2017
Victoria Vega sat on her bed, holding her prescription medication in her hand, staring intently at it like it held all the answers. She was startled out of her trance by a cold hand on hers, pushing the container down to rest on her lap.
"It's not worth it. Believe me," a teenage girl told her with a shake of her head. Victoria glanced at her with tired brown eyes. Her dreams seemed to be getting worse, the medicine didn't help, and after a year living on her own in a house marked with death that oddly brought her peace in its own way, she was ready to move on.
"What do I do then?" she asked.
"You just deal. I should have just dealt with it too, but I didn't. I was stupid. I didn't really have as much support as you do though. We're all with you," the teen replied, offering a small smile. So far she trusted the spunky girl and their friendship helped her a lot so she trusted her once again this time.
"Ok," Victoria agreed. She set down the medication and stood to leave the room, her friend now gone. She went down stairs in search of something to eat when there was a knock at the door before it was pushed open. She knew who it was since the older woman always seemed to think she still owned the house.
"I brought you those cupcakes I promised!" Constance announced as she set the treats on the counter. Michael ran over to hug the pop star around her slim waist, a big smile on his face. She had always been naturally good with kids.
"Tori, pick me up!" he called to her, tugging at her shirt.
"Ok, ok," she relented, a smile on her own face. The little boy loved spending time with her and often found his way out of the house to wander to her without his grandmother knowing. It angered Constance and Victoria had a feeling she blamed her for it. She listened to him recount his day with half an ear, her eyes on Constance whose hands tightened on the edge of the counter she was leaning on while watching them interact. Michael was eagerly recounting the time he saw a cute dog at the park.
"Can you watch me again?" he asked after his rant.
"Oh, well if it's ok with your grandma then it's fine with me. But it'll have to be on my day off next week," she told him.
"Aww," he whined. She tapped his nose and then set him down. He ran back to Constance and started pulling on her shirt, asking to spend a day with Victoria. Constance ignored him a few seconds, eyes still trained on said girl until she squirmed uncomfortably and averted her own eyes down to the small boy.
"Yes, I'll drop you off early so you have all day together," she accepted, strained smile back in place. The boy cheered.
"Now let's let Tori relax. She has a long week ahead of her," Constance advised.
"Bye!" Michael shouted as his grandmother towed him out the door. Victoria waved and then looked to the cupcakes on the counter. She picked one up and ate it while searching for a glass of milk. She finished the second with the milk and then headed back to her room to try and get some sleep. Her recording sessions seemed to get longer and longer. The hectic year was both a pain and a blessing. All she could do was just deal, apparently. She didn't know how long she could though. She fell on her bed and curled up under the blankets. Her heavy eyes fell shut and the dreams that battered her tired mind spun out of control, spearing her with pain, causing delusion she couldn't interpret, and then there was darkness.
2018
I woke up to the sound of a loud bang and sat up, startled, to see my alarm clock had fallen off the side table it was usually perched on. Again? Fuck. That was getting annoying. I leaned down to pick it up and set it back in place. I rolled over to try and get back to sleep but the damn alarm went off five minutes later.
"Great. Right on time," I grumbled sarcastically, feeling somewhat unrested. The first week had been a mess of going out to collect bits of news and coming home to a maid so overtly seductive that I took to avoiding her as much as I could. It wasn't that I didn't want her, because I did, but something just felt…off, about her so I stayed clear. If that wasn't enough, the house itself was a downer. Just being there wore on me. Little things like stuff moving around was irritating me more than anything. I never said I had the best tolerance. I slipped out of bed and padded my way down the hall, aiming for the bathroom but running into Moira on the way. Shit.
"Jade, you're up early for going to bed so late. How about tonight you stay up with me instead?" she suggested, unbuttoning my shirt a little more than it was already. I had fallen asleep in the flannel I wore the night before after lazily changing into a pair of pajama pants but finding no energy to change my shirt. The top two were already open but she made it three, exposing more of my cleavage. Her equally pale hands popped open one more and then dragged a finger over my chest. I shivered and quickly grabbed her hand before it could wander. She just came closer and pressed against me.
"Stop," I stated as sternly as I could.
"You want to mean that but you don't," she responded confidently. She kissed my jaw softly and then slipped her hand out of mine to saunter away. I ignored the fact that she was right and continued to the bathroom. After a shower and a change of clothes I ate some breakfast then prepared to leave for town again. I had just gotten my shoes on when I heard the heavy sound of the front door slamming shut. I jumped up and rushed to see what was going on. When I got to the door I saw no one until I turned around and Michael was standing there with that smile of his.
