Chapter 7
KADE ASHFORD
“Hey, where are we going?” Kade whispered as he followed Violet.
“You’ll see, you’ll see.”
He couldn’t see her face, but she eagerly took his hand and led him out of the warehouse. She seemed to be a bit hesitant at first, but her tugging became more energetic and enthusiastic as they continued. Once they were out, Violet turned around to Kade, wearing a huge grin enhanced by the moonlight shining on her face.
“There’s someplace I wanna show you. Trust me, you’ll love it!”
After what happened last time she said those words, Kade wasn’t sure how to feel about this new place, but he couldn’t help being swayed by her sweet, sincere smile.
Kade let Violet lead him through the woods for a few minutes before he heard a familiar sound he hadn’t heard in years. It was the calming sound of… water? Or more specifically, it was the splashing sound from waves hitting a shore.
“We’re here!” yelled Violet, excitedly pushing through the last of the branches. As soon as Kade stepped out behind her, he was met with the sight of clear, blue water gently rolling onto the golden sand, the tender moonlight making the waves sparkle. He could hear a soft crunching sound under his feet with every step, along with the warm, gentle breeze rustling through the trees nearby. In the inky, black sky was a clear view of the moon, covered by an ethereal glow amidst the ocean of countless stars.
Simply put, the sight was beautiful.
Kade’s mouth hung open as if his jaw had lost all strength.
“Whoa…”
“What do you think? It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… it is.”
“Haha, I’m glad you like it.”
“Why are you taking off your shoes?”
“Walking in the sand feels good, you know. You should do it with me!”
Before he knew it, Kade found himself walking barefoot on the beach next to Violet, feeling the cold yet soothing sand gnaw at the bottom of his feet. He watched as the waves swayed back and forth, onto the shore and back into the ocean.
“You were right,” he said. “It is really nice.”
“Right? This beach is pretty much forgotten about, so no one knows about it other than me and you now. It’s our special place now, huh? How’s it feel having one of those with a girl?” she teased.
“Same goes for you. How come you’re showing me this special place all of a sudden?”
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” started Violet. “In private.”
“What’d you want to say that’s such a big deal?” Kade asked, laughing a little.
Violet looked up into Kade’s eyes with a serious expression. Even during the night, Kade could see her clearly when she was so close.
She was just a tiny bit shorter than Kade, with a small beauty mark under her right eye. There was a small scar on her ear, and her scarlet colored eyes were intense but soft.
Violet took a breath before speaking.
“Two things. First, let me ask, why did you do all this?”
“Huh?”
“Helping Elena, risking your life to save granny Pia with Nest. Nest has been here for a while, sure, but it hasn’t even been three days since you’ve been at this camp. Why go so far?”
“...”
Logically, she was making a fair point. Kade was a stranger to all these people, and was even treated like an outsider. It didn’t make sense for him to risk his life to save one of them, especially when no one even asked him to. He would have been lying to say he had no other motives, and he didn’t want to do that.
“I wanted to earn the trust of everyone at camp,” he said carefully, almost in a whisper. “Thought this would be the quickest way to do it.”
Of course, that probably sounded like a lie too, considering the risk-reward ratio. Kade met Violet’s ruby eyes and held them, trying to convey his sincerity.
Surprisingly, her gaze was just as serious. She took a moment to consider before speaking.
“... you’re not an exorcist spy or anything, right?”
“I’m not,” Kade replied with a weak smile. “I promise.”
“Hm, alright, I believe you!”
“Just like that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
“Yeah. I can tell you’re not a bad person. And I keep getting this weird feeling that tells me I can trust you.”
“Pfft, is that so?”
“Hey, stop with that face, I’m serious, you know.”
“Sorry, heh heh.”
“Anyway, for the second thing. I wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize? For what?”
She suddenly stopped walking, and both her voice and face softened.
“You know, I was thinking to myself this morning, did I make the right choice in taking you to camp? Oh, not because I was suspicious of you or anything, but because of the sudden change. I thought maybe I just dropped you off somewhere hostile without considering your situation. And I’m sorry for leaving so early the first night, by the way. I really did have something to do. Anyway, I don’t know, maybe I was just being selfish. Maybe it was because I was so excited to meet another phantom, or maybe it was because I was thankful for you watching over me while I was unconscious, not to mention fighting with me. But I somehow just ended up bringing you here.”
“…”
“Either way, I realized a few days ago that you might not exactly fit into camp, you know? Maybe I had just caused trouble for everyone. But I went to camp today, and everything was completely different from what I had imagined. Everyone was smiling for once, you brought back Elena’s grandmother, and Nest, who also used to be an outcast, was getting along with everyone today thanks to you. I’m really jealous of you, by the way. I’ve been wanting to help everyone and make everyone happy for so long, but you, a newcomer, already did everything within a week of being here.”
Violet looked down and scratched the back of her head nervously.
“So anyway, sorry, and thank you. And um… I’m glad I met you and brought you here… I guess?”
She looked back up at Kade and tilted her head with a sweet smile, a hint of embarrassment lingering behind it. Violet’s face was the same shade of red as her eyes, which seemed to gleam against the bright moonlight as her long black hair glowed along with the ocean behind her.
Her voice was smooth and mellow, and hearing her words made Kade realize something that he had kept buried behind his mind this whole time.
Oh, he thought to himself. This is Violet Rose. Past, present, future, she will always be the Violet Rose that I know. The same Violet that I…
Kade found himself wearing a bitter smile. He opened his mouth to talk, but Violet cut him off, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Shooting star! Look behind you, look behind you!”
She rushed past him, her eagerness audible in her hasty steps.
It was a beautiful sight, he was sure, but he didn’t turn around for it.
I have to tell her someday, he thought with a wave of guilt crashing over him. She needs to know what happened in the future… but not now.
He knew it was selfish of him, but Kade wanted to savor moments like these. He didn’t want to tell her just yet.
“Violet!” he called out. She turned her head to look at him, still wearing her contagious, childish grin.
“I’m glad you found me too,” he said. “And thanks for bringing me here. I mean it.”
There was a moment of surprise on Violet’s face before another gentle smile.
“Of course! Technically, it was you who found me, though.”
Kade smiled bitterly again.
And I’m sorry about what happened back then.
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