ELECTRICITY ━━ gilbert blythe

23. traumatic travels

(tw: explicit mentions of blood, death, suicide and weaponry. please skip through this chapter if this makes you uncomfortable. i will summarise it at the end. be kind to yourself)

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:
TRAUMATIC TRAVELS

Gold.

Gold were the colour of the specks in Gilbert's brown eyes. Eyes locked, hands intertwined, his eyes sparkled.

They were in a private compartment in a train, on their way to London. She was sipping hot tea and staring at an open book. It was Pride and Prejudice: the one Jack had given her for her birthday. Inside, were messy scrawling annotations made by her father. They were in some sort of code, made of letters and symbols. Violet vowed she would undo the cypher one day, and uncover his true thoughts.

Meanwhile, she made her own annotations alongside his. She was her father's daughter, after all. Gilbert was asleep for most of the ride—exhausted from the past week, where he had worked tirelessly for Dr. Ward.

But now, he was looking at her and she was smiling.

"You're so beautiful Violet," He breathed out after a few seconds. "I don't understand how you're real."

Violet smirked. "I have that effect on people."

Gilbert shook his head in disbelief and kissed her softly, "I'm sure you do."

His attention then turned to the book she was reading. "Still haven't deciphered it?"

She shook her head. "No luck as of yet. But I did find an extract of poetry that he- he adored. So much that he made me memorise it when I was six."

It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down-
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their tongues, for Noon.

"Isn't that a bit morbid to teach a six year old?" Gilbert questioned gently.

"Perhaps..." She mused. "Perhaps."

Violet rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm in need of sleep. I'm napping on your shoulder. No questions asked."

Gilbert chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "Of course, Vi." He kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams."

—

Blood.

Oozing, dripping on the floor. A knife, slit wrists and a cold corpse. A note lay beside him, covered in diluted, watery crimson. Tears and blood intertwined, embracing each other.

Violet could hear echoes of a scream. It leeched into her ears and tore her lungs apart.

Rushing, blurry figures running, blood so maroon it made her detest the colour. The room vibrated in twists and turns with every emotion Violet could not swallow.

The scream was hers, she had realised.

Violet Greene had dissociated from her body when she had found her father's corpse. That way.

Drenched in his own blood: the only colour present on his white, drained skin.

The stench of death wrapped around her throat and the room was spinning and she was falling, collapsing on the ground. She felt Katherine's arms around her, pulling her away from the scene.

"But he—" Violet choked out, sobbing on the floor, "He was- he was- but-"

It's okay, Will's voice entered Violet's subconscious, I won't leave you. Not really.

"Go away!" She screamed, so loudly that her heart shook from its core, "Everyone- go- my-"

"Violet, honey," Katherine Greene had tried her hardest to be strong. She was trembling, tears railing down her eyes, yet—was her voice slightly... knowing? "Let's go to another room and let the police do their job."

Shouts, murmurs, blurry, blurry, blood, maroon, pale skin—

"The- the- note-" Those were the only words she could speak.

"Vio, love," Katherine soothed, "The police need to look at it first."

"No!" She shouted, "He used to- he called- I was his Vio." Her anger turned into sobs as she wiped her face. She was handed the note, and felt it, sandpapery and wet in her palms.

" TO WHOMEVER FINDS THIS NOTE,

Tell my family I love them. Tell my family it was not my fault. Please don't blame me. It was a twist of fate, a looming force of darkness in my stomach. A force so windy and consuming it swept me off my feet.

Vio, I love you. I'm so sorry I won't get to see you grow into the wonderful young woman I know you will be. Your curiosity and intelligence has never been surpassed. Not by a single soul on this planet. You transcend this world, and I am so proud of you. Regardless of who you will be in the future, I know I will be proud of that version of you. Every version of you never fails to surprise me in the best way possible. Remember the lines I said to you, when you were younger.

It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down-
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their tongues, for Noon.

My Katherine, the one and only love of my life. Please don't be mad. Please understand that I had to do this. It was not my fault. Believe me. Raising this beautiful family with you has been the highlight of my life. You two are my rays of sunshine, my wisps of hope in this corrupt, corrupt world.

Never lose hope. Never stop fighting. My death is only a hitch in the road. Please, flourish. Thrive. Bloom. Soar. I love you two endlessly—my beautiful, endearing women.

I'm sorry I had to resort to suicide. I'm ever so sorry.

FOREVER IN YOUR HEARTS,
WILL GREENE."

When Violet woke up, there were tears lining her eyes. Red, red, god, she detested the colour red.

Gilbert's arm was warm around her, as he too, had fallen asleep. She took his other hand and kissed his palm. "Please don't leave me," She whispered, her voice desperate and longing. "Don't leave me like he did."

She slipped out from under his arm and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Violet floated like a ghost, feeling her skin erupt in unwanted goosebumps.

And then she sobbed. Into her dress so that she would not be heard. She sobbed so much that her head pounded and her heart was lodged with anxiety.

Her lips trembled as she crumbled to the floor.

SUMMARY
Violet and Gilbert are on a train to london. She is reading pride and prejudice which her father has annotated in a code. She is unable to crack it. However, she spots a piece of poetry her father made her memorise when she was younger. It is rather morbid, as Gilbert points out, deep in thought.

She then has a dream and relives the day she found her father dead. After this, she rushes to another room and sobs.