Chapter Fifteen - Anger Management

'Their turning on each other.' Norma Jean said.
"I know, I know. I am proud that both are keeping with Bates tradition, but turning on each other will not do."
'What do you have planned?'
"I don't know yet," Norma whispered as she watched Clarice and Norman bicker about the last piece of Annie's cake.

Norma wasn't as oblivious as her children thought she was. She had seen the fight in the living room. Had seen how Clarice attacked her sweet little Norman. How Norman had turned around with fire in his eyes and fought back, which resulting in his sisters ass being beat. She knew Clarice was pissed and hated her little brother, but Norma didn't care about that. She would of done away with Clarice right then and there for trying to hurt her little angel, had she not needed her in the future.

"She is almost as evil as me, I can't fix her when she's not broken," Norma had told Norma Jean that night before bed.
'No, we need her. The plan needs all of them.' Norma Jean replied.

She went to bed that night thinking how she could bring her children together. To work together fixing people instead of against. They didn't need fixing, they were perfect, especially her little Norman. They just needed to see that. She laid there for awhile thinking in the dark when she heard foot steps on the stairs. She closed one eye and peeked out of the other to see Norman come to stand at the end of her bed. He looked at Charles and then her for a little while and then turned and snuck back out.

'What is he up to?' Norma Jean asked.
"I don't know,"

Norma got out of bed as quietly as she could and followed her son. She saw him head down the stairs to his sisters room and peeked through the top of the stairs to watch. She saw what Norman did and her heart lit with glee. Her son was amazing! He reminded her of her father and her love for him grew more. She would do anything for Norman, even if she had to get rid of Clarice or any of the other children to keep him safe.

The next day she let Norman threaten Clarice, she needed to know who was boss anyways, and then confronted her outside on her way to school.

"Don't ever touch him again," she said a she stood against the tree near the front door.
"What?" Clarice jumped.
"You heard me. If you ever touch him again, I will kill you." 

Norma walked into the house leaving Clarice with her mouth open.

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Clarice was pissed. Her mother didn't love her as much as she loved that psycho Norman! 'How dare she threaten me!' Clarice thought. She didn't know what to think or feel and had skipped school because of it. She needed to blow off steam, she wanted to kill someone herself. 'Let her see who has more balls!'

Clarice was thinking of how she could turn her situation around for her benefit when she saw a lady walk by.

"What the fuck are you wearing?!" she screamed from across the street.

The lady either ignored her or didn't hear her, either way it pissed off Clarice even more. Clarice stood up and ran up to the lady.

"Did you not hear me?!" she screamed at her. 
"Who are you talking too?" asked the woman confused. 
"You, you fucking moron! Who the fuck picked out your outfit, the fucking retard fairy?" 
"Well I... why are you being so mean?" 
"Mean? You call that mean? I'll show you mean!" 

 Clarice walked up closer to her with daggers in her eyes. The woman backed slowly away but she ran into the car behind her. Clarice smiling, slapped her across the face.

"Is that mean?" she asked laughing. "How about this?" 

She then slapped her again, this time on the other cheek. The woman started crying and slid across the car to try and get away from Clarice.

"Why are you doing this? What did I do to you?" she asked tears streaming down her face.
"You live, that is enough for me to hate you," Clarice whispered with venom.

The woman saw an opening and ran as fast as she could away from Clarice. Clarice started to follow, to finish what she started, but then she stopped. She needed to save her anger, save her venom for someone that deserved it, not some meaningless lowlife.

---------------------------

"What the hell!?" Norma said as she felt the family tingle in her stomach. She had been a week late for her monthly and had a feeling she knew why. "I'll kill him. I do not want another child!" 

She headed to the twenty-four hour drug store to pick up the test. 'It had better be negative,' Norma Jean spit out.

Norma ignored her and bought the test then headed back home. Charles was working nights that week so he was asleep already when she got home.

"Good, I don't want him to know," she said. It was only 6am and the kids would be getting up soon for school. "We need to hurry and then get rid of this stupid test." 

