1994
Tabitha stares down at the water filling the bathtub, dipping the tips of her fingers into the warm liquid and sending ripples across the otherwise smooth surface. It's funny how such a small thing can have such a large effect on everything. There's still flecks of blood on her face and in her blonde hair, the crimson standing out in stark relief against the pale gold. She bites her lip, observing her reflection do the same. What will happen now that my twin's gone?
"Why so sad, Tabby?" Tate's reflection joins hers in the water, his face clean of any blood that had been there before.
"You know why," she answers in a whisper without turning to face him. "Am I going crazy?"
"No, you've never been crazy." He rests his hands on Tabitha's shoulders, the cold of his skin seeping through the thin cotton of her nightgown. "You should take a bath and get the blood out before it dries. I know how much you hate it in your hair. It does look really good on you, though." He tilts his head to the side, crouching down so that his face is next to hers. "You should wear crimson more often." Tabitha closes her eyes, lips curled into a smile as she leans back against his hard chest.
"You're so cold now, Tate."
"I won't be for long." His lips press against the soft skin of her cheek in a kiss, his arms moving until they encircle her in a sort of hug with her arms pressed against her side. "Just relax, Tabby Cat, and let me do all the work."
She doesn't get much time to contemplate what he'd said before she's pushed into the bathtub, Tate's hands keeping her head under the water. It's a curious sensation, drowning; your lungs are on fire even as you try to suck in air on instinct. Only, instead of the precious oxygen your body craves, you inhale water—warm and wet and suffocating.
Her hair floats around her head, her nightgown clings to her body, but her limbs stay perfectly still in spite of it all. Tabitha doesn't see any point in struggling, at least this way she won't have to do it herself. She would have OD'd in her favorite hotel room, swallowed a handful of pills and just drifted away.
Hey, this isn't suicide either, so I have a chance to slip past the bouncer and into the pearly white city called Heaven. She'd laugh if it was possible, knowing she'll most likely go south and meet the Devil firsthand for what she's done in her short life. Seventeen years old and she already has three murders under her belt. Still, it's not as bad as her darling brother, he killed countless people just four hours ago.
Black teases at the edge of her vision, beckoning her forward to slip into its sweet embrace. She swims towards it gratefully, leaving this annoying thing called Life behind her. When she opens her eyes again a feeling of surrealism hits her.
Tate's kneeling with his back to her, sobbing gently while pressing something under the water of the bath Tabitha had drawn not two minutes ago. Stepping forward, she can see herself floating there, her lips blue and parted in a silent plea to some deity or another. Tate releases her body after a few more seconds, standing up and wiping his wet arms and hands off on a fluffy blue towel.
"Is this how you felt," Tabitha asks, tugging on the black material of her nightgown. It's uncomfortable now, making her skin itch as the water begins to dry. Tate's still dressed in the dark clothes he died in, the long sleeves of his sweater pushed up above his elbows. "It's kind of trippy." It's like when she tried acid for the first time, a slip of dissolvable paper with Daffy Duck printed on it that took her all the way to Wonderland.
"It is at first, but you'll get used to it." Tabitha nods, sitting on the edge of the tub again and fingering a damp strand of her hair. "Are you okay?" She doesn't answer at first, occupied by the sounds of footsteps and then the sight of Constance walking into the bathroom with Tabitha's robe. She sets it down on the counter, not noticing her kids standing directly behind her as she looks up into the mirror to dab at her tear-stained cheeks.
Her perfect son has just died, her world ripped to pieces. As far as she knows, she's stuck with a daughter afflicted with Downs and another that loves drugs more than anything else in life. What would she do if I had fought back and lived? How long would I have stayed alive before she finally snapped and killed me like she did Beauregard?
"I brought you your favorite robe, baby girl. I know how you…." Constance pauses upon turning to face the bathtub, the color draining from her face. "Oh my God…. Oh my—" She hurries to kneel beside the tub, pulling Tabitha's body out of the water and into her lap. "No, no, no," she wails between sobs. "Not you, too!" Tabitha giggles, watching the display with something akin to glee.
"I've never been better," she says, smiling up at Tate. Her twin grins down at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. "Can we pick up where we were when the SWAT team so rudely interrupted us?" With a laugh, Tate carries her down the hall to her bedroom, laying the both down on the soft mattress and pressing closer to her.
2011
Staring out one of the stained-glass windows, Tabitha watches as a new family moves in, all happy faces and ignorant bliss. If they knew what they're getting themselves into they'd probably tuck tail and run back to wherever it is they came from. She tilts her head to the side, blue eyes catching sight of a small white fluff ball of a dog, wondering how anyone can stand an ankle biter like that.
"Newbies," Tate murmurs from across the room, relaxing on their brother's old bed with only the dusty sheet to keep him modest.
"I wonder how long they'll last." Tabitha joins him under the sheet, snuggling against his chest. "The gay ones made it almost a year and they weren't even unstable to begin with." Tate grins, both of his arms wrapped tightly around her. "Mm, this family has a daughter, think you can trick her into killing herself and giving us a new toy?"
"Probably. Most teenage girls are easy to manipulate." Tabitha slaps his shoulder playfully with a grin of her own. "Oh please, like I didn't have to manipulate you a little bit to get you in my bed?"
"All you had to do to get me to sleep with you is pull down your pants, brother dear." She lowers her hand to run over his hardening cock, biting her lip and looking up at him through her lashes in a way she knows he loves. "Speaking of which, what do you say we get in a bit more fun before we start our game?"
"You making a go for the dad?"
"Well, he's not bad looking." Tabitha shrugs, speeding up the pace of her hand. "I bet by the time I'm finished he'll be begging to fuck me." She straddles her brother with a grin, sinking down with a loud moan. He's a perfect match for her in every way, filling every inch of her and knowing where to press to make her scream.
Tabitha mewls, beginning to ride him hard and fast. There is not gentle love making here, she and Tate aren't sentimental in that way, they have to have pain alongside the pleasure.
Tate moves, making them both fall to the hard floor, quickly changing positions so that Tabitha's ass is in the air and he's entering her from behind. The handful of hair he keeps pulling and the unrelenting speed of his thrusts nearly makes her lose herself then and there, but she holds it back, knowing it'll feel better the longer she resists.
"Shit, Tabby," he grunts, moving faster and harder, his free hand going to the sensitive bundle of nerves that make sparks dance up her spine. She comes hard, falling forward with a scream and Tate on top of her.
They lay on the floor for what seems like hours, the only sounds being their labored breathing and the family downstairs. "It gets better every time." He laughs breathlessly, pulling out of her and laying on his back.
"You're damn right it does." They smile at each other, their clothing appearing back on their bodies a few seconds later. A plain black sweater and jeans for him and a short white skirt and spaghetti strap top for her. The house catered to all of their needs, giving them what they want in exchange for trapping them here for the rest of eternity. "Come on, Tabby Cat." Tabitha follows Tate downstairs to get a better view of the Harmon family.
It's finally time to play.