Trigger Warning: Mention of Suicidal Thoughts
Richard and Kate Marsh sat silently together in the family car as he drove them to their home. It was Friday October 11th, only a few days after the turbulent police showdown at Blackwell Academy, where the esteemed Mark Jefferson was discovered to be the killer of Rachel Amber and the man owning the "dark room" under the Prescott family's old barn. The Marsh family had desperately begged their eldest daughter to come home for the weekend, and Kate knew from the get go that their guilt over falsely accusing her over that awful video was going to seep out.
Her Dad still had tears drying on his cheeks, and from the red, glazed look in his eyes, Kate could tell that he had been endlessly crying over what she'd been put through. When he had picked her up at the airport, Richard Marsh had tackled her and held his daughter close as he wept and wept.
"Will Mom do the same, after she coldly told me that I may have brought 'shame' on our family?" Kate thought bitterly. "Not to mention…will my beloved Auntie Marsh apologize for calling me a 'jezebel'?"
After the police had interrogated Nathan Prescott for accidentally killing the renegade dropout Chloe Price, they had discovered Jefferson's "dark room", where binders full of disturbing model photos were found stacked inside a closet. One of the folders contained photos of Kate unconscious and drugged, which answered her question of where Nathan had really taken her the night of the party.
"He lied to me. That…monster! I knew that only a few sips of the party wine couldn't have made me feel so loopy. All that time, Nathan drugged me, and together with Jefferson, they made me pose like that while I was unconscious! Thank God they're in jail!"
Sooner than she'd expected, they arrived at their quiet Portland house, the small brown house calling to her childhood memories of peace and comfort. Richard parked the car and sighed softly, turning to his daughter and managing to choke out a few words to her.
"They're aching to see you, Kate," he told his daughter, and she offered him a small smile.
"I know, Dad. I just hope that…"
Richard grimaced, and assured her, "She feels horrible, Kate. Your Mother hated herself after we found out the whole story behind what happened to you at that party. I've never seen her so upset at herself."
They got out of the car, and instantly, the screen door banged open. Kate stood by the car, beaming and expecting either Lynn or Amanda to come bolting towards her. But when she realized who the female running towards her was, she could only gawk.
Elizabeth Marsh, her stern and usually stoic Mom, threw her arms around Kate and held her in a vice like hug as she shook with uncontrollable sobbing. Kate shuddered as she felt her own tears resurfacing, and finally broke out of her shock to hug her mother back.
"I-I'm so sorry, Kate!" her Mom told her as they wept together. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"M-Mom…" Kate tried to say through her tears, unprepared for the unexpected level of remorse she was seeing.
After a long minute, Elizabeth pulled back, showing Kate how puffy her own eyes were from crying so much. Her Mom quickly wiped away at her eyes, and led her daughter inside with a frail arm wrapped around Kate's shoulders.
"I was wrong, Kate. I was so wrong, and…I…"
Kate grimaced, and told her, "Mom…I forgive you. It's true, you unfairly accused me, but none of us knew what really happened that night until Nathan got arrested. Please, forgive yourself, ok?'
Elizabeth bit her lip hard, and said softly, "It'll take a while before I forgive myself for what I said to you, sweetie."
The moment they stepped inside the house, Lynn and Amanda tackled her likewise, both sobbing and wailing, relieved to see their big sister after finding out what had happened to her. The three Marsh sisters were reunited in a tearful group hug, with Richard and Elizabeth looking on with grateful smiles.
Richard said to them, "I think we could all use some tea. Kate, do you have a preference?"
She beamed at her Dad, and told him, "I'm craving Orange Spice, Dad. Perfect for this chilly autumn weather!"
"Agreed. Orange Spice it is!"
Elizabeth and her three daughters sat down together on the living room couch, all four of them breathing deeply, relieved that Kate's nightmare was finally over. As Richard watched the kettle warily, they all heard a car pull up in their driveway, and Kate felt herself go cold with contempt, knowing who it had to be.
Sure enough, a moment later, Carol Marsh, her Dad's sister and her aunt, sauntered in, looking disdainful as always. When her eyes landed on Kate, Auntie Marsh's lip drew up in a sneer, and Kate snuck her hand into her pocket, clenching at the vile letter she had received condemning her cruelly.
"So, you're back." Auntie Marsh stared down at Kate, and the rest of the family looked between the two cautiously as Kate glared up at her aunt with seething anger. "I hope you've changed since you made your mistake, Kate. I'm still disgusted that you allowed yourself to fall like you did. I thought this family raised you better than that."
Richard stormed into the living room after twisting the oven heat off, and snapped at Auntie Marsh, "That's enough, Carol. Elizabeth and I both told you what the police found out, and as such, you have no reason to go on accusing my daughter like you are right now. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"I should be ashamed of myself?" Carol snapped back. "Kate refused to own up to her grievous sins, and now, the entire world knows about what she did that night! I'm astounded that you two haven't imposed the proper punishments on her like I would, if I had the misfortune to have such an apostate as my daughter."
"Don't…" Elizabeth hissed venomously, frightening everybody in the room, "you dare call my daughter an 'apostate' after what she's been put through, you miserable old hag!"
The entire Marsh family gasped collectively, and Carol screamed, "I'm only 50 years old, and merely five years your senior, Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth laughed coldly, and told her, "Oh, but that's old enough for me. Now be quiet."
Kate gritted her teeth and withdrew the letter from her pocket, and her family looked at it in confusion. Auntie Marsh's eyes widened in terror, and Kate knew that her merciless aunt hadn't suspected that Kate would have the courage to unveil her malice.
"Kate?" Richard asked. "What is that?"
