Fear: American Horror Story (CANCELLED)

Chapter Eight

"You know, school wasn't bad. It was actually...kind of fun, I guess. You can stop worrying, Sae."
I nodded, not looking away from the ceiling. Lynn and I were lying down on her bed, talking about our day at school. Despite the fact that both of us were nearly silent, and it was less of a conversation and more of a communal thinking party, I wouldn't give up that moment for the world. It was just like the old days, before Lynn shut me away, before that night when I was catapulted into anxiety and paranoia. Before we fell apart.
"Sae?" Lynn asked.
"Yeah?"
"I saw what that boy did to you earlier today."
I sat up. "You saw that?" I exclaimed.
"Yeah," Lynn said. "But, uh, I think I phrased that wrong. I saw what you did to him. It was...cool. It was like the old you."
I looked at her. "The old me?" I asked.
"You know, before you became so quiet." Lynn paused, before speaking again. "And overly protective." She added, wrinkling her nose.
I laughed. "Protective? Lynnie, I've always been like this."
"But you're so much worse than you used to be! And you were never so quiet. You were always the confident one," Lynn replied.
I sighed, but didn't respond. I knew I hadn't always so quiet. I was the one that would always say my opinion loud and proud, and if someone didn't like it, I would say it again. I was never terrified to set foot in public.
Until that night. But Lynn didn't know about that. No one did.
"It doesn't matter, Lynnie. We'll always be sisters, and that's what matters."
***
Constance, the next-door neighbor, was coming over for dinner, along with her son. My mom specifically added that he was "Just about your age!" Leave it to her to try and play matchmaker with her all-too undateable daughter. "Dress formal!" She added, as I rushed upstairs to get ready.
In no time at all, I ended up waiting by the door for our guests, wearing a black dress that I hadn't worn for years. Lynn was beside me, looking even less happy to be there than I was. "This sucks." She whispered to me.
Before I could respond, the doorbell rang. Giving my sister a look that I hope conveyed a sense of "I couldn't agree with you more, but right now we have to shut up,", I opened the door. On the other side were two figures, which I knew were Constance and her son. Constance smiled like she was the one hosting the party, and introduced herself and the boy. "This is Michael." She said, gesturing to the boy standing beside her. He was dressed in a nice suit, with his blonde hair neatly combed.
I paused when I saw him. He looked strangely familiar, but I couldn't place where I could have seen him before. Annoyingly enough, Michael was also glaringly attractive. Why couldn't I ever meet a nice, ugly boy? The ugly ones never hurt you.
I didn't have time to ponder this any more, because at that moment my mother rushed in, hurriedly apologizing for not being the one to usher the two through the door. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!" She gushed. "We'll be having dinner in the dining room, right over there--"
"Oh, I know where the dining room is," Constance said, cutting my mother off. Constance pushed passed her, Michael following closely behind. My mother looked flabbergasted, like she didn't know what to do. Who would? It's not every day you meet a woman that can disrespect and insult you with such confidence, all while smiling graciously and talking in a sweet southern accent. On top of that, Constance's demeanor made it difficult to even notice the rudeness.
Instead of leading the guests into our dining room like originally planned, we ended up trailing behind them like obediant pets. The room was dimly lit, as my mom felt that harsh lighting took away from the elegance of it all, and the table was already set and ready. All it needed was the food, which was waiting in the kitchen for Moira to serve when the timing seemed right. My mother's idea of a perfect get-together. My dad, on the other hand, looked just as uncomfortable as we did.
We all sat at the table, me and Lynn on one side, Constance and Michael across from us. My parents sat across from each other as well, one on our side and one on the guests. My mother was making small talk with Constance, while the rest of us just sat in silence. That is, until Michael spoke. And not only did he speak, he spoke directly to me.
"So, I never did catch your name." He said.
"That's because I never told you." I replied crossly.
My mom gasped and looked over at me. "Salem, be polite!" She cried.
Michael smirked. "So it's Salem. Good to know." He then directed his gaze onto my mother, and said, "Mrs. Reed, what a lovely occasion this is. It must have taken so much work." His words were dripping with contempt, but it seemed I was the only one who had noticed.
My mom was flustered. "Please, call me Charlotte. And really, it's just a small get-together. Not fancy at all." She was obviously trying to play the humble host, even though I could tell she had probably been planning the dinner for days.
"Yes, of course, Charlotte. May I add that you look stunning?"
My mother blushed, playing right into Michael's game. "Thank you, but tonight is hardly all about me." She bit her lip, as if trying to find another topic to talk about, when she decided she found one. "Patrick and I," She said, reaching her hand across the table to my father, "Were talking about how our kids need to get to know each other. We thought it would be great if they had a little hang-out, with just them. No stuffy old adults to bother them. Right, honey?"
My Dad was clearly uncomfortable at being put on the spot. His eyes were downcast, and it looked like he was trying to hide behind his glasses. "Yes, yes. A fantastic idea."
Michael grinned at me from over the table. "I think it sounds like a blast."
I stayed silent. There was no way around whatever was going to happen, not with my mother's determination.
"Fantastic!" She said, clapping her hands together. "What time works for you, Constance?"
Constance smiled at my mother, but her eyes were cold. "Michael has a very busy schedule. I don't think he could--"
"I could make time," Michael said, stopping Constance midsentence. Constance looked faintly surprised for a moment, but she hid it well. Michael looked directly at me and grinned. "What do you say, Salem? I'd love to get to know you."
Michael's gaze was arrogant, dangerous. Predatory. It was the look a lion gave an antelope before it pounced, ripping into the creatures flesh. Everything about Michael was dangerous, and dangerously beautiful. He was the lion. But there was something else about him, something snakelike. His words were calculated to get him exactly what he wanted. Everyone was entranced by his words, in a daze from his flattery. They all expected me to agree with him, the way even he expected me to. I couldn't do it. Michael made my skin crawl. He awoke an animal instict in me to run, which is what I did.
"I feel sick," I said, and quickly left the room. I could hear my mom's protests, but I ignored them and ran to my room. Panting, I shut and locked the door. What was wrong with me? Why would I be so scared of just a boy? A boy I had no reason to fear?
All monsters are human.
I sat down on my bed, putting my head in my hands. I was losing my mind. The rest of my family loved Michael, and I didn't. The only explanation was that I really had no reason to hate him, and it was all in my head. My hands trembled. I couldn't go crazy. I wouldn't! It was too much. I needed to sleep.
I made my way over to my nightstand, throwing open the drawers in search of the pills. Hands shaking, I grabbed the bottle. I poured some of the white tablets into my hand, popping them into my mouth without counting them. I took a swig of water from the pitcher by my bed, and laid back, waiting for sleep to take me.

