Book 2: Chapter 27 - Keeping It Together

This is no run-of-the-mill murderer.
We aren’t dealing with a domestic dispute.
We aren’t dealing with a squabble over money.

No. The Cruel Ivy Killer is the subject of nightmares.
He is precise. He is meticulous. He is methodical.
I suspect he never does anything without weeks of preparation.

He isn’t going to casually confess to his crimes.
He is above gloating, and sneering, and games.
And if anyone gets even a hint of who he is, he will not leave them alive.

The only way this ends is if we stop him.
—Detective John Knight, Briefing

“Jeez, girl. How exactly did this happen?” Kassie asked. Her hands hovered over Violet’s side as her talent tried to heal the ugly bruise. Orange energy with tiny floating crystals hovered around them, and the purple and black discoloration was starting to slightly recede.  

Violet felt like shit, and really didn’t want to answer. The pain was one thing. The cause was another. The entire escapade into the mist had pissed her off. She’d technically gotten what she wanted. She had all the information she needed to help Kiera. But Cyan Asher had managed to get his hooks in her like no one else had. She was going to kill him someday. Whatever it took. Maybe she actually would help Bouvier, if only a little. She wondered if she could play them against each other somehow. 

Either way, as soon as she’d agreed to his deal, she’d known it was a mistake. She could feel it closing in around her like chains. A deal she could only escape through death. And, of course, as soon as she left his sphere of influence, she felt her inhibitions fall back into place. She’d have never agreed to that contract in the first place, talent or otherwise. Not if another talent hadn’t made her do it. It was a nasty trap. One ability to coerce her when she was in his presence, and one to control her when she wasn’t. The fact that the second worked when the first was used to secure it was, frankly, bullshit. Of course, life wasn’t a video game. There was no rule that talents and callings needed to be balanced or fair.

In any case, the task she’d agreed to had been an unpleasant one. And the only way she had a chance of complying without giving Cyan something to use against her… was to do it immediately. Or as immediately as she could. She’d needed a day to figure out how to get into the nest the group was staying at. Getting out—especially while injured—had been even worse. And even that last lady hadn’t helped her grow at all.

Cyan knew what she was. He knew. And he was going to use it against her. That knowledge felt like coal in her throat. Violet wasn’t in control, and she was fucking livid.

“Vi? You still with me, babe?” Kassie asked again. 

Violet shook her head and blinked at Kassie. “Huh? Oh. Yeah, sorry. I was lost in thought. Your talent feels weird,” she answered.

“Shaken by the Kiera thing, huh?” Kassie pushed.

Violet nodded. “It’s been a rough week for our class, hasn’t it? Or is it always like this?” she asked. 

Kassie shook her head. “Nah, this is new. Seems like you and your friends have totally been through the wringer even before this week,” she replied. “Anyway, you never told me how you got hurt.”

Violet sighed. Kassie gave the impression that she was an airhead, but she was definitely a persistent one. She was, unfortunately, also the safest person to go to for healing. Violet had nearly tried to simply tank the pain and let it heal on its own, but she didn’t want the rib healing incorrectly.

“I don’t suppose I can just say I did something stupid and leave it at that?” Violet offered.

“Oh, for sure!” Kassie agreed cheerfully. “But you’re, like, going into the mist with my team next week. So I’ll totally have to find out on my own if you won’t tell me yourself. It’s a safety thing. You get it.”

Violet did understand, but she’d been hoping Kassie wouldn’t. It was particularly dangerous to go into the mist with someone unpredictable or stupid. Like Stephanie, for instance. For a brief moment, Violet considered letting Kassie do exactly that. It would almost be funny watching the blonde try to piece together where Violet had been when she was injured. But, as much as the class president had her head in the clouds, Violet would still need to monitor her if she did that. Just in case. 

So she decided to tell as much of the truth as she could.

“You know about my family, right?” Violet asked.

