The Harmon family stood in front of their soon-to-be new house. After a long drive, Victor couldn't have cared less about where they were, and more about the fact he could move freely.
Victor wasn't one for sitting still, he liked to be up and moving. The boy was rarely home as he used to replace his hours with walks, sports or sex to keep himself at ease. He found that doing things that took up energy was rather calming.
"I love it." Ben Harmon mused, pressing the doorbell with a toothy grin. He turned to his family. "Don't you love it, hon? I mean, it looks even better than it did online."
Vivien nodded — holding her dog close to her chest — as she smiled lightly, taking in the views of their new home-to-be. "Yeah, it's interesting." She said.
Ben placed his arm around her.
Violet and Victor shared a look, a lot less interested in the place they were to live in. It was no secret they hadn't wanted to move. Sure, their lives hadn't been particularly amazing beforehand but it was still their lives and their childhoods that they had left behind.
The worst part about the move was something to distract their parents from the pain they were facing and pushing onto their children.
The siblings turned their attention to their parents.
"Great. So we're the Addams Family now." Violet muttered from where she and her brother sat on a wall.
Victor snorted at her comment. "I'm sure you'll be the perfect Wednesday Addams, Gloom McDoom."
Violet looked at him, prodding him hard in the ribs. Victor groaned, holding his side. He proceeded to lick one of his hands and rub his saliva-covered palm down her face.
"Numbnuts!" She let out, rubbing her yellow sleeve over her face to rid of his saliva.
Ben looked over at his children, shaking his head at their antics. On normal occasions, he would have told them of for messing around, but after having his chair kicked for far too long by Victor — harder each time he told the boy off — he had given up.
Violet and Victor had always been close. The two 'bully' one another and make fun of each other yet would take a round of bullets without a second thought.
"Hey, crabby pants one and two." He called. Violet and Victor looked at him, their heads snapping up quickly. "Come here."
They got off the wall and made their way over, being pulled into their father's arms.
"What are you doing?" Vivien questioned
"Isn't this place amazing?" He asked his daughters, brushing off his wife's words.
The door was opened from behind them and the four pulled away and turned around to see their realtor, Marcy.
"Welcome." Marcy greeted. "The four face it's a classic L.A. Victorian. Built around 1920 by the doctor to the stars at the time." Marcy began to announce as the family cautiously walked it. "It's just fabulous. These are real Tiffany fixtures. As you can see, the previous owners really loved this place like a child. They restored everything."
"Gay?" Vivien asked, gaining a small look from her husband.
Victor shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. He wasn't cold, he felt uneasy like something was watching him.
There was something dark about the house, not including the interior design. The expensive look was a mask for something but Victor couldn't place what.
"What do you think?"
"Tiffany. Wow." Ben whispered to his daughter, Violet gave him a blank look, being nudged in response to the look did grow a fake and quick smile on her face.
Soon the hallway became the kitchen.
"Do you cook?"
"Viv is a great cook. I got her cooking lessons a few years ago, and she ended up teaching the teacher a few things." Ben said, grinning at the memory, his voice filled with some sort of pride.
"Like a good housewife."
"Cooking lessons, romantic." Marcy commented, nodding as her eyes glanced between the couple, sensing some sort of tension. "Aren't you a psychologist?" She asked, quickly changing the topic.
"Psychiatrist." Ben corrected. "You said something on the phone about there being a study that I could use as a home office? I'm planning on seeing patients here, so I can spend more time with the family."
Vivien placed down the dog — to which the dog ran away, out the kitchen and away yapping.
"How refreshing."
Vivien turned to her children. "Violet, Victor, loves, would one of you go see where Hayley went? Thank you."
The siblings looked at one another, before glancing at the kitchen door.
"Race you!" The two shouted, running to the door and pushing one another.
The two made their way to their mother's dog, Victor having won with a smug look.
"What are you yapping at?" Victor asked. He picked up the dog and placed her into his sister's arms — simply to avoid getting dog hairs on his white t-shirt, which had been paired with one of his many black distressed jeans and black leather jacket and his favourite docs.
Victor was allergic to dogs, yet he tended to ignore this fact and pick up and play with Hayley.
Hayley fell silent in the girl's arms as Violet held her, allowing the dog to rest her head on the human's shoulder.
"What do you reckon the door is for?" Violet questioned.
"It's where I'm gonna stash your body." Victor told her, his voice completely and utterly serious as they stared at the door, expecting it to open all by itself.
"Hilarious."
"I thought so too." He nodded, wrapping hands around the door handle before trying to open the door. The door didn't budge, making Violet snort. "Shut up."
It took a small while of many failed attempts and a stumble, but the door eventually opened.
He held the door open and gestured for Violet to step in. She gave him a sceptical look. "If you push me, I'll kill you."
"You'd probably die upon impact, or at least be knocked out, so I don't think you will." He said, gesturing for her to walk.
"Reckon there's a body?"
"Oh, totally." Victor said as the siblings walked down the stairs. "Yours."
Violet glanced over the edge of the handrail, looking at the dim room to see why the dog in arms had been barking.
Victor grinned, stepping to his sister. "Boo!" He shouted down her ear.
Violet jumped in panic, stumbling back and nearly falling down the stairs.
Victor grabbed her arms, laughing loudly at her reaction.
"You dick!" Violet snapped, slapping his arm as she pulled her arms out of his hands.
Victor sat on the stone steps, trying to catch his breath. "Priceless." He grinned. "I fucking love you, Lottie McSnotty."
"Well, I fucking hate you, Tory McSnory."
Violet waited for her brother to stop laughing. Upon Victor calming down, the siblings were able to leave the basement.
Violet placed the dog down, harshly pulling the door to a shut, with that the siblings went to find their parents and Marcy, Hayley followed behind.
"This wallpaper is peeling over here. Looks like maybe there's a mural underneath it." Vivien took notice, her fingers playing with the peeling material.
The siblings looked at the material and then at each other.
"The last owners probably covered it up. They were modernists." The woman quickly covered. Vivien took her hands from the paper. "Speaking of the last owners, full disclosure requires that I tell you about what happened to them."
Violet and Victor looked at each other, peaked interested at what the possible past of the house was.
"The plot thickens." Victor whispered into his sister's ears. Violet snickered, nudging him to shut up.
"Oh, God, they didn't die in here or anything, did they?" Vivien asked, taking steps to stand by her husband.
"Yes, actually, all three of them." Marcy said, her voice a bit too joyful. "Murder-suicide. I sold them the house, too. They were just the sweetest couple, and their niece. You never know, I guess."
"That explains why it's half the price of every other house in the neighbourhood, I guess."
Victor pulled a face, looking around the room in a fast and dramatic way. "And that didn't raise any red flags?" He questioned under his breath.
"I do have a very nice mid-century ranch, but it's in the Valley, and you're going to get a third of the house for twice the price."
"Bargain." Violet whispered to her brother.
"Right? I was totally thinking that."
"Where did it happen?" Violet questioned.
Marcy turned to look at the teens. "The basement."
"We'll take it." The teenagers said at once, turning to each other and high-fiving.
The parents and Marcy looked at the teenagers. None of them had expected them to agree to live here so quickly and happily.