by C. J. Lloyd
The man pulled a black mask attached to a large gray tube over her face and head, lacing it gently. He then pressed firmly, and with a strange squelching, the mask stuck to her face. Cool fresh air flowed through her nostrils and mouth. Not too bad. She took deep breaths, allowing the cool air to help relax her as she let her mind go black.
The man stepped back and with a gentle smile on his face, he walked to a table of glowing buttons and switches. He flicked a switch, starting a catalyst of clinks, rumbles, and bone quivering vibrations. A glass shield crawled a few inches from her face down to the base of the table. The plastic slips tightened around her arms, torso, and ankles. Her angst crept in as she took slow deep breaths. Then suddenly a warm fluid flushed in from beneath.
She couldn’t look down. The solution sloshed from her back, immersing her.
“What should it feel like?” she asked the man, only able to get out a few muffled words through the mask.
“As if you’re submerged in a giant Jacuzzi. You won’t feel any discomfort, and that’s a promise.”
Not really reassuring. But she had to go with it. The doctor rushed over and raised his hands over his chest, gesturing for her to breathe easily. He pointed to the tank next to her where Eden slept comfortably in the blue solution. Of course, he was fine. He had been out cold for several hours.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The solution fully enveloped her now in its warmth. The air was almost therapeutic as each push helped control her breathing. It had an odd plastic taste as it filled her mouth and nostrils through the mask.
The man in the white jacket smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Violet looked over at Eden one last time. The exhaustion of surviving hell gripped her once again. But this time, her weariness was heavier than before. It was like being put under. Like …
Chapter 2
Awakened
A loud banging awoke Violet.
She began thrashing about as her arms were strapped tight to a metal frame of some sort. Her eyesight was blurry as she searched in the cloudy blue, but it wasn’t long before the memories began flashing back, and she remembered where she was.
Everything came into focus as multiple silhouettes behind the glass came into view. A warmth of light rolled from her insides as she saw a familiar slender, brown-skinned girl jumping up and down, her eyes wide with excitement.
Sasha gave another bang against the glass with the biggest smile, holding up a piece of paper that read, THREE DAY NAP! TIME TO WAKE UP!!
Violet searched the tank next to her. Bone dry, empty. No Eden or blue water in sight. Below her, a gurgling whirlpool sucked in the warm tank water. With a vibrating hum, the glass slipped down to her feet, vanishing out of sight.
A woman came over with eyes as blue as the ocean, a perfect smile of pearly whites, and dark-brown curls that bounced over the sides of her face. She looked Violet over.
“Perfect! Ms. Cavers, you are all set.” The woman removed the IV and the mask from Violet’s face and took off the straps.
Violet cleared her throat, hating the sound of her surname but didn’t say anything to the woman. The air was stuffy and dry. Not smooth and moist like the oxygen fed from the mask. It was almost disheartening, but the pain was gone. She hesitated, taking her time to sit up.
“Now, be careful. You were out for a long time. We had a few scares with you when vitals went haywire and whatnot, but you pulled through.”
Scares? “What happened?” Violet croaked.
“Your powers and the chemical compound were kind of battling it out for a moment. Then the nightmares. We think the blow to your skull caused those. You had one of the most severe skull fractures I’ve seen in a long time.”
Violet pulled the soaking wet suit back from her head, combing her fingers through her red strands.
“‘Skull fracture.’ How bad?” she asked, pressing the crown of her head firmly.
The woman eased forward. “I’ve only seen a blow like that once, and it involved a man going clean through the windshield of his car at eighty miles an hour. Let’s just say he didn’t walk away.”
Violet gulped.
“W–were you one of the ones that survived Boston?” The words stumbled from the woman’s lips as if she regretted asking.