"This is the letter your sister wrote to me, after seeing that video of me drugged and kissing those Vortex Club boys," she said, still glaring at Auntie Marsh as she handed the letter over to her parents.
They read it slowly, with her sisters bending in so that they could see it as well, and Kate watched with a sinking heart as the look on her family's faces turned from surprise to utter fury.
"Carol, how could you?" Richard screamed as his tears started to stream anew. "You called my daughter a 'jezebel' and a 'harlot'!"
Kate shuddered involuntarily at the look on her mother's face. With her eyes narrowed to what looked like pinpoints, her hair raggedy from crying, and her lips pulled back in an animalistic snarl, Elizabeth Marsh looked almost demonic in her rage. Elizabeth was seemingly unable to speak, her disgust was too deep.
Carol huffed in irritation, and told them, "So what? She never should've gone to that party to begin with, especially when she was well aware of the sins that teenagers commit at such places."
Kate snapped at her, "Auntie Marsh, are you trying to tell me that I deserved to be drugged and forced to serve as a model for that devilish teacher Mark Jefferson?!"
"For not taking to heart what I've warned you about this sinful world's dangers, Kate, and for clearly incurring God's wrath against you by ignoring His decrees, the answer is yes," Auntie Marsh answered harshly.
Before Kate or anybody else could retort, Elizabeth Marsh bolted from the couch and slapped her sister-in-law across the face so hard, the entire family heard Carol's nose crack loudly.
Carol shrieked in pain and fell on her back, clutching at her nose as crimson blood spurted everywhere. Kate gawked at her Mom as Elizabeth towered over Carol, looking more than ready to attack again.
"SHUT UP ALREADY, YOU DAMN PHARISEE!" Elizabeth shrieked down at her, and Kate felt her heart swell at her Mom's new vicious protectiveness.
Kate made herself stand, and walked up to her Mom, taking her hand in her own and squeezing it gently as she coldly stared down at her Auntie. Carol looked up at her in a silent plea for help as the rest of the Marshes followed suit, standing behind Kate and Elizabeth, scowling down at the woman who dared insinuated that God had made Kate suffer.
"It's like Mom says," Kate snapped to Carol. "You're nothing but a Pharisee, Carol Marsh. You're not after God's Heart, you're only after thrusting your twisted legalistic ideals onto everybody in your life."
Carol gawked up at her as Kate continued to speak, with her Dad and sisters placing warm, comforting hands on her shoulders.
"God never abandoned me, nor did He punish me for attending that party, contrary to what you believe. In fact, if it wasn't for Him, for Max Caulfield, and for the chain of events unleashed by Chloe Price's sacrifice, I would've eventually killed myself from the pain that I couldn't escape from. God sent Max into my life to raise me up and serve as my guardian angel, and although I do adhere to the 'blood is thicker than water' rule, it's clear to me that Max cares about me more than you, my own flesh and blood relative, ever will."
Her Auntie shakily stood up and backed away from them, clutching at her nose and terrified at Kate's newfound strength.
"And in the end, you're right. I did make a mistake. My mistake was ever wishing for you to love me and protect me like an aunt is supposed to. Ever since you watched that awful video of me, you've shown me nothing but contempt and disdain, even after you learned that I was drugged and abused. You've made it clear that you want nothing to do with me, and after how you've treated me, I completely regret ever time I've ever called you 'Auntie'."
Carol gasped and snapped, "You wouldn't-"
"I am!" Kate shouted. "You're no longer my 'Auntie', and from here on out, you're no longer part of my life! May God teach me how to forgive you, Carol Marsh, and may He teach you to thaw the ice around your heart. Now get out of my home!"
Elizabeth sneered at Carol, and spat, "You heard my daughter, Carol. Get out."
"W-what…" Carol sputtered, refusing to accept what she had been told. "This can't be…"
She turned to her brother, and pleaded, "Please, Richard, do something!"
They all turned to him, and Richard coldly told his sister, "It's time for you to go, Carol. You're the one who's brought shame on our family. Ma and Pa must be weeping up in Heaven right now over how you've treated Kate. Leave us, now."
At that, Carol bolted from the living room and out the door. A minute later, the Marsh family heard her car rev, and then speed away out of earshot. They were finally free of her poisonous influence.
"Mom," Kate said, turning to her and grinning at her, "that was awesome!"
Lynn said to her, "I don't think anybody's ever seen you attack anybody like that, Mom. You're a badass!"
"Language," Elizabeth chided her with a smug wink. "And thank you. I won't tolerate anybody, not even my sister-in-law, talking about my child like that."
Amanda giggled and muttered snidely, "I bet Thanksgiving this year will be a riot, if you know what I mean."
They all laughed heartily, and Richard said, "Well, I can only hope that the tea's ready."
A few minutes later, the Marsh family sat around the kitchen table, sipping away at Orange Spice tea. Kate sighed sadly, and they all grimaced at her.
"Kate, honey, you deserved so much better than what you've been put through," her Mom told her gently. "You especially didn't deserve such a fiend like Carol for an aunt."
Kate looked up from her mug, and whispered, "I really thought that she would turn around and apologize after learning the truth. But…she didn't."
Richard bit his lip, and muttered to her, "Pharisees like that don't have much room for compassion, Kate. But even then, I never thought my own sister would become one on her faith journey."
"What matters is that she was rebuked," Kate said to them, and her family nodded in agreement. "I won't tolerate her coldness any longer. There's no room for that in my life. Especially…"
The warmest smile she'd allowed herself to give in ages crossed her face at the memory of Max refusing to abandon her, and Kate mused, "Especially when God gave me somebody so much better."