Pee'ing seemed to take forever, and the wait for the result was killing her. She looked at her watch and as soon as three minutes hit she grabbed the test. Postitive.

"FUCK!" she screamed, then covered her mouth.

She was not happy, not happy at all. Who the fuck does he think he is spilling his disgusting seed into her! She did not agree to this and she was tired of all these men doing what they wanted. Grabbing the test she headed back downstairs. She saw Norman was still sleeping and shut his door. He didn't need to hear this. Or maybe he did. Maybe he needed a lesson on where a man stands with a woman. Maybe he did need to know that it was not his right to make the decisions that were a woman's to make alone! How fucking dare Charles.

She grabbed it out and gripped her had around it as she looked at the shiny metal. She could see her reflection in the blade and smiled. 'Oh please let me do this one!' Norma Jean begged. 'Let's do this one together,' Norma said as she turned around and headed back to her room.

She could hear Charles snores through the closed door. 'He's a piece of shit, all men are.' Norma Jean said.
"Not all men Norma Jean. Daddy wasn't, nor is Norman. We just have to fix the ones that are not like them. They all need to be fixed. They all need to pay for being disgusting dirty dogs! Dirty dogs, dirty dogs!" Norma started to chant. "Dirty dogs, dirty dogs, all of them are dirty dogs! They need to be cleaned! They need to be washed of their dirtiness!" 

Norma walked to the side of her bed and watched her husband sleep. Should she? 'Do it!' Norma Jean screamed.

She contemplated where to start. 'You have to fix the problem!' Norma Jean said. And Norma knew she was right. Men were dirty and dirty things needed to be cleaned! Norma needed to clean this disgusting filth in her bed! She lifted the covers and rubbed his penis till it was hard. 'Oh yes! Slice the little fucker off!' Norma Jean laughed.

Norma laughed too as she took her hand as caressed it again, then took the knife and slit into it. Again and again she sliced.

Charles woke up screaming. Ear piercing screams that rattled through the whole house.

"Shut up you fucking idiot! You spilled your seed inside of me and now you have to pay! You filthy piece of shit!" Norma said as she sliced one more time pull his dick off the rest of the way.

She threw on the floor then and stomped on it with her heal. She heard a squishy sound as blood spattered. 'Oh that was satisfying,' Norma Jean said as Norma started to walk away.

"Why?!" Charles cried as he got out of bed clutching his groin where his penis used to be.

Norma looked back as Charles looked at his hand filled with blood. "Why Norma, why?" he asked again.

"You did not have my permission to impregnate me you bastard. You will never make that mistake again." Norma said as she turned around and watch her husband fall to the ground.

The blood loss was too much as she knew it would be. 'Another one fixed,' Norma Jean said with content.
"Another one fixed," Norma replied, a smile spreading across her face.

Chapter Fourteen - The Real Norman Bates

Norman stepped off the bus, his body sore from his fight the day before. He had thought all day on how to get his sister back, but hadn't came up with a plan that mother would be proud of. As he neared the front door he smelt something, something that smelt wonderful. Looking around he saw a pile of ashes still smoldering on the ground. 'What had mother done now?' he wondered. Just then he heard his mother's voice just like he had the night before.

'It's a great idea son, you just have to do it,' he heard her say.
"Yes mother, you're right. I will take care of it tonight." he told the voice as he walked into the house.

The evening went on as if nothing happened the night before. Clarice stayed in her room doing homework and working on her chemistry table. Bellatrix finished her homework and played with Annie, and Norman sat and watched television... waiting. He knew for his plan to work everyone would have to be in bed first and so he waited, patiently.

"Time for bed kids!" Charles said as he picked up Annie to carry her to her crib.

Bellatrix and Norman got up without an argument and headed to their separate rooms. Bellatrix and Clarice shared the basement and Norman's room was the only room on the second floor. Norma's room and Annie's crib was on the third floor. Norman waited till he could hear his mother and Charles sleeping, then he crept to the attic. He needed to get something first as mother had told him not to get caught.

