Clouds of Violet

Chapter Sixteen

Tuesday, September 16th, 10:04

"Right, now that we're all here," Sheriff Hudson begins. "The rules are simple. Any evidence found should be reported to me or my fellow officers."

Zara catches my eye and smirks.

I'd let him cuff me, she mouths.

Ew, I mouth back.

I look over at Ayeza, who doesn't even seem to be listening. She's bobbing her head to her music, texting someone. I peer over her shoulder as Sheriff Hudson continues to tell us his rules.

"Who's Abu?" I whisper. She looks over at me before shrugging.

"My father," she says. "I'm telling him that I'll be home late. He's not particularly happy about it."

"Ladies," Sheriff Hudson says. Ayeza and I both look up. "If you will. Now, the rules are clear, we're good to go."

We follow the officers out of town and to the woods that aren't that far out. To my surprise, Ayeza takes off her headphones and rests them on her shoulders.

"No damn service," she mutters.

Carefully, we step over branches and crush leaves beneath our feet. I feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when I step on a crunchy leaf and it crunches.

Max and Ezra join us just to annoy us.

"Hey, Ayeza, maybe you should get your headphones surgically implanted in your ears," Max says, while Ezra laughs.

"Hey, Max, maybe you should shut up," Ayeza scowls.

"I'm surprised you even took them off," Ezra adds.

"Not willingly," Ayeza says. "I can't believe the woods don't have cell service."

"Yeah, 'cause I was expecting free WiFi," Max chuckles.

"Don't traumatise the poor girl," I say, half-laughing.

"I sincerely apologise for any traumatising that I've done," Max says, putting one arm around my shoulder and the other around Ayeza's.

"Don't touch me," Ayeza says, ducking from underneath his arm.

"She's weird," Max says.

We're going deeper into the woods, and it starts to get darker. I hear a squelch as I step into something wet. I groan to myself and curse as I wipe the mud off on tree bark.

Why did I choose to wear white shoes?

I feel somebody's hand snake around my arm and almost gasp when Ezra's silhouette appears beside me.

"You scared me!" I exclaim.

"Sorry," he says. "I hate the dark." I see that his other hand is wrapped tightly around Max's arm as well.

"Where's Ayeza?" I ask, craning my neck in all directions. "Max, Ezra. Where's Ayeza?" Before either of them can open their mouth to respond, a scream echoes and carries through the trees.

And many follow after it.

***

I jerk myself awake and my tired eyes scan the room.

Bright fluorescent lights, white tile floors, the smell of hand sanitizer, and waiting chairs that are occupied by my friends.

I hate hospitals.

I check the time, 21:43, and yawn.

Everyone's asleep; Max's feet are in Ezra's lap and his head is on my shoulder. Zara's sleeping with her legs tucked beneath her, but Aaron isn't next to her like he was a few hours ago,

First Alora, then Ayeza, and now Aaron?

Panic spreads through my chest and to my stomach as I jump to my feet. Max's head falls to the armrest and he groans as he turns onto his stomach. My heartbeat begins to beat at the speed of light as I hear distant footsteps.

"Sky?"

Relief sets in my chest as I see Aaron standing with a coffee in his hand. He runs a hand through his rumpled hair and sits back down, putting Zara's head on his shoulder.

"Sorry if I scared you," he says. "I need something to keep me awake." He takes a sip from his cup and I sit down.

"It's fine," I say, moving Max away from me. "How much longer do you think we can stay?"

"I dunno," Aaron says. "Maybe they'll let us stay if we act worried enough for our friends."

"Ayeza's not your friend," I point out. "You've been bullying her since she came."

"People change," he shrugs.

"Even you?"

His eyes, a sea of anger, flicker to mine. Behind those eyes, I can see a storm that thunders and lightning that strikes.

"I'm just glad we found Alora," I say.

And I am.

Ayeza found Alora, or whatever was left of her. Alora was beaten and bruised, her fiery hair covered in blood and fresh mud. Her clothes were ripped to almost nothing, and she was lying in the leaves, motionless and lifeless.

But she was breathing.

Her heart was still beating.

Her pulse was there, even if it was faint.

She was going to be fine.

Ayeza was going to be fine as well.

She was horrified when she found Alora, she was the one who screamed. She passed out and hit her head on a rock. Blood seeped through her dark hair and trailed down her back. Both of them had been rushed to the hospital. Ayeza has a concussion and Alora's barely passing by. Ayeza's only going to be in the hospital for a week, but Alora's going to be there for at least a month. They're not letting us visit either of them yet.

"Yeah, I'm glad too," Aaron says. "Might shock you, though." I always forget how fragile Aaron's ego is; he's allowed to be a dick to anyone, but God forbid anyone tries that same assholery on him.

"You're such an asshole," I say. "I don't know what Zara sees in you."

"Jealous, are we?"

"This is what I mean when I say you're an asshole."

"Go back to sleep, Sky."