Violet's POV
Why did she always end up at the window? Violet wondered. Her nose was pressed to the cold glass and eyes were closed. It felt like freedom to stand there, like the only thing holding her back was the inch of glass. She sighed. Oh to be a ghost, to be something so vast and endless with no meaning. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't stuck in this house day and night. Violet ached all over her entire soul felt weighed down and tired. Lately she hadn't even been able to escape the house through her dreams; she was too terrified to sleep. Nightmares plagued her every time she managed to close her eyes. Nightmares about a man in a black rubber suit stretched like a spider over the entire house, eyes burning red like the coals of Hell. The man would hiss incoherent words to her from behind the mask. Were they nightmares about Tate? He had often worn the suit during their short romance.
Violet breathed out slowly. William was crying. His wails and screeches echoed through the thin walls of the house. Everyone was at the edge of their tolerance. Violet could feel it; the way everyone was balanced at the edge of the cliff below was a turbulent ocean, eager to rip them apart. The happiness was fading rapidly and reality was setting in. Vivien had recently taken to pulling at her hair and handing William over to Moria. Ben had been acting reserved more than usual. It wasn't just the baby; it was the stale air, the coldness that was seeping into the house. It was pacing the cage they lived in day after day after day.
A movement outside the window in the backyard caught her attention suddenly. A little kid, maybe five or six. He stood in the backyard staring at the house. Violet leaned closer to the window, was he going to do something? Throw a rock and break a window? Play? But the longer she watched he didn't move an inch. Just stood there staring at the house. Unnerved Violet turned away from the window.
She stood at the back door, debating with herself. She could step out and ask him what he was doing? She could play with him or just talk…Glancing back over her shoulder she saw that no one was watching. Quickly opening the door and slipping out faster than a fox she darted around the hedges into the back yard.
Instantly the boys head snapped up, eyes darting to her. Violet slowed down as she walked towards him. Her footsteps pressed deeply into the grass. This is stupid, she thought, I'm going to get caught.
"Hello," Violet said. He tilted his head towards her in acknowledgment. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I can hear someone." He said turning his attention back to the house. Violet's eyebrows furrowed.
"What's it saying?" She asked leaning down on her knees. The boys nose was straight, his face still chubby and cute, curls of blonde hair fell into his eyes. He looked so eerily familiar to her that for a second her heart ached for another boy who looked so similar.
"That I am his son."
Violet was speechless. She stared at him harder, a sinking sensation in her stomach.
"VIOLET!" Two voices yelled her name. One was her mother's shrill screech of fear, the other a more desperate voice. Violet jerked back from the boy like he was a live wire. Scrambling backward she quickly ran around to the back of the house. Her mother stood at the doorway, fury and fear in her eyes. She grabbed Violet by the arms and yanked her inside. Violet slammed against the wall, her mother pressed close to her chest. "Why would you do that?" Vivien snarled.
Instantly Violet's walls went up. She didn't like to take orders, let alone from her parents. "I'm fine." She snapped.
"When you do something like that Violet you put us all in danger. The house already has a reputation the last thing we need is more teenagers breaking in and a house tour to find 'Violet Harmon the Dead Girl brought back to Life'!"
Violet slapped away Vivien's hands, shoving her mother away and sprinting down the hall. Violet wasn't stupid and she wasn't putting people at risk, all she wanted was fresh air and someone new to talk to… Angry tears burned the back of her eyes but she quickly knuckled them away. She wasn't one to cry so easily.
As she rushed down the hallway she hesitated at the basement door. For a second she just wanted to have a friend again, a lonely companion. She just wanted someone… someone again. She was sick of the hatred in heart and the loneliness that made her bones ache. Nudging the basement door open with her toe she stared down. She ran down the steps, plunging head first.