Finding what he was looking for, Norman quickly changed and headed back down the stairs. 'You look beautiful Norman,' he heard his mother say.

"I'm not Norman! I am Clarice!" he screamed quietly.

"You love me mother, I know you do. I also know you love Clarice. If I get rid of her and become both you will love me twice as much." Norman said.
'Yes Norman, you are right. I will love you more. You can be Clarice and Norman, I will love you so much more.'

Norman grabbed what he needed from the kitchen and headed to his sisters room. He saw Bellatrix first as she was on the bottom bunk. 'Be quiet Clarice, you don't want to wake her,' mother stated and Clarice agreed. 'Yes mother, I promise not to wake her.'

Norman climbed up to Clarice's bed and shook her legs. At first she didn't wake up, but he shook again and said her name.

"What do you want you little creep," Clarice muttered sleepily.
"Annie won't quit crying and mother won't wake up," Norman whispered.
"Can't you take care of it?" she said and rolled over.
"No, I tried, she won't stop." 

Clarice signed and sat up. "Why are you wearing my old dress you freak?" she asked as she started to climb down the ladder.
"Because Mother told me too." Norman replied sounding a lot like a girl.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? I swear mother dropped you on your head too many times." she stepped off the ladder and looked and Norman with disgust.
"Tell me Clarice, would you ever say to me "Stop, if you loved me, you'd stop!" 
"What the fuck are you talking abou....." 

Just then Norman squirted the lighter fluid on his sister and threw the lit match he had in his hand at her. She caught fire and he laughed.

"A boy's best friend is his mother." Norman said as he walked away.

He could hear Clarice's screams as he walked up the stairs. 'Good job son, maybe she'll die like that maid.'
"We can only hope mother." 

Norman felt satisfied as he undressed and hid Clarice's dress. He crawled into bed with a smile on his face. Maybe in the morning he'd have one less sister to share his mother's love with.

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Clarice stepped out of the shower and thought about what her brother had just done. 'Some balls that one has.' she thought as she put her burnt clothing into a bad to throw away. 'He wants a war, I'll give him a war.'

The next morning Clarice walked into the kitchen to find her brother alone. She stood behind him for some time thinking of what she could do to him.

"Don't you touch me Clarice," Norman said as he spooned another bite into his mouth. "Last night was nothing compared to what mother said I could do." 

Clarice didn't say a word to Norman, instead she headed back down stairs to get dressed. She wanted out of this house and out of Normans evil stare. There was something about him that morning that made her blood curdle. Maybe she was just feeling uneasy because he had actually tried to kill her, but she didn't think so. Her sweet innocent little brother was gone, and something much more sinister had taken his place.

Chapter Thirteen - Burning Love

Norma looked at her new husband with disdain. She'd just got back from the salon and already hated him and Norma Jean was planning his untimely death. 'We need to wait, the money won't be in our joint account till Monday,' Norma told her. 'You're not fair! Why can't we just kill him now?' Norma Jean complained, she hated waiting till Norma gave her permission.

"You look beautiful as a blonde," Charles told her as he walked up to kiss his new wife.
"Thank you," Norma replied with gritted teeth.

She wasn't happy about going blonde but the gray hairs were starting to show and the stylist told her it gave her a new younger look. 'So we can kill more!' Norma Jean had rejoiced. 'Indeed,' Norma replied.

While Charles was complimenting his wife outside, neither saw the commotion going on inside the house. Norma had notice Clarice was a bit tiffed since the wedding. She didn't think anything of it when she left to the salon a few hours later though and Clarice was in her room.

"You think you are her favorite?" Clarice yelled at Norman. "She does everything for you, everything! She ignores us girls and we're tired of it! We hate you Norman Bates, and I am going to show you who is the boss in this house!"

Clarice wanted to kill Norman, she hated him with everything she was and wanted to see him suffer till he was dead. It was her MOTHER not the others, they were just accidents her mother had! She was the rightful child to take over after her mother, to help her get rid of the filth in this town. She looked at her little brother with hatred, but knew her mother wouldn't be happy with her if she did kill him.

