By the end of the week, Holden’s no longer confined to his room, but he often goes through the motions of his daily routine without interest.

__________________________________________________________

He and Eliza interact infrequently; when she’s not at work, she’s quite often lost in her own world.

__________________________________________________________

She tries to breach the subject of Holden’s future once again, but he reacts violently.

__________________________________________________________

Sadly though, he really just wants what they had before Sherman died.  Eliza was always aloof and selfish, and Holden was a loner from birth, but they had at least shared a loose, comfortable bond.

__________________________________________________________

Now, Holden finds himself able to walk away from her.  In fact, he’s saving up his money to buy a guitar one day, and he doesn’t feel the need to gain her permission or blessing.

__________________________________________________________

He sneaks out of the house to pay his aunt Rhoda a badly-needed visit; he hasn’t seen her since Sherman’s death.

__________________________________________________________

She’s not happy, especially when he fills her in on the details of the “accident.”

__________________________________________________________

Rhoda promises to make sure Eliza gets what’s coming to her, but she’ll need Holden to be patient; since Holden’s still a minor in Eliza’s care, and Rhoda doesn’t want him to get lost in the foster care system, her plan will have to wait.

__________________________________________________________

In the meantime, she wants to finish polishing Sherman’s old foosball table and head over to the Renfield home and blow off some steam.

__________________________________________________________

Rhoda is unable to actually fire Eliza now that she owns a large portion of the company’s assets, and Eliza knows it.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza reacts badly…

__________________________________________________________

…as does Holden.

__________________________________________________________

As Rhoda storms off, Eliza bows her head.  Maybe somewhere, deep down, she’s realizing the magnitude of what she’s done?

__________________________________________________________

Later that day, after Eliza has headed off to work, Holden gets a phone call from Rhoda.  She repeats what she said before about biding time and lying low.

__________________________________________________________

Holden spends the last days of his childhood wandering the fields and shores of Riverview alone but content.

__________________________________________________________

Sherman joins Eliza the next day for an early dinner, and they discuss Holden’s poor academic record. He wonders where the boy is, but Eliza tells him he’s over a friend’s house for the day. Those strange pounding noises coming from downstairs? It’s just the wind.

__________________________________________________________

Later, she takes him outside to see the new Renfield family crypt she’s built in the back yard.

__________________________________________________________

Inside, Ma and Sam Bagley are already on display. Oh, look! There’s an empty space in the middle!

__________________________________________________________

By nightfall, she leads him down into the basement level of the crpyt. Sherman is tempted to run, but what would Eliza do? If he angers her, could she stop him from visiting his son?

__________________________________________________________

Eliza admires her little shrine with such happiness. Seriously, Sherman, run!. She’s more than a few gnomes shy a full garden.

__________________________________________________________

I give up, Sherman. She and Grim can have you if you’re going to be this spineless.

__________________________________________________________

It’s been nice knowing you.

__________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Holden finally manages to pick the lock on his bedroom door and runs straight for the crypt.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza tells Sherman it’s his fault that Holden has broken her heart by not wanting to follow in her foosteps. After all, that’s what Sherman did to his mother.

__________________________________________________________

Holden arrives too late; she’s already blocked the pool entrance with rocks from the pond.

__________________________________________________________

Sherman briefly wonders if Rhoda will take care of his beloved foosball table after he’s gone. Oh, and his son, too.

__________________________________________________________

Holden lashes out at Eliza.

__________________________________________________________

He even promises to study hard and become a good henchman if she lets Sherman go.

__________________________________________________________

Just as Eliza looks like she’s about to relent, Sherman goes under.

__________________________________________________________

They both sense the chilling arrival of the Grim Reaper just beyond the crypt wall.

__________________________________________________________

Thus ends the life of Sherman Bagley.

__________________________________________________________

Sam comes out of his urn to join Holden in mourning.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza looks pleased with her work.

__________________________________________________________

She places Sherman carefully on the pedestal. She’ll never have to hear him ramble on and on about giving money to charities or being friendly to people ever again!

__________________________________________________________

Holden’s sent back to his room. He’s had such a bad day today that even his fish has died.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (07) Backlash

Rhoda is pleased with Eliza and her handiwork, and she quickly pushes her through the Criminal ranks.