“The Ashers?” Kassie replied. “Not really, actually. I know they’re rich, I guess. And they have, like, cousins everywhere? I guess that’s what you are. But I don’t super follow politics. So that’s about it. I didn’t even know the name before I got here. Why?”

“Ah,” Violet replied. “I guess that makes sense. Well, suffice to say, they are kind of the worst.”

“Oh?” Kassie pressed. 

Violet sighed again. Kassie was polite, but clearly unwilling to let “they are kind of the worst” suffice. Even after Violet specifically requested that she did. “Alright. Well, I like Kiera a lot. She might be my first real friend. And I know I just met her, but I simply don’t believe she did what they are saying,” Violet replied.

Kassie focused on healing Violet, but nodded as she kept her eyes on the wound. “Maybe you’re right. Kiera seems like a decent person. Although, you never know with anyone, really. Still, that makes sense to me. So how did that result in your ribcage being turned to paste?” she asked.

“Well, I hadn’t actually met my relatives in Prism City yet, is the thing. I mean, my brother goes here, I guess. But that’s not the same. Anyway, I went to their estate in the violet district. I was hoping I could get help with bail. Maybe even a lawyer. I just wanted to give Kiera a chance, you know?” Violet explained.

“Totally,” Kassie acknowledged. “So what went down?”

“I guess the Asher family doesn’t just hand out legal help to the friends of random red cousins. Or… great nieces? Whatever I am to them. Not unless they can prove themselves ‘valuable,’ apparently. This is the result of a, uh. ‘Test of resolve.’ I had to take this hit at the request of my uncle, basically. But hey, it worked. It hasn’t been processed yet, but I think we’ll have Kiera back in a few days,” Violet said.

“Ugh,” Kassie responded, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “Your family sounds totally fucked up. No wonder you look so out of sorts.”

“Language, please,” Violet responded. She idly ran her hand through her messy sidetail. She did look like a mess, but she didn’t like having it acknowledged. She’d have snapped at the other girl if her mistake with Aubrey wasn’t so fresh in her mind. So she fell back to a familiar tactic.

“Oh, right. Forgot you had a thing about that. Sorry,” Kassie apologized. “Anyway, I’ve done as much as I can for this. You’ll be pretty sore for the next week or so. I’m still only orange, after all. I can heal these other scars for you, though, if you want. I’m surprised Chromatic didn’t get them healed for you already, actually.”

Violet looked down at her lightning scars, then shook her head. “I asked them not to, actually. They serve as… a reminder. I want them there,” she answered.

“Suit yourself, babe. They look pretty hot, anyway, I guess. Kinda like tree branches. I respect the confidence to show them off with that outfit like you do,” Kassie replied.

“If anyone asks, though, can you just say they didn’t heal right? It’s kind of a sore subject,” Violet requested. 

“Sure thing. They were made by a talent, right? Sometimes, those don’t listen to healing talents properly. I’ll just blame that,” Kassie agreed. 

Violet sighed in relief. “Thanks. And thanks for coming here so late at night. I know it must have been a pain. But I appreciate it. The company has been nice, too. It’s lonely in here now without Kiera,” Violet said.

Kassie waved her off. “Any time!” she said easily. “So, did your assho–unorthodox family agree to the lawyer, too? You think this whole arrest thing is behind us?”

Violet shook her head in exasperation. “Not even close. But they did help me learn a little about the case. Kiera is in for a grueling few months. They are definitely going to try to convict her. I’ll have to talk to her about that more when she gets back. But she won’t miss school in the meantime,” Violet explained.

“Well, I seriously hope it all works out. I like Kiera, too,” Kassie agreed.

Violet smiled at the older girl. She wasn’t worried at all, actually. She’d learned what she needed to. She had a plan. She was going to see to it that the charges against her friend were dropped, and she was going to make sure the fox girl’s father regretted making the accusation in the first place. Kiera didn’t belong to him. She belonged to Violet.

