The characters following are not owned by me, and are owned by Jeffrey
Eugenides and co-owned by Sofia Coppola.
The girls slowly made their way to the basement. All four, though they could feel Cecilia's presence surrounding them. They all kept together, Mary and Bonnie sitting on the couch, Lux laying on the table and Therese standing, her arms folded over her chest like she always did when she was nervous. They had already signalled the boys. The night had been very silent, as they had made their way down the stairs from the top floor and even more silent when they went into the basement. The Lisbon girls had all been rather silent, even Lux.
"Why don't we just go with them?" asked Therese, sounding panicked. They all jumped at her voice, breaking the silence, "I mean, we could! All of us, just gone."
"You know that wouldn't work, Therese." Said Mary.
"Why not?" asked Bonnie quietly.
"They'd eventually find us. And those boys are weak…they all are. They'd miss their families so much they'd come home." Mary explained.
"No!" yelled Bonnie, standing.
"Quiet down, Bonnie!" Lux said, leaning up from the table on one arm, "Now we all agreed to this. There's no time to make last-minute decisions."
"But…" Bonnie began, but started to cry and sat down on the couch. Mary scooted over to her and put an arm around her sister, Bonnie leaning her head on Mary's shoulder. Bonnie was obviously the most scared to die, even though fear was one of the things that drove them to this. Therese seemed to have stopped thinking about not doing this, because she looked at the bottle of pills in her hand and nodded, assuring herself.
She looked over at Mary and Bonnie and Lux; her three younger sisters. Without them, what would her life had been like? She walked over and sat on the arm of the couch, putting an arm around Mary and Bonnie in a hug, and Lux came over, finishing the circle. They cried together, still hugging, all of them afraid even though some of them were better at hiding it.
"I love you guys." Therese said, and they all replied with the same response.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you." If only the love of each other had been enough. Therese stood, wiping tears and headed towards the stairs, Lux jumping up and going over to her, putting an arm around her.
The two headed up the stairs, without looking back at Bonnie and Mary on the couch.
"You ready?" Mary asked, looking over at Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Mary, scared, but nodded. Mary couldn't bare seeing her sister like this, and kissed Bonnie's forehead in some form of comfort. Bonnie got up and walked into a back room where Mr. Lisbon's plane models were, and also a box of other things which was what Bonnie was going for. She opened the box of parts that her father had bought to make the girls a jungle-gym, complete with a slide and climbing rope. She pulled out the long rope and gulped, looking at it. She walked back into the main room of the basement and looked at Mary who was now standing under the beam where Bonnie would soon hang from. She nervously smiled to her sister, and Mary smiled back, tears still in her eyes. Mary had always been there for her younger sister, and this would be the final time, and the most important. Bonnie stood on a chair, tying the rope tightly around the beam on the ceiling and then made an oval shape with the rope, though having a little trouble doing it. She was about to put it around her neck when Mary spoke.
"Bonnie…" she said, and Bonnie got down off the chair and hugged her sister. They stood, hugging and crying for a few minutes before Bonnie released her and got up onto the chair again. She put the noose around her neck, and then felt Mary holding her hand. She smiled to Mary. Mary had held her hand through all of life; for the first time she went to school, scary films they would sometimes see in theatres, going downstairs to get a drink of water at night when she was young, and still afraid of the dark. She was glad Mary was here for her now.
"I love you Bonnie." Said Mary.
"I love you too." Bonnie replied. Mary held tightly onto Bonnie's hand as Bonnie stared forward, as if looking off into another world where she could already see Cecilia. It was then she stepped off of the chair and the rope tightened around her neck. Mary looked away, tears running down her face and she sobbed, but didn't let go of Bonnie's hand. She heard her sister choke but then there was silence. Mary sobbed and headed towards the stairs.
When Therese and Lux had left the basement, they went into the dining room together. They both sat on the floor in silence, Lux's arm still around Therese. They stayed there for a while before Therese spoke.
