Chapter 1
This is a work of fiction.
Names and characters belong to their own creators.
P.S. If you have also seen Brahms 2, forget it.
The events narrated in the second movie never happened.
"Here we are! Isn’t it perfect?” exulted Mr. Thompson, closing the Jeep door and putting his hands on the hips, watching their new home from behind the sunglasses.
"For the Addams family I suppose so, dad.” Was Eveline response, after ten seconds of total silence, joined by her sister Anna, who was clinging to her leg, looking intimidated the imposing house and the sealed windows.
" Man! It’s even more disgusting than in the photographs! You’re such a businessman, dad. ” Chris said, giving a resounding pat on the back to Mr. Thompson, who drew back his arm, with an annoyed gesture.
"Watch your language, young man. And you, Eve, don’t be fooled by the first impression. We must fix a little ’cause the house has been neglected, especially in the outside. We’ll rip off all that ivy and get away all those stupid boards on the windows. I wonder why they put them... ” he muttered, pulling a bunch of keys from his pocket to open the front door, which creaked open.
"We are still in time to catch the jeep and dump him here. ” Chris whispered at Eveline’s ear, who had not moved yet.
"He removed the keys from the dashboard. ”
"They’re in his jacket pocket. I distract him, you take them. ”
“And then where do we go? ”
"Anywhere, but here. Maybe even where there is only half a notch of wifi ” snapped her brother, after another glance at the phone. That house was literally in the middle of nowhere. Even the vegetation in some ways seemed dead. It reigned silence; so intense, that if only Chris had stopped making all that noise, scuffing his sneakers on gravelly ground, Eveline could feel the ticking of her wristwatch.
" Well, would you give yourself a move? ” cried Mr. Thompson, from inside the house.
Anna hesitated a second before curiosity got the upper hand and she began to climb the stone steps of the porch, disappearing behind the door.
Chris sighed, following her. "Ten pounds there is not even the tv!”
It was not a bet Eveline deemed it wise to accept. In fact, from the gothic and messed up style of the house, it would have been too much find electric current working. Eveline grabbed her trolley, determined to put a stop to all these suppositions, to see with her own eyes how many generations had lagged behind the old owners, when something caught her attention, and she suddenly stopped. She saw a movement from one of the discovered windows. She stood still for a moment, staring at the window. Then she hurried to get into the house.
“ Dad? “
" Hmm? ” Mr. Thompson was focused on observing an angelic sculpture engraved at the base of the wooden handrail of the staircase.
" Didn’t you say that the moving guys would come in a week? ”
" Indeed. ”
" Then why is there already someone in the house? ”
" What?! Where? ” Her father finally looked up, staring at her, puzzled.
Eveline shrugged. "I thought I saw someone, from the second-floor window ...”
“Impossible,” her father said, “How did they get in? I have the keys! ”
“It’s the house, dad. It’s already driving her crazy, this is the proof we needed that we can't stay here. ” Chris said, letting go an old pillow with golden embroidery, covered in dust, on the ground .
“I see. And where would you go, tell me, since I signed the contract and the house is already ours? ”
Chris narrowed his eyes, thrusting his hands into his trouser pockets. ” Sell this dump and let’s stay by uncle Frank. He has already proposed us to stay with him. ”
“All right, now let’s make one thing clear ” began Mr. Thompson, speaking for both of them ” My brother is not a charity house in which we can make a stop every time we have money problems. Ok? This is the first time we’re able to establish ourselves in a place with our forces, let’s try at least to make an attempt, if only to see how it goes. The city is not so distant, this monday I will start with my new job and you will go in your new school. I mean, have you seen this house? Have you seen how big it is? You can do all the parties you want, Eveline, you’ll have a room all for yourself. No need to share it with Anna anymore. ”
“By the way, where is she? ” Eveline murmured, looking around for the little sister.
" The only party we could give, here, is on Halloween. To me this seems to be the House of Horrors and people here don’t look so friendly. I bet high school losers won’t be so much better. ” Chris replied.
“Maybe because you’re the first one who acts as a sociopath, have you ever thought about it? ” Said his father, harshly. “Last year, your ex- principal called me seven times, have you any idea how I had to work hard to convince your teachers not to flunk you out? Do I have to expect something similar, even this time? ”
" They’d never do that, I had all good grades and you know it, then stop being a pain in the ass with this story!”