"Let's do it anyways!  We can kill Norma and that loser she married too!" Lecter sang as he jumped up and down behind Clarice.
"We need Mother she will teach us everything. Lecter, we have to behave, even if it means letting this little shit live.... for now." 

Knowing she couldn't kill her little brother, Clarice settled on the next best thing. She'd beat his ass till he bled and then beat him some more. He'd wish he was dead by the time she got done with him. She waited till he had just given Annie a bottle and then slapped him. He looked at her with tears in his eyes and his hand on his red cheek.

"Why did you do that?" he asked confused. He knew she hated him but she had never hit him before. "Mother is going to be mad at you!" 
"Fuck you! You won't say a goddamn word you little creep! If I even hear you whined to her, I will break your legs." 

Clarice couldn't hold it in anymore, the slap did nothing to settle her boiling blood. She needed to hurt him and hurt him bad. She pounce on him then and started punching his face, his stomach and anything else her fist came into contact with.

Lecter stood and watched as the fight went on, he rooted for Clarice and told Norman he was going to die. What Clarice and Lecter were not expecting is that Norman took after his mother way more than any of them  had thought. He acted liked the sweet innocent boy that loved his family, but secretly he hated them all besides mother. Mother was the only one that mattered and as he thought of Clarice trying to take mother away from him he felt a rage he had never felt before.

'Kill her! Make her bleed!' he heard a voice say. He was preoccupied fighting with his sister so at first he thought it was his mothers voice encouraging him to hurt his sister.

"I will mother! I will do anything for you!" he screamed as he jumped onto Clarice's back and started punching her in the head.

He didn't know where the strength came from but he could feel Clarice starting to grow tire and weaker as he kept punching.

'Kill her!' his mother screamed at him again.
"I'm trying mother, she won't die!" 

Clarice heard Norman talking to their mother and faltered. She hadn't expected mother to be home yet and wanted to have Norman's beating done before she found out. It only took that moment of her being distracted for Norman to get the upper hand.

"Touch me again, and I will kill you. Mother told me I could," he said as she fell to the floor. 

Clarice glared at her little brother as Lecter laughed. "You got beat up by a little boy!" he taunted her.
"Shut up Lecter, I can pull the stuffing out of you. Remember that." Clarice said as she got up, her back hurting.

She would have to think of another way to get rid of her brother. She had underestimated him this time, but that won't happen again. And where was he hearing mother's voice? No one was in the room but the two of them, and Lecter of coarse. Clarice watched as Norman ascended the stairs to his room and then went to her own. She needed to make a plan, a plan that was full proof.

The next day while the kids were at school and Annie was down for a nap Charles tried to get frisky with his wife. They still had not consummated their marriage and he was beginning to get impatient. Norma insisted they go outside in the cold winter sunlight so they could see each other better. Charles agreed, he didn't care where they did it, so long as they did it.

What Norma really had wanted to see was when the maid showed up. He had went on vacation the day following the fire and was just now coming back to work. While Norma was out at the salon she had made a side trip to the elixir shop. She wasn't sure what she was looking for as she hated using potions or mixes to kill someone. It was much more satisfying with your hands. She knew though if she did it herself it would be too coincidental and she didn't need the cops snooping around her home anymore than they did.

Before Charles got outside she had set the trap, the elixir was to go off on its own as soon as someone was near it. She thought it would of been hilarious if it had gone off with Charles but it was meant for another. She made out enough with Charles to keep him occupied but kept one eye on the front of the house waiting.

It didn't take long. Nate showed up right on time and walked to to the front door to go in. He stopped then and didn't move.

Norma giggled then and Charles stopped to look at her. "What is so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing, sorry," she replied and went back to kissing him.

She kept an eye on Nate while they made out a little bit more and watched as his body turned to ice. 'Hooyah! Take that fucker!' Norma Jean cheered.