Violet’s eyes rolled to the side, followed by an awful queasiness as reality came back quicker than she hoped, and her old friend failure came knocking.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“About time you woke up!” Sasha darted around the table. She leaned over, studying Violet. Sasha snatched her chin, turned it left, then right before letting out a huge exhale. “Everyone thought you were dead. You should’ve seen Eden! The boy was a wreck. W-R-E-C-K, to the fullest. But I told everyone you were too damn stubborn.” Her words poured out. She pushed the doctor out of the way and seized Violet.
Like a vice, Sasha’s arms wrapped around her. A warm trickle raced down the side of Violet’s neck as Sasha looked down at her with tears flowing from her light green eyes.
Violet breathed in slowly. “I’m glad you’re okay too,” she said, fighting back tears of her own.
“Damn it!” Sasha slammed a fist on the metal table across from them, leaving a dent. “I hate when you send us away to try to handle things on your own. Please, don’t ever scare me like that again. Okay?”
Tears trickled from Violet’s cheeks as she wiped them away. “I’ll do my best. No promises, though.”
Two women in uniform stood by, waiting.
“Sorry, ladies, but we need to get you up and about, Ms. Cavers,” one of them said.
“Please don’t call me that. My name’s Violet.” She inched her way off the edge of the table.
Sasha stepped back, tears still falling like raindrops down a windowpane.
“We got ya!” one of the soldiers said, helping Violet off the table.
Sasha handed her a towel. “So, how do you feel?”
“I feel okay. Hungry. And my legs are a little weak. But okay.”
“Well, we need to get you into the cafeteria before the boys eat everything.” Sasha dried her off, working her long fingers diligently through Violet’s tangled hair. The wetness gave her once bright orange strands a softer auburn.
Violet gazed at her reflection in the metal, admiring the band of freckles that arched over her nose. Funny to think there was a time she loathed them.
“Where’s Eden?” Violet asked. She had hoped he’d be the first person she would wake up to, but Sasha was an easy second.
“He woke up after the first day. Doc said it’s because he’s a Titan. Something about his cells and some other scientific junk. He pretty much heals faster.”
Violet smiled. She missed the sight of his blue eyes and warm smile. “How’s Jennifer?”
“Violet, who the hell is that chick? She was talking about coming back from Ermak, training with the queen of the Pride Empire. All kinds of crazy garbage. Like the Pride Empire would take in a human” Sasha scoffed. “The Leos are the most powerful species in Ermak. It’s only because of the war Blight started that the Leos saw other species as equals.”
“Pride Empire?”
“The high and mighty Leos. The Pride Empire’s city, Pantheria, is made completely of gold. Every building. The bloodline alone is filled with the most savage warriors, and this human ...” Sasha looked over at Violet. “No offense, but she claims the queen took her in as if she was a daughter, trained her like a warrior, and educated her like royalty. She claims they pretty much adopted her. Impossible! Not to mention she’s a … hmm … you know.”
Violet thought about all the jewelry and the way Jennifer was dressed. Made perfect sense now. “Why’s it impossible? You’ve seen her clothing and jewelry, right?”
Sasha arched a brow. “Well yeah, duh. Have you seen her bracelets?”
“Do the Leos dress like the Egyptians did centuries ago?”
Violet started stretching as best as she could to get the b
lood flowing again while Sasha stepped back and placed a finger on her lip. “Now that you mention I t...”
“I don’t think she’s lying. Why would she need to?”
“Well …” Sasha’s eyes widened as she scanned the room, “she’s doing alright. That is, besides being a little mad that no one has told her about Elric and where he is.”
Violet swallowed and grabbed Sasha’s hand. “Nobody said anything, right?”
“No, I don’t think anyone has the guts to. She’s been bullying Alfred and Eden around like children.” Sasha shook her head with a remorseful expression. “Poor Alfred tried to hit on her. Wait till you see that boy’s eye. I didn’t dare step in. The girl has some serious moves. Yeah. Now that I think about it, I’d say the queen definitely trained her.”
Violet thought about the night Jennifer snatched Elric out of the window. She always had a mean streak about her.
“So, what’s her story? She told us she and Elric are close. But I needed more clarification.”