__________________________________________________________

Now at the top of her career track, Eliza finally spends her savings on building a real house.  She loves the durable fencing to keep intruders out and the dark, cozy basement in which she can hide and feel secure.

__________________________________________________________

Best of all, she’s got her own evil office for plotting and entertaining her shady business associates.

__________________________________________________________

Sherman keeps showing up, though, and Eliza doesn’t understand why.

__________________________________________________________

Oh, right.  Kid.

__________________________________________________________

Holden’s also been growing closer to his aunt Rhoda who, unlike Eliza, actually spends time with him.

__________________________________________________________

When Eliza does interact with her son, she tells him about how he’ll someday take over the family business.

__________________________________________________________

Holden tries to tell her that he thinks he’d rather make music than be an evil henchman, but Eliza doesn’t take him seriously.

__________________________________________________________

Surely, these silly notions of his must be his father’s fault somehow.  To get even, Eliza sneaks over to the Bagley residence one night and steals Sherman’s car.

__________________________________________________________

It’s around this time that Sherman really begins to get nervous around Eliza.  Well, moreso than he already was.

__________________________________________________________

In fact, he’s taken to fainting when she shows up at his house unexpectedly.

__________________________________________________________

He keeps visiting his son fairly regularly, despite the fact that the house gives him the creeps.  Sherman knows he’s a coward, so maybe he’s just overreacting.  He puts on his most convincing smile and goes in.

__________________________________________________________

Sherman’s suspicions are confirmed, however, when Holden greets him with a warning :  Eliza’s been wishing to see his ghost lately.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza spends some more time in jail.  Seriously, she gets taken there at least once a week.

__________________________________________________________

As soon as Eliza is free again, she comes by to invite Sherman over for dinner the following night, and it does not help Sherman’s nerves that she is so very nice and pleasant about it.  She’s got a surprise for him — she’s done some remodeling in the backyard, and she’s sure he’ll love it.  Despite her cheerful tone (or rather, because of it), Sherman is not looking forward this.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (06) Waterlogged

Eliza is quite pleased with herself; she’s hoping for a little girl to carry on her evil legacy.

__________________________________________________________

Unfortunately, what she gets is a boy without any evil in him at all.

__________________________________________________________

Sherman’s still trying to stand by Eliza despite her temper.

__________________________________________________________

She can’t tolerate him anymore, though; she got what she wanted, and her patience is wearing thin. Everything about him annoys her – his good luck, his cowardice, his good nature. They’re polar opposites.

__________________________________________________________

So Eliza settles into motherhood alone, which suits her just fine, but the boy refuses to stop crying.

__________________________________________________________

Revenge comes in the form of sweet, brightly-colored lollipops. In fact, Eliza was able to rack up over 3,000 achievement points from stealing her son’s candy alone.

__________________________________________________________

By the time he’s a toddler, his screaming can apparently wake the dead.

__________________________________________________________

However, there are moments when she is pleased with him; one of his favorite games is imitating his mother by playing “Breaking & Entering” with his action figures.  Eliza finally names the boy Holden and thinks he might turn out all right after all.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza gets caught one evening at work, and she spends the rest of the night in jail. This turns out to be a common occurrence during Holden’s rocky childhood.

__________________________________________________________

Holden grows up accustomed to his mother’s unstable schedule, the presence of his grandmother’s ghost, and the long hours of solitude. It’s not surprising that his traits now include insane, loner, and hot-headed.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (05) Warning Signs

The Riverview branch of the Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp. is conveniently located by a public pool.  It lacks the snack bar and nicer facilities the gym in Sunset Valley, but it’s convenient.

__________________________________________________________

She’s not really getting along with her boss, though; Rhoda thinks Eliza still gets into too many unnecessary fights.

__________________________________________________________

Perhaps, Eliza thinks, it was unwise for her to steal Rhoda’s favorite bale of hay.