Norma laughed again, this time inwardly. She hoped his heart stopped and he could feel every organ inside him freeze up. Charles started to get impatient and started to rub his manhood against her. 'So gross!' Norma Jean said as she felt Norma place her hand on his dick and rub. 'Quit complaining at least we get to watch someone die while we do this shit,' she told Norma Jean.

She let Charles lift her dress and move his fingers inside her underwear. "Mmm let's go inside," he said between kisses.
"In a minute, it feels so good right now I don't want you to stop," Norma said as she brought his head down to her neck so she could get a better look at Nate.

'Fuck, he's melting!' Norma Jean screamed. Norma focused her eyes on the icy figure to the right of her. 'Crap, we'll have to take care of him another way,' she told Norma Jean.

Just then Norma moved her hands down Charles' pants and took his dick into her palm, "You want me?" she asked stroking him.
"Oh god, I do Norma, I do." he replied his dick starting to throb in her hand.
"Meet me in the bedroom," she told him as she pulled her hand out of his pants and headed into the house.

Charles was so engrossed with lust he didn't notice the new sculpture on his lawn. Norma followed him and told him to head up the their bedroom, she would be right there. Once he was up the stairs, Norma headed to the junk drawer where she kept the lighter fluid and matches. If he wouldn't freeze to death, she'd burn him to ashes. No one would ever find him this way.

Walking out to lawn again, Norma squirted the fluid all over Nate's unfreezing body. She then lit the match and tossed it at him.

Just as she walked back into the house, Nate unfroze the rest of the way. Soon though he was on fire. As the heat melted the icy, the flames got higher. Nate didn't have a chance.

Upstairs, Norma and Charles consummated their marriage. Charles having no idea what was happening on his front lawn.

Chapter Twelve - Wedding Bells

Norma started on Normans training right away. Telling him all the things she and Norma Jean had done. He was intrigued with his mother and vowed to be just like her when he grew up. This made Norma so happy that she started to neglect her other children. Not in the sense of starving them or anything like that but all her free time was spent with Norman. Clarice started thinking that her mother and her brother had a very unhealthy relationship. There were even nights that Clarice would find Norman sleeping in their mothers bed with her.

"He's twelve, Lecter, too old to be sleeping with mother!" 
"Too hard to kill too, when he's always in there!" 
"Yes, that too." 

Clarice knew about her mothers affair with Charles. She'd known about all her mother's affairs actually and had always kept the secret from her step-dads until her mother was ready to tell them. She knew if she could just get her mothers mind off of Norman and back onto her ultimate goal, Clarice would have a chance to hurt her brother.

"We need to call Charles, have him take mother's mind off of Norman." she told Bellatrix one day. Bellatrix had noticed the favoritism as well and wasn't happy about it."But I don't want another step-daddy, they just take mommy's attention away from all of us!" Bellatrix whined.
"Yes, but at least we'll all be getting ignored, not just the three of us girls. Look at Annie, she's been sitting in that dirty diaper all day!" 
"Okay call him," Bellatrix finally agreed.

The girls did and he agreed to come right over. Once there they told him that it was a surprise for for mommy and to wait in her room for her. They all headed up there and he laid down on the bed.

"Good, we'll get Mommy!" Bellatrix said as she started to head out of the room.
"Not yet!" Clarice  cried. "Wait, I bet she'll be up here in a moment." 

 Clarice had a plan that her sister didn't know about. She knew both Norman and Bellatrix liked their mother not having a husband but Clarice had seen first hand what happens when her mother doesn't have someone else to take her anger out on. With her already ignoring the girls for Norman, Clarice knew it was just a matter of time before Bellatrix and she got the wrath of her mother.

"Charles, will you be our daddy?" Clarice said crawling onto the bed next to him.
"What?!" he replied shocked.

Bellatrix caught on fast even though she didn't see the point of a new step-daddy she knew her sister had something planned.

"Please Charles!" she said crawling onto the bed next to her sister.
"Don't you girls think your mother should have a say in this?" he asked them.
"She wants to marry you, we've heard her talk about it to her friends." Clarice said.
"She has?" 
"Yes, she really loves you Charles, and we do too. Please be our daddy?" Bellatrix said giving Charles a hug to seal the deal.

