CHAPTER TEN:

"hi, i'm tate. i'm dead. wanna hook up"

(she had on a pair of brown bell bottoms, a pale brown sweater and a pair of black boots)

esme and violet were sitting on violets bedroom floor drawing while listening to music. "girls. i need to talk to you." bens voice chimed after knocking on the door. violet reach over and turned the music off. "we don't feel well." she said simply. "can i come in, please?" he asked.

esme stood up as violet went to open the door. "is this about school?" violet asked, "yes. it's about school." ben said while motioning for the two to sit. "if you want to give us the parent drill 'cause it's gonna make you feel better—" violet tried to say just to get cut off by ben, "why would it make me feel better?" he asked.

"because. i know it's really important to you to be a good father, to both of us." violet said looking over at esme for a second. "only if i've been a good father. and i've been a lousy father lately. i owe you an apology. both of you." he said quietly looking between the girls. "is this some headshrinker trick to make us feel sorry for you?" esme asked finally speaking up, "i can't imagine what this year has been like for you." he said looking at violet. "and i mean these pat year and a half for you." he said motioning to esme. "moving and starting a new school, and all the craziness that happened to us here." ben said. "hey, remember when last year when you announced you were going to harvard? and you were going to yale?" he said looking between the two with a smile.

"i only said that to make you happy." violet said with venom, "i knew that. i also knew that you were smart, and you can go anywhere you want for college." ben said before inching closer to the girls. "come on, girls. what are you doing? this isn't like you." he said. esme looked over at violet who had tears welding in her eyes. esme wished she was like violet, she wished she could cry, but she practically felt nothing. "i can't go back, dad." violet begged.

"okay. okay, honey, okay. we'll find you another school." he tried to reason. "no, they're all the same." she said on the verge of a breakdown. he sighed, "honey, you have to meet me halfway. we'll find you. both of you a new school, but you have to start going tomorrow. otherwise, we'll end up in juvenile court." he said catching violets attention, "deal?" he asked.

"deal." she said, ben looked over at esme, "deal." esme replied as well.

🪞

the next morning esme was getting dressed, she had on a pair of tights that had skulls on them, a long sleeve white shirt, a red plaid long skirt, and a lace corset top over the white shirt with a pair of doc martins.

she sighed nervously. when she walked downstairs someone put their hand over her mouth. she squirmed as she tried to get let go, they pinned her against the wall, "shh, shh. shh! just listen to me. listen. don't be mad. i love you. spend the day with me. we can play scramble, if you want. i'll even let you win." he said quietly before removing his hand from her mouth. "i can't. i promised my uncle." she stated quietly.

"so, go tomorrow. it's not like they're gonna miss you for one more day." tate said before leaning in pressing his lips against hers, when they pulled away he tried to convince her to stay again, "come on, esme." she sighed, and he smiled, she smiled back at him softly.

🪞

the two were up in the attic playing chess, "where have you been? i just took your rook." esme asked as tate came up the ladder. "checkmate in thirteen moves." she said simply, esme seen as he slowly rose up like something was up, "what's wrong?" she asked concerned. "he wants to separate us. he's gonna send you and violet away." he replied.

"what are you talking about?" she asked, "i just heard him talking on the phone with a boarding school, asking about financial packages." tate simply said, esme looked away with a gasp. "makes sense. he sent viv away. i don't know why i thought i was safe. i just assumed he would keep his promise he made my dad. what a fantasy. i'm so stupid and naive sometimes. of course he gonna send me away too, just like my mom did." she said looking at the wall a tear rolling down her cheek.

tate sighed before sitting down next to her with tears in his eyes. "there's nothing stupid about you. and i won't let him send you away."

after a long time of tate being downstairs he finally came back up to the attic. "what did you do to him?" she asked nervously. "i just convinced him to leave us alone for an hour or so." tate said panting, "tate, what did you do to him?" esme exclaimed turning to look at him.

"i didn't do anything bad!" he shouted, "just scared him a little. he'll be fine. but we're running out of time." tate stated firmly, "you're being weird. time for what?" she asked, "i figured out how to keep them from sending you away." tate said walking closer to her, "you mean, run away?" she asked a little concerned.

"kind of. yeah. i love you, esme, and i want you to be happy and free. if we take these, we can stay here. we can play with beauregard. we can play games, watch videos. we can be together forever." tate explained holding up pills. "you want us to commit suicide?" she asked, her heart racing. "yeah. and i don't think there's enough in here to really, you know— so i think if we use these—" tate said pulling out blades. "where did you get those pills?" esme asked looking at his hand.

"your uncle has a lot of samples." tate said quickly, "did you hurt my uncle?" esme asked her heart beating even faster. "no, i told you! i just knocked him out, so i can buy us some time!" tate yelled, esme felt like she was about to breakdown in fear. "listen to me, esme. we can't get all chickenshit about this! we're running out of options!" tate shouted again.

esme came up with an idea, "yeah. okay, i get it." esme said nodding her head slightly. "it's the only way we can be together." tate said looking esme directly in her eyes before pushing his lips on hers. "like romeo and juliet." all she could think is he was psychotic, "i know how to do it so that it won't hurt." tate said, "can we do it in the bathtub?" esme asked.

"why?"

"because it's warm and nice, and i can light some candles." esme explained. "okay. but we have to go now." tate agreed. "i'll-i'll go run the bath." esme stuttered. "okay."

