Chapter Eleven

Salem wandered around the tiny house. Nothing much had changed since he had last been there five years ago when his grandmother wanted to meet him after he had been adopted. The walls in the living room were still white with many framed pictures of siamese cats and flowers hanging on the wall. The floor was still the shaggy muted mint green color that for some reason didn’t look bad at all. She still had the huge tv sitting on the floor with gifts from the grandchildren sitting on top of it. Next to the tv was a small brown side table with incense on it and a red chair next to that. A three person white plaid couch was pressed against the wall next to the chair with another side table with a lamp that had an 1800’s man holding a gun as the lamp post and coasters with the kid’s faces on it. Next to that couch was a rack full of old vcr’s and a bigger table with a house phone and tissue box on it. And next to that was a two person plaid couch with yet another small side table next it in front of a wall of windows. This one had a lamp with a girl from the 1800’s as the lamp post. Sitting in the middle of both the couches was a small coffee table full of picture frames of the grandchildren and a small book full of pictures.

On the side of the tables, next to the garage door and kitchen area, was a small table full of anything for card games, a round kitchen table, and a microwave. In front of the round table was a very small kitchen, honestly it was about the size of a hallway, that was always full of goodies for the little ones. He walked through the cramped kitchen, which was full of pots and pans on either side of him stored away in their respected cupboards and shelves. When he walked through to the other side was what was supposed to be the living room which never was the living room that just never got used. Immediately after leaving the kitchen you are met with a round card table up against a fireplace and a book shelf with four rolling comfy chairs tucked into the table. Next to the entrance to the kitchen was a small table with books on it and an orange couch with a model boat hanging above it. He turned toward the fireplace and smiled. Sitting up on the top of the fireplace and leaning against the wall was an american flag that reminded him that his grandmother told him that he had earned it from serving in the war, he doesn’t remember which war but he still felt happy that he had survived a war.

Too bad he couldn’t survive cancer. Two battles and he lost to one, oh well. He got to hear all the amazing stories about his grandfather. He looked over at the bookshelf full of books about mathematical journals that his grandfather wrote or just simple math books. He never read any of them but it was on his list to do, not like he’s going to though; math isn’t much of an interest to him.

In front of the orange pull out couch was a brown leather chair with a foot rest pointed to another big tv. Next to the chair was a small table with a lamp on it and on the other side was a plant holder full of plants up against a rather big window that had the drapes pulled to the side to give at a more elegant look. Next to table with the lamp on it was another bookshelf that looked like a small piano but wasn’t with a painting of a bridge over it and a wall clock that was exactly thirteen minutes ahead.

In between the tv and the piano like book case was an opening on the wall that led out to the hallway of the front door. His sockless feet smacked against the marble tile flooring as he looked around. In front of him was the office that had even more pictures of his grandmother's family and his grandfather and everything that she did for work. To his right was a small mirror with a bunch of small siamese cat figurines sitting on it and next to that was the doorway to the basement, which is where the little kids were, and then opened up to the living room with the mint green shag carpet. In front of the door to the basement was another hallway that led to the bathroom and three bedrooms. He walked forward and went into his room, which was the one straight ahead and looked around for his bag.

His room was smaller than the one at his house but it was a good comforting size. The bed took up most of the room, it was most likely a queen-sized bed with a black and white plaid king sized comforter with the headboard up against the wall and a bedside table close to the door cluttered with two lamps, an alarm clock, and a decorative bowl full of nothing. Next to the door was an old desk that was painted the same green as the carpet in the living room with a bunch of old people space fillers on it. Against the wall opposite of the bed was a big desk with a mirror once again full of old people space fillers and a few picture frames and an award for bridge, his grandmother's favorite card game. The window next to his bed was closed and the blinds were closed which made his room pitch black, he ran his fingers along the wall before finding the light switch and flipped it up. He walked over to his bag and unzipped it, then looked around and zipped it back. What the heck? Where had he put his water bottle? He unzipped the bag again and moved things around then zipped it back up and looked around the room. He could have sworn that he had left it in his room.

He walked back over to the door and turned the light off and then closed the door behind him, almost running into his little grandmother. She was short, very short, maybe about 4’8 and had white curly hair that might have given her an extra inch or two. She was wearing a pink version of what she always wore, which was a plaid unbuttoned over shirt with a white tank top underneath and khaki’s with slippers for when she was in the house, and thick round glasses.

“Where are you rushing off to dear? I’m surprised you’re not sitting in the living room doing whatever it is you do with your phone.

“Sorry grandma, didn’t mean to run into you. I was just looking for my water bottle. I know how you feel when I leave them lying around unfinished and then grab a new one.” Salem ran his fingers through his hair.

“Well, I haven’t seen any water bottle, but then again I just got off the phone with your mother so god know’s I didn’t leave that office for a good hour. How bout we play a game of cards later tonight, maybe we can even get one of the little ones to play with us and teach em canasta.” She smiled and clapped her hands together and rubbed them as she grinned up at him.

