Tate walks into the studio, hands in his pockets, expression slightly baffled. It seems weird, that people are so interested in him. Being on TV is something that happens to famous people; rock stars, novelists, murder victims.
A producer leads him to a chair. A few people fuss around trying to make his hair less 'foofy'. It's mildly irritating, kind of like having a swarm of insects buzzing around you. He's tempted to swat them away, but they move off of their own accord soon enough. He wonders if his hair is still foofy. He suspects it is.
The interviewer is young, blonde, with a chipped front tooth that she's obviously self conscious about. She keeps half-smiling, then remembering about it – pulling her top lip over her teeth like a horse. Or Sarah Jessica Parker. He smirks.
"We're on in five," a camera man points a giant lens towards Tate. He stars down the barrel of the camera, to the blackness at its centre. This will be his legacy. The Langdon Tapes.
"And we're here in the studio with Tate Langdon, the teenage boy who shot up his school, then shot up our hearts!"
There's that tooth again. Her lip closes over it awkwardly. She looks like she's trying to eat her own face. Tate smirks.
The studio audience is applauding enthusiastically.
Well, okay. Maybe he's sort of famous after all.
"Now for the first time, and with some pretty impressive new technology, our network has been granted exclusive interviews with Tate, his friends, his family and his victims! Tate," she turns towards him, smiling toothlessly. "Welcome to the show."
The audience applauds again. Tate stares wide eyed down the black eye of the camera. He smiles. Someone in the audience squeals. It sounds kind of like someone stepped on a kitten. He smiles again.
"So Tate," the interviewer begins, as the applause dies away. "Tell us – some people are a little unclear. Do you actually remember shooting up your school?"
Tate grins, running a hand through his hair sheepishly, as if the interviewer has asked him a slightly embarrassing question, like whether he wears boxers or briefs.
"You know, it's a weird thing – " he shrugs looking out into the audience. "I know I did it, sure…"
"But you don't remember doing it?"
"Not exactly. It's kinda like it happened to someone else. Or like you're remembering a dream, you know? So I know I did it…I'm trying to accept that. But it's not something I really remember happening."
"So how do you know you did it? Because of the visions you talked about with your psychiatrist, Ben Harmon?"
"Right, right…" Tate nods, pulling the ends of his sleeves over his hands. "I kept having these visions and I guess I didn't really understand what they were, but I've come to realise that they're actually memories. I guess I blacked out and don't remember." He smiles goofily, as if he's confessing to accidentally eating that pie you left cooling on your window sill. A few people in the audience laugh.
The interviewer shuffles her notes. "And what do you make of the people who think you do remember – that you absolutely know what you did, but that you're pretending not to for some reason?"
Tate raises his eyebrows, kicking one leg up to rest on his knee.
"Why would I lie about it?" he asks, smoothly.
"Well…" the interviewer seems hesitant now. "Some people think you're trying to cover up your darkness – hide it from certain people."
"Like who?" he presses.
"Violet!" someone from the audience yells out. There's a murmur through the crowd. The interviewer looks out into the audience, silencing them with a look.
"Violet?" Tate looks out into the crowd. "Is that what you guys said?" he laughs "…Violet doesn't need me to cover up my darkness for her. If I remembered what I'd done, I'd tell her. We don't keep secrets."
"Because you love her?"
"Absolutely." Tate nods, earnestly. His expression is open, honest. "I love her. You don't keep secrets from the people you love."
"Even if you think it might protect them?"
"Violet doesn't need that, either. She's a strong girl…you'll see that when you talk to her. She's capable. She's got plenty of darkness inside her, herself. She's not scared of me….shouldn't be scared of me." He corrects himself, seamlessly. There's a small murmur in the crowd.
"Do you think that's why she was attracted to you? Because of your darkness?"
"You mean because she recognised something about herself in me?" Tate leans back in the armchair thoughtfully. "Could be I guess. Well, that and the fact that I'm ridiculously attractive. Or cute. Am I cute?" he waggles his eyebrows at the interviewer. "I'm cute, right?"
"I LOVE YOU TATE!" someone screams out. The audience laughs.
Tate smiles, all perfect white teeth.
"I guess if it doesn't work out with Violet, you've got plenty to choose from." The interviewer quips.
"I know, right?" Tate jerks his thumb towards the audience "…I saw some girl wearing a 'Take me, Tate!' t-shirt….and you know, I was like…take her where?" he winks.
The interviewer laughs, then closes her mouth hurriedly.
"…and the girl in her underwear."
"There was a girl in her underwear?" Tate widens his eyes, turning around in his chair to eye off the audience. "Seriously? One of you is half naked?"
"Yup. Yeah. She'd written 'property of Tate Langdon' on stomach, in paint…well, I think it was paint…" the interviewer laughs awkwardly.
"Sure. Paint." Tate grins "Well, you know…if I'm claiming ownership of something, usually I prefer a more visceral kind of ink."
"What? Like blood?"
"Blood. Saliva. Other bodily fluids." He quirks an eyebrow.
"So you're not going to take her up on her offer, then?"
"You can mark her 'return to sender'. Actually, send her to the murder house. I think Doctor Harmon has a few vacancies today."
"Oh snap!" someone calls out from the crowd.
"You think he could slot her in?" the interviewer grins.
"I think she could slot him in, sure."
The cameraman signals to the interviewer, who turns to face the camera.
"And we've got to take a break, but we'll be back after a few words from our sponsors! Coming up we'll talk to Tate about murder and regret, and later on we'll be chatting to the lovely Violet Harmon! Stay tuned!"
The show rolls to commercial break.
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