"You little devil. Haven't you been told not to wander over here? Your grandma will have my head if you keep doing that. She probably thinks I put you up to it or something," I reprimanded him. He giggled and nodded his head. Was he trying to get me in trouble?
"Come here!" I yelled, crouching and holding up my hands, the signal that he should start running. He took off laughing like a maniac, and boy could that kid run. With little legs like that I thought he would be slow, but he must have had more energy than I expected. I chased him around the huge living room and then into the kitchen where we rounded the counter twice before I finally caught him.
"Ha! I got you! Man, that was a work out," I commented. He laughed like it was the best game in the world. To be honest I was never good with kids. He was pretty well behaved and smart for his age so he didn't annoy the hell out of me and I didn't mind having him around. I always seemed to upset kids with my rough words and scowl but Michael seemed to love me. I moved to set him on a stool when Constance showed up. She threw the door open in her haste.
"Where is he?" she demanded. I held him out to her. She took him and set him down.
"No running away from grandma. She was so worried," she scolded lightly, brushing his blond hair back. She then stood up and eyed me accusingly.
"What? What did I do?" I asked, hands held out questioningly. Constance only brushed off my question and turned to the door, Michael's hand in hers.
"Did you like the cupcakes I gave you?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, sure. Why?" I replied.
"I'll make you more," she responded, not looking at me. I shrugged.
"Cool. Thanks," I said, not knowing what else to say. She just marched out the door. I finished getting ready and left, spending most of the day gathering all I could on Constance Langdon. She outwardly portrayed a nice motherly figure but the feeling of a more abrasive personality lurked underneath. She also made me feel like she knew more than she let on, which pissed me off because I needed all the information I could get and she was holding out on me. By the time I got back home three hours later I found little besides what I already knew. Only the bitchy woman herself would have to spill what she knew now, and I doubted she would. I went to my room first to get comfortable in some pajama shorts and a tank top. It was sort of hot today. I entered the kitchen to grab something to snack on when the plate of cupcakes on the counter caught my eye. She must have dropped them off for me while I was out. I walked over and picked one up when a cabinet creaked open. I glanced at it, distracted, and in that second a cold hand grabbed my wrist. I yanked back in surprise, dropping the cupcake, and turned to see that it was only Moira.
"I think you're eating the wrong kind of sweets," she purred, pulling me closer and then swinging me around to pin me against the wall. Her bare, smooth leg slid between my own and I gasped, caught off guard. She kissed down my neck to my collarbone before I regained enough control to shove her away. I was panting heavily and acutely aware of how turned on I was. The down side to being constantly information hungry was no time for self-indulgence, and I wanted it bad, just not with a creepy seductive maid.
"Go away," I ground out, closing my eyes and tilting my head back to rest on the wall, trying to regulate my breathing. When I opened my eyes she was gone. She left so quickly and completely silent. The strange thing was, the plate of cupcakes were gone too.
"The fuck?" I muttered, stepping closer to the counter. I looked everywhere for them but not a crumb turned up.
"Huh. That wasn't weird at all," I quipped, my hands on my hips. I glanced at the open cabinet and decided to do a little poking around. In the hallway the basement door was ajar. The stupidest idea to see who, or what, could have opened it crossed my mind. I had seen a lot of horror movies in my day but I never really stopped to consider that I was basically being those idiots that I always yelled at. Well, I had to find out somehow, right? I opened the door and peered down the dark stairs. I took them and found the light, turning it on. It wasn't much and only lit a portion of the room, leaving the corners dark. A particular piece of furniture attracted my attention. It was a very old styled bathtub. I moved toward it but faltered and stood frozen in place when a woman dressed in a nurse's outfit sat up from inside, dripping wet even though there was no water in the tub.
Another dressed in the same way appeared, stab wounds marring her body. It couldn't be, could it? I backed away to bump into a cold form behind me. I spun around to see a man and a woman with slit throats. I jumped away and almost fell when I had to jump again as a growling figure lunged at me from the floor, cutting into my calf with sharp nails. I cried out from the sudden pain and staggered but steady hands held me up and pushed me to the stairs. I was so disoriented with fear and pain that I hurried up the steps as fast as I could go and slammed the door shut once I was out. Panting, I slid to the floor and held a hand to my fast beating heart. Once I was closer to catching my breath and slowing down my heart rate I pushed myself up and went straight to the kitchen to pour myself two shots of vodka. Now that I felt better I headed for the bathroom so I could clean up my leg. It burned like a bitch and made me hobble with every step. I was almost to the bathroom when I stopped to rest on the wall.
"Are you ok?" my housekeeper and seducer questioned behind me. She sounded almost expectant.