They both knew anytime Charles came over and they batted an eye they got what they wanted. This was no different. He looked at both their pouting eyes and told them if their mother agreed he would too.

Just then their mother walked into the bedroom. "What is going on in here?" she said seeing her daughters on the bed with her boyfriend.
"Mommy, mommy, he agreed to be our daddy!" Bellatrix was the first one off the bed and ran to her mother.
"Please Mother, we need a father." Clarice, more composed stated as she too climbed off the bed.
"I hadn't thought you wanted to get married Charles." Norma said looking at her boyfriend.
"I didn't either till the girls convinced me," he said getting off the bed himself and walking over to her. "Norma, will you marry me?" 
"Yes," she replied.

She didn't see the evil look on the girl's faces. She was too busy looking at her new fiance lovingly.

Charles insisted on having an actual wedding. None of this just exchanging rings in the living room or kitchen shit. He wanted Norma to feel special for once in her life and he wanted his new step-children to see how well he would treat her.

Norma insisted if that was going to take place that she wanted to do it soon. She hated long engagements and wanted to start her married life right away. They sent out invitations around town to all her friends and his. On the day of the wedding though, not one person showed up. Charles started questioning his decision of marrying Norma.

"I can't.... I can't do this," he said as he looked at Norma and the kids and then ran away.

Shocked, Norma watched as Charles got to the edge of the lawn. 'How dare he! How dare he leave us at the alter! US!' Norma Jean screamed. Norma could feel herself heating up and her blood felt like it was boiling. 'Oh he's not going to make it to the street if we have anything to do with it. The bastard just sealed his fate.' she told Norma Jean as she started to walk towards Charles.

Just then he turned around "What am I doing?" he whispered to himself. "I love her, just because my friends don't agree, doesn't mean I can't be with her." 

He started to walk back towards the alter and saw Norma stop just a few steps away from it. 'She must have been coming after me,' he thought, his heart filling with more love.

"I'm sorry! I think I just got a case of cold feet," he told when he got back to the alter. "Please forgive me?"
"Always," she replied.

The rest of the wedding went off without any more problems.

Afterwards Charles let Norma in on a little secret. He was rich. Not just a little rich, filthy rich. He had $495,000 in his bank account and now that they were married, it was just as much hers as his. He told her how he could pay for the kids to go to private school now and collage.

Norma felt all warm inside when he told her this. 'Score!' Norma Jean screamed gleefully. Then she told Charles she had a little secret of her own. She knew Charles like younger women and he thought she was just that, younger. She had lied to him about her age the whole time they were together.

"That is wonderful," she said. "I have something to tell you too." 
"What is that beautiful," he said looking at her.
"I'm old enough to be your mother. Today is my birthday." 

Charles couldn't help himself, he puked a little inside as he saw the wrinkles form on his wife's face. How could she lie to him? He wasn't sure how, but he had figured she had just started having kids in her teens, not that she was old.

"Do you still love me?" she asked him, her face still almost the same as it was before.
"I do," he said, because he did. He would just have to get used to the fact that he married a much older woman.

They headed into the house then, arm in arm, both oblivious to what was happening still on the lawn. Norma had forgotten one teeny weeny thing that day.

It was Clarice's birthday as well. Clarice watch her mother and new step-father head into the house. Shortly after she headed in there too.

"Lecter, this family just forgot the wrong person," she said as she locked the front door behind her.

Chapter Eleven - A Bitter End

After the fire Norma had to think of a new way to get rid of Josef. She had been seeing Charles Winterly for some time now so knew he would be the perfect alibi for her to carry out her new plan. Living right on Lake Wannahawkaluggie, Norma had see first hand all threats and accidents the lake had to offer. What if one of those unfortunate accidents happened to be her husband? She knew he wasn't' a strong swimmer, and no one, not even the police could blame her for that.

