—Arlo Alonso, “Turbidity and Tutelage ~Ragazza Sirena Magica~”
Violet remembered a thousand sources of a thousand shades of red. She remembered screaming, and pain, and still gripping two shirts as everything fell apart. She remembered a flash of black among all the red. Like a raven in a pool of blood. That was all she could remember of Kiera’s fate. When she woke up, everything hurt. That was fine. She’d long accepted pain as a necessary cost of control. She was about to open her eyes and try to get her bearings, when she heard the whispered voices.
“Daniel, I understand. I do. Honestly, I don’t like her either. But she just saved our lives. Don’t you think we owe her the benefit of the doubt for that?” Aubrey asked.
“She’s awake,” he answered immediately, and Violet cursed internally. Whatever his calling was, it was dangerous. Violet started moving slowly, opening her eyes and looking around the room. He’d called her out fairly quickly, so it wasn’t even suspicious that she’d tried to eavesdrop on them. Daniel wasn’t very good at playing his cards close to his vest, even when he was trying to.
“Where are we?" Violet asked. She ignored the conversation they’d been having before, at least on the surface. She needed to get Daniel alone before allowing him a moment with anyone else, it seemed. He hadn’t spoken up about whatever he knew before, and she had a feeling he wouldn’t again, so long as she was around. At least, not until they made it to the next station. She had a feeling she knew why, too. Which really left her with one question.
Derek, Stephanie, and Caitlyn had all tried to sacrifice Violet for their own gain. Killing them had been just. Perhaps not quite as heroic as some of the stories she’d read, but in line with the heroes of more than a few revenge fantasies. She’d accepted that she would kill again. She might have needed to, if simply controlling people like Alex didn’t help her grow fast enough. But she was learning to accept that even if she didn’t, she wanted to. Even if she felt a little guilty afterwards, it also provided a release. Like having the perfect quip at the perfect moment to embarrass someone after an insult. Or winning accolades over someone who only uses underhanded tricks. Every kill was a moment of control. Of power. It was a victory over every minute she’d spent being looked down on in her life. And she wanted to keep feeling it. She was ready to find the Dereks and the Caitlyns of the world. She was happy to kill them. When they deserved it, the guilt would be muted.
But Daniel… he wasn’t a bad person, per se. He was simply dangerous. He could end everything for her. So what she had to ask herself was, was she willing to murder a person for her own safety, even if they hadn’t wronged her? Would it still provide that same euphoria, or would the greater guilt poison it? Which answer would be better? She had to consider everything. Because if she didn’t make a decision, she could be caught. And if that happened, she would be back to a life of obedience. A life without control. Over others, or over herself. And that thought felt worse than any guilt she could imagine.
“We’re somewhere inside the nest. We fell pretty far, I think, but it’s hard to tell. You’re the last to wake up, but neither of us remembers exactly how we got here,” Aubrey answered. Daniel simply looked away.
Violet pushed herself from the ground, sitting up fully. She didn’t seem to be too badly injured. She could definitely stand, despite her various bruises and scrapes. Half of the pain seemed to just be an agitation of her earlier wounds. “We can’t have fallen too far, or we’d be in worse shape, right?” Violet asked. Aubrey looked up. They were very much covered by crystal and mist. It must have fallen after them, or it wouldn’t have made sense for them to wake up under it. It was impossible to tell how deep they were, but there was enough light that it couldn’t have been too far.
“I think that ceiling used to be a wall. We must have slid or rolled down at least part of the way. I really don’t know,” Aubrey answered. Violet glanced around again, wondering what she was missing. Her entire body tensed when she realized, sending pain through her spine like a current as it did.
“Kiera?” Violet asked. The fox girl was nowhere to be seen, and she’d been in the most precarious situation of all of them. Aubrey tried to share a look with Daniel, but he was very carefully avoiding looking toward Violet. So she sighed and shook her head.
“We don’t know where she is. She wasn’t here when we woke up, but…” she trailed off, then held up a length of rope. “This was still tied to the banister. Part of that made it down here, but… the other end came loose.” Violet stared at the rope for a moment, then forced herself to stand. It was a close call, but there was enough room for her to rise to her full height in the empty space around them.
“Well, let’s go,” she said. Daniel finally met her eyes at her as he and Aubrey offered her a surprised look.
“You don’t need to… rest?” Aubrey asked. “You just woke up. You could be bleeding internally! You probably have a concussion! And you just want to… start moving?” Violet tilted her head, loudly cracking her neck and rotating one shoulder at the same time.
“Violets are a sturdy flower, ask anyone,” Violet responded.
“No… they really aren’t,” Aubrey argued. Violet pouted at the too-serious dismissal, but shrugged.
“Kiera is out there somewhere, and I think we established there is something else in here. At least one dangerous hedron, just our luck. We can’t wait here until we know what state she is in, right?” Violet pushed. Aubrey examined her for a moment, resentment slowly giving way to begrudging respect.
“You really care about people, don’t you?” Aubrey asked. “You just met her!” Daniel gave Aubrey a sidelong glance, but didn’t contest the claim.
