Chapter two.
Night. It should be silent... but not in this household.
"Time to go to bed, Cassie. It's almost 10:30," Mrs. Lecter protests.
"Mom, please. Some of my friends are still iout/i, I so don't need to be in bed yet."
"Cassie Anne," she repeats, more sternly.
"Cassie Anne, Cassie Anne," comes in Mischa, mocking.
"Why are you still up?" She snaps. "I'm sitting here telling your sister to go to bed and here you are still just as awake!"
"But, Mom, if she's not asleep, then why should I be?"
"I'm older!"
"By ten months!"
"SO?!"
"MOM!"
"Stop it!" And then there was silence. "Both of you. I want you both in bed. NOW!"
"Lizzy's not in bed..." Mischa said slowly.
"Can't help it if I space in a daze, my eyes tune out the other way, I may slip of and go to a daydream..." could be heard being sung in the distance.
"Lizzy is seventeen."
"So what? Mom, I'm fifteen. I can stay up late now!" Argues Cassie.
"Besides, you know very well why Elizabeth isn't in bed yet."
"Oh yeah. She's INSANE!"
"CASSIE! WE DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN THIS HOUSE!"
"Uh oh, I'm goin' to bed..." Mischa mumbles, running from the room.
"Blah, Mom. Just blah."
"Go to bed. Now."
"No!"
"Now!"
"NO!"
"Fine. No computer tomorrow."
"MOM!"
She turns back to her daughter, annoyed. "You heard me, Cassie."
"Then who's going to check the FBI's top ten? Hmmm?" She argues back.
"I'll find a way to do it myself," she says, with a look to kill. "Now go to bed!"
"Fine."
"In this head my thoughts are deep, but sometimes I can't even speak, will someone be and not pretend, I'm off again in my world..." She mocks as she makes her way upstairs.
Clarice waits until the house is silent, excluding the singing, of course. She hears no sounds and makes her way through the long corodor of rooms.
When she enters the room at the end, she finds her blonde haired daughter sitting on the window sill. "Is it enough to love?..." she sings.
"Lizzy, you should be going to bed now," Mrs. Lecter says, slowly.
"Is it enough to breathe?"
"Lizzy, you do have school. Please..."
"Somebody rip my heart out..."
"Lizzy..."
"And leave me here to bleed..."
"Lizzy," she says, placing a hand on Elizabeth's.
Elizabeth jumps back. "I want to wait for Daddy," she says gently, curling her legs inward and beginning to rock back and forth.
"Lizzy, Daddy won't be home to late. And you're a big girl now."
She looks sternly to Clarice. "I want Daddy."
Clarice looks down and takes a seat next to Lizzy. "I know things have been rough. I lost my father when I was young, too, you know. It's hard. I grasped onto my father figures and never let go until I wanted to... but sometimes, I think it's better if you let go."
"Cassie and Mischa are so lucky..." she said slowly. "Is it enough to die?" She continues singing.
"No, it's not," Clarice answers.
"Somebody save my life..."
"I will."
"I'd rather be anything by ordinary, please..."
"You've never been ordinary. You're completely extraordinary. And I love you."
She looks up into her mother's eyes before collapsing into her arms and then into tears.
"It's ok..." Mrs. Lecter replies, patting her daughter's hair, "It's ok..."
And in the darkness, another night in the Lecter household ends.
~*~
"Hey, Mom, where are my shoes?"
"I don't know, Mischa."
"Mom, you had them last."
"iI/i had iyour/i shoes last?"
"Yeah!"
"Mischa, go eat breakfast."
6:45 Friday morning. Getting ready to ship the kids off to school.
"Peabrain. Go grow up and realize that Mom's not the one who always loses your stuff," Cassie chimes in.
"Shut up, Cassie! It's none of your *beep* business!"
"Mischa! What have I asked you about using that language?! If your father heard!"
"Where the *beep* did my newspaper go?" Asks the Good Doctor, making his way downstairs in a robe.
"I don't know, Honey," Clarice calls back.
"Momma! Momma!" cries Brett from the stairs.
"Your mother is making breakfast for your sisters, Brett. Go back upstairs and wait," Replies the Doctor.