She waited until it was one of the coldest days in January then prepared the beginning of her plan. She called Charles up and ask him to meet her at Mick's Karaoke for some alone time. She knew the place wouldn't be busy during the day but it would have enough people there to collaborate her story of not being home. After he agreed she wrote a note to her husband stating she had gone swimming in the lake and that she would be back in an hour. She made sure to note the time on the note so that when he awoke he'd see she'd been gone longer than that. She called the babysitter, let her know she was going swimming for awhile and then left. She headed down to the lake as not to bring suspicion to her plan. Once there she walked a short distance, out of the way of the house and called a cab.

"Oh you look so beautiful in your lingerie," Charles told her after they had sex in the photo booth.
"And you, your so handsome in your tennis shoes and boxers," she replied. Truthfully she thought he looked like an idiot, but she didn't say that out loud.

In the meantime, Josef had woke three hours after Norma had left. The babysitter was in a panic telling him that she had left to go swimming hours ago. Josef found the note on his dresser and noted the time that Norma had wrote it. He thought about calling the police then, but figured they'd just tell him he was overreacting.

"I'm going to go look for her," he told Jamie.
"Be careful, the waters are ice cold Mr. Bates," she said as she handed Annie a bottle.

Josef hated the lake, it scared him as he never really learned to swim. he could doggy paddle all right but other than that, he sucked at it. He looked out at the water looking for his wife but seeing nothing. Then he saw something bob up in down way out in the middle of the late.

"Crap, that must be her! She must be struggling out there." 

He stripped off his clothes as fast as he could and ran into the lake. Onlookers that were fishing looked over at the odd man jumping into the icy waters. Thinking he could get to her in time as she was still bobbing up and down to the surface, Josef doggy paddled out to the middle of the lake where he saw her.

Once there he didn't see Norma anymore. "Norma!" he called looking around.

His arms were starting to get tired and he was really cold. "Norma, where are you!?"

Behind him he heard something splash. 'That must be her!' he thought as he turned around and swam to where the ripples were. "Norma?"

It wasn't Norma. He'd swam straight into a shiver of sharks.

By this time he was already starting to lose strength in his arms and he started bobbing under water himself. He tried to swim away unnoticed from the sharks but that didn't work. He went under and took in some water. This caused him to start flailing around and coughing. The sharks noticed the disturbance in the water and came to investigate.

It was all over after that.

The onlookers had seen the commotion that was going on out in the lake and had called the police. By the time they got there though, it was too late. Josef had been eaten by the sharks.

Norma received the call a little while later. Her acting perfected over the years, she cried publicly for everyone to see. When she was questioned about the note, she told them that she had taken a morning swim and then had decided to head into town for some coffee. She had ran into Charles and they had decided to get some breakfast and catch up. Charles was able to verify her story along with others that had been at Mick's so Norma wasn't questioned after that.

The body of Josef was never found but Norma decided to have a funeral for him anyways. She had to put on the front of a grieving widow once more. Rumors started to seep around town calling her the Black Widow. Not that she had killed any of her husbands, just that it seemed anyone that married her ended up dead or disappeared. People talked about the family being cursed and how anyone that got involved with the Bates, bad luck would follow. This started to effect Clarice and her friends at school. Some of the girls picked on her saying she was the daughter of a witch. Others said that Clarice herself had killed all her step-dads. Kids could be cruel and Norma saw that the ones in Hidden Springs were not different.

'Let's just blow up the whole town! Wipe the fucking place clean off the map!' Norma Jean seethed. 'They will get what is coming to them, don't worry Norma Jean. I think Clarice can take care of her self.'

And she could. Little things started happening to the girls at school. One broke out in a horrible rash that covered her whole face, making it swell. Another fell of the monkey bars and broke her wrist. While another one missed two weeks of school because she kept puking up blood. Yes, Clarice had the school kids handled and Norma knew this.

Before Norma could blink her eyes and get Charles to commit to her with marriage, the twin's birthday rolled around. Norma was actually glad that she hadn't married Charles yet as she wanted to spend this birthday with just her kids. She had great plans for all her children, but Norman was special. Norman would be the one she taught all her deepest darkest secrets too.