“Of course I do? Every life matters, Aubrey. I’m not gonna let another person die when I might be able to stop it. Besides, I’ve been hurt worse than this and walked longer. We gotta find our way out of here, and we gotta find Kiera. She trusted us when she went to get that heart for us. She trusted us, and we are going to find her. Or, I am, at least. I’d like it if you both came with me. But I have to go either way,” Violet answered.
“But… when you talked to your boyfriend, you were so…” Aubrey trailed again. “Never mind. You’re right. We have to get out of here either way, and it’s not safe to wait here. Let’s go find Kiera. You coming, Daniel?” She stood as she spoke, and Daniel was left as the last one sitting. He very intentionally failed to look at Violet, staring either at Aubrey or his own feet.
“Y–Yeah, I’m coming,” he agreed.
“Glad to have you aboard!” Violet beamed. “I promise I still won’t bite! Any chance your “Dowsing” talent can help us find the way out of here?” He shook his head.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“It’s… not that specific. At least, not at my grade. I can direct us to Kiera, though,” he answered.
“Oh, that’s perfect!” Violet exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. “Does it tell you if she’s okay at all?” Daniel shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. At least, again, not at my grade. It’s not actually her I’m using the talent on, but the heart she was holding. I figure they’ll be in the same place, if she is alright,” he explained.
“Not necessarily, but she’d certainly have tried to hang onto it. There is a decent chance they’ll be close together, and…” she trailed off again, but everyone knew what she meant. And the heart matters more. It wasn’t a pleasant reality, but all three of them knew it was true. If they returned to the train with the heart and not Kiera, they would live. If they found Kiera and not the heart…
“I won’t trade lives,” Violet insisted. “Not one. I don’t care who. I won’t trade a single life if I have the ability to stop it. I know how much the heart matters. But I won’t sacrifice Kiera, I won’t sacrifice you, I won’t sacrifice Daniel. Either we are all getting out of here, or I’m not. Alright? We are finding her, even if we find the heart first.” Daniel looked at his feet, and Aubrey nodded.
“No, you’re right. I wasn’t trying to say otherwise. We’ll find her, I promise,” Aubrey agreed. Violet nodded once, then rolled her sore shoulder again.
“I’m glad we all agree. Lead the way, Daniel. Or, sorry. You don’t like being in front, right? Aubrey, did you want to lead, so you can use your talent safely? Daniel can just point us in the right direction,” Violet said, taking charge of the situation. Aubrey nodded, and Daniel took his spot in the middle.
“Um, she’s definitely above us. And that way, although I’m not sure how to get there,” he said, pointing in the direction they needed to move.
“We’ll just have to dig our way out of any rubble we run into, and climb when we find open air. We’re all strong, and it’s only red crystal. We can do it,” Violet answered. There wasn’t really much more to discuss, at that point. Violet gathered up the discarded rope, resting it on one shoulder, and Aubrey began to walk.
It quickly became clear it wasn’t going to be an easy escape, as they had to work together to lift collapsed crystal and crawl through various gaps to find a way forward. But they were moving forward. They were silent for a while, only speaking to ask for help with something heavy, or to debate what the safest path forward was. It was obvious they were below ground level, at least, and that attracted a bit of a pall over the group. That, and there were… noises. Whatever had shrieked before everything had gone to Hell was still moving around above them. The light would get a moving shadow over it at times, and the muffled noises of an animal occasionally sent a bolt of anxiety through the group. None of them said anything about it. It was too obvious what it was, and talking about it would only make the danger feel more real. But once they’d found a long and eerie tunnel, lit through a crystal ceiling, Aubrey spoke up.
“I had this boyfriend, back home,” she said. She paused after that, just long enough that Violet thought she wasn’t going to follow it up.
“Uh, that makes sense. You’re super pretty. I imagine a lot of guys were interested,” Violet answered. A slight blush on Daniel’s face revealed the truth in the statement. But Aubrey shook her head as they walked.
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m… I’m trying to apologize,” Aubrey responded. Violet tilted her head and put on an awkward smile. She’d never received an apology that opened with another woman’s romantic exploits before, but she was open to new things.
“Oh, okay, then,” Violet chittered. “You really don’t need to, though.”
“I do, actually,” Aubrey insisted. The shadow of the hedron passed over them again, and all of them paused. It was a heavy but brief moment before they resumed their walk. “I had this boyfriend, and I really loved him. And I thought he loved me. For years, we were together. And it was a long time before I realized I wasn’t happy with him, and I don’t think I ever had been. It was after a fight. I’d embarrassed him, I guess. In front of his friends, when I said I didn’t like a movie they all loved. He didn’t yell at me or anything, but he… he was just not happy with me. Disappointed, and I always worked so hard to impress him. That was what I realized. That was our entire relationship. Me working to earn his praise. And he gave it—when I behaved like I was supposed to. When I liked the right movies, or wore the right colors. But when I didn’t—well, the way he talked… he just got so good at putting me down all the time. At making me feel so worthless for the smallest of mistakes. I broke up with him when I realized that. And it was the best thing I’d ever done.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Violet responded quietly. “I even understand it—a little. I guess you wouldn’t know that. But I used to get a lot of the same thing. I got my calling pretty late, and a lot of my life was spent competing to earn approval, despite my lack of calling. I totally get how it feels.” Aubrey didn’t respond for a moment, then she sighed.
