Chapter One: Months and Weeks and Days

May

It's a bright day in Boston, it's warm and the birds are chirping. Ben and Vivien Harmon are out grocery shopping and their eldest child, 18 year old Bennett, is walking up the street towards his house. His six foot frame of muscle walks up to the house and unlocks the front door. He holds a small packet in his hand as he walks upstairs to his sisters' bedroom. He stands outside her door for a moment thinking about how to broach the subject of her leaving the house. Bennett runs his fingers through his short dark hair and sighs. When he walks into his sister's room she's lying on her bed staring at the ceiling.

"Did you get them?" Violet doesn't move from her spot she just continues to stare.

"Yep here you are." Bennett walks over to Violet and hands her the packet, she sits up and takes it. "I think you should go outside." Bennett spits the words out hoping they don't set off an argument.

"Why would I go out? I have everything I need here." Violet swings her legs back and forth over the edge of her bed and looks through her bedside cabinet for a lighter.

"That's only because I get you the things you need and I won't be able to get you things when I'm at college." Bennett sits down on the bed next to his sister.

"Just send me a care package." Bennett laughs as Violet smiles at her idea and finds her lighter.

"I think it's supposed to be the other way round, you send me one." Violet looks up at her brother and frowns.

"Why would I send you a care package?" She unwraps the fresh packet of cigarettes Bennett has just bought for her and takes one out.

"Um...cos you care?"

"You'll be fine, you can take care of yourself always could." Violet gets off of her bed and walks to her bedroom window, lighting her cigarette.

"Yeah and who's gonna take care of you?" Bennett lies down on the bed with his arms under his head.

"I'll be fine. Maybe I can convince Dad to get my cigarettes." Violet opens the window and blows her smoke out of it.

"Never gonna happen."

"I know, I'm living in la la land if I believe that."

"Will you try? Going outside I mean." Bennett knows she won't say yes but he feels like he has to keep trying. "We can go together."

"Not today. Maybe tomorrow."

Bennett knows she will say no when he asks her tomorrow. He's tried to make her go outside before but for the past five months Violet has been stuck in the house, fear of who knows what trapping her there.

August

"So we'll Skype every night at 9pm, ok?" Bennett looks around Violet's room and tries to remember if he checked all her hiding places for razor blades.

"Yep 9pm for me 6pm for you. I'll be here ready and waiting, I'll try not to get caught up in my busy life and miss your call." Violet raises her eyebrows, her voice dripping sarcasm.

"Yeah, ok so..." Bennett shuffles his feet not knowing what to do and suddenly feeling dread at leaving home.

"I'll be fine!" Violet says it so loudly Bennett jumps slightly "Go! Get drunk, fuck random guys and girls and occasionally go to classes."

"Yeah...maybe I'll go to class." Bennett reaches out and grabs Violet pulling her into a hug so tight she squeaks.

"Can't. Breathe. Net."

"Oh! Sorry, been working out more than usual lately."

"Jesus I can tell, think you cracked a rib."

Violet watches from her bedroom window as her parents load the last of her brother's things into their car. Then they drive off to take him to college on the other side of the country in LA.

Two days later

The Skype ring tone sings through Violet's bedroom as Bennett calls her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming Jesus you never can be late can you?" Violet runs into her bedroom and over to her laptop on her bed. She hits the answer button and Bennett's worried face appears.

"Where were you?"

"I had to pee!"

"Do that on your own time!"

"How is it?"

"Big. Huge. There are millions of people; I'm getting a little claustrophobic."

"Nah you'll be fine you like people."

Three Weeks Later

Violet looks at the time on her computer 9:43pm. Bennett had missed their call. It was the first time since he'd left for college so she couldn't be mad. But she was upset, then she was happy that he was busy probably out with his new friends. Then she was worried something bad had happened to him. Then she was sad and felt the loneliness fill her up again.

Violet sat on her bed waiting for her brother to call for a few hours before resigning herself to the fact that tonight he wouldn't. She fought with herself and a razor blade for a few more hours before resigning to cutting. Violet felt relief when the razor cut her flesh and the blood pooled from the wound. Then she felt guilty knowing she had promised her brother she would talk to him before she cut. Just because he wasn't calling her on Skype didn't mean she couldn't call him on his cell. Violet cried silent tears as she cut her arm again and again, feeling guilt wash over the relief every time. She fell asleep on her bed, dropping the blade to the floor.

Sometime later Violet's laptop chimed signalling she had an email. But she was in a deep sleep so she didn't hear it. Bennett had gotten back from a party drunk and remembered his sister, he'd clambered to his computer and emailed her. As he waited for her to reply, not realising the time in his drunken state, he fell asleep at his desk.

The next morning Violet, luckily, woke up before her parents so she was able to clean herself and her bed of blood. As she went to shut her laptop down she saw the email from her brother and clicked it. There was a photo of Bennett with a huge grin on his face standing next to a guy with a blonde curly mess for hair, dark eyes and a grin as huge as her brothers. Violet read the words under the photo; 'My new BFF! Tate. Says he's straight but I know I can turn him!'