The Secrets of Colville

[[A/N: This story is slightly based off the movie/book The Virgin Suicides, but I've never seen the movie or read the book, so everything except the basic plot is from my imagination. The characters are completely fictional. ]]

"She did not!"

"Oh, yes she did! She just stopped right in front of the produce at the market and told him that if he did not ask her to marry him right then, she was moving out." Mrs. Kiernan informed the circle of women excitedly. Every Sunday afternoon five women of Colville met to have tea and discuss the town's gossip. The town was almost perfect, so there wasn't exactly much to gossip about, but if it happened and was remotely juicy, these women were the first to know about it.

"So how are you feeling about your first day teaching at Colville High, Dawn?"

Mrs. Dawn Clarke was the newest member of the group. The Clarkes' had moved a month ago when Dawn's husband, Frank, had gotten a new job as the minister of one of Colville's Baptist churches. A majority of the town was Baptist, due in part to its southern location, so the family was well-received, giving Dawn quick access into the small gossip circle. Dawn didn't only make friends due to her husband's status though. She was a fit, witty, and beautiful woman herself, so townies of both genders came running to her for more reasons than one, though the men were usually left disappointed when they discovered her faithfulness to Frank. Something about her long, brown hair, brilliantly brown eyes, and constant smile just seemed to have an effect on people. "I'm nervous, of course, but I don't think I'll have too many problems with the kids. I know most of the children already from the girls anyway." Dawn was referring to three of her daughters, Liberty, Chloe, and Rain, whom were still in high school. The Clarke family's other daughter was Faith, but she was living in one of the dorms at the local college she attended.

"You'll do fine. I know Henry is excited. Something about a new computer class." Ms. Katherine Meyers answered, rolling her eyes a bit as she waved one hand about. "Who knows with my boy. There's something new each week with him. Though I can't really complain, as long as he's happy and satisfied." Kate, as the girls called her, was the youngest one of the circle and only had one child, the Henry she was always mentioning. She was quiet but friendly, the type of mom who attends all meetings, school activities, and always participates in fundraisers. The devotion she gave to her darling son and his school must have been part of the reason as to why her husband had left her over a year ago. No one could figure out why else any man would leave the slender English woman with a face to kill for. The girls had chosen not to discuss the topic for fof uof upseting Kate, but since the day he left she had seemed perfectly content.

"Henry is one sweet boy. If I had a daughter, I'd wish she would go for Henry, but unfortunately I'm stuck with my two monsterous boys." The women laughed at Mrs. Stacy Kiernan's teasing words. Despite her comment, she really did love her boys. They didn't get into much trouble, only the amount any average teenage boy would get into. Out of all of the women though, Stacy was the most beautiful. She was an ex-model, having started her career at the age of eleven, and ended it at its peak when she was nineteen. Most people thought she was crazy for calling it quits. She could have really made it big, as not only was she beautiful, but she knew it. The way she carried herself, the confidence, elegancy, everything was rare and perfect about her. But at nineteen, she had met her current husband and married him, one of the most joyous moments of her entire life. She had never in the least bit regretted ending her modeling career to marry Mr. Kiernan and later have her two boys.

The recently divorced Ms. Lilith Andrews sat quietly in the corner, sipping her tea as she watched and half-listened to the other women. Lilith had kept her ex-husband's last name, as she still loved him deeply, but the marriage just wouldn't have worked out. Lilith had problems, some that she kept hidden from everyone except her ex and her son, David. She obviously was not ready to admit her problems even to herself, so there looked to be no promise of the problem ending in the near future to save her marriage. It had been about two months, and things were getting worse for her. She had no one, as her son was always away from home, so she kept quiet, for fear of letting something slip. Every so often she opened her mouth in the Sunday sessions of tea to suggest a comment on a piece of gossip, but mostly she just sat quietly to sip her tea. Before her divorce, Lilith had been rather wild though. She was loud, raunchy, the complete opposite of Mrs. Kiernan. Her clothes were too tight and her make-up too heavy. She went out every night, and it was even rumored that she had a few tattoos The Thet oft of the Colville five was Mrs. Mia Hooper. She was short but deadly. Looks to kill and a seductive nature, the only reason why she would ever talk to the other women in the circle was simply to improve upon her social status. She was, surprisingly, married, though this was her third husband. She had one daughter but there were only four differences between the two: their names, ages, hair color, and marital status. Mia had long, brown hair and was a youthful looking thirty-eight years old, while her daughter Elle had dyed her hair blonde and was only eighteen.

