The Dead House

Naida takes the bag from Mike, opens it, and sniffs. “It’s a plant, Scott. Relax, okay?”


She winks at Scott, who seems momentarily charmed. Then he remembers Mike, scowls, and storms off.

Mike grins. “Let’s do this. Who else is game?”

Juliet claps her hands. “Me!” Her friend Maggie nods, and Brenda gets to her feet in acquiescence.

The only person unaware of—or uninterested in—the confrontation and the weed sits in steampunk couture on the same leather sofa, engrossed in a conversation with Ari Hait.


Halloween Party Clip #4

“Are you up for, um… marijuana?” Brett says, standing beside Kaitlyn’s chair. Though tall, he seems diminished beside her. Unsure. Ari whispers something in Kaitlyn’s ear, and she laughs, then turns to Brett, distracted.

“What?”

“Um, marijuana. You want in? Either of you?”

“Oh.” She raises her eyebrows at Ari, who smirks and looks away. “Not for us, thanks, Brett.”

Brett looks more than a little crestfallen. He tries again. “Uh, hey. I haven’t spoken to you in a while.” He steps from foot to foot, holding his plastic cup between both hands.

Kaitlyn stares at him, eyes narrowing. “Huh?”

“How are you?” he asks again.

“I’m… fine. Thanks. How are you?”

Ari leans forward. “Did you want something… specific?”

“I just…” He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. “Hadn’t seen Carly in a while, and I wanted to say hi. I didn’t get your name.”

Ari gets to his feet and holds out his hand. “Name’s Ari.”

“Right, from math. Brett.” He shakes Ari’s hand briefly, then glances at Kaitlyn. “You looked a little off the other day. Wanted to make sure you were feeling better.”

Kaitlyn frowns. “I did? Oh… oh, yeah. Thanks, Brett. Much better.”

Ari looks from one to the other and then sits down.

“I better go,” Brett mutters. “See you later, Carly.”

Kaitlyn smiles blandly at him and then turns back to Ari. Brett smiles awkwardly at her back and scratches his ear. He rubs his head, drinking deeply from the plastic cup in his hands before stalking into the kitchen.

“That was weird,” Kaitlyn says, once he is gone.

“So. Carly,” Ari says, grinning. “Care to explain what all of that in the chapel was about?”

Kaitlyn doesn’t say anything.

“Carly? Because… you were talking about missing Carly, and—”

“Don’t call me that. Don’t call me Carly.”

“Why? Everyone calls you Carly.”

“I know. But please don’t ever call me that. Not you. Please.”

“I… okay. Whatever you want.” He hesitates. “What should I call you?”

“I’m not ready to tell you.”

Ari considers her, then smiles. “You’re so beautiful when you’re angry.”

She punches him in the arm but grins anyway.


Halloween Party Clip #5

Later, from the top hat camera, we hear a short, whispered conversation between Brett and Naida.

“What’s up, sugar?” Naida asks, her voice low, the screen jiggling as she walks into what appears to be the kitchen. She faces Brett, who leans against the sink, his hands balled into fists on the edge of the counter.

He shakes his head. “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, ‘something’s wrong’? It’s Halloween! It’s meant to feel spooky.” She wriggles her fingers near his face. “Nobody’s allowed to be down at my party. So come on, spill.”

“She’s not herself. I mean, something’s bothering her. And why’s that guy hanging around her anyway?”

“This is Carly, I take it?”

Brett sighs, shakes his head. His blond hair falls forward, covering his eyes. “I can’t get through to her.”

“She’s like this at night. Broody and all that. She gets a little… cranky. Why not talk to her in the morning? She’ll be better company then.”

“She’s different during the day. Less herself. We share a few classes, and she doesn’t usually want to talk. She avoids me. But I’ve talked to her at night.”

Naida raises an eyebrow. “Oh, aye?”

“This one time, my dad took me to one of his bullshit fund-raisers, and when I got back, I saw her walking across the courtyard. We chatted for a while, and she was so… different. And last year I saw her in the field after dinner, and I decided to say hi. She was more herself. Less closed in.”

After a pause, Naida laughs. “Wow. That’s… complicated. She’s a bad one to fall for, though. I mean it. You’ll get chewed up and spit out. It’s not her fault, but… it’ll happen.”

Brett shakes his head, lips tight. “She’s not like that.”

“Not intentionally, of course not. But she is… oh, aye, she is.” She gestures with her hand. “Split right down the middle, that one. During the day, she’s as sweet as pie. Can’t you just hang out with her then?”