Bridgette smiled as she cleaned up her studio, sweeping up all of the dead petals and leaves. Some of the flowers had died and she had to toss them, Probably the ones that had been there from the first day she was in the hospital. The other ones that were still alive, she had moved into her room. She finished up, knowing Aiden was going to be there soon, not exactly sure what they were going to do exactly, but they were going to work on art and that was enough for her. Bridgette sat down as she waited.
25 Years Later │ Dylan, Josie, Landon, Taylor and Aiden
Warning: Violence, death
The sun smiled upon the small town of Salem as children played in the streets. A simple little town, really. Nothing had happened that was very new worthy in the past 30 years. Everyone had grown up, and new generation had stepped up to the plate. Youth was but an evanescent summer in a life of changing seasons.
Down on Apple Street, was a little house. Different from the rest. While the shutters on the windows were like everyone else’s and the color nothing special, this was the simple home of Dylan and Landon. The two had always seem like all the other couples on the street. Simple.
But after 25 years of marriage, Dylan began to grow anxious. The once quiet house, grew loud with shouts. Dylan often complain about a wasted youth, or realizing he spent so much of time inside and not enough. Landon tried to calm him, he promised him things, like a grand vacation, a new puppy, anything to calm him.
One day, Landon awoke to hear the growl of a motorcycle. Landon jumped outside to find Dylan had not only leashed a brand new motorcycle far out of their price range, but also had quit his simple job.
"You know we can’t afford this!" Landon cried out.
"Don’t worry about it," Dylan replied, shrugging it off as nothing. "I used part of our savings."
That night at dinner was quiet. The only noise came from the silverware clanking on the plates.
"Landon," Dylan breathed out, putting his fork down.
Landon looked up, he could tell Dylan had something on his mind. He looked distant and almost cold.
"I’ve been thinking," Dylan continued, "I think we should split for a while. I think we’re just different points in our lives."
Without another word, Dylan got up and exited the room, leaving Landon alone.
Josie had changed a lot. After the police had arrested her for mob involvement, her life had gone spiraling down. She now relied on her 23 year-older boyfriend to take care of her. Of course he didn’t make enough money and he often hit her when she bitched about his lack of money.
Dylan went straight to Josie. She still looked as beautiful as the day they split. He confessed that he missed her and that lately he had been wondering if ending things all those years ago was the right thing. Josie had waited 25 years for him to say that.
Together, Dylan and Josie began to cause trouble around Salem. They robbed stores, beat up kids, and did anything to feel young.
One late night, while Professor Aiden Gray was heading home, Dylan and Josie went a drunk parade causing trouble. In their drunken haze, they mugged Aiden, and smashed his brains into the pavement.
The crime scene was ugly. Justin came right away and was the first to leave. Dylan and Josie came, while they knew they had committed the crime, they a vow to keep it a secret. There was one eye witness. Taylor. She had been at the bar with Dylan and Josie. But being the town’s homeless drunk meant she didn’t have any money. She followed them out, planning on asking for money. She fled the scene. Of course, she didn’t turn them in. She approached them later that night and asked if they’d pay her to keep quiet. The laughed at her and began to beat her in the back alleyway.
A passing figure saw them attacking her and ran in to stop them. Josie whipped out her pocket knife and swiftly sliced the man’s neck open. Taylor began to crawl away as Josie repeatedly stabbed the man.
At a closer glance though, it wasn’t just a passerby. It was Landon. Josie had killed. Dylan fell to his knees and held Landon for a moment. He begged for him not to be dead, he cried out for help. Josie told him to be quiet. Dylan dropped Landon’s body and began to scream at Josie. He blamed her for everything. He then threw himself at her and began to strangle her. Taylor watched in horror was Josie fight fought back in vein. Josie’s movements grew slower and slower until she stopped moving all together. Once Dylan had realized he had killed Josie, he dropped her body and began to cry uncontrollably. Taylor, scared for her life, got up and began to run and scream for help. As she ran into the road though, she struck down by speeding car.
When the police arrived, they found Taylor dead in the street, Josie and Landon in the alleyway, but no Dylan.
No one ever saw Dylan after that. After a few months, Salem grew quiet again. Children once again played in the streets, and everyone soon moved on. That’s the way it is in Salem. Never linger on the past.
Aiden was not the kid of the kid to sneak out. But with his mother on his case more and more, and his father beginning to realize his son wasn’t bringing girls home, he needed to get some fresh air off the Playline estate. Aiden took out his phone and called Morgan. The bright-eyed boy told Morgan to meet him outside his window, in the rose garden.
Aiden pulled in his screen, and climbed out his window. He scanned the ground, and found Morgan hiding in shadows of a rose bush. Aiden smiled and waved. Aiden then shimmied to end of his window and grabbed onto the tree that grew beside the house. Aiden sheepishly moved his body to the tree. As he left go out the house, the branch snapped, sending Aiden down.
Even though Aiden braced to crash into the ground, he didn’t. By some miracle, Morgan had caught him. Aiden took a moment and just starred at Morgan.
"You’ve got to be more careful," Morgan chuckled, helping Aiden stand up.
"I uh— yah," Aiden replied, half-absent minded.