“Chris ...” Eveline admonished him, looking flustered at her father. Her brother enjoyed provoking him, but with everything that happened in recent months, Mr. Thompson had become much more severe, and he was no longer willing to give up on Chris’ bad temper, who seemed not to have realized it, yet.
“I wasn’t referring to your results, but to your behaviour. The same you use when you talk to me that way, and if you don’t change it, I assure you that you will regret. ”
“Eve! Look! Look what I found! ”
Anna’s voice broke the tense atmosphere that had been created in the room and Eveline breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring Chris’ false terrified expression, after the warning of their father. For his part, the man still stared at him for a brief moment, before turning his attention to the youngest daughter.
“What is it, flea? ”
“Oh, Jesus,” Chris laughed, rolling his eyes at the sight of what Anna was holding “And where the hell did you find that thing? ”
Anna kept clutched a doll in her arms, almost as tall as her, made of white porcelain, which looked like a child.
“It was in the music room, sitting on the piano bench! ” She said, delighted. Anna was seven, so she still had passion for dolls and puppets, she had a whole collection in their old house, in London.
“Well, seems you’ve found a friend. You have a name for it, already? ” asked the father, smiling.
“Yes: ShitFace” Chris answered for her, approaching with a couple of strides and snatched the doll out from Anna’s hands “Damn right it is. ” he remarked soon after, frowning at the sight of the numerous cracks on the doll’s face” Seems it’s dropped from a skyscraper and then reattached with Vinavil. ”
" Give it back! It’s mine! “Anna yelled, jumping to recover the toy.
“And who wants that? ” retorted her brother, leaving it to fall into Anna’s arms. Right after, he yawned, picking his backpack off the ground “I’m going to choose my room." he concluded, before disappearing up the stairs, taking care to slam the backpack on every single step. Anna returned moving around the house, disappearing with the doll.
There were only Eveline and her father.
“Listen ...” began Mr. Thompson, but before he could add anything else, Eveline interrupted him.
“I know, dad. You can count on me. ”
Her father hesitated for a moment, staring at her with gratitude “I’m glad to hear that. ”
And she had cost so much to say those words, but she had to be strong, at least for him. With Chris who didn’t care, and Anna, too young to understand the situation, their father could just rely on her.
“I can't guarantee that we’ll be able to ...” find a balance? Resist? Was it at least a way to put it kindly? Eveline shook herself and continued: “But I’ll do my best to help you. ”
She had voluntarily been talking for herself, because she knew well that she could not rely on Chris; he would surely tried to provoke his father in every way possible, in order to convince him to return to London, or to go elsewhere. In fact, being of age, Chris could even leave home. That was the one thing above all frightened Mr. Thompson, and the only thing that kept him from punishing Chris seriously, every time he disrespected him, or pulled a stunt around, ending up in troubles.
“Ok, I think I’m going to unpack in my new room, if I find it. ” Eveline took leave at the end, with a smile.
What a mess.
Living without mom would have had repercussions, useless to pretend, but Eveline had to accept that situation. She wasn’t any better than Chris, after all. At least her twin had the courage to be honest, always. Under her reassuring smile and the kind eyes, Eveline hid a cowardice she was terribly ashamed of, and all because she was worried that things, which already were bad, would also been able to get worse. Her father was a librarian and the pay was barely enough with three children to support. The next day Eveline would have gone to the city, looking for a job, she didn’t want to burden his father more than necessary. Now that mother was no longer part of their lives, they had to reconsider a bit ’all, money situation in the first place.
Yet, she couldn’t explain why Mr. Thompson had decided to spend almost all of his hard-earned money to buy a house like that. It was charming, this was undeniable, and under the air of closed and the cobwebs, that rural place was actually a building worthy of admiration. The sale price, while high, had been too modest, all things considered. Apparently, given the awkward position of the house no one seemed willing to buy it, although certainly the news of the discovery of the bodies, recognized then as the elderly owners, the Heelshires, in the waters of a lake, didn’t help for the affairs. Suicide.
Inexplicable and disturbing. Perfect match for terrible business.
And mr. Thompson, as a man of culture and lover of antiquity, couldn’t miss such opportunity.
Eveline just hoped to be good enough to fool him into thinking that she wasn’t truly mad and disappointed with him for this.
dear reader,
if you are reading this story, it means you have subscribed, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
welcome to this new adventure!
thank you for reading this far and get ready: the new chapter is already around the corner!
