Book 2: Chapter 52 - First-Time Chase Owner

There is nothing that hurts badly enough.
There is no pain with enough intensity.

Not to match the euphoria of personal control.
To wake up in the morning and to know that no one owns you.
That no one can look down on you.

Being in control of your own life heals more than
any wound and is a vibrant and rejuvenating experience.

I’ll suffer a thousand cuts so long as the pain was my choice.
—The Cruel Ivy Killer

Violet woke up, once again, in the infirmary. This time, only Kiera waited for her. That made perfect sense. From the lighting, it was clearly late at night. Kiera was also asleep, her arms crossed and her head resting on the side of Violet’s bed. She had needles in her arms to feed her clarity again. It was an unpleasant method of healing, but she was feeling better, so she wasn’t going to complain. She hadn’t been in bed long. It didn’t seem like it, anyway. A few hours at most, based on her level of recovery. 

The fall from the top of the bell tower hadn’t been anywhere near lethal. It would have been, when she was a low red. But where she was now? Well. It’d banged her up pretty badly, but that was it. The infirmary could always spare clarity for heroes like her. And she’d saved Chase’s life. The two had fallen when the loose rail broke off, of course. That was what everyone would believe after an examination of the scene, which Violet was sure they’d done by now. 

The pain hadn’t lasted too long, either. Kiera had arrived at the tower exactly when Violet told her to. Only a few moments after Violet and her new pet hit the floor. There’d been a lot of blood, of course. And Violet had once again broken her bones. It was an annoying habit she was forming. But her injuries had a clear explanation, even the bruises. If anyone looked too closely at them, they might’ve been curious, of course. But she had healing clarity pumping into her body. Every bruise would heal before the skin could even change color. 

And Violet was all but giddy. Whatever foul dream she’d been having aside, she’d had one of the best nights of her life. She could hardly wait to retrieve her cards from their hiding place. She had some drawing to do. 

Before that, however, she needed to wake Kiera up. Chase would likely have been awake before Violet, and she was eager to hear what he’d chosen. If he were smart, he’d have told everyone everything the instant he had the chance. He may not have been believed, but he could claim the fall was the result of a struggle. It wouldn’t hold up as a story, of course. An orange wouldn’t have much trouble fighting a red off, in a confrontation like that. But the longer he waited, the less believable the story would be. 

She wasn’t sure which option she was hoping for, actually. It would be best if he were the one to first suggest she was a killer, that was true. It would have the same effect as Kiera first accusing Samuel. It may as well have been an alibi. At the same time, however... it would just be fun if he decided to keep the truth to himself. She wondered if she could get the asshole to jump off a tower on his own with enough poking, in that case. That would surely feed her calling more than a simple murder. 

Either way, she was looking forward to it. 

“Hey, idiot,” Violet teased quietly. “It must be pretty late if you’re actually sleeping.”

Kiera twitched at first, claws extending from her fingers as she slept. Her tail flicked back and forth, and her ears rotated backward like they were focusing on a distant sound. Violet smirked as she realized her friend’s nose was twitching like an actual canine’s. How strange. She wondered exactly how much the Kitsune calling affected the girl. 

When Kiera did wake up, she jolted like she was being attacked. She looked at Violet with betrayed horror for a brief moment, and the world froze. A breath later, however, and all the tension left the fox’s body. Her tail flattened, her ears relaxed, and a confident smirk painted her face. Violet pursed her lips. 

I suppose her talent doesn’t work while she’s sleeping. Interesting.

This meant Kiera reapplied her self-deception every morning. Violet wondered if this was why the girl seemed to sleep so rarely, or if that was just another foxlike habit she’d adopted. Either way, it explained how Kiera had finally escaped her father. Once her own life was in danger, she let the illusion wash away. If Violet was right, that made Kiera incredibly selfish. But in an endearing way. A useful way. So long as Violet never threatened her friend’s life, all should’ve been well.

“Good morning, you clumsy jerk,” Kiera greeted. “You scared the hell out of me, you know.”

Violet shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a scary woman,” she teased. Then, she paused, and a look of donning horror colored her face. “Wait. Chase. Is Chase okay? I don’t... We fell, but I don’t remember what happened. Did he get hurt, too? Is he...” 

Kiera sighed as Violet trailed off. “What happened is you are a dang saint, Vi. He has whiplash at worst, but he is uninjured. After all the nasty shit he’s said about you, and you took the full brunt of the fall for him,” she lamented. “What was he even doing up there, anyway?”

Violet sighed in obvious relief, then let tears form in the corners of her eyes. “Oh, thank goodness. I don’t know what I would have done if I'd let him die. It was my fault we fell, you know. Clumsy is right,” she replied with a quivering voice. Then, she paused. “Wait, he didn’t tell you what happened? Are you sure he’s okay?”

Kiera shrugged. “Physically, at least. Just a few scrapes and bruises, really. But he’s refused to answer most questions so far. At least, last I saw him. He seems pretty shaken, but that makes sense. He did tell me to thank you when you woke up. For saving his life. He’d have died if you hadn’t broken his fall. And holy hell did you break it. You had bones sticking out, and not in the way Guy always does.” 