The random gossiping continued between the woman for another hour or so before they each began departing. It was time for the women to begin cooking dinner for their families, or tell a servant to cook it, and then get ready for the next day. Colville High started the next day, and each of the women had at least one child who attended the high school, though their children weren't quite as seemingly friendly towards each other as their mothers were.

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"Eww, look at that hideous outfit. She must have gotten dressed in the fucking dark." A curvaceous blonde announced to the crowd around her in a high-pitched and rathering annoying tone, with a slight emphasis on the expletive. The girl was the infamous Elle Hooper, one of the sluttiest girls in Colville, only defeated by her mother for the title, but that naturally made her one of the most popular also. She was eighteen years old and finally a senior at the high school. Her circle of friends consisted of Finn Kiernan, David Andrews, and Liberty Clarke. She honestly saw herself as better than everyone attending the school, but those three were the only ones she considered worthy of her companionship.

Liberty Clarke was sure to back Elle up quickly. "Yeah, everyone should know to steer away from something that awful." Her voice sounded equally disgusted, though not quite as annoying. Liberty was Elle's best friend. A fellow senior and also eighteen years old, the two girls were always hanging out together, though Liberty tended to try harder than Elle. She was still new and barely known around town, and with this fresh start she wanted to become just as popular as Elle, no matter what it took to get there. She copied every little thing Elle did, though it was obvious to everyone else. She had recently dyed her hair a dirty blonde color, so it was slightly darker than Elle's, but there wasn't too much difference. She was inches taller and much less developed than Elle though. That being the case, guys weren't quite as interested in her as they were her friend, but at least Liberty had a boyfriend already. David Andrews.

"Are you ready for practice today, Finn?" David asked the only other mof tof the group, ignoring the girls' rambles about fashion as he fumbled with his locker. David had been dating Liberty for around three weeks. They had met shortly after her family arrived in town, and just days later he had already asked her out. He thought she was easy, especially since she was hanging out with Elle so much, so he figured she would be good to last til Homecoming, screw, then dump and move on to another girl. He was one of the biggest jerks in school, so while all of the oblivious girls lusted after him, guys either wanted to be like him or hated his guts. His light brown hair reached the tops of his earlobes and was in the typical style of a soccer player's. Soccer was the practice he was refering to. All of the small popular boys played soccer. There were a few guys on the football team who could sit at the 'top' tables during lunch, but all of the soccer players could. Most figured it had something to do with the fact that the soccer team actually won games occasionally.

"Of course I am. I've been ready all summer. Thank God I have something to keep me busy now. Soccer, band, school...I feel like such a nerd now." Finn Kiernan laughed softly, shaking his head as he turned around to face the hoards of kids wandering through the hallways. Fwas was always a mystery to most people. Those who knew him couldn't understand why he hung around Elle, David, and now Liberty. He was caring, quiet, laidback, he was just their complete opposites. He was surprised he was ever even accepted into the group in the first place. But two years before he had been under the charms of Elle. He had asked her to the Homecoming dance their sophomore year, and he was sure even then that she had only agreed to go out with him because he was one of the better-looking boys in town. He was always teased by the boys about how 'pretty' he was, but he had never really seen the charm in his looks. He thought he looked so plain and ordinary, if not worse. But for some reason beyond his logic, the girls fainted over him.

