In the Flower Field

Twenty-Nine: Acquaintances

It's Halloween, the most important holiday for all the ghosts in the house. The air is always lighter in the house the day of Halloween. All the ghosts leaving to get some semblance of freedom. You're buzzing with excitement dragging Tate out of the house bright and early. This is Tates first Halloween out of the house since his death.

The two of you spend your day similar to when the two of you first celebrated the holiday together, minus the costumes. It was a nice simple day where you could pretend you were alive, just a regular teenage girl that had a future instead of a dead ghost. A group of five teenagers came walking up to the two of you. As they got closer, you could see wounds at first you thought were fake. It is Halloween. It was only when you saw the guy on the end with no jaw that you knew those wounds were real.

"Well looks like you finally decided to show yourself Tate" the guy wearing the varsity jacket spoke. Your eyes fall to the large W on his jacket. Westfield, these are... you can feel your heart stop as you look them over. You knew Tate shot up his school but seeing the actual victims has you wanting to throw up. You never pictured that they could be ghosts, you always thought the house trapped souls and as long as you died outside the property lines you would be safe, free. Now you know that belief was false.

"I don't know you" Tate says it so convincingly you almost believe him. How could he forget his victims? Yet when you look at him you see no sign he's messing around. Does he seriously not remember them?

"Tate lets go" you say it quickly grabbing his arm and leading him away from the group. This couldn't be good, if Tate didn't remember them you don't want him saying something that makes the group even more hostile. As soon as you make it back to the house you're asking Tate if he seriously didn't know those people back there. He shakes his head no but his body language is telling you something different. It's like he knows he should recognize them and maybe a small part of him does but his brain isn't letting him fully understand.

The two of you have never talked about the shooting you figured Tate would one day tell you but he never did. Now you're beginning to wonder if he even remembers killing them, or even dying. Before you have a chance to pry more you hear a dog barking. At first you ignore it, only going to check the window when the dog stops. That's when you see Violet standing with the five teens from before. You tell Tate to stay put before heading outside to deal with the teens. You pretend you're walking up to the house, the five of them turn to you at the sound of your arrival.
"He sent his little girlfriend to deal with us" The jock taunted. You didn't care you'd let them say whatever mean thing they wanted to they deserved that, and so much more.

"I'm sorry" you find yourself before you can stop yourself. You're not sure there is anything you can say other than that.

"Who the hell are you, and how do you know these guys" you want to tell her to shut up, that she has no idea what she's in the middle of. You don't get a chance to say anything instead the group speaks up.

"How do you not know about westfield"

"Yeah, were kinda famous"

"Oh I see you're popular and pissed I don't know you" the cocky smirk as she says it is what really sets you off.

"Stop talking"

She points the pair of scissors at you "If all of you don't get off my property now I'm going to call the police."

"Call them, you're going to need them" the cheerleader said.

"Just send out Tate" the punk rocker demanded

"He's not here" Violet says just as you say "What do you want with him"

"We want answers," The goth girl says. A reasonable request but one you know won't be filled.

"He doesn't have them" Tate shows up right as you finish your sentence.

"The prodigal son finally reveals himself" Tate gets the group to chase him away from the house leaving you and Violet standing alone.

Violet stares at you for a moment, eyeing you up and down. You're turning away from her going to leave but Violet speaks up before you get too far.

"Your Tates Girlfriend"

"Yeah"