"Can you get me some water?" she asked, and Lux nodded, getting up and going into the kitchen. Therese looked down at the bottle of pills in her hand. She wondered how she was going to keep them all down. Lux soon returned with a tall glass of water in her hand, using the crystal her mother wouldn't ever let the girls use, not even on Holidays when they had family over and embarrassed them by making them use plastic cups.
"Thanks." Said Therese as Lux handed it to her, smiling at the crystal. Therese opened the pill bottle and stood beside Lux. Lux was crying, something that Lux didn't usually do. Therese hugged her and said.
"It'll be alright."
"I'll miss you." Said Lux while they were still hugging. The two, being separated by 3 years, had not always seen eye to eye on many things, but in the end, they realised they weren't so different.
Therese looked at Lux, she didn't want her sister to see her go. She didn't want her to have to see that. Therese had always thought she was going to die before Lux, being older, and it was going to happen, but she didn't want her to witness it, still feeling some sort of older sister responsibilities.
"Why don't you go into the next room." She said. Lux sobbed.
"But then you'll be alone." She said, crying.
"Don't worry." Therese replied, "I'll be okay."
Lux hugged her sister again, and then turned and walked out of the room, covering her mouth with her hand.
Therese turned to the bottle of pills in her hand. She took 5 out. 'That won't be enough,' she thought, and dumped at least 15 more into her hand. She felt a tear run down her face as she started putting them into her mouth. She picked up the glass of water next to her and drank a lot of it, swallowing it right away. In a few seconds, she started to get dizzy. She thought she was going to vomit, and tried to keep her body in control. Her eyesight blurred and she held onto a chair, before gasping and falling to the floor, unconscious. Her's would be the least painful death.
Lux made her way through the kitchen, having just left Therese. She ran a hand through her hair and felt the tears running down her face. She looked up suddenly, seeing Mary coming up from the basement in the next room. She was crying as well. Lux thought of Bonnie and Therese being together, and now more than ever wanted to be where they were; reunited. Mary walked quickly over to Lux and hugged her tightly, Lux hugging back and they stood, hugging and crying together as Lux had done with Therese. They heard a thud from the dining room, and both knowing it was Therese, clutched each other and cried more, though they kept it silent.
They finally parted and looked at each other, Mary wiping away one of Lux's tears with her thumb.
"You better get going," she said, "The boys will be here soon."
Lux forced a smile, as Mary had done while speaking. Lux's face told her sister that she would miss and that she loved her. Mary just smiled sadly and said,
"See you soon."
Lux turned, holding her sister's hand until she was too far and headed out the door towards the garage to start the car. She knew it would take a long time for the garage to fill up with exhaust.
Mary sighed and turned on gas on the oven. She had her doubts, not thinking this would necessarily kill her, not knowing how right she was. After a few minutes she went to her knees and looked at the oven. Tears were streaming down her face as she slowly opened the oven door. She got up and went to the window, where she saw Lux walking into the garage now. She waved to her sister's back before turning to look at the oven again. She slowly walked over to it and laid down, her head inside it. She instinctively had held her breath but then remembered her intentions. She let the breath she had held out and could smell the gas. She breathed normally, finding it harder to do. Her eyesight started to blur and she coughed a few times, but tried to keep as quiet as possible, but continued to cough wildly. She knew she had to do it quickly now, not sure if her parents would wake up or not. She suddenly blew out a long breath, giving her lungs room, and then took a huge breath, which sent her into unconsciousness, the temporary place where she could be whatever she wanted; With her sisters, head cheerleader, the most popular girl in school. Little did she know what she would wake up to.
Lux made her way into the garage, running her hand along the side of the car as she made her way to the driver's seat door. She unlocked it and got into the car, putting the key into the ignition and started the car. She hoped her parents wouldn't wake. She sat there, her feet touching the pedals and stared at the wheel. She wasn't old enough to drive yet, not old enough to drink even though she did. She sighed and heard a door slamming across the street. She figured it was the guys and got out of the car again, leaving the door open as she went to the garage door. She remembered to close it, or else all the exhaust would escape into the air. She then walked to her back door and went into the living room, seeing a teacup her mother had sipped from earlier that day. She pulled a package of cigarettes from her back pocket and took one, lighting it and putting it to her lips, inhaling the smoke. At this point it didn't matter if she smoked, knowing she'd die anyway. She sat there for a few minutes before she heard a knock at the back door, and she turned, seeing the four boys standing there. She stood and walked over to the door and opened it.