Violet leaned on Sasha a bit. “I’ll explain everything to everyone soon.”
Sasha wrapped her arms around Violet’s waist. “Oh! Wait, here.” She handed Violet a batch of fresh clothes. “You don’t want to go around wearing wet clothes all day, especially with what you got on. Eden would lose it.”
Violet smirked, tugging on the spandex that clung to her flesh like a second skin. She could feel her face getting hot.
The soldiers gave them both privacy as Sasha helped her get dressed. Though her muscles were fully healed, they felt like Jell-O. Every movement was tight and followed by a burning sensation.
“So Elric and the others … Any word on them in the last three days?” Violet hated to ask. With this victory, she wondered what their next move would be.
“Besides the fact that they’re on America’s Most Wanted and have been labeled as international terrorists? Their faces are on every news channel, and every talk show from here to China is talking about them. The internet, social media, everyone is going nuts!”
Violet shook her head.
“Humans,” Sasha went on. “They’re idiots. Some people are glorifying these jerks to the point that they’re being idolized for what they’ve done, while others are saying it’s a government cover-up and that these three kids don’t exist. They think it’s more portal attacks, and the ones responsible are, of course, my people!”
Violet sighed and placed her hand over Sasha’s shoulders.
“Hey.” Sasha looked up, and a voice roared within Violet. One that called to the sleeping warrior within. Though it didn’t wake, it did bat an eye as she said, “We’re going to fix this, alright? We’re going to fix everything. I don’t care what it takes.”
“I … I know. It’s just a lot. Since you guys came back, Sam has made sure every electronic device is shut off, so nobody really knows what’s going on out there unless you’re one of them,” Sasha added, tossing her head to a group of soldiers passing by.
“I’ll fix that, don’t worry,” Violet said as she finished getting dressed.
Once she was fully clothed and ready, the soldiers brought over a wheelchair and helped her get settled.
Sasha wheeled her into the cafeteria with a radiating smile, and her chin tilted toward the ceiling. Violet spotted Eden and the others giggling about something as they stuffed their faces. Jennifer ate at a table by herself.
The moment Violet’s eyes met the deep blue of Eden’s, he raced over and knelt in front of her.
“I’m sorry about being out for so long. Terra filled me in on everything,” he said with firm eyes. “I swear I’ll never let anything like this happen to you again as long as I’m alive, V. I swear!”
He lowered his face to her knees, but Violet quickly lifted it and found his eyes watering. She brought Eden’s face close and kissed him. “I’m just glad you’re okay. What happened, happened. All that matters now is that we’re all here and alive. Right?”
Eden wiped the tears away as he stood, his body free of the bloodstains, scars, and battering he had taken during the fight with the other Titans. “Of course.”
Sasha stepped away from behind the wheelchair and pulled Eden’s hands to the handles so he could push Violet the rest of the way.
“Violet, you’re awake!” Terra raced over and used her hip to shove Sasha out of the way. “I was worried. Eden more, of course, but ... It’s just been a lot without you.” Her tone was sweet, but in her eyes was a heaviness that Violet couldn’t ignore.
“Everything alright, Terra?”
She nodded and raised her head, putting on that stony expression of pride. “Nightmares that’s all. I just can’t get them out of my head. But we can talk later.”
Violet nodded and held her hand. “I promise we will, okay?”
Alfred got to his feet, his tall, toned frame rising from the bench. Through his dark-brown skin, the shine of his nearly swollen right eye was too obvious to ignore. Jennifer had worked him over alright. “Well, look who it is. We didn’t think you would ever get out of the fish tank.”
“We’re gonna start calling you the little mermaid.” Manie laughed, his green eyes flickering from the table and his light-brown curls long enough to cover his ears. He slapped his hands down on the tabletop with excitement.
Eden brought Violet’s legs over the bench and helped her out of the wheelchair, placing her on the bench away from Jennifer. “It won’t take long to get your legs back, but for the first hour or two—”
“How is she?” Violet asked, turning to face Jennifer. The Titan ate in silence, ignoring everyone around her.
