Butterflies Volume II

Chapter 32

"Jesus," Hughie gasped, "you're just telling us now?"

The boys stood in a huddle around Billy and Violet in the office, all shocked faces as to the news they had just shared. Solemnly relaying it over, Violet stood by Billy's side and took in each look attempting to assure herself that they would be considerate. Hughie questioned if they had seen specialists, and Violet was quick to remind him that if there was any possibility she would have found it by then. She wouldn't have shifted her hands through so many realities if they had a back door.

Kimiko entered the room behind them, not interested at first in what they were saying. She joined however, ignoring Frenchie's looks to explain. She had been going to therapy, what they should all be doing perhaps. Violet could go to therapy when everything was done, talking just made her more antsy.

"So how long you got?" M.M. questioned, his arms folded.

"It's none of your fucking business," Billy brushed off, turning away to their desk, "I wouldn't even be telling you but I got an angel on my shoulder and she's a right bloody nag."

Violet shot him a teasing look, pretending to be offended by the comment. He could act as though he wasn't interested in sharing it, but in the dark of the same room they stood in then, he revealed it all. All insecurity. Violet's grin quickly dropped as she looked to the others, clearly not sharing her same humour any longer. Her concern was displaced with jokes so that she didn't crumble and cry. She did that the first few weeks, desperately searching for a cure. There wasn't one, so it was better to face reality.

"Butcher, we tried to warn you that shit was poison," Annie pleaded, nodding to Violet.

"You ain't one of us."

Violet jumped forward and put her hand up as Hughie shouted, "woah hey, calm it. It's the right thing to tell you. It's not exactly an easy thing to deal with."

She turned her head to Billy, cooling him down. He wasn't helping with his bitterness towards Annie and the others, some compassion would be great. She stood in the way of the disappointed looks of the others, who began to see her as just a guard dog standing in the way of a broken man.

"V," M.M. sighed, agreeing with her before moving his gaze to Billy, "a word you two."

He held the door open to the corridor, the pair of them following him out. They left the others to watch as they spoke to their leader, their mother. Violet remembered the conversation they had months ago, still itching her like a rash. That Billy wasn't good enough for her, that M.M. could never understand why she crawled back to him. Perhaps M.M. was too pure to ever understand why Violet, so broken and tormented, would fight for someone worse than her. There weren't any words worthy to defend it to M.M..

As they slowed to a halt several steps from the door, M.M. shook his head, "you two are done."

"What?" They said in unison.

"Fired," he explained, "I'm sorry V... But grab your shit and get the fuck out."

"I level with you lot and this is the thanks I get," Billy argued back, "well love that was a waste of time."

She scoffed, "hold the fuck on. So he's dying, but cause he's a twat we're both gone? After all the shit I've done all miss perfect for Grace and the CIA? After what he's done?"

M.M. looked at her like she was an entirely new person, "you two have been lying to us for the last six months."

"Not telling ain't lying."

Violet gritted her teeth, looking at the others who still watched through the crack in the door. All they had done, crumbling around them. That office, all they had built and they were being shunned. She clenched her fists next, little sparks of purple stinging her skin. She refused to look at Billy, because she was angry, and his anger fueling hers was making things worse. They didn't need them, but she wanted them. She wanted all that was good by having them around.