SUN TAN; it

blood banquet

he was wondering if the well house was connected to the disappearance of his brother.

"i don't know, somewhere in town i guess." ben shrugged, "why?"

"nothing." bill replied while turning back to the information.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"do you want to come over to mine?" bev asked the only other girl.

they had just left the new kid's house and was mounting their bikes on his driveway.

"are you okay with going alone ned?" ocean turned to her brother.

they were used to going home together. frequently, ocean would go over to one of the boys' houses but eddie rarely would - he had to follow their mother's strict rules.

"what?" he looked up, "yeah, sure."

"i have to warn you, my dad's a bit scary." bev told her.

"it's fine, my mother is a monster." ocean confessed as she mounted her bike, "lead the way."

"come on."

"bye ocean." stan waved.

"see ya boys!" she exclaimed as she followed the redhead.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

the two girls were sitting in bev's bathtub, they sat on opposite sides of the tub - ocean's legs on bev's.

"i don't want anything bad to happen to you." ocean frowned.

"i can handle it, i'll be alright." beverly squeezed her hand.

"if you need anything, you know my address."

bev nodded at her kind offer.

"so what does it say?" ocean asked her friend, bev had found a postcard in her bag and it happened to be a love letter.

"your hair is winter fire. january embers, my heart burns there too." beverly swooned.

"eeee a haiku, so cute." ocean smiled, happy for her friend.

"is it from you?" beverly asked.

"i wish, i have a rubbish way with words."

"i wonder who wrote it." beverly pondered.

"i bet it was-" ocean started.

"beverly."

"ocean."

"help me."

"ocean, is that you?" bev questioned, confused.

"help me, please"

"no i think it's coming from the sink." ocean explained.

"we all want to meet you two, we all float down here."

they both walked over to the sink and looked inside the drain.

"hello?" ocean inquired.

"who are you?" bev concluded.

"i'm veronica."

"betty ripsom."

"patrick hocksetter."

"hocksetter? what are you doing in the sink?" ocean asked perplexed.

"come closer."

foolishly, ocean drew her face closer to the sink, more intrigued than frightened.

"you want to see?"

"we float."

"we changed."

beverly stepped out of the room to grab something when she came back, there was a tape measurer in her hand.

she placed it into the drain and unfurled it. as it reached the bottom - 24 feet down - she pulled it out and grimaced at the dirt and grime it was now covered in.

gurgling noises started escaping from the drain which caused ocean to flinch away from the sink.

the duo looked at each other for a second before looking back at the talking sink. strings of hair shot out of the sink and seized the two girls. screaming, they tried to run but the hairs were too strong. it pulled them to the sink and forced their heads next to the drain.

"daddy!"

"help!"

"help!"

blood vomited from the sink and everywhere, drowning the girls in the crimson coloured liquid. the metallic smelling fluid splurged onto every inch of the girls' exposed skin, clothes and of bev's bathroom. the two girls kept their mouths closed as the blood splashed on their faces.

eventually, the hair flew back into the sink, the released pressure made the two girls stumble onto the red, slippery floor. bev cowered next to the bathtub while ocean sobbed in the opposite corner of the room.

"what the hell's going on?" alvin marsh asked while bursting through the door.

"the sink..." bev sobbed, motioning to the vermilion coloured walls.

"there's blood... it's-" ocean started.

"what blood?" alvin asked while looking at the other tween in the room.

"the sink, you don't see it?" bev stuttered in confusion.

"there was blood. a-and it's everywhere." ocean frowned, the two were sitting there covered in blood and bev's dad wasn't helping them.

"you worry me bevvie." alvin smiled while bending down to stare at his daughter.

"but don't you see?" bev cried in distress.

"you worry me too ocean." beverly's father sighed while running his hand down her face.

ocean stared at him in horror and revulsion.

"why'd you do this to your hair?" alvin asked ignoring the girl's question but looking at her new-haircut, "makes you look like a boy."