"About time, we've been waiting for you guys." She said. She knew if she had just said 'I' then there might have been some suspicion. One of them asked where her sisters were.
"They're coming." She replied, even though, in a few minutes, she would be joining them rather then them joining her. After a few moments of talking to them about almost nothing, she said they should take her family's car because there was more room. She wasn't sure why she said this. It wouldn't matter. She thought because, subconsciously, she didn't want to die, and maybe, if they found her sisters' bodies, they'd come and find her in time to save her life. She didn't mean to! She wanted to be with her sisters more than anything! She invited them in, then stood, saying she'd wait in the car. She wouldn't give them enough time to save her this way. She smiled to one of them as she headed towards the garage, knowing it was her turn. She walked along the backyard and stood in front of the garage door. She could smell the gas from where she stood. She opened the door quickly and shut it behind her. She didn't want a lot to escape. She could barely breathe, and it made her choke doing so as she made her way over to the driver's seat. She got in and shut the door, taking another drag from her cigarette. She looked at the passenger seat and then moved over to it as she started to feel her lungs being poisoned. She put one hand out the window, almost feeling the air she could be escaping into, but instead she just sat there, in the passenger's seat. She thought about everything, even life as soon she would no longer have it. In life, you are always a passenger; you have no control over everything. She looked at herself in the side-view mirror; she was a passenger, on her way to death, but she did have control. Her eyesight blurred and she started to choke, and she leaned back in her chair, waiting to be reunited with her sisters. She kept breathing and then became almost paralysed, her head moving to the side of the car and resting against it. The soft sound of the engine still going was the last thing she heard.
Still do not hear us, calling them out of those rooms where they went to be alone for all time…alone in suicide, which is deeper than death, and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together.
The girls slowly made their way to the basement. All four, though they could feel Cecilia's presence surrounding them. They all kept together, Mary and Bonnie sitting on the couch, Lux laying on the table and Therese standing, her arms folded over her chest like she always did when she was nervous. They had already signalled the boys. The night had been very silent, as they had made their way down the stairs from the top floor and even more silent when they went into the basement. The Lisbon girls had all been rather silent, even Lux.
"Why don't we just go with them?" asked Therese, sounding panicked. They all jumped at her voice, breaking the silence, "I mean, we could! All of us, just gone."
"You know that wouldn't work, Therese." Said Mary.
"Why not?" asked Bonnie quietly.
"They'd eventually find us. And those boys are weak…they all are. They'd miss their families so much they'd come home." Mary explained.
"No!" yelled Bonnie, standing.
"Quiet down, Bonnie!" Lux said, leaning up from the table on one arm, "Now we all agreed to this. There's no time to make last-minute decisions."
"But…" Bonnie began, but started to cry and sat down on the couch. Mary scooted over to her and put an arm around her sister, Bonnie leaning her head on Mary's shoulder. Bonnie was obviously the most scared to die, even though fear was one of the things that drove them to this. Therese seemed to have stopped thinking about not doing this, because she looked at the bottle of pills in her hand and nodded, assuring herself.
She looked over at Mary and Bonnie and Lux; her three younger sisters. Without them, what would her life had been like? She walked over and sat on the arm of the couch, putting an arm around Mary and Bonnie in a hug, and Lux came over, finishing the circle. They cried together, still hugging, all of them afraid even though some of them were better at hiding it.
"I love you guys." Therese said, and they all replied with the same response.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you." If only the love of each other had been enough. Therese stood, wiping tears and headed towards the stairs, Lux jumping up and going over to her, putting an arm around her.
The two headed up the stairs, without looking back at Bonnie and Mary on the couch.
