"Hi, I'm Tate." Little did I know those words were the beginning to something dark and beautiful.
The boys have been here for about an hour now. Tate working in the weeds, pulling them up and spraying them. Micheal and I have been outside under the gazebo, him playing with his toy trucks and I not so subtly staring at his father. I have a moment of panic when Tate stands up and heads toward us, slowly sauntering. I quickly start up a conversation with Micheal.
"Micheal are you excited to start preschool soon?"
"I don't know," he mutters quietly.
"Why is that?" I ask.
"Well when Nana brings me to park not a lot kids play with me," he explains.
"And why don't they play with you?" I wonder.
He mumbles something that I don't hear. I ask him to repeat it and what he says breaks my heart.
"They say I'm weird."
"Micheal," he looks at me with pure and innocent blue eyes, "Those little kids do not know what they're talking about, you are wonderful and awesome and someone who says otherwise can't see how awesome you are because they're plain and boring."
"Really," he gives me puppy dog eyes and I instantly melt.
"Of course," I confirm.
After that the conversation flows easily, we talk about our favorite animals and colors, we even brush upon the topic of ghosts. Little did I notice Tate turn back and get back to work. After about an hour Em calls them in for lemonade and Micheal runs in to grab a glass. Tate and I walk side by side at more leisurely pace.
"Micheal really likes you," he comments.
"How'd you know?" I question.
"He let you play with his trucks," he explains, "Not even my mother can touch his trucks."
"Well that means a lot, he's a cute kid. Like his father," I sort of flirt.
He smirks,"You think I'm cute?"
"Oh don't flatter yourself," I sarcastically reply.
Before the conversation can ensue I'm taking large gulps of lemonade. Tate and Em engage in conversation occasionally Micheal joins in and I'm left alone to my thoughts. Tate's a little odd if I do say so myself, don't get me wrong he is really handsome, but a get a vibe from him I can't quite put my finger on. There's a look in his eyes I can't determine, it's like a shine always full with some kind of extreme emotion and a cold indifference.
"What do you say Andy?" Em asks.
To show that I was listening, even though I wasn't, I nodded my head and smiled.
"You sure it's okay not a lot of people would do this for someone they just met?" Tate asks and looks at me with those eyes.
I heave a quiet sigh and get lost in those eyes for a moment, I snap back into reality and scold myself for acting like a lovesick puppy,"I wouldn't mind at all."
"I can't wait!" Micheal exclaims in an excited voice that brings me a smile,"Can she stay the whole day with me?"
"I'm sorry buddy but she can only pick you up and drop you off," Tate says in an apologetic tone.
Then it all clicks, I remember talking to Micheal about him starting preschool, then Tate saying pick up and drop off. I unknowingly agreed to taking Micheal to school.
~~~
It's been about half an hour since Tate and Micheal left, it's now five forty-five. I'm logged into Skype waiting for Jordan to log in, but in her typical fashion she's late.
JWhite has logged into Skype
I hit video chat and her face immediately pops up.
"Ahhh! I'm so excited to see you!"
"I'm glad to see you to Jor."
"Ugh, only if it were in person."
"I know but one day maybe, schools starting soon anyway."
"You mean hell?"
"Yes, sure."
"You'll be the new kid everybody loves the new kid and then you'll have a new B.F.F."
"You'll always be my B.F.F and I'll be going to online school instead of public."
"That's good. So how's the new house?"
"It's fine I guess."
"Guess what, so I looked up your house online and it has its own website."
"Really?"
"Yes really. Okay, so it was built in the twenty by Charles and Nora Montgomery. He was a doctor and she a housewife, and to get money the ran an underground abortion clinic."
"That's disturbing."
"But wait it gets better."
"You mean worse?"
"They had a baby but the boyfriend of one of the girls found out about the abortions and kidnapped the baby. Eventually the baby was returned, but not in one piece. Charles had a strange obsession with life and tried to bring the baby back through science. But it didn't have all its parts so he improvised with other body parts of animals. Nora was so disgusted she killed the baby, Charles, and herself."
"Wow."
"I know right and that's just the first."
"First of what?"
"They long string of murders in that house. They call your house the 'Murder House'."
"Thank you for that intriguing history lesson but I best be going."
"Okay, but be careful."
"Thanks Jordan."
I log off and close my laptop, I look at my clock to see it's nine o' clock. That went on longer then expected, I think. I sigh and change into my pajamas. I lay in my bed for a while just thinking about everything Jordan said and if it's true. 'The Murder House' how very original. If it really is a murder house in the sense how many murders were documented, how many weren't. If I believed in ghosts I sure as hell would pack my bags and leave. But there is no 'afterlife', just death and it's darkness. We live and we die, simple as that. Ghosts aren't real, and if they were wouldn't they try to reclaim their house back? It's these thoughts that are on my mind as I fall into a fitful sleep.
1007 Words
A/N: Yes the conversation with Tate was short, I want to have a build up of their relationship, that and I'm still unsure of how to properly write Tate because I want to hit both the loving and national side of him yet I also want his psychotic nature to show in that and away from that completely. Any tips?