Classic Rock ✔️

0.4 | Smoke on the water

Although the sun shone forcefully through the thin layer of tent, its rays didn't quite reach Violet fast enough. Instead, however, she was left shivering with as many blankets as she could find wrapped around herself, much like a caterpillar in its cocoon.

Next to her lay - rather uncomfortably - Aiden. His lanky body was curled into a ball and because Violet had taken anything resembling conduction for her, he rested while clutching onto his dirty t-shirt from yesterday. Curls of ginger fell against his freckled face, probably tickling his almost translucent skin.

The loud kind of snoring that could only be described as one of an elephants kept a nice and familiar background- and for once Violet was thankful for Mia. At least her dreadful snoring wasn't something that had kept her awake last night. In fact, it accompanied Violet on the journey through her network of thoughts when she probably should have been sleeping.

She twiddled her thumbs, unsure of what to do. Her chipped and dirty nails didn't make the best first impression, but she wasn't with someone important. There was no one special in sight.

Violet's tanned hands gripped harder onto the wedge of blankets and then unclenched them again. She thought she must have repeated this at least ten times before realising what she was doing and slowly clasping her hands together like an idiot, her eyebrows furrowed down.

Just do something, she mouthed into the cold air but no one responded. Not a secret paedophile lurking in the tent, not Violet's secret conscience and definitely not the sleeping Aiden huddled against his dirty shirt. Everything was silent.

Slowly, as if she wasn't even sure what she was doing - which was technically true - Violet slid the heap of blankets off her body and onto the dank floor of the tent. Instantly, her body shivered but the girl did her best to ignore it. Instead she placed the fleecy blankets on top of the sleeping body of Aiden, turning around before she could see how the slumbering boy would react.

If he would react.

Cringing at the loud noise the zipper was making, she gingerly undid the tent. It was a mistake to think that outside would be any warmer, Violet's logic deceiving her intensively but predictably. Scanning the early morning sun brushing past the landscape around her she took a tiny step forward, trying to get closer.

To what, she wasn't sure yet.

Smiling, the morning sun kissed her face and she noticed a stray microphone poking outside an open window of Cole's car. Her stupid brother had left the window open, but Violet guessed there weren't many thieves nearby. This was a field, not the middle of London.

Taking another step closer to her brother's solution to his money problems, she tried not to cringe when she thought about how this wasn't going to end well. Violet knew, Mia knew, and she was pretty sure Aiden was just deluded. It didn't matter how desperate Cole was. His plan was never going to work.

This little tale that he had fabricated for himself was obviously going to be resolved with him wallowing up to their mum, his tail between his tails, as he begged for money and her love back.

Violet dug her bare foot painfully into the damp grass; she was sure mum would happily throw her love away to him again. It was what she did. What she always did.

By this time Violet had reached the rusty car that had got her into this mess, her shivering hand touched the stray microphone sticking out from the car. Its shiny metal top sent a chilling wave through her hands and the ridges on the microphone seemed to have a thin layer of rust resting on it.

Violet would be surprised if it worked.

Peeking at the millions of instruments crammed inside the vehicle, she understood how they would probably never live their glorious days ever again. Violet let her hand slip from the cold grip of the microphone and realised her mum had been right all along. Her harsh words about Cole always used to hurt her when he had left, but in reality she was speaking the truth. She was warning Violet about him.