Chapter One

Sea waves crashed against the cliffs and sprayed mist around her. The setting sun gave everything a golden glow; everything but Violet.

Ramona stood at a distance, a few hundred feet away, watching Violet, as she had for the last year. Every evening at the same time for the last three hundred sixty-five days, they had come to the same cliff and waited. Today was the day. He had said exactly one year. He said he would be back today.

With all her heart, Ramona tried to believe what he said, but no matter how hard she tried, she knew he wouldn't come. The cold wind and mist from the sea was freezing her fingers. She flexed them, trying to loosen the stiffness. The miserable weather seemed equivalent to the lack of faith that Ezra was coming back. A lump caught in her throat at the thought. She hugged herself tightly around her middle, trying to calm herself. Worry sat at the base of her stomach. Her intestines felt like they were twisting into complicated knots of anxiety.

Then, he was there. Heath gently turned Ramona around and uncrossed her arms, wrapping them around him instead. Ramona buried her face into his chest. He was so warm.

Heath didn't say anything, just held Ramona closer. She sighed and breathed in his scent. He smelled woodsy. Heath was six-foot-one, blonde haired, and hazel-eyed. His face was strong, and his body was toned and muscular, firm in a way. He made Ramona think of a handsome Roman general. He looked almost harsh, but the only thing harsh about him was his temper, which was short fused, though short lived. His anger was in sharp contrast to his usually cuddly personality.

Ramona shivered against him as a gust of cold wind bit at her face. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She slid her hand up his chest and cupped it on his neck. He jumped as her cold hand touched his bare skin.

"Wow, you're freezing," he said

Ramona mumbled inaudibly before stretching herself to press her lips to his. "I'll be right back," she whispered. She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist and pulled her back. He kissed her forehead before taking of his jacket and draping it around her shoulders. She pulled it tightly around herself and smiled. Heath was, by far, the most affectionate man she'd ever been with. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and nodded.

She turned again, pulling the jacket around her tighter still. The icy wind was blowing harder now, and the temperature seemed to be dropping. Her light brown hair flew wildly around her face as the wind tossed it.

It was obvious that Violet was aware of Ramona's presence, but she just ignored it. Ramona choked back tears. Her best friend had changed so much. She wiped her eyes and took in a deep breath of freezing air. She had to say something. "Violet…"

Violet remained silent. She stared at the waves crashing against the cliff.

"Vi, we should go. It's--"

At that, Violet whipped around sharply. Ramona was taken aback by her appearance. Her normally soft expression was fierce, and her eyes weren't they're usual slate blue. Instead they were grey, but they were also translucent, like stormy waters.

There were still traces of the old Violet. Not everything about her physical appearance had changed. Her eyes were still surrounded by the same naturally thick, black eyelashes, which was rare for someone with such vibrant red hair. Her fiery mane was pulled into a plaited bun, and her slanted bangs fell in her face, pronouncing her cheekbones. She was pale; paler than usual, and Ramona could tell she was too thin. The dress she wore hung loosely over her five-foot-eight frame, making her look awkward.

She spoke, finally. "We are not going back," she said through her teeth. "He said it would be today. I promised I would wait."

"Vi, I don't think this is what he meant. He wouldn't want you to—"

"We. Are. Not. Going. Back," Violet emphasized every word. "He's coming."

There was a pause.

"You aren't the same anymore. I'm worried about you," Ramona managed to whisper.

"What do you mean worried about me?"

Ramona shook her head. "Well…It's just that…you aren't well, Violet. You barely eat, or play your music. And…we don't talk anymore."

"You do realize this is hardly the right time to be confronting me about this, don't you?" Violet snapped, returning her gaze to the crashing waves. Ramona winced. Violet's tone had stung.

Ramona opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when Violet said, "He's coming for me. I know you don't think he is, but he's coming."

"Vi…"

"He's coming for me," she repeated, emphasizing each syllable. She turned to look Ramona in the eye, trying to look intimidating. "All day, people have been telling me that he's not coming. They try to be gentle, but those words will never be gentle. They will always be harsh, and…" Violet trailed off. She glared at Ramona's hurt face for a long moment, then turned back to the sea. Ramona sighed, defeated, and walked slowly back to Heath, her pain turning into annoyance.

"What happened?" He asked kindly.

Ramona didn't answer. She shoved her hands in her pockets.

"What's wrong?" Heath tried again.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, you're face is undecipherable, but your heart is racing. That means you're mad. What happened?" Heath smiled sweetly.

The annoyance flared into anger. Did he always have to scrutinize her emotions? "Dammit!"

Heath's smile faded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh, no," Ramona sighed. She hid her face in her hands, embarrassed. She hated letting her anger get the better of her. "No, don't apologize. It's me. I'm being an idiot." Her voice was muffled by her hands.

Heath rolled his eyes. "You are not being an idiot, Mona."

Ramona uncovered her face to watch Violet again. Heath stood close behind her, wrapping his muscular arms around her in an embrace. He rested his cheek on her hair and sighed. They would be here for awhile.

"Heath!" Ramona cried desperately. She saw him jerk awake inside the car. He threw her a questioning look, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She was running toward the cliff where Violet was. Ramona heard Heath swear and the car door slam. She sprinted to Violet, who had collapsed and was laying lifelessly on the ground.

She arrived breathlessly at Violet's body, her hands fluttering uselessly over her friend. She realized with relief that Violet was breathing steadily. She had passed out from exhaustion. She lifted Violet's head from the ground and held her against her body, trying to warm her. She turned her body away from the sea, attempting to block the mist and gently stroked Violet's hair.