"No, it's okay," says Clarice, placing a washcloth down onto the counter.
"No, it's not okay, Claire. He needs to learn-"
"He's a little boy, Hannibal."
The Doctor stares at Clarice for a second before replying "Fine. Let me take care of him. You finish with the girls. Come on, Brett..."
Clarice shakes her head and turns back to the kitchen.
"Dude, that was my *beep* toast, Cassie!" cries Mischa.
"Mom's gonna be mad..." Elizabeth says, leaning back and eating a bite of her own toast.
"That's right, Mischa! I don't iever/i want to hear another word like that out of your mouth or the piano is going out the window! Is that understood?!"
"I do believe that Father would be quite angered if your threw the piano out the window."
"DO NOT TAUNT ME, MISCHA."
She laughs and turns back to her food, leaving Cassie toastless and Elizabeth shaking her head.
The clock chimes at seven. "Girls, bus!" Clarice cries, and then opens the door for them as they all slip on their shoes.
"Do me a favor and do not sit by me," Cassie says, snobbily, to her sister.
"Well fine. I won't. No one said I wanted to anyway."
"Um, well, duh, you do it everyday."
"Shut up!"
"You!"
"Will both of you stop fighting?!" Elizabeth cries. "Come on, both of you need to grow up."
"Stay out of this, Lizzy!" Cassie snaps.
"Hey! You leave Lizzy alone!" Mischa snaps back.
"Why? Because you're insane just like her? With every mental disorder in the book?"
"You know what I do, Cassie. I'm like Dad. More than you'll ever be," Elizabeth shoots back, calmly.
"They know, they know..." Clarice stammers. "Problem is, they're like me."
"Oh please, Mother. And besides, Elizabeth, you're not even Daddy's real girl," Cassie says as she walks out of the door.
Elizabeth looks down, but continues on her way.
"Don't listen to her, Lizzy! She's a *beep*"
"Mischa!"
"...Sorry, Mom..."
Clarice closes the door behind the two as they finally leave.
"Hannibal! Get ready for work!"
Night. It should be silent... but not in this household.
"Time to go to bed, Cassie. It's almost 10:30," Mrs. Lecter protests.
"Mom, please. Some of my friends are still iout/i, I so don't need to be in bed yet."
"Cassie Anne," she repeats, more sternly.
"Cassie Anne, Cassie Anne," comes in Mischa, mocking.
"Why are you still up?" She snaps. "I'm sitting here telling your sister to go to bed and here you are still just as awake!"
"But, Mom, if she's not asleep, then why should I be?"
"I'm older!"
"By ten months!"
"SO?!"
"MOM!"
"Stop it!" And then there was silence. "Both of you. I want you both in bed. NOW!"
"Lizzy's not in bed..." Mischa said slowly.
"Can't help it if I space in a daze, my eyes tune out the other way, I may slip of and go to a daydream..." could be heard being sung in the distance.
"Lizzy is seventeen."
"So what? Mom, I'm fifteen. I can stay up late now!" Argues Cassie.
"Besides, you know very well why Elizabeth isn't in bed yet."
"Oh yeah. She's INSANE!"
"CASSIE! WE DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN THIS HOUSE!"
"Uh oh, I'm goin' to bed..." Mischa mumbles, running from the room.
"Blah, Mom. Just blah."
"Go to bed. Now."
"No!"
"Now!"
"NO!"
"Fine. No computer tomorrow."
"MOM!"
She turns back to her daughter, annoyed. "You heard me, Cassie."
"Then who's going to check the FBI's top ten? Hmmm?" She argues back.
"I'll find a way to do it myself," she says, with a look to kill. "Now go to bed!"
"Fine."
"In this head my thoughts are deep, but sometimes I can't even speak, will someone be and not pretend, I'm off again in my world..." She mocks as she makes her way upstairs.
Clarice waits until the house is silent, excluding the singing, of course. She hears no sounds and makes her way through the long corodor of rooms.
When she enters the room at the end, she finds her blonde haired daughter sitting on the window sill. "Is it enough to love?..." she sings.
