Violet

15| Momentary Look

Emmett knocks loudly on the door and it opens in seconds.

"Violet! Emmett! How are you guys?"

I get straight to the point. "Well thank you, we came to ask you about something." Laurie's face goes to something along the lines of excitement, then to neutral than to concern.

"Oh, sure, what can I help you with? Everything alright?"

I look towards Emmett, who nods, so I begin fumbling in my pocket until I wrap my fingers around the cold metal. I bring out the key.

"We visited the shop in the village Antiqued and came across this key. The man there told us that you brought it in. Do you know anything about where this came from?"

Laurie rests his head on the corner of the door to think. "Gosh," he shakes his head, "I wished that George would not give my address out to people, luckily it was just you guys. But yes, I remember giving that in last week. I found that very key down at the ruins along with a few rocks and other things." I look at Emmett, and he looks back at me with a serious expression.

"The ruins? As in the ruins we found last week?" Emmett asks him, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, the very one," Laurie replies, "look I just have to finish up over here," he gestures behind him inside, "then I will be right back out. That alright?" He smiles at us gently, and I return it.

"Of course, thank you." Once the door creaks shut again, I step foot in the shade along the side of the barn and Emmett joins me. Pressing my lips together, I think for a moment.

"You know what we have to do right?" I ask him. His eyes squint from the sun as he looks at me, then at the ground.

He bites the inside of his cheek. "Yes. We need to go back to the ruins." "As soon as possible."

...

Laurie returns, explaining that he is unable to take us to the ruins today, so it has to be in a couple of days. As disappointing as that is, we will have to wait, deciding that if we tried going down there ourselves, we would most likely end up lost. Emmett and I go back to the hall for lunch.

What I did not expect there to be, was a dining hall in the castle, yet here I stand in the doorway of one. I did not even know castles had something like this.

I have come in here quite a few times to have my meals, with or without Emmett, but today it has never been this quiet.

Still, the walls echo the sounds of the few people all seated at a few benches around the room, into a buzz. Tables of food line one side of the wall holding bowls of bread, salads, fruits, meat, and other things.

I find my eyes searching for the table Emmett and I usually sit at, right in the corner, next to some open windows. Thankfully today it is vacant again. I am not surprised; it is the most far away from all the other tables.

"What to sit over there again?" He gestures to it and I agree.

For some reason, I feel as if I want to make eye contact with him, and once I do, I smile. "Let us meet there then, once getting our food." He grins back and we depart.

I get to the table first after picking out another two bread rolls, a heap of salad, a couple of thinly sliced beef pieces and a cup of water.

Sitting down shoots a jolt of pain up to the side of my ribs, reminding me that I am still in recovery.

I rested for two days. Was that not enough? I sigh to myself.

At home, getting hurt is not taken lightly. Like Dr Riley, my mother is strict on the 'healing first' regulation. But here, there is no time to lose, or heal, or wait, so I must push through.