“Of course you understand. I should have known. But, well. When I heard you talking to your own boyfriend, Alex. I just… the way you spoke to him sent me right back to my old relationship. I felt small again. Helpless. I didn’t know you yet, and it just sounded so familiar. I made an assumption about you. But after today… well, I was wrong. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you like that, just because of my own baggage. Honestly, you’re a better person than I am. That seems obvious to me now. I just… It was a gut reaction, and I’m sorry,” Aubrey answered. Violet considered that for a long moment. She idly noticed that Daniel was clenching his fists, but she let it go.
“No. You’re right,” Violet agreed. “You were right to be suspicious. I didn’t even realize it, but… what you described? That’s exactly what I was doing. Alex and I are going through something. I know my friends have talked about how I found a green heart before. Well. I didn’t volunteer to go after it. I was forced into it. Alex’s mom was one of the ones who chose me for the job, and Alex… he took her side. He defended her. And he didn’t even visit me before I was forced into the mist, the first time. It didn’t break us up, but we are having trouble moving past it. I’ll admit, I’ve been punishing him for it. You were right to call me out for it. I should be the one apologizing.” Aubrey actually laughed.
“Christ, you’re a better person than me, even when I apologize to you. I was a bitch, Violet. I know I was. And you never stopped being kind. You got in a fight with your boyfriend, and I just wrote you off as the same as some other creep I used to know. Yet here you are, comforting me. And me? I’m a fucking murderer,” Aubrey replied. Her laugh was devoid of humor, and Violet could hear the desperate need to cry behind it.
Violet stopped walking, and the other two were forced to follow suit to avoid leaving her behind. “No,” Violet replied sternly. “No. You aren’t a murderer.” Daniel seemed to perk up when she said this, but Aubrey shook her head.
“I killed a woman, Violet. I killed an innocent woman. What else would I be?” she countered.
“The same thing as the rest of us. A scared kid, who never should have been put in that position,” Violet answered. “I won’t sugarcoat this for you. I won’t. You’re right. Stephanie was innocent, and she is dead because of you. Yes, you killed her. But no. You did not murder her. It was her job to protect you, and she panicked. She made it your job to protect her instead. And you made a mistake. Because none of us are used to this. None of us knows what we are doing, and we have to make life and death decisions in the heat of the moment.
“You tried to save her, and you failed. You killed her, instead. You’ll have to live with that for the rest of your life. To some extent, we all will. But that’s just what death is. It’s something you can’t forget. It’s something that matters. And it’s something you can’t blame yourself for. Not this time. You did your best, and it might be the reason the rest of us are alive. You aren’t a murderer. You're just scared. Like Daniel is. Like I am. And you tried to fight anyway. Even though you were scared. Even though you shouldn’t have needed to. So you killed someone while trying to save them. Maybe I killed Kiera by sending her after that heart. I don’t know. But we have to move forward.”
Aubrey was silent for a long moment, and the water in her eyes was clear. She opened her mouth to speak, but Daniel interrupted her. “The heart, it’s moving!” he exclaimed, and both the girls locked their eyes on him. It had to be Kiera. It had to be. Violet was about to celebrate—when another shriek tore through the air and the world started to collapse again. Again, Violet was the first to react. She pulled Daniel back just as something collided with the crystal ceiling. Whatever it was crashed into the spot the boy had been standing a moment before and separated the two from Aubrey.
We have reached the first stretch goal!!
6k - 15k Bonus Chapter – 2,000 Followers
2,001 / 2,000
Description
Starting at 2,000 followers, I will write a bonus chapter between 6k - 15k in length every 1k followers up to 5k. This may be a side character, this may be an AU, or anything else. Who decides? You do! When a milestone is reached, I will ask for suggestions and put up a poll of the most popular ones!
1 - These characters are underage. So smut is out of the question.
2 - This fiction is not tagged as fan fiction. As such, without direct permission from the author of another work, I cannot publish a fan fiction chapter here. Best I can do is set a chapter in a similar world (provided the original setting is not inherently harmful on it's own.)
3 - I won't write anything inherently harmful on it's own merit. Violet is a villain lead, which I do as a way of examining abuse and manipulation in general. Not to portray such behaviors in a positive light.
Aside from that (or the spirit of that) sky is the limit. You want magical girl Violet? You want Fantasy world Violet? Violet with a different calling? Canon side story? A closer look at another character? Make your suggestions below, and if you see a suggestion you like, reply to it with +1. On Monday, I will have the most popular suggestions in a poll, and you may all vote on them! Patrons will also have access to the poll, and you may vote twice, with patron votes counting for 2. (So a voting power of 3 total). After that, I'll get started on the bonus chapter!