𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 ✞ 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲

FOUR | "Welcome To The Castle"

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FOUR | "Welcome To The Castle."

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     Here she comes, high heels quietly clicking down the driveway as her cab drives away. She wasn't too subtle, but still cautious, Laurie shakes her head as she watches Karen Page from the house.

     Opening the door she sees Karen with her credit card in her hand, trying to break in, she jumps at the sight of Laurie. The teen smirks. "What's new, Nancy Drew?"

     Karen clears her throat. "I-uh, thought you weren't here yet." She puts her credit card back into her purse.

     Laurie shakes her head, "come on." She beckons her in, and quickly Karen rushes in. "Welcome to the Castle." Laurie locks the door behind her. "That's what I used to call it..." She trails off as she follows Karen.

     "Why do we have to do this in the dark?" Karen asks. "I mean, you had the key, right? This is technically your home too."

     "Technically, this is still pretty shady." She gives Karen a look. "I mean, this place has been dark for months... suddenly light shines through the curtains." She shrugs we shoulders, it's best to stay in the dark for now.

     Karen nods, soaking in the interior of the house. "This is the Castle Residence." She affirms, then looks at the girl. "You lived here with him after your mother died?"

     Laurie nods, "Yep, with Timothy too."

     It takes a minute to sink in... but, Laurie Priest is back inside the house. And everywhere she looks, she's brought back to the past. She's being reminded of everything she's been robbed of, dead brothers, mothers and sister.

     This living room, lively, cozy, and a wholesome place to just hang out. Laurie remembers the numerous times she'd sit in a chair dragged from the dining room in front of the couch where she'd "perform." She remembers the times where she'd be sitting there with Timothy, waiting for the okay call to be able to go back home. Sometimes they wouldn't get it, and they'd have to sleep there an extra day; that was before her father was just an alcoholic marine and not a paranoid murderer.

      Meanwhile, Karen examines the photos on the walls, she uses the flashlight on her phone to examine them. She almost has her mouth hanging open as a wave of sympathy hit her, there is life on these walls. Pieces of love, family, and life everywhere, in each photo there are key moments Frank had with his wife and children. In some photos, there was Laurie and her parents even. They were close-knit, a true extended family up until Laurie's father snapped.

     Next thing Karen looks at is the mail, she sees a stack of them sitting on a stand. She gently kicks a toy car into motion by accident, causing her and Laurie to jump. "Watch it!" She whispers.

     Karen swallows. "Sorry." As Laurie goes back to staring out that window Karen sees a toy flashlight, she turns it on and sees it still has its uses despite slightly being covered in dust.

     Laurie stares out that window, the same window she witnessed the two flashes of gunshots that killed her mother. BANG BANG. It was quick. It's almost as if she can still hear them.

     "Hey." Karen whispers to her as she clicks her flashlight off. "You okay?" Laurie glances over her shoulder to see Karen standing close by the window, almost exactly where she stood that day.