"Fuck. First the ghosts, then getting attacked, and now you? Give me a fucking break!" I pleaded to no one. She gave me an unamused quirk of her brow before taking me by the arm and directing me into the bathroom.
"At least you're looking at me like a scolding old lady instead of a horny schoolgirl. I like the change. You should keep it," I commented, purposefully sharp. She pushed me to sit on the closed lid of the toilet then pulled out what she needed from a cabinet before inspecting the damage. At my comment she heavily applied the rubbing alcohol, causing me to grit my teeth.
"Sadly you haven't really proven it," she shot back. What was that supposed to mean?
"What haven't I proven? Haven't I pushed you away every time? Don't you understand that I want nothing to do with you?" I spat angrily, flinching when she wiped away excess blood and then began wrapping up my leg.
"Yet I see that you do, in some way," she pointed out, looking up at me. Oh great, she was back to seducing me now that I was all patched up. Her hands ran up my legs to rest at the top of my thighs. With her head pretty much in between my legs I couldn't help but think of the implication behind it. She locked eyes with me and smirked, kissing the inside of my thigh while her hands drifted closer. I grabbed her by the wrists and yanked her to her feet then slammed her against the wall, pressing close to her.
"You sure about that?" I inquired.
"If the look on your face when I was between your legs was any indicator I'd say yes," she replied evenly. I huffed out an agitated breath and pushed away from her.
"Fuck you," I growled, stomping from the bathroom.
"You wish," she taunted in return. My jaw only tightened further. Irritated, I began pacing the dining room, wishing for a better way to gain information. I retrieved one of my now better organized stack of papers and spread them across the long table. I found the ones concerning the ghosts I had seen in the basement. I matched them to the faces of the girls killed back in 1968 as well as the man and woman who were reported missing and assumed dead in 2011.
"But why are they here? Why did they stay?" I questioned aloud, brushing my hair back.
"Because they can't leave," a woman's gentle yet strong voice answered. I stiffened in my spot leaning on the table.
"None of us can," a man's voice joined in. I took a breath, ready for the worst, and then turned to face the new additions. They were a normal looking man and woman. It took me no time at all to place their faces.
"Ben and Vivien Harmon," I stated, awed and feeling a little over my head at the moment. The house was actually haunted.
"Whoever dies here can never leave, whether it happens inside the house or anywhere on the property," Vivien explained.
"Are you all here?" I asked.
"Every single one. Trapped," Ben answered.
"Shit...shit! I still can't wrap my head around this. I mean, I knew the house was haunted from all those deaths, but I'm talking to ghosts!" I shouted, gripping my hair. I had to admit that at that moment no matter how many horror movies I'd seen and loved this was still causing me to panic because it was one hundred percent real. Vivien took pity on me and moved forward to take my hands in hers, giving them a gentle squeeze. She wasn't as cold as I thought she would be. I relaxed in her care, allowing a great idea to blossom. I yanked away with the force of the epiphany. Her eyes widened in surprise and Ben's brows furrowed but they waited for me to elaborate.
"I've been searching this damn city high and low for any and all information besides the ones already released to the public. Constance has some of what I need but until I find a way to get her to talk I have the source of every story right here!" I exclaimed, getting excited at the sheer prospect of learning every detail of mystery surrounding the Murder House. They'd have to award me with something. I would finally hit it big. I would be well-known, a person of importance, and I would achieve it all on my own.
"Now hold on. Who said we'd want everyone to know our story?" Ben questioned.
"What? Why wouldn't you? Don't you want all the murders cleared up and explained?" I answered with more questions. He looked away, conflicted.
"Honey, it's not that we don't want that, it's just that, we've already accepted our death. Nothing from here on out will make it better for any of us. I think it would be better if we were just left alone with what we have instead of draw more attention to it, and by extent, us," Vivien explained. I sighed heavily, all triumph dissipating.
"Figures," I grumbled under my breath. I moved to gather all the papers and stack them up.
"Leave me alone unless you have something helpful to say," I mumbled, angry at them, but mostly at myself for getting too hopeful. It was too good to be true.
"You know, they're only trying to protect our home. Just as the others have done," a new voice told me. My back straightened and a chill ran down my spine at the familiarity. I had heard that soothing voice on TV, in movies, through headphones, and even got to hear it straight from the owner's mouth two years ago for an interview. Now I was hearing it again, not quite live, but still very much real. I dropped what I held in my hands and turned around to see Victoria Vega standing right in front of me. I had seen nothing but smiles on her face so it almost hurt to see how tired and worn out she looked. Above all, it solidified the fact that I was so waist deep in the paranormal that I wasn't sure I would be able to get back out.
