Tate Langdon: Moving On

The White Jumper

-Effy's P.O.V-
Mom came home around seven that night and straight away ran upstairs to get herself dolled-up to go out with dad. I stayed in my room the whole time, listening to my parents get ready. There had been no sight of Tate since I told him to 'go away'. There was desperation inside of me to see him, just so I knew that he was still here.
"See you later Effy!" I heard my mom shout from downstairs. Before I could even reply, I heard the front door slam shut. I sighed with slight relief to know that I don't have my parents nagging me for a while. Since we moved in, they've started paying more attention to me and I've come to realise that I actually hate it. I'd prefer it if I was a ghost.
The hours went on and I had already ate tea with Moira, watched old horror movies and was now preparing for bed. And not once had I seen a sign of Tate, which did worry me a little but I tried to ignore the feeling. Moira had already finished cleaning the house and doing what ever she had to do, all she seemed to do was work, and had gone to bed at the time of ten at night. I undressed myself and climbed into bed with just my underwear on again. I attempted to close my eyes but they refused each time, like I had to stay away or I'd die.
The clock read three in the morning when I heard a loud bang come from outside my room which made me jump. I sat up, staring at my bedroom door for a couple seconds until the bang happened again. What the hell was that? Was it Tate? That thought raced through my head and I jumped out of bed in search for my dressing gown. I then realised my dressing gown was in the wash.
"Shit!" I whispered to myself. I quickly rushed over to my drawers at the bottom of my wardrobe and tugged them open. The first thing I saw was an oversized, white wooly jumper. I groaned and pulled it out anyway and threw it over myself. I think it was the jumper my nan knitted me two Christmas' ago and it's was still huge. Another bang came from outside my door. I started to slowly walk over to the door with my heart racing a little bit. I slowly outstretched my arm to grab the door handle and turned it. I pulled open the door and found that the hallway lights were all switched on.
"Hello?" I called out into the hall. No answer. I stepped out of my room and headed towards the stairs. Just a little further from the banister at the top of the stairs was the chandelier, but what made my heart freeze is that there was a noose hanging from it. "Who's out here?" I called, expecting an answer this time. I turned around and started scanning the hallways for any shadows, for someone, for Tate. "Hello?" I called out one more time until I finally got a reply.
"Hello, Effy." I heard a voice. I spun back around and saw Hayden standing on the banister holding the noose in her hands. She had a serious and sinister look on her face which frightened me. I started to slowly walk back until my back hit something. I spun around again and saw Violet standing right behind me.
"Where you going Effy?" she spoke with a sinister tone. She didn't sound so sweet and innocent like she did before.
"What are you doing?" I asked Violet.
"Well, I was speaking to Hayden about you and your little romance with Tate and thought we'd do a kind favour for you." she smiled, sarcasticly. I turned back to face Hayden and saw her swinging the noose around in her hand.
"What favour?" I gulped.
"You want to be with Tate, right? Well darling the only way that's happening is if he comes back to life." started Hayden.
"Or if you're dead." finished Violet. I turned back to Violet with wide eyes and then realised what they were going to do. I tried to turn to run to the stairs but Violet grabbed me and pushed me back so I fell straight into the banister where Hayden was.
"No! Please!" I shouted. Hayden grabbed my face and held me there whilst Violet came over and held onto my body. Violet helped Hayden lift my body up off the floor and up towards Hayden. She placed the noose around my neck and tightened it, making me choke a little. The only thing that was keeping me up was Hayden holding onto my body just above my chest and my fingers making a small gap between the noose and my throat.
"You're about to find out what it's like to be just like us and to be stuck in this house for all eternity." she whispered into my ear.
"Enjoy your time with Tate." finished Violet as she spat on my jumper. Hayden laughed and then pushed my body away from her and jumped off of the banister. I felt the noose tighten around my throat as I began to choke and not be able to breathe. I could see myself high above the floor and swinging from the chandelier. I coughed and blood came spitting from my mouth, dripping from my chin and all over my jumper. I kept kicking and swinging my legs and trying to loosen the noose with my hands but it was no use. I could feel myself starting to blank out as I listened to the laughter of Violet ad Hayden. Suddenly, my body stated to fall from the chandelier and I could see the ground coming closer to me before I got the wooden floor down below.

-Tate's P.O.V-
I cut the noose with a kitchen knife, letting Effy fall down to the ground floor, smacking the wood. I looked over at Violet an Hayden and saw them both look at me with shock. I screamed at them and then ran back down the stairs to get to Effy's side. She was choking up blood and finding it hard to breathe.
"Effy, you're alive right? Please tell me you're alive, Effy don't die on me!" I screamed at her trying to get her to look at me. She started to mumble something to me. "What did you say?" I asked, crying.
"W-water." she croaked out, still struggling to breathe. I untied the noose around her neck and threw it on the floor behind us and then rushed to leave her side and grab her a cup of water. I came running back to her side and saw that she was sat upright and breathing a little better whilst cradling her knee. At least she was alive. I looked up at the top of the stairs by the banister and saw that Violet and Hayden were gone. What the hell did they think they were doing? Especially Violet, what's happened to her? I sat myself down next to Effy and handed her the water. She took it slowly with a shaky hand and sipped it slowly. I could see the rope marks around her neck were raw and she had bruises starting to appear on her knee along with a cut.
"Are you okay?" I finally asked. She turned her head to look at me. She had tears rolling from her eyes and had fear all over her face.
"Where were you?" she whispered back.
"You told me to go away. So I went away." I said back, feeling the tears all over my cheeks beginning to dry. "I wish you never did tell me to go away because I would of been by your side, none of that would of happened to you. I would of protected you." I spoke.
"Why me, Tate?" she whispered again. I swallowed hard as I felt a lump forming in my throat.
"Because I love you." I finally spat out. I watched Effy's eyes light up slightly. "I want to protect you Effy. I want to call you mine. You've made me look at the world in a new way and you've killed whatever anger I had inside of me. I care about you more than anyone. You're all I have." I lowered my head and watched tears fall into my lap. "I just know that you don't want me anymore because you know that I'm dead. And I can't do anything about it." I finished. I suddenly felt a warm feeling against me cheek and realised it was Effy kissing me. I looked up to her and saw she was facing me with a sort of smile.
"I love you too, Tate. Dead or not, I want to be with you too." she spoke. My heart suddenly had a warmth flow into it. I leaned into her and pressed my lips against hers as we sat on the ground floor sharing a compassionate kiss. She pulled away and rested her forehead on mine as we stayed there for a few seconds. "I'm tired." she whispered to me.
"Me too." I whispered back. I lifted Effy into my arms and stood myself up. I then carried her, princess style, back up to her bedroom.
I lied her onto the bed and she looked exhausted. The rope burns around her neck already looked like they were starting to bruise and the cut on her knew was seeping blood. I leaned on the edge of her bed and then put my mouth around the cut.
"What are you doing?" Effy asked in a tired voice.
"Stopping the bleeding." I said, starting to suck the blood.
"Gross." she whispered with a smile. I pulled my mouth away and then stood up and turned to leave her until she grabbed my hand. "Stay with me tonight." she said quietly, looking up at me. "I'm scared." She pulled me in closer to her. I climbed onto the bed and leaned over the top of her.
"Of course I will." I smiled and then kissed her nose. I dragged my body off of her so I was lying behind her and began spooning her. "I like the jumper by the way. White also suits you." I finished. I heard her giggle before I closed my eyes and fell asleep with her in my arms again.