Mirror

Chapter 9: Violet

Der Regen gießt nach unten mit dem klingen von Silbermünzen, und bricht mir das Herz.

-Anon

Kyli was literally holding Marquera back. The stronger, more aggressive girl was putting up a fight, too.

"Stop--punching--me!" Kyli gasped between Marquera's fists connecting with her ribs.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" And suddenly Marquera was sobbing into the slender girl's arms, brown hair covering her face.

Shaken, Kyli straightened up and hauled Marquera out of the room, ignoring the curious glances of the other Onlies.

"I never thought he...and Rory...without telling me...oh..." she let out a low growl, almost like a purr, still wrestling to free herself from Kyli's arms.

"If I knew any more than you do, I would try to explain." Kyli said wildly, urgently searching for some way to placate the girl.

Marquera stopped fighting for a moment and looked at her with interest.

"What do you mean, if you knew any more than I did?"

Kyli raised an eyebrow. "I mean exactly what I said. Did you think they told me?"

Marquera finally ended the one-sided battle and slumped to the ground next to the wall.

"Of course I did," she muttered, so softly that Kyli could barely hear her, "you're Rory's best friend and Rej..." she closed her eyes, then jumped to her feet, startling Kyli.

"He's my brother! I thought he trusted me!"

"How can you say that?" Kyli asked, shocked, as tears pooled in her eyes. "Of course he trusts you, just as I know he trusts me. He's trying to protect us."

"I see he's not trying very darn hard to protect Rory." Marquera replied with venom in her voice.

"Were you even watching?" Kyli rolled her eyes. "Rory caught him in the act of trying to figure it all out. I do wish" --she frowned-- "I do wish he had told us, so we could help him."

"That's right!"

And before Kyli could stop her, Marquera had hurtled back into the Chief Hall in a fit of temper.

_POV_

The trio crept along the road, wreathed in black and ember shadows. Quiet but for the occasional murmur of advice or comfort, they moved swiftly, and with purpose.

The flat cry of a Winger Crow made them all start in surprise, Rory letting out a gasp and Kyli dropping her pack on the ground with a thud.

Marquera sauntered forward, head down to keep her eyes on the road--otherwise she would lose sight of it, she was sure.

"You two are twitchier than a pair of Shy Roses," she complained without looking back. They did not respond.

Looking behind her, she found them staring into the hedge alongside the road. With a surge of impatience, she stepped back to slap them to their senses.

Instead, her jaw dropped.

Standing among the leaves and bushes was a figure drenched in darkness, blacker than the night around them, with purple eyes glowing like coals in a fire.

The girl stepped forward, and in the light of the moon they could see that her skin was paler than snow, despite the cloud of dark mist surrounding her. Her long, billowing hair matched the color of her eyes, and it twisted like smoke around her, entwining itself in the blackness that hung off her frame.

"Hello," she said, very timidly, in a voice whisper-soft. In some strange way the word was like dry paper against skin, cool and familiar and rusty.

"I'm Violet."

Soooo
What do you think?
Is it 'meh' or 'MEH'?
As usual, comments and votes greatly appreciated.