DEATHLESS

The Pebble that Pushed the End

To understand Violet Solace, we have to rewind the clocks a bit, back to her childhood.

Katrina knew the cost of having a child, the drugs, her line of work, and the absentee father were all just too much on top of it. She'd stayed clean during the pregnancy and barely got by. The street had made her money for her habits, but by being clean the internet was enough to provide for those nine months. Adoption was the only way she could guarantee some hope of a normal life for her child. A 21 year old with a drug problem and a pimp doesn't bode well for a mother. With that she finally made her decision, she swallowed down any happy thoughts and feelings about maybe running away to be the perfect mother. They would find her eventually but it wasn't possible. She laughed it off for a few minutes, and suddenly those small chuckles turned to tears and bawling as she clutched her pregnant stomach.

One month later, she signed the papers in a huff of anxiety and relief. Then it truly set in, the life she chose no longer mattered. "I'm sorry Violet, you don't deserve what I would give you. You deserve a real family. I'll change. I promise. I'll come back for you." She cried softly over her newborn child.

Foster care knocked on the door, "We're here for Violet." said a forty something black woman with a kind smile who stood at the door.

"Hi, come in," Katrina answered, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. The rest is history, and after a few months Violet Carter was taken in by a young couple whose surname was Solace and the name Carter faded into a distant memory and old documentation.

The Solace's were ordinary people, with ordinary lives. Mr. Solace was a lawyer, and Mrs. Solace a hospice nurse at a retirement home. They comfortably made ends meet and Violet grew to be a happy, adventurous and curious child. However fate's cruel thread was strung, and Violet met it firsthand in the third grade when it ensared her.

Violet came home on the bus as usual, and plopped down at the coffee table to do her homework as she's used to doing right about this time of day. Mrs. Solace glanced away from her cup of coffee over to Violet and saw a pink envelope poking out of the big stack of homework. It was a letter from one of her teachers. She opened up the note, "This is just a concerned teacher at the school. Violet hasn't been making any friends. Her grades are at the top of her class, so there's no concern there. I just hope we can meet in person to talk more about Violet. - Miss Lorraine." She crumbled up the note to throw it out as she thought to herself, if there's no problem with her grades she must be fine, besides I don't have enough time for a meeting.

A few months passed and nothing had changed. A young miss Lorraine teaching third grade math decided to take matters into her own hands. "Violet, talk to me after class today please. I have something to tell you." She asked, while handing out graded papers.

"Violet, I'm worried about you. You hardly talk to any of your classmates. It's important you make friends, especially here in the BIG 3rd grade. Are you ok? Is something going on at home?" Violet's pupils dilated in shock, she wanted to say that her parents are busy all the time and she just wanted to talk to them. They wouldn't have enough time for me anyways, why should I tell them, that's just more trouble. "I'll try to make friends, I'm sorry." She said quietly. "Ok, you can go Violet."

Sadly, this had an adverse effect to what Lorraine had in mind. Violet's grades in math class began a sharp decline.

"Mr. Solace?"

"Yes, this is he."

"Hi! This is Miss Loraine from Timbers elementary. I'm sure you've noticed that Violet is really struggling. I'm more than willing to tutor her on Saturdays at my apartment if you're open to that."

"That would be great! I'll tell Jess."

"Great!"

Saturday's came and went, Violet's grades started to get better, but she still wasn't socializing. Loraine didn't like doing witchcraft, especially with children. She was just a kind soul without any therapy training. What she did have was some old black leathered books and grimoires and so she got to work.