Willklok
Chapter 1
Author's Note: Hi everybody, I hope you all enjoy chapter 1 of my story. Yes it will involve an OC and I'm hoping to make her likeable. Any comments regarding her character development will be greatly appreciated. You won't be introduced to her in this chapter though, so don't worry just yet! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Toki.
Toki heaved a sigh as he hung up the phone. He stood silent for a moment, his empty gaze fixed on the receiver. He raised his icy blue eyes, looking up at the old faded portraits hanging on his wall. It was usually his father's menacing expression that captured his attention but it was his mother's that struck him most this time. Toki's relationship with his mother was better than the one between him and his father however it was oddly less personal. She was like a ghost, always present but hardly ever dynamic. Of course on occasion she would get physically abusive but this happened rarely and only when his father wasn't present.
Toki was not the only victim of his father's bad temper. He could remember plenty of instances in which his mother was smacked, beaten, and even choked for reasons he couldn't quite understand. Because of this, Toki had empathy for his mother; however, this feeling of compassion could never last for long. If she had felt the same pain he did, why didn't she protect him? Surely being an unresponsive bystander was just as bad if not worse than being a willing participant. But then again, perhaps his mother was paralyzed by the very same fear that riddled Toki to his core.
After pondering these thoughts for a few moments Toki realized that he did not know his mother very well. Maybe he did not need to feel such apprehension when confronted with the memory of Anja Wartooth. Although this seemed sensible he still dreaded the thought of returning home by himself. Toki and the rest of the band had left so suddenly after the death of his father, Reverend Wartooth, that the issue of his will was not fully taken care of. He tried reasoning with his mother for months to let Charles' attorneys take care of his share of the inheritance but she insisted he return to Norway and handle the matter in person. Charles had informed Toki numerous times that his mother had no clout regarding the way in which the will was handled but Toki refused to proceed without her approval.
What could his father have possibly even left to him? Toki wondered. They had always been a family of very modest means with few possessions. Toki found it bizarre that his father thought of him near the time of his death and on top of that wanted to bestow something upon him. This curiosity combined with the weekly calls from his mother had finally gotten the best of him on this particular day. He told Anja that he would be returning home soon to put the matter to rest. He added, quite reluctantly and insincerely, that he wanted to check up on her to see how she was coping with the loss of the reverend.
Toki slowly exited his room still lost in thought. He gently shut the door behind him and headed toward Charles' office. After weaving his way through the dark maze of halls he reached the manager's room. Toki quickly rapped on the door a few times before barging in. Charles looked up from his desk which was cluttered with all sorts of important looking documents. His tie was undone and he had unbuttoned the top couple of buttons on his white dress shirt. Charles placed his pen down on the desk. He ran his hand through his short brown hair, trying his best to make it presentable, but it only looked more disheveled.
"Oh. Hello Toki. So what brings you here to my office? As you can see I'm quite busy so I hope this is…you know…important." Charles said in his usual matter of fact tone.
"Oh ya, ya. Dis ams importants. I've uhh decideds to goes back to Norways. You knows for dats whole wills ting and alls." Toki responded nonchalantly as he inspected the different decorative items Charles had recently placed throughout his workspace.
"But Toki I've told you this before, you don't need to go back to Norway to settle your father's will. In fact it would be much easier, and cheaper, if you just let me handle it from here…Please don't touch that, it's quite expensive" Charles said with a slight look of concern. Toki pulled his hand away from the antique glass globe, a guilty smile spread across his face.
"Sorries…" Toki shrugged "Ya I know buts my moms am just keeps goings on and ons abouts it. I justs goes backs for a shorts stay, signs some papers, thens be backs before yous knows I ams was gone."
"Well it is your choice and I'm your manager so I will respect your decision and make transportation arrangements…when you're ready that is. So will you be traveling alone?" Charles asked while slightly tilting his head.
"Whats? Yous gots de crazies or sometings? I's nots goin's back deres by myselves!" he exclaimed; his expression showed his exasperation. "So who is going to accompany you then?" Charles inquired.
"Uhhh wells I don'ts knows yets buts I finds somebodies…Maybe Natans or Pickle?" Toki stuck his hands into his pockets and looked up towards the ceiling, pondering.
"Okay. That shouldn't be much of a problem. Your new album doesn't have to be out for a while. Just let me know what you want to do when you've sorted it out." Charles removed his glasses, wiped them on his shirt, then neatly placed them back on his face, and returned to his work.