Purple

Thirty-Eight

Dedicated to tastydandruff

When Ruby's eyes opened, she started to panic. She sat up and saw Cate sitting on a chair at the end of the bed and Rob leaning against a corner of a wall.

"It's good to see you again," she told her, sounding like she meant it. She saw the panicked look on her face, which made her say, "Ruby, you're safe here. The League owns this house. And we use it when things get complicated. Chubs is in the hospital. He's in pretty bad shape, so if he has any chance of making it...he'll get it there."

"Don't call him Chubs," she told her. "You haven't earned that."

"Charles," she corrected herself. "When he can have visitors, you'll see him." She saw her looking around and she knew why. "You're wondering where Liam is."

"You have to let him go."

"I can't do that."

"Liam's not a killer. You can't make him one." At this point, she was already mad.

"We don't create killers," Rob corrected her.

"I don't know what Liam told you about the League, but that is not what we're about," she told her as she shook her head. "I know you know Lucinda and I know she isn't here because of whatever he said about us. Don't worry, we'll make sure she-"

"Then what is the League about? Because as far as I can see, you're no better than anyone else." If she only said Luce's name then she most likely doesn't know about Luke. She wasn't going to mention him because it's better off that way. "And you can't have Luce. She's better off not being part of whatever this shit is."

"We're here to help you," Cate said as she raised her voice. "And expose the camps for what they are, and stop President Gray."

"President Gray and his son are collecting us, just like you are."

"Okay, Cate. Clearly, she doesn't want to be here," he told her as she went to her.

"Rob, I can handle this," she said as she got up from her seat.

"So, let's make room for someone useful-"

Ruby interrupted him, "Liam is never-"

"Look, kid. In order to survive, we all have to do things that we don't wanna do. Your boyfriend-"

"He is not my boyfriend at all," she immediately corrected him. "He's someone else's."

"And he can help us. I've seen him fling targets like ragdolls."

"Rob!"

"At least with us, he's useful. It's bad enough that Purple had to get away and who knows where the other one is. Now, if I have to turn him into a-" He froze as he suddenly lost control of his own head.