The Runaway

Chapter 11

Violet didn't know what to do. She dropped her chair and wiped her face with her sleeves. She didn't want to be scared, but at the same time she was doubting her beliefs. She had never been a supernatural fan but as a child, she would always read about it for fun. What she saw couldn't be a mistake. She just needed time to settle before asking for answers.

"I have to tell her our mission, how we turned, everything," Colton told his group.

"You can't tell her every single thing. I'm fine if she knows we're vampires, but I can't accept it if she knows any more than that," Riley objected. "If word gets out, we could get locked up."

"I can get Violet to help us," he argued. "One more person means extra help."

"Not if she's scared to death after what just happened," Aiden stated.

"Look, I can fix this. Just give me more time," Colton said.

Riley shook her head and headed for the door. "We don't have much time left. If you screw this up for us, I think I might even consider joining Victor."

"No, you wouldn't," Aiden whispered right before she left. Riley gave him the death glare and then continued out the door.

"Okay, I'm ending this meeting," Colton announced. There was not a word spoken as Colette and Delsin walked out.

"What is it?" Colton eyed Aiden, who was the only one left.

"Let me talk to her," Aiden said. Before Colton could speak, he explained, "We need to get back on the road. After being spotted by Victor, we can't stand around anymore. She's scared of you right now and if I talk to her, it'll be done quicker."

There was a moment of silence. "No, I have to do it," Colton finally said. "I know how you've been feeling."

"No, you don't. I'm not letting any of that get in the way."

Colton sighed. "She needs to regain my trust."

"It'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything bad," Aiden claimed.

He shook his head. "You've done enough for me. I think it's time I actually fix my own mistakes."

"Fine." Aiden sighed and headed for the door. "Call me if you need anything."

Colton slowly took his time approaching Violet's room. How was he supposed to make her understand everything without having her freak out? He felt nervous when he was finally facing her door holding her duffel bag. It took six knocks until it finally opened. Her head poked out, eyes focusing on him and the duffel bag in his hand for a few seconds.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"We need to talk," he replied.

He could feel her hesitate but after a few seconds, she gave in. "Fine. Just don't do anything please."

"I won't."

Her room was a mess. The chair she held earlier was knocked over on the ground and her sheets were wrinkled. Her pillow and blanket was thrown on the floor and unfinished meals from previous nights remained on the night stand.

"Here's your bag. I'm sorry we never gave it back until now. We were all pretty busy," he said.

He handed her the bag and she opened it up to check the contents. "Everything's still there. That's good."

He nodded and asked, "Do you mind if I sit down on the bed?"

She shook her head. "Go ahead." He was trying desperately to think of the best way to explain everything to her until she spoke first. "You know, I've been thinking for a while and it makes sense. I don't know why it took so long but I see the truth now. Riley's been dropping hints since the beginning but it took this great of a measure before I finally acknowledged it." She seemed fearless as she said those words. "I believe you now when you say you're not human." She tried her best to calm down and face him. He wasn't human, yes, but that didn't mean he was completely bad. She didn't allow herself the chance to hear him out and now it was time. "I'm not as scared as I was before so I'm willing to listen." Violet's heart was pounding as she looked at the guy who almost killed her earlier.

Colton looked at the girl in front of him with sadness. He knew she was scared. Maybe she was hiding it, but she was definitely scared of him. Violet was such a fun and exciting person back then but now, he didn't see that in her anymore. He couldn't imagine them like how they were before. "Do you trust me Violet?"

He caught her attention with her name. "Yes."

He placed his hands on the sides of her head. "Would you allow me to show you a few things?"

"Um, I guess," she said even though she wasn't sure what he was about to do.

So it began. Colton closed his eyes in concentration as he displayed the flashbacks of his past. Violet sat with her eyes closed as she watched the movie appearing inside her head.

There was a house and loud music. She recognized the house by heart; it belonged to Joe. She watched as Colton entered the house with a huge grin. Her heart stopped when she saw her own self greeting him. "Hey Colton!" she had said. The two people hugged and continued talking. She remembered that moment. They were at a party for Joe's birthday but Colton had left early.

The scene fast forwarded to when Colton went outside to get some fresh air. She remembered herself wanting to join him but didn't. Colton was sitting on a bench staring at the sky, completely isolated from the party. All of a sudden, a lady appeared in front of him. It was a brunette that appeared to be in her mid-thirties. "Who are you?" Colton asked. The lady didn't say anything for a while but simply stared. Then, she began chanting words Violet didn't understand. Colton tried desperately to step away but something was preventing him to escape. She continued chanting until Colton started screaming. His body twitched, sweating in pain. Violet watched as fangs grew out of his mouth, causing his gums to bleed. His eyes rolled back, his body trembled until he was out of breath to scream any further. All the lady did was stand calmly while the boy in front of her was being tortured. Violet wished she could physically appear in the scene to go save him, but all she could do was watch it conciously. After a few minutes, he slowly returned to normal. When he fully gained consciousness, he struggled to get up to back away from the stranger. "What did you do to me?" His words came out weak before a bad cough came through.

She looked at him with satisfaction. "If you want me to fix you then come with me."

He stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

"You'll see," the lady said before she disappeared.

Colton slipped back into the party announcing that he was officially going to leave. Violet could somehow feel his emotions as she watched. Something was wrong. He felt like he needed something and it was making him weak, almost driving him insane. When he stepped outside, the lady was there once again. "What's happening to me?" he yelled.

"I can help you, but only if you come with me and leave this city," the lady said. He didn't have a choice. Whatever it was, he needed it. Otherwise, he was going to die and somehow he knew that.

Suddenly, Violet saw herself again. This time it was when Colton came to inform her about his departure. The feeling that she felt that night lingered as the scene faded away, leaving her in the room of the abandoned building.

"How did you— how did I see all of that?" she asked, adjusting her eyes to the light.

"It's one of our abilities." He blinked a few times. "That's how I was turned."

"Who was that lady?" Violet questioned.

He answered, "She's a witch. She's the one who turned everyone in our group."

Violet couldn't argue with him about the existence of witches. What he showed her was too vivid. It had to be real. After seeing Colton earlier, almost anything seemed possible.