The O'Malley house was bustling with energy as the three female inhabitants moved around getting ready for the day.
Constance was nervously shifting through the house, trying to find where she'd left her cell phone. Fern was running a brush through her frazzled hair, while also trying to study last minute for a calculus test she'd have tomorrow.
Eden, however, was staring down at her phone. Her green eyes were studying the text message that Roman had left this morning: picking you up - r
Normally this wouldn't be a cause for alarm, if it was sent by anyone else but Roman Godfrey. As far as Eden knew, Roman had only been to her house twice, and the whole time, Eden had to stop him from making all the wrong turns.
So, the ginger was skeptical when it came to Roman actually picking her up. However, judging by the text, Roman seemed pretty positive that he'd find her coordinates. Eden just hoped that it was after her mother and Fern had left for their day trip downtown.
While Eden loved her mother and sister, they were a bit loony whenever it came to the Godfrey's.
Not because they actually admired or respected the Godfrey's - no, it was because they enjoyed teasing the rich. Liking to make the wealthy uncomfortable with speaking in strange dialect and staring for long periods of time without blinking, was her family's hidden kink apparently.
Eden would normally partake in the teasing, if it weren't for Roman being her friend. Since, that's apparently what they were now. And wasn't that just something strange to think about?
The familiar rumbling of an engine purred down the road, and Eden felt her heart constrict inside of her chest. She hissed, removing herself from the couch and rushed towards the front door.
"Who's that?" Constance's voice asked from down the hall, the sound of a working engine foreign in their neighborhood.
"No one!" Eden replied, gripping the handle of her front door. She went to turn the handle, but Fern was jerking the slats of the blinds downwards, peering out at their driveway.
"Mom, you will not believe this!" Fern bellowed, voice filled with excitement.
"No, no," Eden said, punching her sister in the arm. "I don't want you and mom attacking him. Please, Fern. It's embarrassing enough being your sister."
At this, Fern simply rolled her eyes, ignoring Eden's protests. Even going as far as to fling herself at the front door when Roman knocked.
Eden watched with wide eyes as Fern opened the door, giving Roman a seductive smile. Her sister leaned against the door frame, cocking her head and placing her hand on her hip.
"What are you doing here richy-rich?" Fern asked, though Eden knew she knew the answer. Fern was just enjoying toying with Eden and Roman both.
Roman caught Eden's eyes over Fern's shoulder, before answering, "I'm here to pick up Eden."
"Yes," Eden confirmed, grabbing her purse from the couch and slinging it over her shoulder. She moved to shove past Fern. "Thanks for answering the door Fern. Tell mom I love-"
"Who's at the door?" Constance entered the room them, working her third earring into her left ear. She frowned once she caught sight of who was at the door, but didn't seem angry.
"Mom, this is Roman," Fern said, gesturing to the tall boy on their porch. "Eden's boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend," Eden snapped, shaking her head.
"Well, not yet," Roman interjected, acting like he was correcting Eden's words. He gave Constance a bright expression. It replicated a politician's smile all the way down to the last molar.
"Roman!" Eden snapped, as Fern squealed out an amused "Oh my God!" at the same time.
"Eden, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," Constance said, now frowning in an angry manner.
"I don't," Eden replied, flustered and frustrated. "Roman is just a friend. But even that statement is on unstable ground right now."
"Uh-oh," Fern snickered, laughing behind her hand with Roman smirking behind her. The two of them seeming to enjoy Eden's frazzled state of mind.
"I'm going now," The youngest O'Malley said, shoving Fern roughly out of her way. "Please, have a terrible rest of your day."
"Have fun!" Fern called out to them, "Don't give it up too easy Ed's! Remember, I see everything!"
The door closed just as Eden heard her mother begin to chastise her sister for that last comment. Eden was fuming, fists curled at her sides as Roman laughed his way towards the drivers seat of his car.
"They're amazing," Roman said, starting the engine.
"They're a curse placed on me for an unknown reason." Was Eden's stiff reply, arms crossed over her chest as Roman pulled away from her driveway.
Roman held the silence for a few moments, before he was asking, "What did your sister mean by she see's everything?"
"Want the fake answer or the real one?" Eden asked, looking in Roman's direction.
"Can I get both?" The rich boy requested.
"Fine," Eden said, sucking in a breath. "The fake reason is that Fern was just joking."
"Alright," Roman drawled, eyes steady on the road. "Now, what's the real reason?"
"All the rumors that the Hemlock townies spew about us, may just have a bit of truth to them," Eden said, giving a faint shrug.
"You're actually witches?" Roman asked, dubious.
Rolling her eyes, Eden shook her head, "Fern is psychic."
"Your mom?" Roman pushed, looking at Eden with a bit of curiosity in his eyes.
