Oedipus Complex

Chapter 9: Breakdown

I realized this story is way behind in relation to what has happened in Bates Motel, so just pretend Norman killed Bradley and Emma's mom a few days before Alex proposed to Norma.

Norma finished setting up the table for just the two of them: Norman and Norma. She put together a pot roast, garden salad, and made Norman's favorite wild raspberry pie. When she set the table up, she removed her apron and placed it in its rightfully belonging spot. She walked over to the basement door, opened it, and called out, "Norman, honey! Dinner is ready."

She began to think if she had gone overboard and if Norman would think she had done something horribly wrong again.

"Coming mother!"

Norma peeked her head a little further into the darkness and heard the clacking of tools. Norma twisted her face in disgust. She knew taxidermy was no sane hobby for a boy of Norman's age. All she wanted was for him to socialize with kids his own age. All she wanted was for him to go out, have fun and come back home just in time for his curfew. She wanted to keep him close, but still give him some freedom to carry out the normal, daily activities teenagers taken on. But he was too busy cutting up dead animals and stuffing them. She nodded her head in disgust and walked over to the table and sat down. She began to verbalized what exactly she wanted to tell Norman.

'Norman, I got married.'
No.
'Norman, sheriff Romero and I entered a fake marriage so you can go to pineview... the place you hate.'
Crucial
' Norman, I'm sorry I've been a bad mother to you. You've been experiencing these horrible black outs and it hurts to see yo—"

"Mother, this looks amazing. I see you've made a pie too. Mother?"

Norma looked up and realized her son was speaking to her. All she had heard before was the muffled, ringing voice haunting her very existence. Her fingers were shaking. She didn't know how to tell her son he had to go to a mental institution. She didn't want to let him go, she couldn't bare the emptiness of their home. She grabbed her hand tightly so it would look like her hands weren't shaking.

"Honey, we need to talk." Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes appeared to be glassy, tears quickly on its way to form.

"So let's talk. Pass me the salad, please!" He said ecstatically.

Her poor son was pure in his eyes. He looked unaffected, yet deep below there was someone else. Someone she was not familiar with. Someone who would easily be willing to take the breath of human soul away. She knew it, but she could not admit her son's defectiveness. She worked to hard to shield it, but it was time.

"A couple days ago, I visited Pineview...." she paused for a moment and began to say quickly, "and before you say anything, let me explain myself," she raised her finger as a way to shush him before he could even speak. She could already sense his frustrations and feelings of betrayal. She thought it'd be best to leave off the sheriff part and spare him the news that could send him over the edge. She could tell him another time.

"They could help you, honey. You've been getting these black outs and you've admitted yourself... you feel out of self. I want... I need you to get better... for us," her voice broke.
"I love you so much and I can't bear seeing you hurt, Norman. It's a great place. There's music, outdoors activity, and Dr. Edwards, the psychologist working there, he thinks he could help us. We can get passed this."

She paused and could see Norman clenching the side of the table. She could see the painful glare he gifted her. She said it all wrong, she could've been more sentimental.

"For us?" he scoffed. "Mother, the moment you send me off to PearlView."

"It's Pineview"

He gave off a even strengthened glare and continued," the moment you send me off to Pineview this oneness, this so called cord you claim to have wrapped between our hearts will be severed. And it'll all be your fault." His voice was raised to a crescendo. I stayed in this world for you, mother. And now, you go behind my back?  Who have I killed now, mother?" His entire body shuddered.

" I don't think you killed anyone"

"Don't lie to me!!" he screamed.

Norma flinched, taken aback by his reaction.
"Norman?" She said weakly.

"What game are we playing now, Mother?" Norman stood from his chair and paid Norma a deadly stare."

"You think I'm crazy and broken, but you are the one. I don't think you're in your right mind" he took a step forward.

"Stop it, Norman." She cried, her face dry from no tears, however.

"There's only one way to stop this and I don't want to do it."

"Norman you're scaring me."

"I'm not gonna lie, mother. You should be scared." He said soberly.

He took one step closer, his hands in his pockets. "I know about you now. I understand things." He slowly circled behind Norma, finding her face following him as he turned.
"There's something dark in you, mother. Something that needs to be stopped. I know you killed that woman." He stopped deadly in front of her.

Norma peered at her son. Her son that she could no longer recognize. Her lips trembling, her voice unable to give off any sign of being able to speak, continued to listen to her son.

" I saw you scrabbling about in that pit, trying to cover up your crime so I wouldn't know," he cried. " I think you killed Bradley Martin and Blair Watson because you were jealous of them. And YOU are trying to blame ME. You are trying to pin it all on me and have me locked up. WELL, I AM NOT GONNA LET YOU DO THAT!" He roared.

All Norma could do was stare at her son. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her body was shaking. She was frozen. When she finally had the courage to, she ran up the stair to grab her phone. Norman followed right behind her.

"MOTHER!" He grabbed her wrists tightly.