After an awkward silence, Morgan grabbed Aiden’s hand. “So, you ready to learn what it means to sneak out?”
Aiden looked back at his window, and then at Morgan, and his window once more. “Yeah..” Aiden replied, turning to Morgan. “I’m ready.”
As Justin’s voice booms throughout the building, Aiden scurries to find a spot to hide. The blue eyed boy could hear the countdown from sixty going down, which made him feel like a child, a rare occurrence being one of the Playline’s. He was always so used to being the awkward quiet kid who was adopted; but not with Justin. With Justin, he was free to do whatever he pleased, whether it was paint or play the guitar or act how he desired, Justin was always supportive. And sure, they had their rough spouts, but it was the one person he felt most accepted with, insecurities and all.
Eyes landing on the headboard of their shared bed, he ducks between it and pulls his knees up to his chest. The now muffled voice of his boyfriend lands on the number thirty, giving him the same amount of time to steady his breathing. He gazes around to focus on something other than his excitement, and taking in this new sight. It all felt weird, him having spent random nights in his secret home and finding a new place.
Since Aiden’s family was so against his relationship with Justin—or any man, for that matter—they scrounged up enough money for the both of them to get a small place of their own without his family’s knowledge. Whenever they wanted to spend the night together, generally just savoring being in each other’s arms, Aiden would say he was staying over his friend’s house. That friend being Faith, who was more than eager to get the two boys to be together no matter what. She’d lie for, as long as they were carrying out their happiness. So they indirectly moved in together, just until they were accepted. Then, with Justin’s plan, it would become a reality.
After analyzing everything there was to on the ceiling and above him, the brunette casts his gaze down to see the things swept underneath the bed. He loved his boyfriend dearly, probably more than himself, but he wasn’t the cleanest. There were dust clumps everywhere, which Aiden made a mental note to clean up later. However, his stare changes over to a small box, almost appearing to have a velvet coating around it. His mind wanders to the many possibilities it could be. He’d once seen a picture of a blade in a ring box, what would he do if Justin was cutting himself? Or was this the last possession of his mother’s? Maybe inside was his dog tags, all tangled up and tossed away inside the box. Possibly it was an engagement ring..? But no, why would Justin want to marry him? They couldn’t even be together, and he was just… Aiden.
Curiosity getting the better of him, he leans forward in the tight space, not bothering to listen for Justin’s counting. His fingers wrap around the small box just as a light grunt escapes his lips, where he finally remembered that they where in the middle of a game of Hide and Seek. He scooches farther from the door, more to where he can’t be seen at first, and ducks down, hovering over the small box.
Aiden quickly opens it to see a man’s ring in it. It took him a moment to connect the dots that this wasn’t anything he should be seeing, that what he just found out was a surprise that he ruined. And even though his mind tells him not to, he gently removes the ring from the container before slipping it on. This was definitely for him, and now the whole surprise effect was ruined.
Completely forgetting their childish game, Aiden puts the ring back in its place before maneuvering his way to free space again. He decided that it would be useless to pretend he hadn’t seen it; Justin always knew when he was hiding something. This was better off talked about.
He crosses into the living room, where Justin was sitting in the recliner, shaking his knee nervously. Aiden frowns, until Justin notices him, which makes him then purse his lips and give him his heart warming puppy dog eyes. “Hey Prince Charming,” he murmurs, voice much more nervous than his usual tone. “Whatcha got there?” he questions, motioning to behind Aiden’s back, instantly knowing he knew something—as usual.
Aiden takes a deep breath in and pulls the box from behind his back. “I found this,” he says quietly, not letting his voice give away his thoughts.
Justin swallows hard and steps forward, taking the box from him. “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. It’s usually done in public, with this great speech that makes you cry, but I got scared,” he confesses, keeping his eyes down. The blonde takes a deep breath in and purses his lips before looking into his boyfriend’s eyes with a small laugh. “Better late than never, yeah?” There’s a moment of silence, while Aiden’s still trying to process it all. “Aid, we’ve been through a lot. Like a lot a lot. And I’ve loved every second of it. I mean, you’re my first boyfriend, honestly, and you’ve been the best boyfriend a guy—or even girl—could ask for. You helped me through a lot and I feel lost whenever you’re not by my side, and I don’t want to feel like that. What I’m trying to say is…” He kneels down, although the shorter boy has gotten to the point where he figured it out and was now trying to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. “Aiden Playline, or as I like to say much better, Prince Charming, will you please marry me?” he asks with a small smile, that only a cold hearted person would say no to.
Aiden purses his lips for a moment and looks away to not laugh with excitement before nodding his head. “Of course I will,” he murmurs, pulling Justin up by his cheeks before kissing him passionately. He hadn’t even waited for the ring, he already knew that would come in time.
After a moment, they break apart long enough to make it official with the rings. Finally, Aiden look up at his fiance with a confused smile. “How did you know to hide it there?”
Justin drapes his arms around the smaller boy’s shoulders, laughing softly, shrugging innocently. “‘Cause you’re short,” he explains sheepishly.
Aiden was far too happy to playfully hit him. Instead, he wraps his arms around Justin’s waist and proudly leans up to kiss his lips, never wanting to return to his old family, feeling too excited to start his new one.