"Some kind of undisclosed mind-reader." Eden answered, biting the corner of her lip. She left out the part where this was just a theory of hers; and that her mother had yet to confirm anything.
"What are you?" Roman asked after a beat, flicking his eyes away from the road to look at her for a few seconds.
"I'll tell you when I find out," Was Eden's flat reply, before she was shifting forwards in her seat. "Do you know where you're going? We're on a time limit, you know."
"I have Destiny's address typed into my GPS," Roman said, pointing towards the new device on his dashboard that Eden hadn't noticed beforehand.
"I'm excited to meet her," Eden said, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "Peter's told me so much about Destiny."
"I bet she's kind of crazy," Roman replied, sounding a bit unsure.
Eden felt her lips curl into a smirk. "I'm counting on it."
A few minutes later, Roman was pulling into the parking lot of a small apartment building. It was cute, and Eden found herself drawn to it's aura immediately.
For a moment, Eden almost wished that she'd brought Fern along. Her sister would be joyous over the good energy she could use for more stable and reliable visions here.
Gathering her things, Eden left the car and made her way towards the front door. Roman followed beside her.
Both of them stopped at the main door, seeing a sign with a hand, palm-up, with the word PSYCHIC above it.
Snorting in amusement, Eden bustled into the building. She found Destiny's room number after a short elevator ride, and walking two doors down from there.
Roman was silent behind her, filled with an energy that almost seemed hesitant and nervous.
Knocking gently, Eden was surprised when the door opened suddenly, showcasing a beautiful brunette. At once, the brunette grasped Eden's shoulders, bringing her forwards.
"Eden, come in!" She chirped, before planting a kiss onto Eden's cheek.
Startled but not thrown off, Eden stepped into the apartment. Instantly, she was greeted with the sight of Peter.
She moved to join him on the couch, but was bumped into by a middle aged man, who was exiting the nearby bedroom.
"Now I want you to find time every day to be mindful of the love and nourishment flowing from your manipura, okay?" Destiny said, coaxing the man from her apartment. "Also, lay off the refined sugars. It messes with your metabolism."
"Alright, thank you," The man said, gathering his things and leaving the apartment.
Once the door was closed, Destiny turned back towards the three teenagers in her living room. Roman, standing close to Eden, watching her without saying anything for a few moments.
"Another happy customer?" Peter asked, grinning.
"Crushed a couple blue pills in his tea," Destiny admitted, smirking from the side of her mouth. "The sugar thing was just common sense."
"Like when your doctor tells you to stop smoking," Roman inputted, voice slightly wobbly.
Destiny sighed, before replying, "One size fits all."
At once, Destiny was grabbing Eden's body once more, by the shoulders this time. She gave Eden a tight hug, squeezing lightly. "Hi, you must be Eden?"
"Yes," Eden replied, once Destiny pulled away. "Eden O'Malley."
Destiny nodded her head, catching Eden's wrist. She brought Eden's hand up to her face, squinting at her palm. "You have an interesting future. You'll have to get your palm read by me sometime."
"I know all about my future," Eden said lightly, smiling at the brunette. At Destiny's curious expression, she explained, "I come from a family of kooks. My sister's a psychic too."
Destiny flashed a bright smile, before turning towards Peter. "I like her."
"I'm Roman," Roman spoke, sticking out his hand albeit awkwardly.
Much like she did to Eden, Destiny grabbed Roman's wrist. Roman tensed, but then spoke once more, joking, "See anything interesting?"
Without answering, Destiny dropped Roman's palm. "Do you gentlemen and fellow kook have something for me?"
Peter unwrinkled a paper bag, before handing Destiny a box of candy.
"Ooh orangies!" She cried, popping one into her mouth. "What a sweetie."
Peter then removed the jar of organs from his bag, placing it on the table in front of them. Destiny stared at the jar, chewing thoughtfully for a moment.
She then stepped forwards, taking the jar, "Just tell me why this is better than running?"
Eden tensed for a moment, glancing at Peter. Her heart sputtering at the thought of Peter leaving Hemlock Grove due to what was happening. Roman also was tense beside her, and Eden didn't have to look at his face to know that he was unhappy by Destiny's comment.
The three of them were a package deal after all.
"Fucked if I can, D." Was Peter's reply.
Destiny and Peter shared a brief look, with Destiny's eyes gently flicking towards Roman and Eden, before she was shaking her head. "Oh, Peter."
Carefully, Destiny popped the lid off the jar. Then, the female was moving through the beaded curtains that led to another part of the apartment.
Peter motioned for them to follow him, all three of them watching as Destiny brought herself closer from the other room.
On her index finger was a wiggling caterpillar, which she fondly called handsome before bringing him towards the organ jar and dropping him in.
"Sorry, buddy. Bon appétit." Destiny said, closing the jar.
"How long is this going to take?" Peter asked, looking up at Destiny.