While Finn was studying the new kids passing by in the hallway, his eyes found Chloe and Rain Clarke, Liberty's younger sisters. Rain was only fifteen, and she was an incoming freshman. That's all he really knew about the tiny girl besides how she looked. Her style tended to be punk, much to the disappointment of Liberty. Her light brown hair was braided tightly into two pigtails, though you could still see the faint traces of the pink streaks she had added to her hair weeks ago. Rain really stood out in the hallway. In a large crowd of boring greys, blacks, and whites, her clothing consisted of a bright pink tank top over an orange fishnet shirt, which both ended right at the top of a plastic-looking neon green skirt which met pink and white stockings above her knees. The outfit was finished with a pair of black combat boots. Finn wondered how well Elle and Liberty thought of that outfit. Chloe wasn't quite as wild though. At only sixteen years old, she was a short and tiny junior, wearing a simple pair of worn jeans and a fitting blue T-shirt for the day. He didn't know much about Chloe either, but he desperately wanted to know everything about her. There was something about her that intrigued him, much more than Elle did anyway. Chloe wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world, as you could tell she wasn't anorexic, and her hair was dark brown, curling out at her shoulders. But she was well-toned, from what he could tell, and she looked cute. He had been around her a few times, though he had never heard much out of her besides 'hi' and 'bye'. She seemed innocent, but it was hard to believe anyone could be so innocent with sisters like Liberty and Rain. Even the oldest of the Clarke girls, Faith, was rumored to be a bad influence in the least. She had successfully earned herself the label of 'slut' at the local college already. "What do you think about Liberty's little sister, Chloe? Do you know anything about her?" Finn asked David curiously.

David closed his locker and quickly turned on his heels to look at Finn. He gave him a look as if he had just asked the most ridiculous question ever. "I don't think about her, man. She's a fucking prude. I don't think the poor girl has ever even been felt up." He looked down for a moment, shaking his head in pity. "You have Elle, be happy. She's a hell of a lot better than that Chloe girl." The bell rang for school start, bringing David's comments on Chloe to a halt as the group began to depart. Liberty and David waved behind them before David slipped an arm around Liberty's waist, then led her to homeroom. Finn looked down to see Elle walking closer to him, one of her arms slinging around his neck as she leaned up to give him a quick peck on the lips, then made her way off to class patiently. Before heading off to his own class, Finn stood to think over David's words. Chloe couldn't be that bad. He felt as if maybe the two could connect. They both seemed like outsiders in Colville, from what he could see of her.

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Two hours after school had been released, Chloe stepped out of the school building. There was a blank expression on her face as she began walking, the black messenger bag slung over her shoulder bouncing against her right thigh. As she walked past the building, the soccer team could be seen practicing on the field. She glanced up at the fence, taking a moment to search the players. There was Hanson, Williams, Conner, that asshole Andrews, and finally her eyes found Kiernan. Finn Kiernan. She could stare at him for hours and never become bored in the least bit. Unlike the other boys at Colville, he didn't really care about how he looked or what impression he gave off. He was mature but goofy, clean but rough-looking, intelligent but silly. She could go on like that forever. But as soon as she heard the coach announce practice was over, Chloe turned to continue home. She had been there a month already, and even though Finn was such good friends with her sister Liberty, Chloe had yet to have a real conversation with him. Either she didn't know what to say, or she just did not want to talk with David or Elle around like they always were. As Chloe daydreamed, walking along though most of her surroundings were never seen or heard, one voice came through.

"Hey, Chloe! What are you still doing here?"

She turned to see Finn on the other side of the fence. There was a thin layer of sweat on his face and arms, but it only made him look better in his blue and white soccer uniform. Her excitement grew quickly inside, but she tried her best to hide it so he wouldn't get any suspicions. "I'm interning for one of the math teachers this year, and I stayed after school so he could give me a rundown of everything to do." She told him softly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.

As his name was called by one of the other players, he looked behind himself and waved them away. "Well, do you need a ride home?" Finn asked when he turned back around.

