CH 3: Secrets and Lies

Several sleepless hours later, Esme finds herself in the kitchen preparing breakfast for Margo and herself. Her thoughts from the last night cloud her head as her body works on autopilot, mindlessly flipping the eggs and bacon strips. She couldn't believe the insanity that unfolded the night before. The two of them hadn't been in this city for more than a month, and already her secrets were revealed due to her own loose lips. They couldn't be revealed to someone easily disposable, oh no, she had to uncover the identity of the local town murderer. What a lovely beginning to the week. There was a reason why she always hated Mondays. Sighing, she pours two cups of coffee, unaware to Margo staring at her from the dining table.

Esme walks over to her, presenting their meals and sitting down to get her mind into a proper state for the day ahead. There's a loud silence that echoes throughout the halls, being accompanied only by scraping metal and long drawn out sips of Joe.   

"So, are you gonna tell me who that was last night?" Margo questions, pushing her eggs side to side with her fork.

"I told you..." Esme takes a sip, pausing to wipe her mouth, "It was nobody, nothing to worry about."

"Oh, come on!" Margo slams her hands on the table, having enough of her sister's dismissive behavior, "I'm not doing this with you again! Always so secretive about business and eventually getting into trouble."

It wasn't very often that the little lady showed such outbursts. Margo was always a lively child, but she was mostly quiet and meek, only opening to those close to her. She never complained, was always grateful, and valued Esme's guidance more than anything. But the veil that separated the two of them irked her, knowing she was being treated with kid gloves. To be fair, she was probably better off that way, but being treated as other still hurt all the same.  

Esme grinds her teeth together, her temper threatening to spill over at any moment, "It was not business, now sit-down." she says sternly. She sighs, looking at her sister who is sitting there with tears welling in her eyes, "Now why must you always make me feel like a monster..." There's another pause before she continues nonchalantly, "He was a gentleman from the speakeasy that offered to walk me home, nothing more."

Margo perks up at this, mischief sparkling in her eyes, "Ooh, my, my sister, it's only been a couple of weeks and already you have a new toy?"

Esme rolls her eyes, "It's not like that." She mutters as she takes her fork and pierces through the sunny side up egg on her plate, watching as the yellow yolk spills over and spreads across the plate. She picks up a piece of bread and dabs up some of the mixture, taking a small bite. She was not repeating herself in New Orleans. Like father said, this was a new beginning, to fall into old habits would be to jeopardize any future the two of them could have.  

It's not like the local axe murderer would ever fall prey to her anyhow...

Margo smiles, "You like him." 

Esme raises an eyebrow at the teenage girl, "I never said that." Her voice is quick, refusing to show any emotion behind her words. No, she didn't like him, she barely knew him! It wasn't like her to run off with a man she had just met, that side of her died long ago. It's light dimmed the times she was let down by her partners, and destroyed by the cold hands that met her body. Men were not to be trusted. This one is no different, possibly worse. 

Although, they both had leverage against the other...perhaps a misguided form of trust could be built?

"You're a terrible liar."

"Am I?" 

Margo lets out an exhale as she takes a sip of her coffee, "So what's his name?"

"You don't need to know his name." Esme says immediately. There was absolutely no reason why Margo needed to get closer to this situation anymore than she already had. There was nothing that was going to happen between the two, so Esme saw no use in explaining his existence further. It was best if she stayed away, for her own wellbeing. He should be nothing but a passing shadow that paid their household a short visit. 

"Why so secretive if there's nothing going on?" Margo smirks, knowing her sister far too well to be fooled by her performance. "If he's nobody of importance to you, at least tell me his name."

"Fine." Esme snaps at a piece of her bacon, chewing before answering with her mouth still full. "His name is Alastor, he sa-"

"What?! That was Alastor?!" Margo shouts in disbelief. Esme's eyes widen and she swallows.

"You know him. Margo, you're 16... " Esme slowly blinks in shock.

He was a full grown adult, what business did he possibly ha-

"No, no, all the girls around here won't stop talking about him." Margo says with a very animated expression, "And he was in our house?!"

Esme rolls her eyes and laughs at the young girl's reaction. She was behaving like a smitten school girl and the display of her naivety brought a smile to her face,  "Well, he said he had a radio show but I didn't think he was so popular."