Violet waited at the intercity train station. It was a different one than the station she’d passed through when she’d arrived. Her train had taken her directly to Chromatic Academy, which was the standard when only students were on board. This station was for civilians, however. It was at the south end of the city, and it had mini “districts” of its own. Or rather, platforms for each category, and one primary platform anyone could visit.

Violet was in the waiting area for the red platform. She didn’t intend to stay there. She was waiting for a Category Green, after all. But the train wasn’t due for half an hour, and she didn’t like spending too much time anywhere that was full of higher categories.

“Damn, Violet. You look like shit. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen your hair so messy. Finally found your heart, did you? Decided to come after all?” Chase asked. Violet closed her eyes and let a hot breath out of her nose. She was quickly regretting choosing the red area.

She forced a smile onto her face and turned toward the voice. Chase had his arms crossed and was giving her an indecipherable look.

“What do you mean?” she asked. She tried to search her memory for what he was talking about. If she’d known she’d find him there, she would have waited near the orange platform. He clearly expected her to know he was there, however. That was… frustrating.

“For Alex?” Chase pushed. “The team that went to look for him is getting back today. Isn’t that why you’re here?” 

Violet blinked. “Wouldn’t they keep him on the train until the station at the academy, in that case?” she asked. The pieces slid into place, and Violet was suddenly amused. The idiot was waiting at the wrong station for a dead man. It was morbidly entertaining. 

Chase looked like a pipe under too much pressure, but he didn’t explode on her. Rumors had been getting around about him since their last exchange, so he visibly calmed himself down. At least, he didn’t start screaming. There was still clear anger in his voice when he responded.

“It’s too expensive to open that station for a single passenger, and the lancers will need to report to the field office before the academy. He will be on this train. Which, of course, you didn’t even check, did you? You really don’t care if he’s dead. Shit. Maybe the rumors about you are true,” he scoffed.

“Rumors?” Violet asked.

Chase huffed. “I heard you were accused of attempted murder. Didn’t surprise me, really. But I wasn’t ready to take them as fact. After seeing how cold you turned out to be, though… you didn’t even remember he was coming in today? Shit, I’m just about ready to believe,” he jeered.

Violet paused and rolled the accusation around in her mind a bit. Part of her wanted to lash out at him. To make him feel stupid, and small, and powerless. Like he knew nothing, and she knew everything. But she couldn’t do that with a shouting match. He’d feel worse when the train arrived, anyway, and he learned what had happened to Alex.

Then, Violet had an idea. It was an incredibly stupid idea. All of her instincts rejected it. But she’d had several absolutely shitty days. She wasn’t in control. She wasn’t in control of anything in her life, and she was on the precipice of something stupid regardless. Cyan knew what she was. The headmaster was blackmailing her. Her therapist was a liar and a control freak. And her only friend was in jail. But Cyan… Cyan was in control. And he’d given her an idea. 

She reached up to her side tail and smoothed it out with both hands. She moved as if she were nervous, but that was adrenaline more than anything. This idea sent a thrill through her. It was dangerous. But it was a danger she could control.

“I’m genuinely hurt you would believe that about me,” she replied. She didn’t correct him. That the rumor was about Kiera, not her. That wasn’t what she wanted.

“At this point, I’d believe anything about you, Violet,” Chase scoffed.

Violet smirked. “Oh, I know you have a low opinion of my morals. But you know me. You know I’m not stupid, right? Do you really think I’d fail if I wanted to kill someone? Do you think they’d even know it was a murder?” she asked, her voice descending into a whisper as she stepped closer to him.

Chase gave her a blank stare. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he asked. 

Violet smiled and stood on her toes so she could get close to his ear. “If I wanted to kill someone, they would be dead. And no one would be looking for a killer. It would look like an accident,” she whispered. Her breath brushed against his ear, and she pressed herself against his chest. She reached up with one hand and caressed his cheek. “Or, actually. Maybe I’d make it look like a suicide.”