"You ready?" Mary asked, looking over at Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Mary, scared, but nodded. Mary couldn't bare seeing her sister like this, and kissed Bonnie's forehead in some form of comfort. Bonnie got up and walked into a back room where Mr. Lisbon's plane models were, and also a box of other things which was what Bonnie was going for. She opened the box of parts that her father had bought to make the girls a jungle-gym, complete with a slide and climbing rope. She pulled out the long rope and gulped, looking at it. She walked back into the main room of the basement and looked at Mary who was now standing under the beam where Bonnie would soon hang from. She nervously smiled to her sister, and Mary smiled back, tears still in her eyes. Mary had always been there for her younger sister, and this would be the final time, and the most important. Bonnie stood on a chair, tying the rope tightly around the beam on the ceiling and then made an oval shape with the rope, though having a little trouble doing it. She was about to put it around her neck when Mary spoke.
"Bonnie…" she said, and Bonnie got down off the chair and hugged her sister. They stood, hugging and crying for a few minutes before Bonnie released her and got up onto the chair again. She put the noose around her neck, and then felt Mary holding her hand. She smiled to Mary. Mary had held her hand through all of life; for the first time she went to school, scary films they would sometimes see in theatres, going downstairs to get a drink of water at night when she was young, and still afraid of the dark. She was glad Mary was here for her now.
"I love you Bonnie." Said Mary.
"I love you too." Bonnie replied. Mary held tightly onto Bonnie's hand as Bonnie stared forward, as if looking off into another world where she could already see Cecilia. It was then she stepped off of the chair and the rope tightened around her neck. Mary looked away, tears running down her face and she sobbed, but didn't let go of Bonnie's hand. She heard her sister choke but then there was silence. Mary sobbed and headed towards the stairs.
When Therese and Lux had left the basement, they went into the dining room together. They both sat on the floor in silence, Lux's arm still around Therese. They stayed there for a while before Therese spoke.
"Can you get me some water?" she asked, and Lux nodded, getting up and going into the kitchen. Therese looked down at the bottle of pills in her hand. She wondered how she was going to keep them all down. Lux soon returned with a tall glass of water in her hand, using the crystal her mother wouldn't ever let the girls use, not even on Holidays when they had family over and embarrassed them by making them use plastic cups.
"Thanks." Said Therese as Lux handed it to her, smiling at the crystal. Therese opened the pill bottle and stood beside Lux. Lux was crying, something that Lux didn't usually do. Therese hugged her and said.
"It'll be alright."
"I'll miss you." Said Lux while they were still hugging. The two, being separated by 3 years, had not always seen eye to eye on many things, but in the end, they realised they weren't so different.
Therese looked at Lux, she didn't want her sister to see her go. She didn't want her to have to see that. Therese had always thought she was going to die before Lux, being older, and it was going to happen, but she didn't want her to witness it, still feeling some sort of older sister responsibilities.
"Why don't you go into the next room." She said. Lux sobbed.
"But then you'll be alone." She said, crying.
"Don't worry." Therese replied, "I'll be okay."
Lux hugged her sister again, and then turned and walked out of the room, covering her mouth with her hand.
Therese turned to the bottle of pills in her hand. She took 5 out. 'That won't be enough,' she thought, and dumped at least 15 more into her hand. She felt a tear run down her face as she started putting them into her mouth. She picked up the glass of water next to her and drank a lot of it, swallowing it right away. In a few seconds, she started to get dizzy. She thought she was going to vomit, and tried to keep her body in control. Her eyesight blurred and she held onto a chair, before gasping and falling to the floor, unconscious. Her's would be the least painful death.
Lux made her way through the kitchen, having just left Therese. She ran a hand through her hair and felt the tears running down her face. She looked up suddenly, seeing Mary coming up from the basement in the next room. She was crying as well. Lux thought of Bonnie and Therese being together, and now more than ever wanted to be where they were; reunited. Mary walked quickly over to Lux and hugged her tightly, Lux hugging back and they stood, hugging and crying together as Lux had done with Therese. They heard a thud from the dining room, and both knowing it was Therese, clutched each other and cried more, though they kept it silent.
