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"do you ever think about what life would be if we never met?" i asked as i put his shaggy blond hair into a pony tail on the top. "like what we'd be doing right now. i'd probably be at the church with my dad or obsessing in my room about school starting." tate chuckled as he saw himself in the mirror.
"i guess so. we've only known each other for two weeks, adele." he turned toward me and grabbed the hair tie off from my wrist. "here, i want to to do your hair." he ran his fingers through my hair and gathered it all to the top. "but yeah. i'd probably be in my room trying to drown out the ghosts in this house."
"oh, who was that woman... uh light blonde hair and terribly white skin. she was crying but... well i don't mean to pry." tate finished my hair and sat beside me on the floor.
"you're gonna have to be more specific," he says and wraps my hair with the hair tie.
"well i don't know... she looked younger yet older. her dress was silver and.. well i don't know." i checked myself out in the mirror and laughed at tate's handy work.
"it might've been a ghost. we don't have people over. ever." tate shrugged and jutted his chin to the side as he explained. "the only blond woman i know of other than constance would be nora." it was odd that he called his mother by her first name but i didn't say anything.
"who's nora?"
"the very first woman of the house. her husband built it for her in the early 1900's. legend has it that her husband was this freak doctor that would experiment on animals and attempt to do some frankenstein type stuff. he began getting more involved and began using girls for his work. he would offer them abortions and some of them he would use for his frankenstein craft...
well one day one of the boyfriends of the girls he gave an abortion to found out and stole nora and charles' baby. the police showed up with a package full of jars that contained their baby's ligaments and other body parts. nora was obviously distraught over it and cried for days before charles 'brought their baby back to life.' of course nora was excited about having her baby back but when she went to her baby's room there was something of another kind in its crib. charles had totally mutated that baby far worse than it already was...
nora killed that creature her husband created them went downstairs and killed charles, then shot herself." i must admit, the story was one hell of a story and just that. a story for tourists and believers.
"no it must've been someone else." i bit the inside of my mouth as tate stood to his feet. "where are we going?" i asked as he helped me stand to my feet.
"to the attic. i have to show you something." knowing i was doubtful of his story he had to prove it to me. he pulled the ladder down to the attic and helped me carry my oxygen tank up. chains rattled in the corner but tate pretended like he didn't notice. "come on," he says as he pulls away a from the area i heard the rattles. tate pulled at a spot from the attic wall until the wood paneling came off. inside was pictures and boxes from past owners. he showed me the pictures of nora and her husband charles.
"that's the woman... i saw her in the window but-but that's impossible..." a hand placed itself on my shoulder but i brushed it off as if it were tate's.
"she's pretty, tate," nora says to the shaggy blond boy beside me and places her other hand on my cheek. i wasn't sure how to respond other than to sit paralyzed from fear. she disappeared as if she were never here in the first place. a singular tear slipped down my cheek but tate wiped it away.
"are you dead too?" i question and touch his face as if it would fade away under my touch. he grabbed my wrists and smiled softly. "tate?"
"i'm perfectly alive and so are you. i know you said ghosts scare you but... i'll protect you." he hugged me and allowed me to regain my composure after being terrified. "are you okay, adele?" his hand messed with the messy ponytail he put my hair into as his other rubbed my back.
"yeah... i think so." we stood up and walked over to the attic's entrance. "do you have to go down first?" he nodded and helped me down each step. we closed the hatch and just stood there for a moment.
"are you like so excited for school?" tate mocked the voice of a teen girl and put his hand on his hip. "or no?" he frowned. i still wasn't fully over what happened up there but i couldn't admit it.
"not really. i don't know anyone besides you." he laughed lightly and pulled me away back to his room. he played some stone temple pilots. creep was the first song to play. he held me close and we danced as if the song we were listening to were special and calming. even though the song made me feel some type of way i didn't let it get in the way of being with tate. being with him was the only time i was allowed to feel like myself and comfortable in my own skin.
"tate dinners done." adelaide says as she opens his bedroom door. she giggled when she saw us and stood in the doorframe with her hand on the handle.
"what did i tell you about knocking addy? you're smarter than that." he left me and walked over to his door and kissed his sisters head. "come on. we're having dinner." tate helped me wheel down my oxygen tank down the stairs even though i really didn't need it. "you are staying right?" i looked to the set dinner table and shrugged.
"would that be okay with your mom?" i awkwardly grinned and messed with the handle on my tank. he shrugged and smiled down to me as larry came marching down the steps.
"yeah. come on." tate instantly became more direct and his face went straight. he had his hand on my back and pushed me toward the kitchen and over to a empty chair. he pulled one out for me and tucked me into the table until i was at a comfortable distance. he sat beside me and addy across from me. larry sat on the end closest to tate which made him tense up. mrs. langdon walked into the room with her dinner and sat it upon the table.
"oh i wasn't aware you were joining us for dinner tonight adeline." she smiled harshly and sat down. "i would've made more food if i would've known."
"oh it's quite alright. i didn't know i was staying either." i placed my napkin in my lap and readjusted the position of my oxygen tank.
"adeline, would you say grace for us? i expect with having a father like yours you might have some words to say." my cheeks flushed a deep red and i pushed my hair out from my face.
"i could try. i'm not very good with these types of things." tate held onto my hand and i reached over to hold mrs. langdon's hand. "our dear heavenly father, we thank thee for this food, feed our souls on the bread of life and help us do our part in kind words and loving deeds. we ask in jesus' name. amen." we all disconnected hands and began to eat.
"that was lovely adeline." larry says before shoving his fork into his mouth.
"almost as lovely as your family setting fire to themselves?" tate questioned and set his fork down. "or not so lovely?" i sat in shock but mrs. langdon just rolled her eyes as if this were normal.
"tate, stop it." his mom demands and wipes her mouth. "eat your food my boy." i couldn't take my eyes off larry after hearing the hurtful words tate spoke to him. i ate my food as if what just happened didn't affect me and that what she made were something from a restaurant.
