We Were Born To Die

Are We All Forgotten?

After five years, Tate was mostly back to his old self, but there were still moments when Alice caught him staring off into space with a sad look in his eyes. She knew he was thinking about Violet, but she never mentioned it to him. She wanted him to be happy and discussing the girl he had lost would not do that. She wasn’t sure she could bear hearing how much Tate loved Violet any longer either. A sigh escaped her lips as she put her chin on her arms that rested along the banister. She was staring down at the bottom of the main staircase, trying to fight off the uneasy feeling it gave her. More than twenty years and she still could hardly stand being where she had died.

"Alice?!" The Southern accent was far too distinguished not to recognize and the blonde turned, coming face to face with a woman she had only seen glimpses of since before her death. "Oh, tell me you’re not stuck here too. I had no idea that you had died at the hands of the house." There was pity in the woman’s voice that made the teenager uneasy about this meeting.

"I’m sorry Constance… I – I thought you knew…" Her voice was quiet as she tucked strands of hair behind her ear nervously.

"It’s good to see you, no matter the circumstances." Constance smiled warmly, her hand touching the girl’s cheek lovingly. "I feel much better leaving this house and knowing that Tate has someone looking after him in this house."

The blonde smiled slightly at the comment. She always knew that Constance appreciated her friendship with her son. The woman had a poor way of showing it, but she really did love Tate. Alice could tell from conversations she had in the past with her.

"Constance… Can I ask you a question?" Her voice shook slightly and she tried to prepare herself for whatever the answer might be.

"Anything, honey."

"What happened to my parents?" She tugged her sleeves over her hands, clutching the fabric in her palms nervously as she waited for a response. It was something she often tried to imagine, her parents going on without her. She always assumed they stayed in L.A., probably moved into a house they were more comfortable in. When she tried to visualize it, they always looked happier than she had ever seen them.

"They were devastated. I didn’t hear much, but I had to talk to them once. The police had assumed you killed yourself, purposely tripped on the top stair or something, but your parents refused to hear it." Constance sighed, shaking her head. "They moved away, Maine, I think."

"Oh, wow." Alice murmured, looking down. She felt awful that her parents had been so upset and worse that the police had thought it was suicide. She bit her lower lip, blinking back tears.

"Enough about that now, baby. Are you okay here? With everything that had happened…"

"I – I’m fine. I’ve had Tate to look after so I don’t really have time for my own problems." Alice said after a moment, smiling weakly at the woman, "I like it that way, though."

"I always thought Tate was lucky to have you. Shame he thought so highly of that Violet girl, though. You’re much better for him and you would never hurt him like that." Alice blinked, surprised at the words she was hearing. It was one thing to hear a mother talk about the woman she wanted her son to be with but it was completely different to be that person. Constance smiled, tucking a strand of Alice’s hair behind her ear. "I always hoped that once you both were old enough, you would be the girl to marry my son."

Alice blushed, looking down at her hands as she picked at a loose thread on her sweater. “I think some part of me always hoped that as well.” She mumbled, practically able to feel the woman’s beaming smile. Constance took the girl’s hands before noticing the worn sweater.

"Good heavens, Alice, this sweater is falling apart. The next time I stop by, I’ll bring by some new clothes for you, but I have to be off. Michael must be getting hungry by now."

Since her meeting with Constance, Alice had moved to sit in the backyard. The thought of someone that had hoped she and Tate would end up together was strange. Everyone seemed to have been so happy when Tate found Violet that she had assumed no one gave her a second thought. She had merely just been his best friend, nothing more, nothing less. As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard someone call out and she looked up at the approaching teenage girl.

"You’re Alice, aren’t you? The girl that everyone keeps mentioning?"

"C-Can I help you with something?" She asked hesitantly after nodding her head. This girl was just as pretty up close as she had been from a distance and Alice felt a pang of jealousy.

"I’m sure you know who I am if what everyone keeps saying is true. You’re T - his best friend, aren’t you?" Violet’s voice was cold, but she couldn’t help but notice the slight sadness the crept in as she nearly mentioned the boy’s name. Alice simply nodded again, unsure of what Violet Harmon could possibly want from her. "How the hell do you do it?"

"I’m not sure what you mean..." Despite her attempt at a strong appearance, her voice shook and she looked down nervously. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what this girl had to say about her friend.

"You know what he’s done. You forgave him for everything he’s done. That’s bullshit. He’s a psychopath." Violet’s cold voice held anger now and Alice stood up immediately, staring at the girl with a sudden hatred. She didn’t know what it was like to actually hate someone, but she could guess this is what it felt like.

"He’s my best friend, Violet, and although you don’t understand this house yet, I do. I know that if there were no influence of the house in his mind, Tate never would have done any of it. If this were a normal house, he would be a normal boy. Just because he made mistakes does not mean I am going to shut him out like everyone else seems to have done."

Violet laughed, a cold, unfriendly laugh that gave Alice chills, but she stood her ground, determined not to let her speak so horribly about her friend.

"Bullshit." Violet stared into the shorter blonde girl’s eyes, "You’re just as fucked up as he is, Alice. If you seriously think he’s done nothing wrong, you need help. Jesus Christ, I may love him but at least I can see that."

"You don’t know what love is." Alice said coldly, her voice barely more than a whisper. She clutched the end of her sleeves in her palms, crossing her arms over her chest before stepping around Violet without a second glance. She walked across the lawn quickly and stepped back inside, hoping the girl wasn’t going to follow her. When there was no movement behind her, she stopped and sat on one of the stools in the kitchen, folding her arms on the counter and resting her forehead against them gently.