Chloe had to study his expression before answering. He looked sincere. But she really didn't need a ride. "Thank you, but no, I'll be fine. My house is just down the road, and I need the walk anyway." She jerked her head slightly in the direction of her house before turning to start heading home again, keeping her eyes on him for a moment longer. "I'll see you tomorrow though, Finn."

"No, wait. Um, can you wait for me to change right fast, and then maybe I can walk home with you... if that's alright." Finn said in a questioning manner, taking a few steps back from the fence as he waited for her answer. She stopped in her tracks and simply turned to him to nod, then watched him flash her a smile as he turned to run back to the locker room. The impatient smile that had been bursting to break out since he had said 'hey' finally was freed out on her face. It all seemed to be too good to be true. No matter how cheesy that line sounded in her head.

He returned a few minutes later in an old pair of jeans and a tight white T-shirt, with a faded brown bag slung over his shoulder. "Sorry I took so long." He apologized, though she barely heard it. She couldn't help but stare at his fit chest and abs for a minute, but then her gaze quickly snapped down to the ground as she began walking once again.

"It's okay. You didn't take all that long." Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible, as he ran to catch up and walk alongside her.

"So, how was school for you today?"

He looked as if he really cared. She still couldn't believe he even talking to her. She looked up to him to see a small amount of stubble around his chin and jaw line. Seeing him so close made her voice get stuck in her throat for a moment. Words finally came out of her mouth minutes later, once she concentrated on the ground again. "It was alright. I already have a good bit of homework to do. An essay for english, a chapter to read in history. Oh, and I failed a quiz today in history. I have a feeling I won't like that class very much." She stopped herself from going on anymore. She was rambling comfortably the way she did with her friends. She was sure she would be boring him to death if she kept on much longer.

He laughed softly and nodded. "Yeah, I remember last year was really hard for me too. I'm still not quite sure how I made it through. It seems like I failed all of my tests, and I hardly ever finished all of my homework because there was so much to do."

At least he seemed comfortable too. Maybe that was a plus. Or maybe he was just planning something really evil to do to her soon. An image of the movie Carrie flashed through her thoughts. She wouldn't go crazy and kill people though. She didn't think she would anyway. "Sounds like I have so much more to look forward to."

"Oh, it's not so bad. Mean, at least senior year is a breeze. I only have four classes, and we didn't do all that much. Band, english, economics, and analysis." He paused for a minute, looking over at her curiously. "And aren't you in my band class?"

She nodded, a small smile forming on her face. She couldn't believe he even remembered. "Yep, I would be the only girl trumpet player." She laughed softly as a joke from that morning was refreshed in her mind. She shook it away before speaking again. "And you're a wonderful saxophone player."

If Finn wasn't so tan, Chloe might have been able to see his cheeks turn pink. The comment flattered him, even if it didn't mean too much as to whether or not she liked him. "Thank you. From what I've heard, you're a great trumpet player too. But then I haven't heard too much." He wanted to pay her a compliment back, but it didn't work so well since he had to be honest. He hadn't heard her play by herself at all, so he really wasn't sure how well she played.

She bit her lip as she tried to hide a smile. "Thank you for trying." As she glanced up to him, she noticed something in front of her. A police car was parked in her driveway. Worried as to what may have happened, she quickly turned to Finn, an instant look of panic on her face. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I don't know what's going on. But I'll see you later." She mumbled quickly before taking off in front of them in a sprint, not stopping until she reached her front door. Pushing it open and stepping inside, she saw her father speaking with one of the police officiers currently in their home, while Liberty and Rain sat on either side of her mother. The girls' faces were hidden in their mother's shoulders, but Chloe could see the tears rolling from her mother's eyes.

After a distraught moment, her mother looked up with eyes full of pain, finally letting Chloe in on what was going on. "Chloe..." She managed to get out, her voice struggling to break through the tears. "Faith is dead."