"Better let it sit overnight for good measure," Destiny said, before she giving them all a smile. "We'll need some tequila."
"Is that part of it?" Roman asked, leaning against the counter of the kitchen island.
"No," Destiny said, giving Roman a side glance. She then looked back at Peter. "Something in a pretty bottle. Silver's good."
Peter sighed, before nodding, "You got it."
At Peter's words, Eden was once again grabbed by Destiny. "Come with me. I just recently bought a new shirt that would look great with your hair color-"
Eden shot both boys a smile over shoulder as she was led by Destiny into the other room.
With her heels clacking against the concrete ground, Eden made her way towards the Godfrey Institute.
Eden smiled at the passing people, trying to pretend like she belonged amongst this crowd. She held a small clutch in her hand, which held a small notebook and a pen. In her other hand, was her high school badge and an invite to the party.
"Name," The guard at the entry requested in a monotone voice. Eyes not meeting her own.
"Eden O'Malley," Eden replied, before flashing her badge and invite. "I'm here for Hemlock Grove's high school science department. We're writing a piece on the Godfrey Institute's new division."
Marking her name from the list, the guard nodded for her to go ahead. Eden rushed into the party, trying to avoid looking anyone in the eyes. She weaved through the crowd, trying to find a place to camp-out so no one would bug her.
Choosing to take a flute of champagne from a waiter catering the party, Eden chose a nearby table towards the side entrance of the party.
Taking a chair, Eden sighed and began to people watch when someone was calling out her name in confusion.
"Eden?" Letha asked, stepping in front of the red-head. Her swollen stomach gently tapping against the side of the table Eden chose. "What are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, it just doesn't seem like your style."
"I'm writing an article for the science department at our high school," Eden replied, watching as Letha nodded in understanding. Eden then hummed in her throat, giving Letha a smile. "You're dressed nice."
Letha glanced down at her silky soft blue dress, which only touched the top of the floor. Her blonde hair was pulled back into an elegant bun against her neck, sleek and sensible. The kind of hairstyle you'd expect a first lady to wear as she sat beside a president.
To top off the outfit, she was wearing matching soft blue heels, that made her legs look endless; and a pearl necklace with a diamond pendant in the center.
"You look lovely too," Letha said, giving a bright smile. She then caught something over Eden's shoulder and looked back at Eden. "Sorry to just leave, but I'm obligated to mingle."
"It's fine. Go ahead," Eden said, watching as Letha weaved through the socialites.
Running a hand down the skirt of her off-shoulder petal pink dress, Eden tried to calm her racing heart and sweaty palms. She was far too out of her league at parties like these. Everyone in the room looked like they had a stick up their ass, and had been born with pearls in their mouths.
Standing upwards to head towards the bar for some water, Eden nearly ran into two people on her way there. Once she was at the bar, she waited for the bartender to notice her existence.
"Who's Posh Spice now?"
Eden felt a smirk grow onto her face as she recognized the familiar voice of Roman Godfrey.
Turning, Eden came face-to-face with the Godfrey heir, dressed impeccably in a custom made suit.
The sight made Eden's breath catch in her throat. She knew that Roman was attractive, hell, everyone in the school knew that. You'd have to be as blind as a bat to not notice the boys appeal, but until now, it had never affected Eden as much.
Roman's gaze was also taking in her appearance, green eyes heated when they connected back with hers. He licked his lips, before a smirk landed onto his face. "You going to stare at me all night?"
"I wasn't the only one staring Posh," Eden snapped back, turning back towards the bar. She lifted her hand, trying to catch the bartender's attention. Who seemed dead-set on ignoring her.
"I'm surprised to see your hair so tame," Roman said, sliding into the space beside her. "I didn't know you owned a hairbrush."
"Your flattery is amazing," Eden replied, turning towards Roman. She cocked an eyebrow, giving the heir a flat smirk. "How do you not have a girlfriend yet? I mean, with lines like that you must have a string of females stretching to your mansion on the hill by now."
Roman's eyes flickered with amusement, "You thinking of joining the line?"
Eden hummed in her throat, before stating, "I only wait for things that are worth it."
Placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt, Roman stated, "Ouch. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to offend the rich? We could turn your world upside down."
"Oh right," Eden said, licking the corner of her mouth. "One law for the rich and another for the poor, right?"
Roman let out a tiny laugh, before he was diverting his attention to Eden's waving arm at the must-be-blind bartender.
With a single movement of his hand, Roman caught the bartender's attention at once.
"Yes sir?" The bartender asked, waiting on Roman hand and foot for the heir's next words.
"My lady here would like a sparkling water," Roman said, his voice as hard as steel.
"Of course sir," The bartender was off, heading to gather Eden's drink.
Eden cocked an eyebrow at Roman, "How did you know I wanted sparkling water? I could've wanted scotch or tequila."