As much as Salem hated cards, and knew how much his siblings hated cards, he still smiled and nodded to make his grandmother happy before walking over to the basement door and opening it. “Hey guys! You seen my water bottle?”

“No! But Salem can you help us with something?” Salem walked down the carpeted stairs and turned into the living room section of the basement.

He looked around the room, which didn’t have much. A tv, a small chandelier, those god awful pull out chair things and an old torn up orange chair. Stepping forward he looked further into the basement, which had a ping pong table and pool table and he still didn’t see the kids. “Where are you guys?”

“We’re under the pool table.” One kid said while sticking his head out.

“Well why are you under there?” Salem asked walking over to the pool table.

“Maria saw a spider.” Another kid stuck his head out.

“And so you crawled under the table?” Salme pulled them out from under the table. “Where is Lexi?”

“Oh! I’m under the staircase playing with the house!” Salem jumped and turned around to see her sitting under the staircase playing with the wooden house his grandfather had built.

“Watch them for me please.” Salem said as he walked back over to the stairs and up to the main floor.

As he went up the steps and opened the door he watched Victoria walk into the hallway quickly. Curious, he looked from where she had come from and noticed the garage door wasn’t all the way shut. He walked over to the door and properly shut it and then followed Victoria’s steps to her room which was to the left of his, right between the office and his room. He opened her door and saw himself in the body mirror that his grandmother had put on the wall of the closet and about spooked himself. Why on earth she thought that was a good place to put a mirror was beyond him. He stepped into the room and saw Victoria sitting at the fancy white wicker desk, trying to look like she was busying herself. Her room was about the same size as Salem’s only her’s had a closet and was missing a dresser. She had the same kind of bed as he did, only instead of a black and white plaid comforter is was a blue one with orange leaves on it and had a white bedside table next to it, with the same things on it as his bedside table had. He turned towards Victoria and crossed his arms, clearing his throat to make a sound. Victoria turned her head to face Salem and gave him a cheeky smile.

“What were you doing?”

“Oh….nothing….” Victoria twiddled her thumbs.

“Why were you outside?”

“I wasn’t outside.”

“The garage door wasn’t closed all the way.”

“Because I was in the garage…” Victoria bit her lip and turned her head away from him.

“Doing what?”

“Oh you know….playing with that sliding puzzle….” She sneaked a peek at him and then turned her head back.

“I thought you hated that puzzle.” He stepped further in the room and sat down on her bed.

“U-um…wait that’s right...I was getting myself a water bottle.” Victoria kept her head down at the desk.

“Where is the water bottle?” Salem asked as he looked around at the room that did not hold a water bottle.

“That’s when I got distracted by the puzzle and forgot that I was getting some water….”

“You? Getting distracted by a game you hate. And forgetting to get yourself a water bottle?

“...Yes. It can happen sometimes… I’m not perfect like I make myself to be.” Salem scoffed when she said that and looked to the side, getting agitated with her responses, and then looked back her while running his tongue along the inside of his lip.

“You did it didn’t you?” Salem asked harshly.

“No!” Victoria abruptly stood up, slamming her hands down on the desk.

“I thought I told you not to!? Mom opened up to me and I told you everything she said! You know she didn’t deserve it!”

Victoria stook her lip out and then looked to the side to avoid his gaze. “How do you know Salem!? She could have just been saying things?!”

“Why would she just say things? She had no reason to just say something!”

“To get under your skin! That’s how it work’s Salem! That’s how it’s always worksed” Victoria threw her arms up in the air.

“Mom isn’t dad Victoria! She wasn’t always like this! Now that he’s gone she’s a changed woman!”

Victoria laughs and shakes her head. “You’re so stupid. Once someone is changed they can’t change back.”

“And why not? Huh? They were able to change their ways before. Why can’t she change now?”

“Because she doesn’t have anyone teaching her what to do! Just cause he’s gone doesn’t mean that everything he taught her is gone too.”

“She has us Victoria! We can help her. I know it’s not going to be an immediate change but we can still help her if she slips up!”

“What are you two arguing about?” Their grandmother stuck her head into the room and everything became dead silent.

“Nothing.” Salem said after a while and then stood up from the bed and walked over to the door.

Their grandmother looked at both of them a bit concerned and watched him leave the room. “Uh, sweetie….is he okay?”

“Yeah he’s fine, just boy trouble. You know how much drama that can be.” Victoria smiled at her. “How about some cards?”

Salem sat on the plaid couch out in the room with the mint green shag carpet with his headphones in and his eyes plastered to his phone. He felt something press the cushion that his feet were on down and looked up from his phone, frowning. Victoria sat there awkwardly, back straight with her knees tucked in and her hands sitting on her knees. She was wearing on of Salem’s hoodies, which she most likely stole out of his bag, and a pair of shorts with maroon tights and combat boots. Salem sighed and went back to his phone.

“Can we go for a walk?” Victoria turned her head to Salem.

“Why?” Salem asked, not even bothering to lift his gaze.

“I want to talk to you.” Victoria pulled her long black hair over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it.

