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𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔

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Sunshine stepped into her home, the familiar creak of the door echoing in the quietness as she shut it firmly behind her. Leaning against the door, tears stung her eyes, but she was tired of crying; the release felt pointless now, an exhausting cycle she couldn't afford to indulge. She didn't want to come home, but there was nowhere else to go. 

With a soft thud, she leaned her head against the door, wishing desperately that this nightmare would end. She dropped her bag to the floor with a dull thump.

A flicker of movement caught her eye—a shadow darting across the hallway. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to muster the courage to investigate. "Tate?" she called out, a part of her hoping he wouldn't answer.

The hallway stretched before her guiding her toward the dining room where she spotted Tate again, just out of reach. Without thinking, she followed him as he slipped down into the basement. She hurried after him, skipping down the steps two at a time, only to find the basement empty and silent.

"Tate?" she called again, her voice echoing against the cold, concrete walls.

No response.

Panic began to set in, and Sunshine shook her head, feeling the warm tears finally spill over as her fingers tangled in her hair, frustration and despair swirling within her. 

The sound of children laughing broke through the heaviness, punctuated by the sharp pop of party snaps. Sunshine turned instinctively toward the noise, her eyes widening in shock as she saw twin boys dashing past her, their laughter echoing. Compelled to follow them, she rushed forward, but stopped short as a woman in a nurse's uniform stepped into her path, her expression a mask of anguish.

"Look at what he did to me," the woman cried, her voice filled with pain.

Sunshine gasped in horror, instinctively turning to flee, but she was confronted by the ringleader of the invasion, her neck slashed and bloodied, standing beside the man who had also terrorized her that night.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I don't want to bother you, but I'm hurt and needing some help," 

Sunshine screamed, terror igniting her senses as she dashed around the corner, her heart pounding in her chest. She stumbled into another figure—a doctor.

"Has my wife medicated you? Are you here for the procedure?" 

Fear thumped through her veins, propelling her to sprint past him and up the basement stairs. As she reached the top, she could hear the haunting notes of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata resonating from her room.

Sunshine ran up the steps to her room before she opened her door slowly, relief flooding her as she found the room empty. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, feeling a momentary sense of safety. Moving toward her radio, she turned it off, silencing the music that seemed to taunt her.

Collapsing onto her bed, Sunshine's entire body trembled with the force of her sobs. Each cry seemed to intensify her distress. She gasped, her hand flying to her chest in a desperate attempt to steady herself. But it wasn't working. Her breathing came in shallow, jagged bursts, her throat constricting painfully as if it were closing in on itself.

Her heart raced, pounding violently against her ribcage, each thud echoing in her ears. The sensation was overwhelming, as if her chest might explode at any second. She choked on her breath, her vision blurring with the intensity of her tears, her body giving in to the sensation of being utterly consumed. The room around her spun, her dizziness making everything feel far away, as though the world was slowly slipping from her grasp.

I'm dying, she thought in her panic, her mind spiraling as she struggled to control the storm raging inside her. It felt like everything was being stripped away, piece by piece, until all that remained was her fear, raw and suffocating.

She squeezed her eyes shut, curling into herself as if she could hide from the relentless onslaught of emotions. Today was not a good day.

As she sat there, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Slowly, she turned her head, her breath still coming in ragged gasps.

On the bed beside her, partially tucked beneath her pillow, was a small piece of paper.

Her tear-filled eyes narrowed as she stared at it, the edges crumpled as if someone had hastily left it for her to find. 

With shaking hands, she reached for it, heart pounding as she unfolded the note. The words "I love you," written in Tate's handwriting, blurred before her eyes as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. A teardrop fell onto the paper, smudging the ink and blurring Tate's confession. 

Sunshine felt a rising desperation; she needed relief, something—anything—to dull the ache that throbbed in her chest. The painkillers her dealer had given her weeks ago came to mind. Just one pill, she thought. It would help her sleep, help her escape this never ending nightmare, even if only for a few hours.

With renewed urgency, she rushed to her bag, rifling through its contents. Her heart sank as she came up empty-handed. No pills. In a panic, she dumped the entire bag onto her bed, the contents spilling out in a chaotic mess, but still, there was no sign of the precious little capsules.

Frustration clawed at her insides, and a wave of anger surged through her as she tore apart her room, searching desperately for any trace of the pills, including her Adderall. 

"Violet!" Sunshine yelled, her voice echoing through the house as anger boiled over. Her sister had to have taken them.

Without a moment's hesitation, she swung open her door and stormed into Violet's room. "Violet." she repeated, but her sister remained curled up in bed, the shadows of sleep enveloping her.

"Vi?" Sunshine's voice dropped, a tremor creeping in as she stepped further inside. The sight of two empty pill bottles scattered on Violet's bed caused her heart to plummet.