"help! uncle ben, help me! he's trying to kill me! help!" esme screamed, "help! please!" she heard violet scream as well. "he's trying to kill me!" violet screamed to esme. "help! ben!" esme screamed as the two girls ran down the stairs. "dad?" violet screamed out. esme looked behind them to see harry and tate. esme grabbed violets hand running out of the house. "help us!" esme screamed as they got to the gate. "help! help us!" she screamed out again but the people kept walking.

the two girls tried opening the gate but couldn't. and when they did. the two went to run out of the gate but ended up through the kitchen door. tate and harry stood infront the two ready to explain. "what's happening? what did you do to us?" esme asked with a sob. "you have to stop. let's just do what we said we would." tate said trying to reason with them.

"sad, where are you? help me!" violet screamed before running esme ran behind her, "violet! stop running!" harry shouted out. everytime the girls would run out of one door they'd come in through another, they did it a few times until they gave up. the two blonde teen boys turned the corner, "please, tate, please. i don't want to die." esme begged tears streaming down her face. tate looked at her tears gathering in his own eyes. "it's too late for that." tate stated blankly.

esme backed up panting. "me too?" violet asked harry with a sob. harry couldn't get the words out so he just nodded. violet looked at esme, who was too stunned and scared to speak. "esme, listen to me." tate said crouching down to her, violet was sitting in a corner as harry tried to reason to her. "why are we running around like crazy people?" esme asked with a sob. "did you drug us?" esme asked looking between the two males.

"i'm not gonna hurt you, and harry isn't going to hurt violet. we have to show you something. and then you're free to go where ever you want. i promise i won't stop you." he reasoned before standing up, violet was now looking at the two, she looked back at harry. "you have to trust us." harry said himself standing up. they reach their hands out to the harmon girls.

as the two sets of couples walked down the basement stairs hand in hand esme looked back at violet scared. the four of them went into a closet behind the stairs, tate opened a little door. "i feel weird." violet spoke up. "me too." esme replied. "like i'm losing it." esme continued. tate sat a stool down before climbing up to the small hole in the wall. he turned a flashlight on. "come on." he said to the two girls. harry behind them.

the four teens crawled through the small space. violet looked over at a dead mouse and screamed. she hit the ground in frustration. "it's disgusting down here." she said getting angry.

tate jumped down, "okay, come on." he said reaching his hand out to help esme, and then helped violet down with harry following behind her. "close your eyes. both of you." tate said with tears welding in his eyes. "and remember— everything's gonna be okay." he continued. "i love you." as the two girls closed their eyes both of the boys grabbing their hands leading them.

"open your eyes." harry instructed. when esme opened her eyes she looked down to see her dead body. her mouth was gaped open and she was pale, and violets dead body she found harry holding in her room. violet started sobbing. esme couldn't understand what she was feeling. until she started to cry herself, but her cries were more silent. "what? no!" violet exclaimed.

"i died when i took all those pills." esme said a small sob escaping her mouth. "i tired to save you. i did. i tried to make you throw them up. you threw up some. not enough. you took so many, esme." tate said with tears coming down his cheek. violet started wailing. "i died when i hung myself." she spoke up. harry couldn't get words out so he just nodded as he tried not to sob.

"you died crying. i held you. you were safe. you died.. loved." tate said. esme looked over at violet who was sobbing, "i hardly feel anything." esme spoke up. as violet backed up esme walked up to her wrapping her arms around her cousin. both girls held onto each other so tight. "we didn't want you guys to find out this way. you or ben and vivien. we had this idea that if you chose to die, with us, you guys wouldn't be so sad." harry finally spoke. the two cousins let go of each other looking at their boyfriends with red puffy eyes.

"we never wanted you guys to see this." tate said with a agreeing nod. "we're so sorry." both of them pulled their girlfriends in holding them while they cried.

🪞

after everything that happened esme and tate were in her room. "so, all this time, i thought i was protecting you. but you were protecting me." esme said looking from her window to tate. "that's all i ever wanted to do, since i first saw you." tate said his eyes still slightly red.

esme walked over to him. "so why'd you keep it a secret?" she asked before sitting down next to him. "hi, i'm tate. i'm dead. wanna hook up?" he said jokingly. "i don't think so." he continued, esme stared at the floor, "i still don't remember dying. do you?" she asked looking over at him. "nope." he replied simply.

"what happens now?" she asked, "you draw a card, and then discard." tate said jokingly. esme smiled at him, "no, i mean, like, how's it going to be?" she asked looking at him. "just like this. like it's always been. it's you and me. together for always." tate said softly followed up with a small smile, esme smiled back at him softly before picking up her hand of cards. tate tried to peek and she pulled her cards back smiling at him as she drew a card.

🪞

later that night as esme was sitting on her floor unsure of what tate had just told her a too familiar voice spoke up behind her. "turn around, essie." as esme turned around slowly she seen the face. her smile appeared on her face as she seen who it was.

her baby brother. "eli?" she said quietly a tear rolled down her cheek. he walked up to her. she put her hand on his face he felt so real.

"he did it." eli said quietly sending chills down esmes spine.

"please don't go!" she screamed as she woke up from her dream. tate was lying next to her as he jumped up from her random nightmare tears in her eyes, "hey, hey, it's okay.. it was just a dream." tate said holding her as her fingers clutched on his shirt with a sob.

OUTFITS:

first outfit:

second outfit: