𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐲 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 ✩ 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐝𝗼𝐧

🅵🅾︎🆄🆁🆃🅴🅴🅽

𝐬𝗼𝐧𝐠: 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝗼𝐬𝐬𝗼𝗺, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐬

✩✩✩

"Barney Donovan was once a good man. He loved his wife and his daughter. Though after his wife, Scarlett Donavan, passed, he turned to alcohol. But that is not how we will remember him, the man he died as. We will remember the happy Barney Donovan, who liked the Beatles and dirt bikes."

Kathy recited the eulogy.

It wasn't much of a funeral; just her and Ruby.

Ruby spread her father's ashes silently.

They were stood under a tall oak tree, the same one they had brought her mother's ashes to.

They were to rest together.

She was glad the ghosts weren't around during the service, or as Kathy drove her to the social housing in silence.

"How're you feeling, Ruby?" Kathy asked as she stepped out, Ruby gazing at the depressing grey building.

"I feel... I feel lost. Like there's something I have to do that will complete... something." She said quietly. "And until I do I'm just... empty,"

Kathy pursed her lips, and sighed. "You'll feel that way for a while. In the meantime, get settled in here, get back to school and remember to go to your sessions with Mr Harmon, okay?"

Kathy said 'okay' a lot. Ruby couldn't help but like her. She had known Ruby's dad when he had lived in California as a child- before he moved to Pennsylvania and met Ruby's mum.

She felt almost like family, maybe she felt like an auntie.

"I'm not insane," Ruby muttered, looking at Kathy.

Kathy shrugged. "Maybe you're not- I don't know you that well. They just want to be sure you're not going to be a danger to yourself or others,"

Ruby scoffed and nodded.
"Right, got it."

"I'll see you on Sunday- I thought we could have tea together, would you like that?" Kathy said.

"Yeah. See you then." Ruby replied.

✩✩✩

Ruby lay on the uncomfortable bed in her dorm.

It was a large room with a small kitchen area, a grubby bathroom, a basic desk and a bed with a lifeless couch next to it.

Everything she owned had been lost in the fire, all apart from her school bag.

Thankfully, it had everything she needed. Her mother's Walkman, and her mixtapes.

Ruby dug through it unenthusiastically, not sure what she was looking for, when she found a piece of folded paper.

She took his out, carefully opening it up.

Her breath caught in her throat.

IN THE OLD DAYS, THEYD BURN WITCHES. YOUR TURN.

Her eyes were transfixed on the writing. She recognised the way the letters were joined... scrawled in capitals- not in exclamation but just in a natural way that the scriber preferred.

An unfamiliar feeling of silent rage began to surge through her, just as a knock came at her door.

She stuffed the paper in her pocket and unlocked the door, peering out with tired eyes.

"How'd you get in here?" Ruby hissed.

It was Tate.

He smirked. "Climbed in a window, then asked some random kid if they knew where your dorm was,"

Ruby opened the door so he could slip in.

"Then how did they know?"

Tate sat down on her bed, inspecting the shabby dorm. "I guess you're locally famous,"

Ruby sat down next to him, pulling the note from her pocket. She handed it to him.

Tate put an arm around her and pulled her toward him as he read the note, his brow furrowing.

"It was Kaleb. Wasn't it?" He spat.

"Yes." Ruby whispered. "What if they started the fire too? They couldn't find a source."

Tate kissed her neck. "Can we not talk about that right now, Ruby? I wanted to cheer you up before we have to go back to school tomorrow,"

He put the note back in her pocket, and a small smile came across Ruby's face. "Okay..."

✩✩✩