“She’s pissed,” Eden said.
Violet’s eyes narrowed. “So, you segregate yourselves from her to make her feel worse?”
“V, she kinda did this to herself. Look what she did to me.” Alfred gently felt around his eye.
Well deserved, more than likely.
Violet’s fists rattled at her sides as she listened to their excuses.
“I really just need to eat right now.” Between her emotions and being hungry, she had to get a grip. Especially if she planned on talking to Jen.
Sasha walked over with a plate of food that consisted of two burgers, fries, and a side of string beans.
“It’s like we’re eating in the cafeteria at Duskton High all over again,” Sasha joked. “Minus Madison anyway, and ...”
Elric. Nobody said it, but the silence was more than enough to fill in the blanks.
Violet took the tray. “Thanks. Can you wheel me over to her?” She looked over at Jen, poking at the food on her plate.
Sasha’s expression mangled into a face of fear. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s now or never.”
Eden helped her back into the wheelchair and wheeled her over to the bench where Jen sat.
Jen mercilessly stabbed a fork into a string bean, refusing to look up. She made eye contact with Violet but only briefly before rolling them with an unenthusiastic sigh. The frustration in the air stung like tiny needles over Violet’s arms.
Unlike the last time they met. Jen wore jeans and a black V-neck top with the necklaces and earrings still intact. Violet hopped onto the bench and plopped next to her, trying to pace herself.
As bad as it looked, the food tasted amazing. Violet tore into the burger and shoveled a few mushy, overcooked string beans into her mouth.
“You’re acting like you haven’t eaten before.” Jen scrunched her nose.
“Will you relax? Seriously! You’re worse than me,” Sasha snapped back. “Maybe you are from the Pride Empire, you stuck up piece of work.”
Jen’s eyes sharpened, taking on an intense glow that could’ve burst Sasha into flames. She stood and leaned over the table. “What did you say?”
“A cooked horse would probably taste good too,” Violet blurted out to change the subject. “You’re right, Jen. Not eating for three days sucks. I’m starving!”
Jen’s shoulders dropped, and her
eyes softened, her body shifting from ass-kicking mode to neutral.
Sasha had her beat by six inches, easily. But this wasn’t a battle of height. Even if Sasha went into her fox mode, Violet bet Jen could still get some good licks in.
The boys’ table was silent. Violet glanced from the corner of her eyes as they studied the events unfolding. Violet shot a murderous glare their way, which forced them out of their seats. They cleared their trays, sticking together like a gaggle, and made their way over.
“Wow, V,” Alfred spoke nervously, “I guess you’re a little hungry?”
“Just a tad bit,” Violet replied, stabbing the rest of the green beans and shoving them into her mouth. She swallowed and finished the first burger and had her fingers wrapped around the second.
Jen continued to play with the vegetables that were nothing more than mashed pieces, ignoring the existence of everyone else. Violet could sense that she’d emotionally checked out.
“Look who’s finally awake!” Samantha walked in with two men in uniform trailing behind her. “And eating to get her strength back. Good.”
Violet’s eyes widened. “Hey, long time no see.”
“You’re telling me. How are you feeling? The doctors fix you up good?” Samantha gave her a hug.
“They definitely did.”
“Good to hear.” Sam took a deep breath. “Look, not to rush things, but …” Her eyes fixated on Jen.
“Right.” Violet thought about the night in that hotel room when she brought Elric home. But the images of all the horrific things he had done crushed those memories to nothingness.
It was time.
Chapter 3
The Burdensome Truth
Violet cleared her throat as her eyes welled with tears. She bit her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut, hating to admit that Elric could commit such horrors. “Jen …”
Jen focused on the tray of food. “What is it?”
“Look, can we talk?” And like a ticking time bomb, Violet felt all the internal strife and frustration erupt from the girl.