"Norman, I will make you the evilest little boy in the world. You are so special, no one will compare to you," Norma smiled as she help Norman blow out his candles. 

He grew into a fine looking boy, and Norma couldn't be prouder. "You will make all the girls pay, won't you Norman?" 
"Yes mother," Norman said, his face expressionless.

Norma was so busy being proud of her son and making plans for him that she didn't realize that Clarice had heard the whole thing.

"I am going to kill you," she whispered as she looked over at her brother. "How dare you take mother's love from me."

Norma busy with Bellatrix now didn't see Clarice's jealousy. She was just happy that all her children were growing up just as evil as her.

 Bellatrix seemed to enjoy her evilness, even more than Clarice. Maybe Norma was wrong on who would be taking over the family home when she passed. Or maybe, she would just have all her children share in the joy of it.

Chapter Ten - Flame Resistant

"Should we slit his throat or bash him in the head?"
"Ma!"
"Oh yes, we could tie him to the bed and take a sledge hammer to his legs. That would be fun Annie, good idea."

Norma wasn't happy with Josef, not only did he bring no money in what so ever, his sorry ass had a birthday the day they got married! Not that he was too old yet, but he sure was older than she liked.

"Who would want a wrinkly old disgusting man when they didn't have to?" she had told Annie as she got her breakfast."It's not like I will be young forever, but when I get wrinkles is only when they can have wrinkles." 








Josef was good for a few things he taught Bellatrix to walk and Annie to talk but he still ignored Clarice like she wasn't there.

Clarice didn't mind though, in fact it gave her more ammunition to use against him when she would say something to mommy. Lecter had grown to be quite special to Clarice and they started to plot Josef's demise. Clarice could see that her mother wasn't happy, that she had just married Josef because of Annie and his money. One night she heard them arguing about how he was a mooch, a lowlife and a piece of shit, not bringing any money into the house and just taking for a woman with four kids.

"We need to get rid of him Lecter," she had told her best friend.
"I shall grab a knife?" 
"No, not yet, a knife would be too easy, we need to think of something creative," she told him rubbing her hands together. "Something that would make mother proud."

Christmas came and Norma got Clarice the chemistry set she had asked for. Norma knew what her daughter was up to and she couldn't be prouder. She loved that her daughter was just as evil as her and wanted to start in the "family business" so early.

"The website said if we add Digoxin and Ethylene glycol it will slow his heart and shut down his organs. It would look natural, right?"
"I want to hear him scream!" 
"I am sure he will do that too." 

Clarice spent all her free time working on the poison. She tried different mixtures but usually blew it up before anything significant came out of it. It was a cold winter day when she finally got it right.

"We did it!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's give it to him now!" 
"Not yet, now we have to wait for the right time."

As Clarice put her chemistry set away, Lecter rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be fun. I hope it burns his insides and blisters form through the skin." he told her.
"Oh Lecter, you have the most brilliant ideas." 

Norma had been devising her own plan on how to get rid of Josef and make it look like an accident. She waited until Clarice was at school and the babies were all napping before she "accidentally" started a fire.

"Help! Oh Josef, help me!" she screamed.
"Hold on Babe!" Josef said as he got up from the couch and ran over.

She had planned on bashing him in the head with the fire extinguisher and then letting the flames consume him before calling the fire department. It was the perfect plan to make his death look like an accident. Just as he neared her and she was about to hit him the maid came running into the house with the other fire extinguisher.

"I heard the screams and called the fire department already, they are on their way!" he said as he started to spray the flames. "Josef move or you'll set on fire!" 

'Fucking bastard!' Norma Jean screamed. 'How is it suppose to look like an accident now!' 'I don't know, I don't think we can do it now.' Norma replied, pissed off at the maid and wanting the flames to consume both of them.

The maid was able to get the last of the flames out before the fire department even arrived. Josef walked away unscathed and Norma just glared.

'He'll pay for that.' she told Norma Jean as she looked at the maid with a deadly stare. 'Mark my words Norma Jean, he will suffer.'