This Connection We Share ~ Violentine

11 ~ Away From It All

Traveling through the deep part of the neck of the woods, the kids were nearing their destination. Violet and Clementine sat in the back of Louis' vehicle while Sophie had shotgun. Trees surrounded them as rays of sunlight beamed through the individual trees. In the rearview mirror, Brody, Mitch and Marlon were close behind Louis' car, laughing uncontrollably, causing Mitch to almost veer off the path and into a tree.

"Lou, any chance you could avoid at least, like, one rock on the road?" Sophie questioned.

"Excuse me, but I would never advise putting on eyeliner in a moving vehicle that is on a bumpy road. Besides, my driving is flawless," the dreadlocked boy replied, Sophie sensing his smirk out of her peripheral vision.

"She's getting all dolled up for the bears and wolves," Violet teased, glancing at her girlfriend to see if a smile tugged at the ends of her lips. To her satisfaction, she was smiling majorly. That was a sight Violet would never, ever get tired of.

Louis honked to gain Mitch's attention as a fork in the road awaited them. Knowing Mitch's staggeringly low attention span, he'd probably take a wrong turn and get lost.

Up ahead lied the perfect spot for a campsite soon to be occupied by crazed young adults. Neighboring it was a crystal-clear lake that went on for miles. On a hot Virginia day, that was definitely going to have to be a main priority.

"So this is the place?" Clementine queried, stepping out of the vehicle and moving to the trunk to retrieve her bags.

"Hell yeah!" Lou replied, smiling broadly and scouting out the area. "Here, why don't you ladies talk amongst yourselves while the guys and I set up the tents."

Clementine happily nodded and waved over Brody, which took more than just a moment before she finally strayed away from Mitch and Marlon. As she approached them, she inhaled the pine-like air and scanned what would take place as her home for the next few days. A dubious look plastered her face.

"Do you guys really have your heart set on staying here, in the woods, with insects and I'd definitely bet Bigfoot?" Brody inquired, still doubtingly viewing the naturalistic scene.

"We're already here. No use dreaming of what our trip could have been," Vi responded.

"This is our paradise for now. You're not the only one who has to deal with it," Sophie added, sharing the same doubtful look. The girls laughed and ventured near the lake, Violet and Clem skipping rocks while Brody and Sophie babbled away with each other.

Violet stared at her girlfriend peacefully as she continued to toss rocks across the cobalt water. Clementine looked so effortlessly beautiful to Violet. She exhaled contently as she watched her love, a little too long in fact, which caught Clem's attention. Violet's heart fluttered, quickly averting her green eyes away, embarrassed slightly.

The brunette softly chuckled and walked up to her girlfriend, whose face was flushed with a red hue. "You're so cute," she truthfully remarked, entangling her fingers with the blonde's. "How did I get so lucky?"

"We both got lucky," Violet responded, meeting Clem's longing gaze. The two girls stood there, holding each other's hands, lost in their ethereal love trance. Unfortunately, it was cut short when the guys came sprinting over in their swim trunks. Louis crashed his way into the water, splashing and briskly turning around, awaiting the others.

"Well c'mon! Hop in! Water's refreshing," he shouted. Marlon and Mitch joined him, aggressively forming waves and drenching each other.

"You already set up the tents?" Clementine questioned.

"About that.." Lou started, avoiding Mitch's attempt to splash him, "we figured it'd be more entertaining to swim and cool off, and set the tents up later. Now go be grown ups and put your suits on so we can have war."