The Promise

Chapter 8- A Touch Of Silver

"That's what they said." Zoë said.

"So they still refuse to come back? Not to worry. You said they've become close with this outsider?" Alice asked.

"Yes. They seem pretty comfortable around her." Zoë said.

"Plan B is falling in place then." Alice said as she twisted a strand of her blond hair around her finger.

"Benjamin. What do you know about this outsider?" Alice asked.

"Violet Edison, m'lady. She seems to be just an ordinary girl. Her parents both work under George Carow's business." the butler said.

"Wonderful. So how about that fox? Have you captured him?" Alice asked.

"Not yet m'lady. The guards are having trouble."

She slammed her fist on the table angrily but smiled as she tried to calm herself down.

"He's teasing me. Running around the mountains of the estate without even coming to visit me." she said as she tapped her fingers impatiently.

"Where is he?!" she shouted out in anger, not being able to contain her anger anymore.

"I believe he is somewhere in the eastern forest of the estate." the butler said.

"Now, now, dear. This is not how the head should be acting. What am I even kidding? If you can't even keep all your chickens in the nest, then what good are you?" the old lady said coming to join the dinner table.

"I'm doing a lot. I will get them back, grandmother. Don't you worry. Every last one of those brats." she said.

Meanwhile, Violet washed her hands in the bathroom and returned to her room to start studying. Tests were upon them and creeping at them. Violet walked into her room and saw Max braiding Mia's hair.

"Where's Izumi?" Violet asked.

"He's roaming around here somewhere." Max said as he braided the blond hair between his fingers.

"I didn't know you could braid hair?" Violet said taking a closer look.

"Yeah, before high school, we were in the dorms at middle school too. I learned how to braid when a bunch of girls needed their hair braided and there were too few teachers." Max said. He twisted the hair tie around her hair.

"Ta-da!" Max said.

"Thank you, Max." Mia said smiling.

"Can you braid mine too?" Violet asked.

"Sure. Sit down." Max said. He gathered her hair and started braiding.

"Woah, your hair." he said.

"I-is something wrong?" Violet asked.

"I see it too." Mia said looking at her roots.

"What?" Violet said worriedly.

"Some of your roots are silver." Max said.

"O-oh." Violet said covering her head with her hands.

"Guess it was going to come out sometime. Some of my hair strands are naturally silver. I don't know why. I dye the strands now and then. Guess it's time again." Violet said awkwardly. The girls at her middle school always bullied her about it. They said she was old and made fun of her.

"That is very weird, but we're weirder." Max laughed. It was the first time someone brushed it off like that, but then again, they have more on their hands.

"I think it would look beautiful if you stopped dyeing it and mixed it in with your dirty blond hair." Mia said.

"You think so?" Violet asked.