#murmurstm

And he needed her to be comfortable with the topics the show covered so that, god fucking forbid, anyone ever tried to harm her.. She'd know she could tell him. But it was more than just another layer of protection he casts over her. It's something more, something deeper. Sam's his kid. He loves her. He wants to be apart of the things she's interested in. To share moments of disbelief and outrage and shock as they roll through her. He had missed too many firsts with her. He refused to miss any more. Tonight though.. Tonight he wished he wasn't trying his hardest not to be a failure of a father. Because tonight he thinks is the first time he's ever truly scared his daughter. It's good. It's like every other Sunday. The cast was playing their roles to perfection and then Cassie opens her mouth to defend herself and her misdeeds with Nate and.. She says something that throws him into a complete, full blown melt down. He's holding a glass of coke one second and the next; "Her dad died, ours just stopped calling. I don't know which is worse."

@murmurstm || rules & formula!

She's listening! Sam's relief is immeasurable. It comes out as big gusty exhale and wide unnerving smile she can't see on her own face. She's not looking at herself. She's looking at precious little sister. Beloved little sister. She NEEDS to know the rules! Sam knows the rules now. She didn't before but now Randy's told her the rules and everything is so simple. It can be so simple. They just need to follow the rules!

On the cusp of thirteen, Sam isn't really all that different from her peers— when she gets to have any. Town still feels a way about the old man. Kids her age and a bit above love him. They see a revolutionary in the mask and shroud. Their parents not so much. They're still mourning classmates, cousins, and the like. She makes friends. Whether or not she gets to keep them depends on proximity to the slashed. Latest batch? For better or for worse, had full access to the forbidden DVDs. The complete Stab trilogy.

Deep in hidden location no one would breathe near her, the upperclassmen have just hosted town's first ever Stabathon. Everyone else, unworthy of an invite to secret club for one reason or another, had to make do with the at-home version. Auntie Lou would kill her if she knew. Worse. She wouldn't— she'd just be bitterly disappointed. A fate worse than death.

Sam can't focus on that. Her wiring has been hijacked, taken over by David Schwimmer breaking script and speaking directly to her through screen. Heir to Randy Meeks' role as genre guru. The rules! The oh so important rules to survive a horror movie and what is Woodsboro, home sweet home, if not a horror movie? She clutches little sister's shoulders more firmly than she means to, disorganized speech, disorganized actions, unknown illness rearing head not for the first time. Sam's a little weird since turning twelve. Everyone knows that. It's only sometimes. It's just sensitive ears, sometimes, picking up noise, giving her headaches. ADHD maybe. Not a crime— not even worthy of sweat, the way she's a little distractible. They're waiting it out like weird growing pains, the parentals. See what comes of it. If it sticks. It's SO EASY to handwave it away and normalize.

"DON'T do what I do. I fucked up, okay? I didn't know. I didn't know the rules yet so I fucked up and I did shots with my friends and everybody does them. Not you. You're too young. But that's how they get you. Don't you see? It's like a mark. It's like... like... like it puts you on a list! You drink? You go on the list. You smoke? I did that one too..." Thick brows scrunch. Huh. She's broken more of these than she had initially thought to calculate. On the list to get got twice over and she's not even done reciting... Tara gets shaken for her troubles, unintentionally action with no real thought behind it. Mind and body connected and yet disconnected.

"Tara I'm serious! Don't! That's how... that's how he'll get you!"

@murmurstm || 5 times

i.

[O'Hara] klsjdr fhlkasdl kfhas!

Baby's first non-play phone deserves better christening from big sister than just a random keysmash text but Sam just doesn't have anything poignant in mind. Too busy watching Tara poke all the features— picking out wallpapers, icons, lockscreen pictures. Her own experience with it not that far behind. Best she's got though is Tara's contact name in her own phone, long running family inside joke. Dad's turn to pick a name. Mom had picked Sam. Dad picked Tara.

They'd both, baby Tara still in utero, had to sit for the TED talk on why Gone with the Wind was an Original horror movie. There was nearly a power-point about it, she's pretty sure. Instead the old man had just put it on and done his Director's Commentary best to educate mom and her.

Sam could see the vision. War as horror. Racism. Sexism. Desperation. Love...

There'd better never be a Rhett Butler for her, but Sam's okay with Tara being Scarlett. Smart and scrappy and surviving at all costs.

ii.