She rushed to Violet, shaking her frantically. "Violet!" 

But there was no response; her sister lay still, too still. 

Sunshine pressed two fingers against Violet's neck, desperately searching for a pulse, but her heart sank further when she felt nothing.

Panic surged through her as tears streamed down her cheeks. Sunshine bolted out of Violet's room, her mind racing.

"Somebody help!" she screamed, racing to her parents' room, but it was empty, amplifying the dread curling in her stomach. She ran through the hallways, calling out for anyone, her heart hammering in her chest. If Tate really was dead... He would be here... wouldn't he?

"Tate!" she cried out, desperation lacing her voice as salty tears dripped into her mouth. "Help me! Tate!"

"Sunshine?" His voice cut through the chaos behind her and she snapped around to face him.

"It's Violet," Sunshine sobbed, panic clawing at her throat. "She took a bunch of pills."

Worry flashed across Tate's face, and without a second thought, they rushed to Violet's room together. Sunshine's cries filled the air as Tate shook Violet gently, urging her to respond, but her sister remained unresponsive.

In a flurry of movement, Tate grabbed Violet, pulling her down to the floor. Sunshine's heart shattered at the sight of Tate's tears beginning to flow as he struggled to pull Violet into the bathroom. "Don't you die on me, Violet!" he sobbed.

"No! Don't you die!" Tate pulled them both into the tub and turned on the water. "Don't you die on me," he repeated as he shoved his fingers down Violet's throat, and Sunshine watched as her sister began to throw up a small amount of the pills.

Sunshine knelt beside the tub, relief flooding through her as Violet regained consciousness, her eyes blinking open in confusion and fear. 

"Violet!" Sunshine gasped, taking her sister's face in her trembling hands, brushing away the water and tears mingling on her skin.

Violet's gaze locked onto hers, and she began to sob, relief and horror filling her eyes. Sunshine rested her forehead against her sister's wet skin, tears cascading down her cheeks as she whispered, "I love you. I love you." 

Violet glanced back at Tate, her eyes wide.

"It's okay," Tate reassured, his voice steady despite the tears streaming down his cheeks. 

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Sunshine tapped lightly on Violet's bedroom door, hesitating for a moment before poking her head inside.

Violet glanced up from where she lay curled on her bed, engrossed in a book about birds.

Sunshine stepped into the room. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice a soft murmur as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the mattress shift slightly under her weight.

"Sad," Violet replied as she traced her fingers over the illustrations of the birds.

"Me too," Sunshine confessed. 

Violet forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes as she returned her gaze to the book.

"You found out about Tate?" Sunshine ventured, breaking the silence that felt too thick to slice through. 

Violet's head shot up as if she couldn't fathom how her sister could possibly know. "Mr. Carmichael said you came by this morning... looking for the same thing I was," 

 "Leah mentioned what happened at the school," she said, her voice quaking as she recalled the moment. "I was curious, so she showed me this article." A shuddering breath escaped her as she pushed the book aside, burying her head in her hands. "And then I saw a picture of Tate. I feel like I'm going crazy."

"You're not going crazy," Sunshine reassured her. "Constance confirmed it."

Violet looked up, confusion etched across her features. "What?"

Sunshine's heart sank as she realized her sister hadn't known about that connection. "Tate's her son," she explained gently.

"What the fuck?" Violet's voice was barely a whisper, disbelief and shock washing over her.

Sunshine nodded, glancing down at her hands as she contemplated the weight of what to say next. "Are you gonna tell Mom and Dad... about the pills?" she asked hesitantly, bracing for Violet's response.

"No," Violet replied firmly, shaking her head. "I won't tell them where I got them from either."

Sunshine's pulse picked up as realization struck her; Violet had to know that she was still using if she went into her room to look for her pills. "I'm sorry," Sunshine whispered, the guilt tightening around her throat.

"Don't be." Violet sighed, the heaviness of her words settling between them. 

A beat of silence passed.

"I'm tired," Violet said finally, lying down on her side. "Will you lay with me?"

Sunshine didn't respond verbally; she simply moved behind her sister, wrapping her arms around Violet's slender frame, seeking comfort in the closeness. As she held her, her eyes caught sight of Violet's long sleeve riding up slightly, exposing angry scars that marred her skin. A wave of sorrow washed over Sunshine as the realization hit her: her baby sister had been in so much pain.

Gently, she reached over and traced the scars with her fingertips, her heart aching for the struggles Violet had endured. Violet didn't move or react, but the soft sniffle that escaped her indicated that she too had been crying.

"I love you, Sunshine," Violet murmured.

"I love you too, Violet," Sunshine replied, her own tears spilling over as she tightened her grip around her sister, wishing she could shield her from all the pain in the world. 

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