“Well, thank God for that,” Violet sighed. She paused as soon as she spoke, then rolled her eyes at Kiera’s smirk. “That Chase isn’t hurt, I mean. Not that Guy’s pants are too tight.” She was amused by the answer, but she didn't let it show on her face. Not the dick joke. She didn't particularly care how horny Guy was. 

She did, however, care that Chase had given her credit for saving his life. She hadn’t listed that option for him, but she’d considered it. That he would try repairing the rumors first, then accuse her afterwards. It would take a while, but if he was eventually known to enthusiastically support her instead of hating her... His “discovery” would hold far more credibility. Such a shame for him that he’d recorded the first half of the conversation already. If she could get a copy of that, his plan would fail spectacularly.

“If you say so,” Kiera teased. She allowed herself a moment of smug amusement before the corners of her mouth grew heavy. She let a breath out of her nose and met Violet’s eyes. “What did happen, anyway?”

Violet’s face fell, and she broke eye contact with the fox. She clutched the hospital blanket in each hand and tried to blink the tears from her eyes.

“We... had a fight. Again. I don't know why he hates me so much. But I guess he heard me say I was going to meet you at the tower after... Well. After everything. And he was waiting. To accuse me of killing Alex. Daniel, too. And a bunch of other people. He thinks I’m some kind of serial killer, Kiera. And I know... I know not everything I've done to survive is pretty. But... I don't know...” She trailed off.

“What the hell? That's the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Kiera scoffed.

“Yeah,” Violet agreed. “It’s stupid, and silly, and insulting. Not just to me, but to everyone around me. All of you who have supposedly obliviously watched me do it. So I should have laughed it off. But... it still hurt to hear. I don't think it's possible to learn someone has that low an opinion of me without feeling a sting. I... I got upset. And I forgot about the broken rail up there, I guess. I was pacing, and crying, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I took his tablet from him and threw it over the edge. It was childish. But I was upset. 

“I don't know why he tried to catch it. I mean... It is pretty valuable. And it would have been safe, if the rail hadn't been loose.” Violet whispered the last part, a hint of bitterness to her tone. “I barely caught him in time.”

“Jeez,” Kiera replied. “What a cock.”

Violet shrugged. “It was my fault,” she dismissed. Kiera shook her head, and her tail started flicking again.

“No. No, it was mine, wasn't it?” she asked. 

Violet finally met Kiera’s gaze again. She’d stopped the crying, but her confusion was still colored by reddened eyes. “How could it possibly be your fault?” 

It was Kiera's turn to look down in shame. “Isn't it obvious?” she asked.

Violet shook her head. “If it is, blame one too many cracks in my skull for my failure to see it,” she replied.

Kiera chuckled at that, but sighed. “I liked it better when we were talking about fish and men,” she quipped. She looked back up at Violet even as she crossed her arms defensively. “You did something... incredible for me earlier. You saved my life. And you... must have given up a part of yourself to do it. To contend with... tonight, so soon afterwards. Then to get an accusation like that? Of course you were upset. You were vulnerable. And you were vulnerable for my sake.”

Violet was silent for a moment, but she forced an obviously false smile onto her face. Kiera was being vague, since it wasn't as safe to speak freely in the infirmary. But it was obvious enough what she wanted to talk about.

“How do you know I did anything at all?” Violet asked.

Kiera gave her a sympathetic and endlessly grateful smile. Her eyes were glistening as well, now, and she leaned forward to wrap her arms around Violet. The hug was cold and warm all at once, and Kiera's voice was soft as it dripped into Violet’s ear.

“It’s written all over your face, Vi. I can read it as clearly as any confession. What you’ve done for me... it’s not an easy thing to forget. I know that. But you shouldn't feel guilty at all. You gave me my life back. And I owe it to you three times over now,” she whispered.

Violet was silent, but she allowed tears to run down her cheeks as she returned the embrace with aching arms.

“I just want everyone to be safe,” she whispered back.

They couldn't discuss more than that. Not yet. Even what they’d said could be dangerous if the wrong person heard it. But it was explainable. Any more would be pushing it, though. So they didn't say another word.

Samuel's body would be found the next day, alongside the girl who worked for Bouvier. Without the sole witness to Kiera's crime, charges against her would be dropped. Violet wondered how her friend would react to news of the extra body. She wondered if that detail would even be shared. Prism City didn't exactly have a news channel. Society had been recreated to a degree, but maintaining constant broadcasting wasn't viable just yet. Investigators could’ve kept major details secret. Either way, she'd deal with it. Or Kiera would deal with it for her.

Her friend’s talent was truly fascinating.

Everything really was going perfectly. As soon as she got out of the infirmary, she was going to check her empathy ring. She could feel it. She'd advanced again.

She gently separated herself from Kiera, taking a deep breath as she did. “So how long am I stuck here, anyway?” she asked.

Kiera pouted. “You mean how long does your lazy ass get to skip class? Three days, according to the doc,” she answered with mock envy.

Violet groaned. “I am tired of lying around all the time,” she complained. “And I'm going to have so much homework. I swear, every time I manage to get my head above water, I’m dragged back down again.”