd who were now murmuring. The two sat on the white velvet sofa, across from Yarra who sat in her own white velvet chair.