[O'Hara] Where are you?!?!

No. No, bad idea. Plausible deniability. Delete delete delete. If she doesn't ask, Tara can't answer. She'll be honest when the questions come and she has to claim that she doesn't know where little sister has disappeared to. It doesn't make the ache of worry in her chest ease up any, but she'll be nothing if not shield and ally to her sister. She trusts her. Wherever she is... whatever she's doing... she's being safe enough. This is curfew breach. Permission stealing. Little crimes. It doesn't merit big trouble, not if Sam can spare her and she will! One way or the other, she will.

iii.

[O'Hara] I think tonight is the night. Is it bad I am freaking out?

She could use the cool calm reassurance of steady little sister soothing her silly worries, but Tara barely tolerates Sammy. She probably doesn't want this kind of update. Is it TMI? It hasn't even happened yet. Sisters talk about this, don't they? Sam's suddenly... unsure. She loses this boundary to the affliction a lot. Too much or too little, not enough happy medium. She doesn't realize she's become a vault of secrets until she's being yelled at for closing off and receding where family can't follow. Other side is... easier. Lighter. Sometimes funnier. Yells and groans because she lets slip 'too much' that they don't want to know. Lip gets chewed. What she needs versus what Tara doesn't...

Delete delete delete.

iv.

[O'Hara] get out, T. he's watching me not you. you can make it to the road. just run. I won't let him get you. take your inhaler. you just need to get far enough. someone will pick you up. get to town. stay there. he won't follow you. especially if you get a ride...

On and on they go. Paragraphs worth of instructions for getting away from the family compound and apparently counting on the magical appearance of traffic to carry Tara to town. Sam sighs. She forces herself to read the incoherent babble that had mercifully gone unsent. Three days ago. She tries to look back in her mind but it hurts. The memories are right there for the taking, not blurry as she lies about them to her family. Embarrassing when whatever chemistry in her brain goes awry and allows the delusions to take over. It made sense at the time. Ghostface had come back. She had seen him peering in the windows downstairs. He always stalks her and at the time it makes sense. There's something bigger than they understand that's supposed to happen... and she uses it. If it's her he wants? He can have her. She'll use that to help mother, father, little sister get away.

v.

[O'Hara] Oh, so now boys aren't icky and gross huh?

Sam is nicer than to hit send, though she so BADLY wants to! Eons of payback. MILLENNIA! Little sister gripes and complaints going back to the ice age. Boys intruding on sacred bond when Sam discovered them. Well. One in particular. Movie poster boys didn't count. One little soccer player from New York though? Different. The first real and big thing she and Tara had disagreed about.

And now she gets big sister privilege of seeing little sister make eyes in Chad Meeks's direction. Uh-huh. Too young for her, but she can squint and see the vision. It doesn't land that far from her own. There's something about an athlete... this one beautiful, glowing skin, deep eyes, and a crisp line-up. Mhmmmmm... oh the teasing she could do, but mom and the old man are probably going to be bad enough when they catch on. Tara should at least be able to count on big sister giving her a break and having her back.

She considers offering up her treehouse for privacy, when those days come.

i.

[O'Hara] What's your ACTUAL favorite movie?

For too long the question has been their version of school yard bullying. Complete with childish raspy attempts at recreating iconic modulator voice. You get it enough and it becomes nothing to ignore it, eye roll and carry on. She has no doubt Tara developed her own sassy answers for the false question when it gets slung her way. Favorite scary movie? Probably a documentary title, knowing her little sister. Something she can bend back and turn into insult towards the asker. She's clever and quick-witted like that. Sam tends to just flip finger or blow smoke their way. Depends on the day.

Now, half a world away, pillowed on Sammy's chest and learning her way through new to her cinema... Sam feels a genuine spark of curiosity.

So she hits send and waits for reply.

@murmurstm || from here

[text: des] ??? [text: des] you're so helpful, des. thanks. [text: des] can you plz find out for me without telling?

Is she supposed to know on account of being... booed up, like he puts it? Maybe. It sounds about right when she thinks about it. Yet it had never really come up. Not until now, when she's thinking about buying Sammy some sneakers, browsing a few different sites only to get stumped at the question of his shoe size. It seemed logical to her that one of his friends would know. Asking Sammy directly would just give away the intended surprise and he stood a fair chance at talking her out of splurging. Des stirs a different complex entirely. Is she a bad girlfriend??? Bastard.