"Lizzy, you should be going to bed now," Mrs. Lecter says, slowly.
"Is it enough to breathe?"
"Lizzy, you do have school. Please..."
"Somebody rip my heart out..."
"Lizzy..."
"And leave me here to bleed..."
"Lizzy," she says, placing a hand on Elizabeth's.
Elizabeth jumps back. "I want to wait for Daddy," she says gently, curling her legs inward and beginning to rock back and forth.
"Lizzy, Daddy won't be home to late. And you're a big girl now."
She looks sternly to Clarice. "I want Daddy."
Clarice looks down and takes a seat next to Lizzy. "I know things have been rough. I lost my father when I was young, too, you know. It's hard. I grasped onto my father figures and never let go until I wanted to... but sometimes, I think it's better if you let go."
"Cassie and Mischa are so lucky..." she said slowly. "Is it enough to die?" She continues singing.
"No, it's not," Clarice answers.
"Somebody save my life..."
"I will."
"I'd rather be anything by ordinary, please..."
"You've never been ordinary. You're completely extraordinary. And I love you."
She looks up into her mother's eyes before collapsing into her arms and then into tears.
"It's ok..." Mrs. Lecter replies, patting her daughter's hair, "It's ok..."
And in the darkness, another night in the Lecter household ends.
~*~
"Hey, Mom, where are my shoes?"
"I don't know, Mischa."
"Mom, you had them last."
"iI/i had iyour/i shoes last?"
"Yeah!"
"Mischa, go eat breakfast."
6:45 Friday morning. Getting ready to ship the kids off to school.
"Peabrain. Go grow up and realize that Mom's not the one who always loses your stuff," Cassie chimes in.
"Shut up, Cassie! It's none of your *beep* business!"
"Mischa! What have I asked you about using that language?! If your father heard!"
"Where the *beep* did my newspaper go?" Asks the Good Doctor, making his way downstairs in a robe.
"I don't know, Honey," Clarice calls back.
"Momma! Momma!" cries Brett from the stairs.
"Your mother is making breakfast for your sisters, Brett. Go back upstairs and wait," Replies the Doctor.
"No, it's okay," says Clarice, placing a washcloth down onto the counter.
"No, it's not okay, Claire. He needs to learn-"
"He's a little boy, Hannibal."
The Doctor stares at Clarice for a second before replying "Fine. Let me take care of him. You finish with the girls. Come on, Brett..."
Clarice shakes her head and turns back to the kitchen.
"Dude, that was my *beep* toast, Cassie!" cries Mischa.
"Mom's gonna be mad..." Elizabeth says, leaning back and eating a bite of her own toast.
"That's right, Mischa! I don't iever/i want to hear another word like that out of your mouth or the piano is going out the window! Is that understood?!"
"I do believe that Father would be quite angered if your threw the piano out the window."
"DO NOT TAUNT ME, MISCHA."
She laughs and turns back to her food, leaving Cassie toastless and Elizabeth shaking her head.
The clock chimes at seven. "Girls, bus!" Clarice cries, and then opens the door for them as they all slip on their shoes.
"Do me a favor and do not sit by me," Cassie says, snobbily, to her sister.
"Well fine. I won't. No one said I wanted to anyway."
"Um, well, duh, you do it everyday."
"Shut up!"
"You!"
"Will both of you stop fighting?!" Elizabeth cries. "Come on, both of you need to grow up."
"Stay out of this, Lizzy!" Cassie snaps.
"Hey! You leave Lizzy alone!" Mischa snaps back.
"Why? Because you're insane just like her? With every mental disorder in the book?"
"You know what I do, Cassie. I'm like Dad. More than you'll ever be," Elizabeth shoots back, calmly.
"They know, they know..." Clarice stammers. "Problem is, they're like me."
"Oh please, Mother. And besides, Elizabeth, you're not even Daddy's real girl," Cassie says as she walks out of the door.
Elizabeth looks down, but continues on her way.
"Don't listen to her, Lizzy! She's a *beep*"
"Mischa!"
"...Sorry, Mom..."
Clarice closes the door behind the two as they finally leave.
"Hannibal! Get ready for work!"