𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 • 𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑜𝑛

𝟓. ❙𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝

❛ 𝑴𝑼𝑹𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬❜
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•☽.⭒✻❙ 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 ❙✻⭒.☾•

❝ 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝? ❞

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𝑯𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑳 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑨
𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔

❛ this could be heaven or this could be hell ❜

        𝐼𝑁 𝐴𝐷𝐷𝐼𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁 𝑇𝑂 𝐻𝐸𝑅 dozens of other mental health issues, Rosemary has always struggled when it came to sleeping. Whether it be nightmares that keep her awake to escape them, constantly thinking about the worst moments in her life, or simply being unable to sleep, Rosemary always struggled at night.

Despite it being two in the morning, Rosemary was wide awake. In her low waisted pyjama pants with moths scattered around them and a large Smiths shirt, she wandered down to the kitchen to get some water, which may hopefully aid her with sleeping. Although, when she arrived in the kitchen, she saw her mother still awake.

Rosemary cursed under her breath and quickly turned to escape, not wanting a conversation or lecture, which realistically, is what a conversation with Vivien would turn into, but she had caught her daughter too quickly. "Woah, woah, woah. Rosemary, come here."

Rosemary sighed and rolled her eyes before she turned to her mother, who caught a better look at the cut on her lip and bruises on her arms. Vivien is used to seeing Rosemary with a few cuts and bruises, she's constantly hurt or being reckless, so it wasn't a shock, but this was significantly worse. "What happened to you?"

"I fell." Rosemary lied without missing a beat, but it wasn't a good one. Vivien saw right through it. "No, you didn't."

Rosemary held her arms, using her hands to hide the bruises her mother suddenly seemed so concerned about. "It's fine, mom. I already took care of it. I'm not bleeding anymore."

"Boy or girl?" Vivien knew her daughter pretty well, and as she should despite not giving her any attention. Vivien has always known that Violet is smart, strong, charming, and funny, while Rosemary is almost genius, but never uses her potential, she's weird, she's quiet, she's scary. Vivien had such high hopes for Rosemary, but seeing her get into a fight was, unfortunately, no shock.

"Both. There were six of them." Rosemary responded to the question before Vivien joked, "Hope they look worse than you do."

"They do. I cut up their bodies and threw them in a lake." Rosemary answered with her usual level of unique charm. Vivien never understood why she made such horrific comments, no one did. No one but Tate, who found it endearing. Vivien sighed at her daughter and scratched her eyebrow. "That's not funny."

"Tate would think it's funny." Rosemary muttered under her breath as she looked down at the tiled ground below her, but the name caught her mother's attention. She had never heard it before. "Who's Tate?"

"Nobody."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, mom. I barely know him." Rosemary was thankful for the moon at this moment. The kitchen was dimmer and because her mother was tired due to the time of night, and the smidge of darkness around them, Rosemary's flustered cheeks weren't that visible. Rosemary isn't dating Tate, she wouldn't date Tate...or so she tries to convince herself.

Vivien was still very concerned for her daughter considering the cuts and scrapes. She didn't take into account the self harm, but that was due to not noticing. In any case, Rosemary would make up an excuse for that. She doesn't want her family to know this pain, she isn't doing it for attention. Rosemary hurts herself because despite the outward confidence she has, Rosemary deeply despises what she chooses to be.

"I know you're already suspended, Rosemary, and it may be difficult because of your...violent track record, but we can move you to a different school. Violet can even go with you to help you adjust." The Harmon family is a deeply flawed one from an eccentric daughter to an adulterating father, but there is one constant perfection that Vivien has always appreciated; Violet and Rosemary get along very well. Violet has always looked out for her little sister, aware that her unique personality and views of the world could get her into trouble, but that simply created a role model for Rosemary to look up to. While Violet protects and helps her sister with all she cares for, Rosemary appreciates Violet judgement free.

Rosemary was not a fan of the offer given to her by her mother. "They'd still bug me outside of school. And besides, I'm not running away from those prissy douchebags, they don't scare me."

"Yeah, you're not afraid of anything." On one hand, Vivien was glad that her youngest daughter could hold her own and wasn't easily threatened or scared, but that also subjected her to some of the most terrifying events in the world and being desensitised to it. "I don't know how you look at all that creepy stuff. The murder, mutilation, beatings. It's disgusting."

"It's cool when you look at it from a psychological standpoint, but you wouldn't know that because you never talk to me." Vivien hated when her daughters pointed out the truth, because it was a harmful one. Vivien doesn't speak to Rosemary as much as she may want to, and it isn't like Rosemary doesn't make an effort. If Vivien and Ben were more open to Rosemary's interests, they could realise that she doesn't specifically like gore, she enjoys understanding how differently the minds of psychotics work versus those who feel remorse.

Vivien sighed. "Look...I know this move hasn't been easy, and your dad and I haven't exactly been great to be around, but we're really trying, okay? We still love each other and we still love you."

"Could've fooled me."

❝ 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧. ❞

- 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈

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