__________________________________________________________

Their main disagreement is how the family business is to be run now that Ma Bagley has passed on.  Rhoda’s getting older, and she never took a break from her career to have children.  Her brother, Sherman, doesn’t seem too interested in helping out with any criminal activities.  Eliza’s got a lot of bright ideas, but Rhoda insists that Eliza’s still too much of an outsider.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza’s birthday party goes well, having included all of her accomplices from work, and she corners Rhoda outside, away from the laughing crowds.  She’s come up with a plan she’s sure will win her a secure place within the company for a long time to come, but it will require some manipulation.

__________________________________________________________

Her plan is further impeded by the fact that Sherman is not only a coward, but also good. Ugh.

__________________________________________________________

Her ambition is rewarded, though, and she makes some progess.  Sherman is beginning to like her, despite his constant wariness toward his family’s business associates as well as her own shifty nature.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza rarely thinks things through before she acts, and when she tries to push things along the next day, she comes off a bit too strong for Sherman to handle.

__________________________________________________________

But as we all know, stalking is the most successful way into a man’s heart.

__________________________________________________________

Success!  She’s “bagged” a Bagley, and soon, she’ll give birth to a bouncing, 8-pound bundle of job security.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (04) Holden

Eliza checks into town and immediately buys the best plot of land she can afford.  As she looks around at her rich neighbors’ houses, she happily predicts she can bring down the values of their lots in no time.

__________________________________________________________

Okay, perhaps she spent a bit too much on land and not enough on other essentials – but she’s good at getting by, and she’s already planning her next heist to help cover the costs.

Speaking of, it’s time to check in with the Bagley family.  They’re expecting her soon.

__________________________________________________________

Well, maybe Eliza’s got enough time to start pilfering from her neighbors.

__________________________________________________________

Her stroll through the park isn’t so pleasant, though.  She’s jumping at every shadow because of the large number of strangers – any one of them could be a cop, someone who might report her to a cop, or worst of all… someone good.

__________________________________________________________

She also discovers that this transfer was really a demotion in disguise.  This town is so painfully rural, landlocked and filled with farmlands, that she has trouble imaging that crime here could be profitable at all.

__________________________________________________________

She finally makes it to Ma Bagley’s house, sneaking in through the front door with a gleefully deranged look on her face.  Seriously, she looks like she’s about to burn down an orphanage and toss a box of kittens off a bridge, all while stealing candy from a small child.

__________________________________________________________

It turns out Ma Bagley is actually retired now, but her daughter is in charge.  Rhoda is impressed by the quality of Eliza’s fiendish cackle and previous bank heist.

__________________________________________________________

Later that night, as Eliza is putting the final touches on her tiny brick mansion, Rhoda calls to tell her what her new work schedule will be.

__________________________________________________________

Inspired, Eliza spends the night prowling through her new town, peaking into windows and defiling City Hall.

__________________________________________________________

When morning comes, she lovingly arranges her loot in a perverse sort of shrine and admires her work.  She’ll be in a good mood later today when she starts her new job.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (03) Familial Bonds

Meet Eliza Renfield.  Today’s her last day in Sunset Valley, so she’s in a rather foul mood.  Don’t expect any smiles from her.  Not even this picnic lunch stolen from a happy couple in the park could cheer her up.

__________________________________________________________

The trouble started when she met Thornton Wolff…

__________________________________________________________

…and perhaps became a little close to him that evening.

__________________________________________________________

Yeah, definitely too close.

__________________________________________________________

The snag? His wife, Morgana.  She found out the next day and did not take the news quietly.

I’m not sure if she’s indicating a betrayal of trust in this picture or threatening to cut him into little pieces.

__________________________________________________________

Eliza tried in vain to persuade Thornton to leave Morgana.

__________________________________________________________

She then tried reasoning with Morgana.  Well, what Eliza considers “reasoning,” at least.

__________________________________________________________

There may have been something from the police department about a “restraining order” or something.  Whatever.

__________________________________________________________

Then her boss at the Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp. said something about blowing her cover, drawing too much attention from the authorities, and generally risking some of their more covert investments.  A transfer was in order, effective immediately.

__________________________________________________________

Off to Riverview then, with strict orders to report to Ma Bagley and her crew for further instructions and a fresh start.

__________________________________________________________

Next: (02) Settling in… Fiendishly