They finally parted and looked at each other, Mary wiping away one of Lux's tears with her thumb.
"You better get going," she said, "The boys will be here soon."
Lux forced a smile, as Mary had done while speaking. Lux's face told her sister that she would miss and that she loved her. Mary just smiled sadly and said,
"See you soon."
Lux turned, holding her sister's hand until she was too far and headed out the door towards the garage to start the car. She knew it would take a long time for the garage to fill up with exhaust.
Mary sighed and turned on gas on the oven. She had her doubts, not thinking this would necessarily kill her, not knowing how right she was. After a few minutes she went to her knees and looked at the oven. Tears were streaming down her face as she slowly opened the oven door. She got up and went to the window, where she saw Lux walking into the garage now. She waved to her sister's back before turning to look at the oven again. She slowly walked over to it and laid down, her head inside it. She instinctively had held her breath but then remembered her intentions. She let the breath she had held out and could smell the gas. She breathed normally, finding it harder to do. Her eyesight started to blur and she coughed a few times, but tried to keep as quiet as possible, but continued to cough wildly. She knew she had to do it quickly now, not sure if her parents would wake up or not. She suddenly blew out a long breath, giving her lungs room, and then took a huge breath, which sent her into unconsciousness, the temporary place where she could be whatever she wanted; With her sisters, head cheerleader, the most popular girl in school. Little did she know what she would wake up to.
Lux made her way into the garage, running her hand along the side of the car as she made her way to the driver's seat door. She unlocked it and got into the car, putting the key into the ignition and started the car. She hoped her parents wouldn't wake. She sat there, her feet touching the pedals and stared at the wheel. She wasn't old enough to drive yet, not old enough to drink even though she did. She sighed and heard a door slamming across the street. She figured it was the guys and got out of the car again, leaving the door open as she went to the garage door. She remembered to close it, or else all the exhaust would escape into the air. She then walked to her back door and went into the living room, seeing a teacup her mother had sipped from earlier that day. She pulled a package of cigarettes from her back pocket and took one, lighting it and putting it to her lips, inhaling the smoke. At this point it didn't matter if she smoked, knowing she'd die anyway. She sat there for a few minutes before she heard a knock at the back door, and she turned, seeing the four boys standing there. She stood and walked over to the door and opened it.
"About time, we've been waiting for you guys." She said. She knew if she had just said 'I' then there might have been some suspicion. One of them asked where her sisters were.
"They're coming." She replied, even though, in a few minutes, she would be joining them rather then them joining her. After a few moments of talking to them about almost nothing, she said they should take her family's car because there was more room. She wasn't sure why she said this. It wouldn't matter. She thought because, subconsciously, she didn't want to die, and maybe, if they found her sisters' bodies, they'd come and find her in time to save her life. She didn't mean to! She wanted to be with her sisters more than anything! She invited them in, then stood, saying she'd wait in the car. She wouldn't give them enough time to save her this way. She smiled to one of them as she headed towards the garage, knowing it was her turn. She walked along the backyard and stood in front of the garage door. She could smell the gas from where she stood. She opened the door quickly and shut it behind her. She didn't want a lot to escape. She could barely breathe, and it made her choke doing so as she made her way over to the driver's seat. She got in and shut the door, taking another drag from her cigarette. She looked at the passenger seat and then moved over to it as she started to feel her lungs being poisoned. She put one hand out the window, almost feeling the air she could be escaping into, but instead she just sat there, in the passenger's seat. She thought about everything, even life as soon she would no longer have it. In life, you are always a passenger; you have no control over everything. She looked at herself in the side-view mirror; she was a passenger, on her way to death, but she did have control. Her eyesight blurred and she started to choke, and she leaned back in her chair, waiting to be reunited with her sisters. She kept breathing and then became almost paralysed, her head moving to the side of the car and resting against it. The soft sound of the engine still going was the last thing she heard.
Still do not hear us, calling them out of those rooms where they went to be alone for all time…alone in suicide, which is deeper than death, and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together.