Page 5

VIOLET

O ver the following weeks, life returned to normal. Sort of. I woke up in my brand new room; I went to class; I had lunch at the library with Maggie and Len; I pretended not to notice the curious stares, which, fortunately, were fading by the day; I video-called my brother at least once a day (he was already getting annoyed); I pretended not to notice my boys taking turns to follow me around like lost puppies, and ignored their constant requests to go back to their room.

They were tailing me at that very moment, actually: I couldn’t see them, but I felt the rumble of their magic as they followed me to the library, where I was meeting my friends for lunch.

Class had ended a little early, so I was the first one there. I was also the only one, it seemed: the library was quiet and empty except for me… and three men who couldn’t leave me alone.

“Jeez” I muttered under my breath. “Not even a moment of peace, huh?”

They didn’t follow me all the way to my usual spot: they stopped by the door, hiding behind the carts heavy with books that were lined up next to the front desk.

“Weirdos” I went on, dropping my stuff on the nestled, hidden table we always had lunch at. “It’s not like I’m going to get jumped by a book gang.”

My grumpiness toward them was—mostly—a facade. I somehow liked how protective they were, and while I said how annoying it was to constantly have them around, some part of me found it reassuring. Knowing at least one of them was always nearby made me feel safe, protected. Not that I needed it—everything was fine at the moment. Still, their very presence soothed my nerves better than any chill pill. A tiny part of me, however, felt slightly suffocated—but I refused to give it any power in that moment.

I sighed. Still no trace of my friends. I glanced at the clock hanging above the entrance—one twenty. They wouldn't be here for at least another ten minutes. At first, I considered taking a power nap right there at the table: I could use the sleep. I didn't like admitting it, but sleeping on my own wasn't exactly pleasant. First off, I wasn't used to it: I'd spent most of my life sharing a room with Griffin. And then… Well, as much as I didn't want to come to terms with the truth, sleeping close to my boys gave me a sense of security I'd never felt in my entire life. Knowing they were just a few doors away, were I to need anything, was comforting in a way I deeply missed. Now there were nightmares, long, restless nights, and a sense of absence I didn't dare to acknowledge. Because I'd asked for this new arrangement, and I knew I needed the time alone.

I got up, trying to shake away those thoughts. Sleeping would mean seeing, hearing, feeling things I didn’t want to. No. I could use the extra time to find the material for the research paper requested for telepathy class.

I moved through the empty, silent aisles, walking deeper and deeper into the library's belly, where even my footsteps seemed more muffled, the air dustier, the lights dimmer. The telepathy section was so far back that I couldn't even hear the ticking clock by the entrance. As I browsed for interesting books I could use in my paper, I found myself instinctively searching for the reassuring pull of my boys' magic—to no avail: I always forgot the library was a magic-free zone.

“ No, Dad. ”

The voice was sudden, an unexpected arrow cutting through silence. It belonged to a woman, and it sounded pissed.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” she, whoever it was, went on. “I’m not. I’m not stupid! You keep giving me shit for one mistake—”

Another voice interrupted her—faint, distant, metallic.. I figured the woman was talking on the phone. Despite my inability to understand what was being said, there was no mistaking the overall tone of the interlocutor. They were angry and scared.

"I won't promise you shit" the woman snapped. Her voice was growing louder, closer, as muffled footsteps followed. "Actually, there's one thing I can promise. I won't get caught."

I quickly backtracked and disappeared in the shadows of a reading nook, unsure why I was hiding. It's not like I was eavesdropping, spying, or anything of the sort. For whatever reason, though, I felt like I had to—a weird gut feeling told me I would get in so much trouble if I were to get caught. Holding my breath, I watched as a pair of slim legs, covered in creamy tights, walked past my hiding spot, the shiny black loafers stomping on the carpeted floor. The trail of vanilla following her left no space for doubt: it was Fia. I caught a glimpse of her red locks swishing behind her back as she turned a corner, her footsteps growing fainter and fainter until I couldn't hear them anymore.