“Then talk.” Salem said agitatedly.

“Alone, Salem.” Salem lifted his gaze, looked around the empty room, and then back at her.

Victoria sighed and stood up, yanking his phone out of his hands. “Salem please! Can we just go on a walk? I know you want to talk more about what I did and I don’t want to be yelled at in front of grandma.”

Salem groaned and stood up, pulling his phone out of Victoria’s hands and walked into his bedroom. He grabbed his shoes from next to the door and sat down on his bed as he laced them up and then stood back up, reached into his bag, grabbed his beanie and pulled it on over his curls. He adjusted his hair so that it wasn’t hanging in his glasses and then walked out of his room and back into the living room and out the garage door. He stopped and turned around and made a “c’mon” kind of gesture towards Victoria and continued walking out onto the gravel driveway. He heard Victoria’s footsteps rush up to meet his and looked over at her. Victoria put her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and looked at the ground as they both walked. Salem shook his head as they stepped onto the road and walked.

“What took you so long?” Salem asked looking down at the ground.

“I was telling grandma that we were going for a walk…Why didn’t you go move my water? I figured since you were so heated up about it you would try and mess it up.” Victoria looked up at him.

“It was too late by that point Victoria.” Salem reached into his hoodie’s pocket and felt around for his cigarette pack and pulled it out while taking one out and putting it in his mouth. “Lighter please.”

“Salem, when the hell did you get those?” Victoria yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it onto the ground.

“I stole it from dad’s ro-hey!” Salem reached into his pocket again and pulled out the pack and his lighter.

“Salem, I’m not letting you do that to yourself.” Victoria took his pack of cigarettes again and tossed them into the distance.

“Great job, litterer.” Salem said putting his lighter in his jean pockets. “What the hell did you want to talk about?”

“Yell at me, I know you want to so just do it.” Victoria stated.

“That’s what you want me to do? Yell at you? I already did that.”

“No, I mean yell at me like you really mean it. You think I fricked up big time. So yell at me Salem. Get it all off of your chest” Salem kicked a rock as they turned onto an actual sidewalk.

“What good will that do? Huh? I’ve already yelled at you like I've meant it three times now. Did you listen? No. I even calmly told you after dad no one else besides mom and then when I found her on the floor in the kitchen and actually talked to her I found out that she didn’t really like what she did to us. Oh boy and then I found out that you killed three other innocent people. You need to stop. Omile and I are getting worried about you and just because you’re unhappy with someone doesn’t mean they deserve to die! We shouldn’t have even started doing this!”

“I wanted to to stop! You were the one who insisted that I did it and then even went to all the effort to get Omile on your side! But then what you started saying made sense and now you’re worried about me? What’s wrong with what I’m doing? I making this world a better place. Those people deserved to die Salem. They were bad people.”

“Those people had families that loved them Victoria. They were doing nothing illegal,  just because you didn’t like them does not mean they deserved to die.” Salem turned to face her.

“I don’t care if they had families that cared about them or if they technically did nothing illegal. Those three people had been making fun of me for years Salem! The second they found out about my life they made fun of me! And not  just me! Tons of other kids! They caused two people to commit suicide! That’ should be good enough Salem!” Victoria stopped walking and grabbed onto Salem’s arm. “You don’t understand because no one has made fun of you like they’ve made fun of me!”

“But I’ve been through what you’ve been through Victoria! They may not have made fun of you the same way but I know what it’s like to bullied! I’ve been called mean names and beaten up. You know what else was done to me. But I never wanted to kill those people. You don’t kill people for making fun of you!” Salem yanked his arm away from her grip.

Salem sighed and lowered his voice, trying to calm himself down. “How did you do it? Victoria?”

“How did I do what?”

“How did you kill her? Huh? Car crash like dad?”

“No…” Victoria looked down at the sidewalk.

“How did you kill her?”

“I figured it made the most sense.”

“How did you do it?” Victoria looked down at the ground and away from him.

“Would you stop avoiding the question and just tell me?!”

“Suicide! She hung herself in her bedroom Salem!”

Salem’s cheeks puffed out and his eyes got all big and he grabbed onto his hair, pushing the beanie off of his head. “You did what?!”

“Salem, I’m sorry. It was the only way I could think of that wouldn’t be suspicious!”

“Do you have any idea how much it’s going to scar the little ones if they see that!?”

“I know Salem! I thought about it before it happened but it was the only way I could do it without making it suspicious!” Victoria started crying and she reached out for him. “I didn’t want to kill her that way. It was just the only way”

“You shouldn’t have killed her at all!” Salem pushed her off of him and hiked back up the hill to get back to his grandmother's house.

He ran up the hill and into the house, ignoring his sister calling after him as she ran up the hill as well and into the house after him. He ran into his room, grabbed his car keys off of the desk and angrily walked back outside, bumping into his concerned grandmother and not even bothering to turn around to see if she was okay as she stumbled back and about fell over. He opened the garage door and saw Victoria there and pushed her out of the way and went to his car and got into it and started it up.