Charlie and Grace made their way home making little remarks about some of their new teachers and classmates, Grace didn't mention Leah"I think I'm gonna take the dog for a walk." Charlie and left. Grace walked upstairs threw her backpack on her bedroom floor and opened her laptop, she saw a recognizable figure walk down the hall she got up "Mrs. Langdon?" Constance turned around "what are you doing here my mother's not home." Grace questioned "oh, I was just… your mother asked me to pick up my dish... from the cookies." She said "Then why are you upstairs?" Constance came to a blank "I have to go." She replied moving down the stairs.
Grace looked down the hallway from where Constance was she walked slowly seeing if anything was misplaced, she came to a stop when she looked up to an attic door she pulled on the string and slowly crept up the ladder. She shivered a little as she found a hanging light bulb. Nothing real special she thought it seemed like a cool place to hangout. She turned around to see a red ball in front of her she picked it up and started to bounce it while walking around she heard a noise and turned around thinking it was nothing. She saw a dark corner, she threw the ball at it expecting it to bounce back, it didn't, moving in closer when she saw a hand roll the ball towards her she gasped and moved back tripping into a person behind her.
"Tate?" she said turning around moving closer to the ladder "hi Grace." He said "What are you doing in the house?" she asked scared "don't worry I come up here all the time." He replied "who else is with you?" she asked nodding her head to the corner "what are you talking about." He said walking over to pick up the red ball "Grace, no one else is here." "Why are you here?" "Like I said I come up here a lot, the old owners didn't mind." "You need to go." She said grabbing his arm, he was freezing. Pulling him down the hall "are you sure there is no one else up there?" she asked "positive." He said. "I could've sworn… how did you even get in here?" she said now walking down the stairs "I've got my ways." He said she opened the front door and pushing him out "stay out of the house." She said then closed the door. She locked it then sat against the wall she peeked out the window to make sure he left, he was out of sight. She decided to call her mom "mom, I think we need to get new locks or something." "What's going on are you okay?" "I'm fine. Just, I'll talk to you later." She ended
She explained to her mother and Charlie what happened, but left out Tate thinking her mom would call the police or something "I could've sworn I saw someone up there." She ended "The doctor did say hallucinations were common." Claire said "I'll give him a call and see if there are any medications you can take for now," "and Constance?" Charlie asked "yes, I'll talk to her too." Grace woke up with a pounding headache she looked over at her clock and realized she had a good thirty minutes of sleep time left. "shit." she whispered knowing she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again.
"What's going on with Tate and that girl?" Ben said entering the study where violet sat and was reading a book "I don't talk to Tate dad; you out of all people should know that." "Yes, but I know you watch him." Violet looked down "that is so you." She argued "there's no possible way you would know that if it was true. Ya know sometimes I can't believe I was actually glad we're all stuck here." She said getting up "what's going on?" asked Vivien walking in rocking the baby in her arms "listen, I don't know what Tate's up to, and I was sort of planning on keeping it that way." She ended leaving the room. "Viv?" "Yeah?" "I think it's time to get ourselves acquainted with family." Ben said. Violet walked up the dark hallway. How would he know that? She thought, sometimes she would go weeks not being seen by anyone. Why did they have to have that conversation, now all she could think about was Tate of course. She looked up at the attic door hearing some small noises, since she hadn't seen beau in a while she climbed up she saw him clutching the ball and smashing it to the ground, trying to bounce it up and down like grace did. Violet picked it up and placed it in his hand, she stood in front of him putting her hand in a fist she opened it quickly as if there was a ball there. He did the same as he watched the ball drop and bounce back up. She smiled.
Grace opened her locker her face close to the locker door as she took two pills her mother left out on the counter for her this morning, trying to make it less noticeable "what were those?" asked Leah walking up to her "oh, hey" she said "nothing." You're not like those freaky chicks that get high during school are you?" "What? No." no matter what type of clothes she wore Leah still knew how to get what she wanted "you see these marks?" Grace said lifting the bottom layer of her hair "yeah." "We had a break in a few days ago... And these are suppose to help." She said "a break-in where do you live?" questioned Leah "Westerchester street." She said Leah stopped in the hallway "wait," she said her voice a little weak "you don't live in the murder house do you?" "Murder house?" grace said curious "I have to go." Leah said walking away "wait." Grace said knowing she wouldn't be able to stop her.
Walking home alone grace looked up at the house and sighed then suddenly seeing a figure in her bedroom window she squinted and it was gone. She didn't want to go inside, but where else was she supposed to go? She had no friends, Charlie was at soccer tryouts, and her mom was at work and Mrs. Langdon creeped her out. Instead she went through the gate to the backyard it was a warm day she liked it, though hated the sun it was giving her a headache. She walked over to the corner of a small garden near the fence and looked up in the yard next door she saw a small boy with blonde hair staring up at her "hi." Grace said "what's your name?" she asked a small smile forming on her face. The boy was silent how cute? She thought "oh, Michael!" Constance said running out and picking up the child "I'm sorry grace it's time for him to go inside "hey did my mom talk to you." "Yes, dear and I hope you get some help." She said walking into her house the little boy still looking at grace with his dark eyes. "Help?" grace whispered to herself.
She heard a car door shut and walked up front it was Charlie and their mother "what were you doing in the back?" Claire asked "nothing. Did you talk to Constance?" she asked "yes, sweetie but we'll talk later." She said walking into the house "how was try outs?" she said turning to her brother "okay, by the way some guy likes you." "What?" yeah he was trying out for soccer too. Devon?" Grace trying to think of a Devon and came to a blank "I don't know he said he was in your pre calc. class, he's got brown hair sorta in his face." "Oh, yeah I think I remember him." She said" so he just came up to you and said that?" she said thinking her brother was trying to mess with her "kind of he asked me if I knew you and then went on and on about how he couldn't figure out one of his homework problems and blurted out you were cute." 'mmm." Said grace her thoughts racing around every little topic in her mind.
While at the dinner table eating a very delicious meal made by Moira the family of three sat silently "Gracie eat your meal." "Not hungry." She said tiredly "why do you think people call this place the murder house?" "why because of the deaths of course." Claire said "so where has uncle mark been I thought this was the reason we moved here, I've only seen him once this week." asked Charlie "Umm…" Claire started then the doorbell rang "I'll get that." Claire said getting up in a hurry "hello can I help you?" she asked "it's very rude to leave the dinner table mother!" Charlie yelled smiling at grace "hush." She replied "hello Ms Kozlowski." The man said holding out his hand "I'm and this is my wife and daughter, we live down the street."