Slowly, I crawled out of the reading nook, shaking my head at my reaction. I was only now starting to realize how much I walked on eggshells, even when there was no need, even when I’d done nothing wrong.

Fia’s words echoed in my head as I made my way back to the table, completely forgetting about the book I was looking for. She wouldn’t get caught doing what, exactly? Cheating on a test? If I remembered correctly, her final exam was coming up quickly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she cheated her way to the top.

A part of me, the meanest, most immature, suggested I found a way to use this information against her. I could do some research, gather evidence, and present it to the headmaster so that she would kick Fia out of the school—and away from Quinn, too. I didn’t want her near him because… well, because although it wasn’t fair, something inside me had already claimed him as mine. Quinn, Nicholas, Kenji. I still couldn’t seem to accept it, but they were all mine, and the thought of Fia freely roaming around them was unsettling. Disgusting, even.

You have no right , I told myself as I took my lunch out of my bag. You told them you needed time and space, but you loathe the thought of someone else laying claim to them. Pick a struggle, V.

And yet, I couldn’t let go of the idea: when Maggie and Len came through the library’s doors, I was still pondering whether I should use what I’d heard as a weapon against the bitch who was trying to steal a man that wasn’t even mine to begin with.

"Listen, I thought I was having the worst day ever because, you know, I nearly made the classroom explode for a slight miscalculation on my part" Len started, as he plopped down on the chair right in front of me. "But look at that!" He pointed in my general direction, looking at Maggie for validation. "You easily beat me. Who died?"

"Don't say that." Maggie's whisper was too loud; I heard her loud and clear. " She was the one who almost died, Len. That's a little insensitive, don't you think?" She clicked her tongue as she sat beside me, her tiny curls catching the green light of the lamp on the table. "Let's all do better, shall we? Hi, Violet" she then proceeded to say, turning to face me. Her heart-shaped lips were curled into the smallest, sweetest smile. "How are you?"

Maggie’s posh, na?ve voice summoned a smile out of me, too, and I wasn’t quick enough to shove it back. “It’s alright. You don’t have to hold back with me. I’m alive, my almost-killer is being punished… and there’s no risk I forget it, given how people stare at me in the hallways.” I huffed. “It feels like I’m the new student all over again.”

"Don't worry" Len said, but he was stuffing his face with a peanut butter and jam sandwich, so his voice came out all muffled and distorted. "They'll forget about you as soon as someone is found cheating on a test or fucking in the restrooms." He wiped strawberry jam off his chin with a thumb, then licked it clean. "Happens more often than you think. Oh! I could throw a party, instead" he went on, turning to Maggie with a new light burning in his eyes. "It would be the event of the year." He turned to me. "My parties are, like, legendary. Ask anyone. I mean, I don't really have that many because, you know…" He raised his eyebrows, shrugging and stretching out on his chair. "They would become ordinary. Common. We so don’t want that.”

"You only ever threw one party" Maggie intervened softly, removing the lid from her pink Tupperware. She wasn't even looking at him. "Three people showed up, including me and your sweet mother. How is she, by the way?"

The rest of our lunch break was pretty much uneventful, with Len and Maggie talking their heads off while I mostly listened and laughed.

“I think your boyfriends are waiting for you” Maggie finally said, as we cleared the table. “Fascinating, those three, although quite intense at times.”

“Intense?” Len snickered. “They’re terrifying. Please tell them I have no interest in getting into your panties, Violet. Please. They scare me shitless.”

I shook my head, holding back a tired laugh. “They don’t think you want to. They’re just…” I let out the biggest sigh, turning my head in their direction. They were waiting for me next to the doors. “Overprotective.”

“More like psychopathic.” Len gave them a quick look before he turned to face me again. “Tell them. I’m begging you—tell them before they turn me into human Jell-O.”

This time, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Will do, okay? But you’re my friend. They’ll have to deal with it.”

A few feet away, Kenji tapped on his smartwatch, Nicholas grumbled something under his breath, and Quinn sent a flying kiss my way, leaning against the doorframe. The message was clear: time to go.

“Duty calls” I said, picking up my bag. “See you guys tomorrow.”