Once they got to the station, Violet went to the teller to get the four tickets that Rory had given her the cash for, while the other three girls sat on a bench to wait for the train.1
“Well, we’ve got just enough time to eat before the train is supposed to get here, so lets get on with it.” Violet told them as she took a seat on the bench between Rory and Summer. Violet ate the hash browns that she had gotten, but couldn’t manage to get the sandwich down. The hustle and bustle noises of the people around them rushing to get to wherever it is they wanted to go, but Violet couldn’t hear it. The only sound she heard was the sound of her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She couldn’t help thinking it was amazing that no one else could hear it.2
“I’m really sorry you guys.”3
“What in the world for?” Rory asked.4
“For ruining your vacation.” Violet replied shifting her tear filled eyes to the ground.5
“Violet, this isn’t your fault!” Summer exclaimed, surprised that Violet could even begin to consider that it was.6
“How is it not my fault? I wouldn’t listen to anyone when they told me that he was no good. Everyone knew what kind of guy he really was. If I wasn’t so desperate to find someone I thought would love me then…then we wouldn’t be in this situation at all.” Violet replied bitterly.7
“Yeah, but at the same time…if you had listened to the family, then we wouldn’t be here at all.” Rory replied, attempting to cheer her up. “C’mon Vi, please just try to cheer up, okay?”8
“I can’t, Rory. I’m sorry, but I’ve still got a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and you know that I’ve never been wrong before…not when I’ve felt this way.” Violet replied.9
“Well, before long we’ll be out of her and you won’t have anything to worry about.” Rory said confidently.10
“I hope you’re right.” Violet sighed, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the two credit cards that she had taken from Alex’s wallet. She stared at them for a minute, until she heard the sound of the train pulling into the station.11
“Alright, let’s get the hell out of here ladies.” Summer stated, then stood and gathered up her bags. Violet stood, and walked to the nearest trash can and dropped the two credit cards inside. The train stopped and Violet watched as Rory, Summer, and Savannah all climbed onto the train. Violet glanced around the station, her eyes open in a frantic search for Alex’s face, once satisfied that he wasn’t there watching her and her friends, she followed the three of them onto the train and into an empty compartment.12
Rory and Violet sat on one side, while Summer and Savannah sat on the other. Savannah immediately started talking to Summer, but refused to even glance in Violet’s direction. With a sigh, Violet moved to stare out the window.13
The train stopped in Birmingham, where the four girls moved to another, far less popular train that would take them to their final stop in Redditch. It was going onto the third hour since the girls had had their breakfast, so Rory suggested that they get food.14
“I’ll go and get it, if you guys just let me know what you want.”15
“Nawh, I’ll go with you.” Summer offered.16
“Okay.” Rory agreed, with a nod.17
“Me too.” Savannah said, jumping out of her seat.18
“Why don’t you stay and keep Violet company.” Summer suggested, looking at Savannah.19
“No…it’s okay. I think I’m just going to take a nap. Just bring me back something to drink, okay? I don’t really care what it is at this point.” Violet told them.20
“Are you sure? I mean, if nothing else, I can stay and they can go get the snacks.”21
“It’s fine, really. You three go ahead.”22
“Alright. We won’t take long.”23
“I’ll see you when you get back then.” Violet replied, and moved to lie down on the seat. She closed her eyes and heard the sliding door click shut, with a soft sigh she tried to go to sleep. Within minutes, she heard the sliding door open then click shut again. By now, Violet was laying so that she was facing the back of the seat.24
“Jeeze, that was fast, but I think I’m still going to try to nap, so just save my drink for me. Okay?” Violet told them, but got no answer and suddenly her heart tripled its pace in her chest. “Rory?” She waited for an answer, but somehow knew it wasn’t going to come. She whimpered softly and tried again. “Summer?” Violet opened her eyes and slowly sat up; still refusing to turn around to face the one she knew with sudden clarity was standing there.25
“What’s the matter, Violet? Not scared…are you?” Alex asked her, with a slow smirk spreading over his face. The sound of his voice had her jumping out of the seat and reaching for the door. “Ah, ah, ah.” Alex grabbed her cruelly by the arm and jerked her back, until her back was against his chest. “You surely didn’t think I was going to let you get away that easily did you?”26
“W-what do you mean?”27
“You know precisely what I mean.” He growled. “Taking off to Europe, like you didn’t think I would come after you.”28
“I wasn’t taking off…it was simply a vacation.”29
“Don’t pretend that I’m stupid, Violet.”30
“I’m not pretending. That’s all this was…a vacation. Rory, Summer, and Savannah bought four tickets to and from London, a vacation. They knew I liked it here and wanted to bring me back once more before you and I got married.” Violet explained, truthfully. Alex took her then and slammed her hard against the wall, and brought his hand to her neck, to hold her in place.31
“Then why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”32
“Because you wouldn’t have let me come.”33
“But if it was simply for a vacation, then why wouldn’t I?” He asked. Violet knew it was a trap, and was carefully thinking of the correct way to answer the question.34
“Because, you don’t like it when I’m away from you. You like having me there.” 35
“Why’d you take my credit cards then?”36
“Because I knew you wouldn’t give me money.”37
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have given you any money, and I wouldn’t have let you come.”38
“Why the hell not?”39
“Do you truly think I’m stupid, Violet? Do you think that I didn’t know that you wouldn’t come back if you had the chance to leave…especially a chance to get so far away from me?” Alex asked. “No one else will have you, Violet. You’re mine…and you’ll always be mine…and no one else’s. No one else wants you anyways, why do you think I took you in. I took pity on you…you were so pathetic; you practically threw yourself at me. No one else wants you, Violet.”40
“You’re wrong. I’ve already found someone else.” She replied with a smirk.41
“You think you can lie to me. I don’t even really want you. As soon as I get that boy I’ve been wanting, you’ll be all alone again. And who’s going to want you once you’ve been used?” He grinned wickedly, but the anger in her was enough to make her to lift her hand and slam it across the side of his face. For a split second, his grip on her neck loosened at the surprise of her fighting back. This time he made sure to hold her tight enough, he knew it wouldn’t take her long to lose consciousness.42
“Now why would you hit me, Violet? Didn’t you like what I had to say?” He chimed. “Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Violet continued to glare at him, even as her breathing became shallow, but all she heard were Dean’s words ‘you’re a fighter!’ Violet’s anger rose and somehow, she managed to muster up enough courage to spit in his face.43
“You’re wrong.” She told him again, this time in a whisper. She heard Rory and Summer pounding on the door of the compartment now. Alex was tempted to slam her head against the window, but decided against it. The pain wouldn’t be there if he simply knocked her out. Violet struggled with him, kicking her feet at him and using her nails to claw at his fingers around her neck. She was holding out longer than usual, he realized, and admitted that the struggle was getting him excited. Violet’s struggles became less enthusiastic, as she felt her lungs tightening. White spots popped in front of her eyes and the area around her started to go dim. Alex recognized the way her eyes were glazing over, as her arms finally went limp at her sides, and her legs simply dangled from her. The voices of her friends started to die away, until it sounded as though they were shouting from the opposite end of a long tunnel. She heard Summer yell that she was going for help, and then saw Alex’s smile of satisfaction, before everything went dark.44
Honorable mention
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