Chapter nine:

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Lilia was in deep sleep, dreaming of a future that would be torn from her. Mewling a little sigh, she rolled over. Opening her eyes she tried to scream but a hand covered her mouth. She was dragged from her bed kicking until a rope was wrapped around her neck. Lilia struggled against it and managed to escape.

She stumbled down the hall, trying to find her voice, call for her father, but nothing came out, her vocal cords already damaged by the tight rope. She made it as far as the stairs before she tumbled down them, cracking her ribs, which pierced her lung in the process of falling down.

She gasped and choked on her own blood. Her attacker looked over her and laughed, before wrapping his hands around her thin neck. She tried to fight back, but she knew she was dying and there was no use.

When her attacker was sure she was dead, he picked her up and placed her back in her bed, making it look like she was still sleeping. He didn't want her step-mother or father to stumble down the stairs in the middle of the night and make a scene. But what he wasn't banking on was the step-mother trying to kill the daughter also.

"What are you looking at?"

Violet jumped and spun around to see Lilia sitting on her bed with the same old teddy bear. For a moment the teenager debated on whether to tell the girl to go away like the other ghost or poke around for answers.

"You… you're a ghost?" she finally asked.

The blonde nodded. "Oui, I am. I lied about being alive, only to make a friend. I thought you be mad at me if you knew I was a ghost."

Violet felt bad for the little girl, but didn't know that most of it was all an act. She nodded to the pictures of the Montgomery family.

"So you lived here too… like them?"

Again the blonde nodded.

Violet moved to her bed and sat in front of the younger girl. "I recognize you. I saw your picture in the chest. How-"

"Not even an apology for going through my things." Lilia stood and made her way to the desk, gently touching the pictures.

Violet turned and watched her, a bit afraid but she would never admit it. "Uh, yeah, sorry…"

"That's okay, I go through you're things too." Lilia's bright eyes flicked to Violet. "Where are the newspaper clippings?"

The teenager frowned and shrugged. "I didn't see any newspaper clippings. Ask Tate he-"

And she was gone. Violet looked around before huffing in annoyance.

xx

"Tate!" yelped Lilia. "I know you're down here you rotten-"

"You called?"

Lilia spun around and stormed towards the older boy who held up the clippings she was looking for. He wasn't smirking or laughing at her being unable to reach, he looked angry. Finally she growled and stepped back, glaring at him.

"Never thought of telling me this little detail?" he asked, glancing at the yellowing paper.

"It wasn't relevant." She mumbled, still keeping her glare.

"Wasn't relevant?" he laughed dryly. "You sent your step-brother to jail, made your step-mother go insane and your own father threw himself in front of a moving bus!" he lent close to her face. "Yeah, that's not relevant."

"What's your point?" she hissed, keeping herself from killing him too.

Tate stepped back and crossed his arms. "Why do I get criticized for killing sixteen people and you are a saint?" he ran a hand through his hair and barked out a laugh. "How did you do it? Huh? Did you enjoy it? And, oh, by the way, what's with the chest of memories and you laugh at me for having some mementoes?"

"Fine!" Lilia shouted, balling her tiny fists. "But if you must know, my step-brother was the one that killed me and rightfully fried. My step-mother deserved what she got, putting a few drops of rat poison in the tea she drinks in the morning would make anyone lose their marbles, not to mention I tormented her a little, like she tormented me." Lilia voice began to shake. "But… I never wanted my father to do what he did. He was a good man."

"And the baby? Your half brother, you kill him too?" questioned Tate, unfazed by her teary eyes.

"No…" she gasped. "I protected him from Nora and every other little danger. He went to an orphanage…"

Tate uncrossed his arms and handed back the clippings. "I'm sorry." He didn't look it though.

Lilia just nodded and gently held them to her chest. Wiping her tears she said, "My glorious achievements aside… we have a problem. And you're part of it."