...

"Mom, she's awake!"
I groggily opened my eyes to see that I was in what looked like a hospital room. My family were all standing by my bed. When I looked up, my mom grabbed my hand. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry! Whatever we did...whatever we did wrong..." She broke off, and her eyes teared up.
I opened my mouth to try and speak, but found that when I did my throat burned like someone had rubbed it with sandpaper all night.
My dad saw that I couldn't say what I wanted to say, and looked at me apologetically. "They had to pump your stomach, to remove the excess pills in your system." He patted my hand. "Having a bit of a sore throat is normal."
A bit? I couldn't even talk! Even so, that wasn't what bothered me. What bothered me was the way they were acting. They were acting the way they did when...shit. They were acting they way we did when Lynn tried to commit suicide. They thought I had tried to off myself.
My eyes widened and I tried to explain what actually happened, but my vocal cords were too agonized for me to tell them.
"Don't talk, Sae. I understand," Sae said when she noticed my stuggle.
No, you don't! I wanted to scream. You
understand nothing! But all I could do was sit there and try not to cry because of how unfair it all was. I saw the way my parents treated Lynn, like she was fragile, or even already broken. I didn't need that. I didn't want anything to change.
My mom smiled at me. "We'll get out. I hear you have another visitor waiting to see you." At that she and the rest of my family left, Lynn stopping to give me a quick hug before darting out.
Who would want to visit me? I had no friends, save for Alison. Was it Alison? But that wouldn't make any sense. I didn't tell anyone about Alison, and I didn't even have her phone number.
The door to the room clicked open, and in walked the one person I would have never wanted to see again. Michael. Today he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, instead of the formal wear he had on at the dinner, but he was still gorgeous. I hated it.
I attempted to scream at him to get out, but all that happened was I made a sound like a dying pterodactyl, and my agonized throat just hurt even more.
Michael ignored it and sat at the chair beside my bed. "For whatever reason, we got off on a bad start. Let me make it up to you. I could take you out to dinner, or to a movie or something. As friends. It would be fun."
He looked completely sincere, but he still had that snakelike feeling around him, and it made me trust him even less than if he had done something outright dishonest. Plus, it was him wanting to hang out with me that made me run from the party. I just couldn't handle it. I was about to shake my head no and point at the door to get him to leave, but then I thought about it. I had no specific reason to dislike him so much. If I told anyone else my explanation, they would laugh and tell me I'm insane. Which I could be. My mental abilities couldn't really be trusted these days. Besides, it was kind of bitchy. I didn't want to be a bitch.
Before I could contemplate my decision any more, I found myself nodding.
Michael grinned. "Sweet. See you next Friday?"
I nodded again.
"Sounds like a plan," Michael said, and left the room.
What did I just get myself into?