"Did you want scotch or tequila?" Roman asked, eyes sparkling.
Slightly nervous by Roman's gaze, Eden admitted, "Well, no-"
"You're so captivating, do you know that?" Roman asked suddenly, and his eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn't believe he'd said that aloud himself.
Choosing to play his words off as a joke, mostly because she didn't know how to react to them herself, Eden said. "I wish I could say the same for you, Godfrey."
The bartender cut off whatever Roman was going to say as he returned with Eden's drink. Eden gave him a smile, grabbing the glass before turning to walk away from the bar and Roman.
"Hey," Roman called, moving towards her so that they were shoulder to shoulder. "You just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
"You know how I am," Eden replied, giving the male an eyebrow raise. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Roman nodded his head at this. Eden nodded back at him, sipping her water before continuing walking back towards her table. She sat down, turning towards Roman as the boy stood before her.
"Why are you still here?" Eden asked, slightly curious. "Don't you have some people to talk to? I think Letha went over there."
"Say goodbye to me before you leave, alright?" Roman asked, his gaze on Eden intense. Green eyes meeting. A matching pair as they stared at one another.
Nodding her head, Eden said, "Of course, Roman. Now go away."
Roman nodded his head, moving through the crowd. Eden tore her gaze away from his back, trying to stop her heart from jumping out of her chest. Sipping her sparkling water, she watched as Olivia Godfrey stepped up to the podium.
The woman was dressed in a white silk mermaid style dress, with black lace sleeves. Her black hair was pinned to one side in loose, elegant curls.
Flicking the microphone slightly, Olivia began. "Ladies and gentlemen..."
Behind her, a clear faced man with a bright grin appeared on a projector screen. Underneath his picture were the numbers: 1961-2000. Eden sat up slightly, grabbing her notebook and clicking her pen to be ready to write down some things.
"It's been twenty years since last we gathered. Then, it was to celebrate the inauguration of the Godfrey Institute, the long held dream, of my late husband, JR Godfrey..."
Instantly, Eden glanced for Roman in the crowd. Upon not finding him, she turned back towards Olivia, trying to once again tame her beating heart for a whole new reason.
The slide of JR changed, showing him with his hands behind his head, smiling goofily at the camera. Eden couldn't help but notice that JR and Roman had the same eyes, followed by the same upturned nose. Other than that, Roman had inherited all of Olivia's traits besides her gender.
Olivia glanced at the photo, mournfully stating, "JR, businessman, friend, husband and father. JR's greatest passion was his family. His death was a terrible tragedy felt deeply by all who knew him...."
Eden watched as Olivia's eyes grew watery, voice wobbling. "But none more, than our son, Roman..."
At once, a slurred voice was breaking through the crowd. "Right on fucking cue."
Everyone turned, watching as a man made his way into the opening in the room. His eyes were set in Olivia's direction as he held a tumblr of alcohol against himself.
"Oh for Christ sakes," A dark haired man beside Eden's table mumbled, whom Eden remembered to be Norman Godfrey.
"C'mon, take a bow Liv," The drunken man said, "That's a hell of a performance."
Norman was speaking again, voice stone cold, "That's enough,"
"Open your eyes Godfrey," The man snapped, he then turned towards Olivia. "If anyone killed your brother it was her."
Gasps filled the room, but Norman was stepping forwards at once. His fist connected with the man's face roughly, sending him stumbling backwards and onto the floor. Everyone in the room gasped a second time, moving away from the brawl.
"I got this," Security announced, a bald man stepping forwards to collect the drunken man off the floor.
"Get off me," The drunken man snapped, fighting the security's hands. "Get off me."
The doors to the back opened before they were closing. It was silent for a few moments, with everyone looking around. Eden flicked her eyes back towards the podium, where Olivia stood.
Roman's mother was clutching the podium tightly, eyes still glassy, but otherwise untouched by the other mans words. Something in her expression almost seemed like she'd expected it to happen.
"My husbands death affected us all in different ways. After the shock passed, I chose to focus my intentions on the institute, comforted knowing that my husband's healing legacy would continue.."
The screen switched, revealing a nice picture of Roman. Olivia continued speaking, "First, through me, and then our son."
Again, the room was silent, and then the clapping started. Everyone seemed to forget about the man from before, but Eden was staring at Roman's face on the screen.
Something was wrong, so terribly wrong, and she couldn't shake it of out her bones. It was making her feel like she was going to become sick.
As the others began to move, Eden removed herself from her table in a rush. She grabbed her things, moving through the people on wobbly legs.
Ignoring all the rude insults directed her way from the elbows she'd placed in sides in her haste to get away, Eden breathed in the crisp night air. Her shoulders shivered, and she wrapped her arms around herself, taking a few steadying breaths.
Slowly, Eden gained her body back, and began to walk home.
Forgetting all about Roman's request.