She watches as her sister's face begins to light up with excitement. She takes in a small inhale, a wide smile on her face, "Well, when do I get to meet him, I bet he-"

"No!" Esme shouts, cutting her off and lashing out on her with a bite. There's an awkward pause as the two sisters stare at each other, "If you ever see that man again outside, and you are alone, you do NOT go anywhere with him. Do you understand me? Leave him alone, let him work, do not get involved - unless I'm with you."

Margo doesn't answer. She's silent but seems alarmed at what Esme is implying.

"Margaret! Do you understand me?" She says through gritted teeth.

Margo nods slowly and returns to her breakfast.

Later that afternoon, Esme and Margo went to take a walk down by the docks together. Esme always felt calmer near the water, like she could just jump in and swim away from all her troubles. The two sisters pause and turn their bodies to look over the wood. Esme takes in a deep breath of the sea air. She exhales and gives Margo a small squeeze, kissing the top of her head.

"Do you think we'll stay here forever?" Margo says weakly, looking up at her sister.

Esme sighs, looking down at her, "I don't know sweetpea, I don't know but..." She looks out to the water, "Maybe it won't be all that bad, maybe this will be a good thing...for both of us."

There was something about the city, the atmosphere, something in the universe that told her that her story here had only begun. That there was much more for her to experience here. More joy, more sorrow, possibly even more love. 

Margo sighs and leans her head on Esme's shoulders. She always felt safe around her. No matter what was happening around her, Esme was right there to catch her. It didn't matter what men their father had in their tenement, how many times he would disappear for days on end, or how many times she would hear her mother crying from the other side of the wall, Esme was always there to sit by her and hold her hand. She knew her sister had....tendencies, but she felt so secure with her that she would trust her...with her life. She just wished that Esme would let her in her world for a little bit, and not be so closed off like she typically was.

Esme, on the other hand, took her role as an older sister very seriously. She would shield Margo with her life, would cheat for her, would steal for her, would kill for her. It made the peach fuzz on her body stand up that Margo showed an interest in getting to know Alastor. He seemed nice, but then again so did she, and they were both in that alley with that gun, and that man. They both stared into each other's eyes and challenged one another in a way that neither of them had felt before. Margo needed to be shielded from that, she needed to be kept safe, and the best way for Esme to do that was to build a barrier between the two while she felt him out to judge his character.

Esme gives her sister another little squeeze, "Come on, let's go pick up some food from the market. Our fridge is so barren, I'm wasting away just thinking about it." She leads Margo by the hand down the dock.

"Good afternoon ladies..." 

Oh no...

And there he stood, of course. He appeared as dapper as ever with his charming smile and confident stature.

 Is he following me? Wha - it's the middle of the afternoon! I guess he had a break?

"Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Margo.." Margo puts her hand out for him to shake. Esme's eyes followed her every move.

His eyes soften as he pans down to look at the young girl, "Alastor dear, the pleasure is all mine." He lightly shook her hand, causing a small giggle to erupt from her. Esme pinches the back of her arm discreetly.

"It's nice to see you again, what brings you over here?" Esme questions.

"I have a break in my work, so I decided to pay the dock a visit. It's a beautiful day." He says calmly, lying so effortlessly it was almost impressive. He motions his arm out to the beautiful blue sky above the water, his hair lightly blowing in the wind, "Wouldn't you agree?"

Okay, stop with the bullshit, you know my house is down here. He is following me, isn't he?

"Mmm, well we're on our way to the market. It was nice to see you again, perhaps our paths may cross again later." She begins to pull Margo forward to walk with her. He turns around to face her.

"Oh, I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight?" Esme's eyes widen as she spins back around to connect their gaze.

"You work at the parlor, correct?" He asked, which was code for speakeasy while out in public. "I have a friend there, I'm watching her perform tonight." He smiles.

"Oh, how nice." Esme smiles back warmly. Fuck me, fuck my life, fuck New Orleans.

"Well, I'll see you later then dear. It was nice meeting you, Margo." He smiles and walks away from them, leaving Margo nearly bursting with excitement as she swung Esme around enthusiastically. 

Esme couldn't hear any of the nonsense Margo was babbling, just the seagulls in the air and the sound of the small waves crashing against the wood of the dock as her mind rambled with possibilities. He was seamlessly merging himself into every aspect of her life, knowing where she lived, where she frequented, and now showing up at her work. She felt uneasy, but also pulled to him with a strange feeling she didn't quite comprehend.

What the Hell am I to do now?

🖤Words: 1906🖤

~ Artemis 🦌💗