The house was empty. Violet didn't notice immediately, it wasn't until she moved through the kitchen which was her mother's and Moria's favorite spot. She moved from room to room softly calling her parents' names. She stood still listening for the familiar sounds that had surrounded her life for the past three years. The familiar whispers were gone, Beau's chains were silent, the house didn't groan or move. It was unsettling as first but soon a rush of freedom over took her. Violet ran up the front stairs screaming her mom's name at the top of her lungs, and when one answer called back she whooped and cheered. All alone at last, this tiny chunk of freedom was hers. What to do first with her new freedom? Enjoy a shower, rock out to music as loud as she could? Scream and holler and beat her fists against the wall simply because she could? Violet laughed for the first time in three years, her chest didn't feel as tight and her heart didn't feel as though it were being crushed. She sang her favorite song by The Ramones at the top of her voice.

She moved through her bedroom and stood at the front of the window. Children played across the street, being blown and tossed about by the window like brittle autumn leaves. She smiled and swung open her bedroom window to lean out. She shouted to them, waving and beaming. They smiled back and said hello. For the first time in years someone had said hello… She almost wanted to weep in joy.

Violet never had time to be alone, with more than twenty ghosts living in one house it was hard to find some time to yourself. People were always moving about, fighting and arguing, talking and managing the occasional laugh. The house was so silent… After roaming around for a little while Violet began to feel queasy. Where was everyone? She ran her fingers over the curling wallpaper.

In the her dad's office she looked over the remaining books he had on shelf. She pulled out each journal, which she was forbidden to look at but what Dad didn't know wouldn't hurt him. She carefully studied the names and quotes and Ben's thoughts about his patients scribbled onto the pages hastily. For some journals she discovered he had taken next to no notes, and instead had doodled and played tick-tack-toe. Finally she pulled the last of journals from the shelves. Tate's name was pressed into the cover by a heavy hand, the pen dragged out his name. She stared down at it. This was her chance to see into his mind… Just as she cracked open the cover there was a sound. A heavy breath coming from behind her, almost like someone was panting, breathing down the back of her neck. She whipped around to yell at whomever but no one was there. She stood to look around the doorway, studied the room around her. A creak. Slowly she looked around before horror hit her. Her heart plummeted and the nerves in her fingers felt like they were on fire. Her neck bent back as she looked above her. The scream got stuck in her throat.

Above her was the Rubber Man. His black body stretched over the entire ceiling like a spider staring down at her. Red eyes glowed through the slits in the mask. He breathed down at her, the stench of sulfur and rot filled the room. He opened his mouth and maggots fell out, wriggling around her feet and some fell into her hair. She screamed finally and swatted at them. He smiled.

"Hello Violet." She couldn't truly comprehend his words. They sounded hissed and mangled, like his tongue was slit down the middle. But she knew what he was saying.

Violet violently awoke. She flailed on the moth- eaten couch, her heat violently shivering in her chest. It took her another moment to calm down and catch her breath. A dream, she thought, it was just a dream. Violet sat up, shaken that ghosts could even HAVE dreams. She quickly checked the ceiling of the room then walked out as fast as she could, checking over her shoulder as she walked.

"Mom?" She shouted towards the kitchen. At first no answer, Violet's gut twisted, but then her mom leaned around the door and smiled.

"He, Vi," She said. William was cradled in her arms, smiling as Violet walked closer. In the kitchen she discovered Travis and Maria. Both smiled warmly at Violet as she walked in. Maria was beautiful to say the least, her black loose curls hung down her back in cascading sweeps. Her tan skin always looked healthy, aside from the dark circles around her eyes and the bruising that showed occasionally. She still had the simple gold cross that hung around her neck, every so often Violet would catch her stroking it with a lost look in her eyes.

Vivien turned to Maria, gently handing over William so that she could hold him. His soft pudgy arms hung loosely as his side and his warm little body fit into Maria's arms perfectly. Violet knew that almost all the women stuck in the house craved a child of their own, someday maybe she would also, but mostly she just craved her old life.

It was comforting to sit and listen to the chatter of people when her dream had scared her so badly. She would never admit her fear to anyone of course, if they accused her of strange behavior she would deny it full heartedly. Truth was she was still trembling, checking every corner and jumping at the slightest noise. Eventually she got bored of hearing Travis and Maria coo a thousand times over William and her mom's constant pestering attempts to start a conversation with her.

Her bedroom door was cracked open. She paused warily, considering her options of just turning around and ignoring it. But it was her room, or at least to her it still felt that way. She silently pushed the door just little more so that she could peek in. Her breath caught. Tate was standing in front of chalkboard, writing a word and then angrily rubbing it away with a frustrated groan. His hair was the same flaxen gold curls that brushed down his neck, despite herself she felt a urge to run a hand through those curls… She studied the way his broad shoulders hunched down a little as if he were embarrassed in his own skin, the way his back had an easy relaxed curve and posture. Violet's throat started to constrict, angry tears burning the back of her eyes. It was his fault. Tate made her love him, Tate made her hate him. It was his fault that she was aching so badly inside… her heart still trying to mend years later. It didn't help that they lived in the same house and that she could feel his presence no matter where she tried to escape to. If only…, Violet wished silently.

She suddenly shook herself. He raped her mom and lied to her, Violet reminded herself. I'm supposed to hate him, she angrily screamed in her head. With sudden ferocity she shoved the bedroom door open with a bang. He startled like a cat sticking its paw in the fish bowl. He jumped around to face her. She saw the emotion flash through his features like a picture book. He was so easy to read, everything written so plainly on his face now that he had nothing to hide from her. She saw the love and the guilt and the longing and lust in his expression.

"What are you doing?"

"Um… I was trying to write something." He mumbled. He ducked his head down and looked at her from under his lashes.

"Well don't." She threw the words at him with enough force that a small gasp of air escaped his parted lips. "You should go. This is my room."

He bit his lip and lingered by the chalkboard, as if considering going against her and staying. But he slowly walked to the bedroom door, bumping shoulders with Violet and brushing his hand casually against hers. Her heart ached but she held onto her fading anger as tightly as she could. Then he was gone. The air came back to the room and she could breathe again. She stared at the quickly scribbled "I miss you" on the chalkboard.