Heath jogged up and crouched down next to them. "What—?"

"She collapsed. I don't know what happened. I…she…" Ramona stumbled over her words frantically. She looked down at Violet. She seemed so fragile. Ramona looked up at Heath helplessly. "We have to get her out of here. She needs to be home." She was on the verge of hysteria.

Heath put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her emerald green eyes. He raised his eyebrows. "Ramona, she'll be alright. Everything will be fine. We'll get her home, and everything will be fine, " he repeated earnestly.

She could only nod.

He carried Violet, still unconscious, to the car and buckled her into the backseat. Ramona climbed in next to her, afraid she would wake up, and held her. Violet had been shivering, and welcomed the warmth of Ramona's body unconsciously, curling up beside her and resting her head on Ramona's shoulder. Ramona wrapped her arms more tightly around Violet's latent body. Heath started the car and turned on the heat. They drove away in silence, watching the trees fly past.

"She's still asleep." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah," Ramona sighed. "She'll be pissed when she wakes up." She paused. "I supposed I would be mad…if I was her. I mean, she was so sure he was coming."

Heath nodded. They'd been driving for almost fifteen minutes, and they were only halfway to Ramona and Violet's house. Ramona had climbed into the front seat, but not before laying Violet out across the back. Violet's breathing was shallow, almost inaudible.

"She won't be able to put up a fight. She's going to be pretty torn up about this," Heath said, turning the heat down a little. He looked over his shoulder at Violet. "Why did Ezra leave in the first place? I've forgotten. It seemed so long ago."

"He went to find Damien, remember?" Ramona said quietly. "Because he claimed to know why Lily was dying and how to stop it."

Heath shook his head sadly at the sound of Lily, Violet's late sister. She had died five months ago. Her death had ripped Violet apart. After she died, Violet threw herself into a spiraling depression that made her seem pitiful and beautiful at the same time. What made it worse was Ezra's absence.

"He doesn't know," Ramona whispered.

"Because he won't let anyone contact him!" Heath's temper flared. His voice rose a few decibels and he gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Violet stirred in her sleep.

"Heath," Ramona whispered desperately.

"Sorry," Heath murmured. His anger had already fizzled out. "I…It's just stupid. It pisses me off. He told us he was going to do that. So we would be safe. Particularly Violet. But what the hell do we need to be 'safe' from?"

"I don't know."

Heath's eyebrows furrowed. "That's always going to piss me off, you know?"

"Yeah. I suppose."

Heath sighed. "Almost there."

Ramona nodded and tried to change the subject. "How's Nathaniel?"

Nathaniel, Ezra's brother, was taking up residence with Heath while Ezra was away. When Ezra left, he was left alone in their house. He said he got lonely and wanted a roommate, but everyone knew it was because he didn't want to give Violet an excuse to visit Ezra's old home.

"He's good. Mostly he just slobs the place up. For a vampire, he is incredibly sloppy. My apartment looks like a pig sty." Heath smiled.

"Stupid immortals."

Heath looked at her curiously.

"What?"

"You're jealous?"

"Maybe a little. But, I mean, come on! Look at them! They're beautiful, they have almost infinite knowledge, they're fluent in almost every language," Ramona counted on her fingers.

"Well, they've seen a lot of shit, too."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. The world wars, maybe? And wasn't Ezra in France during the French Revolution?"

"Oh."

"There's a down side to everything."

"Well, they've got powers, too. That's a huge plus."

Heath smirked. "Powers?"

"Yeah. What do you call them?"

"Gifts."

"What's wrong with powers?"

"Sounds cheesy to me. Like magical powers." He lifted his hands off of the steering wheel and wiggled his fingers dramatically. He put his left hand back on the wheel and reached for her hand with his right. Ramona laced her fingers with his.

"What the—?" Violet jerked awake as Ramona opened the back door of the car. "What the hell? What's wrong with you? Take me back, now."

"Shit," Ramona muttered.

Heath reached over to unbuckle Violet, who was thrashing violently in the belt. She tried to climb out of the car without realizing she was buckled in. "Let--me--OUT!"

Ramona reached in and unbuckled the seatbelt, causing Violet to fall into Heath. "Sorry, Heath," she apologized, frustrated with herself. She ran after Violet, who had stormed to the front door and was trying to open it. After a few tries, she gave up and fell to the ground. "Shit," Ramona swore again. She ran to Violet and pulled her up.

Violet stopped fighting. She just stood there and cried into Ramona's neck until Heath unlocked the door and pulled them both inside. Violet pulled away carefully and wiped her eyes.

"Vi, I'm sorry. So sorry," Heath kept repeating his apology. Violet just looked at him with her puffy red eyes. She wiped her wet cheeks and shook her head. Without a word, she headed upstairs. Ramona followed.

"Here, Vi." Ramona held out some of her spare clothes.

Violet just stared at them blankly. "I wear his clothes," she said, blinking.

"Oh, well, I'll--"

"No, it's okay, Mona. I'll get them myself. Thanks." Violet smiled sadly, and pulled Ramona into a hug. Ramona choked back tears. Violet hardly ever gave hugs since he was gone.

"I'm sorry," Violet sighed, pulling away. "I'm being such a bitch."

"Oh, Vi…"

"No, really. I'm being…" She paused. "I know you have good intentions, and I know you're trying to help. I know. But I just keep getting mad for no reason, and it pisses me off."

"You get pissed off for being pissed off?"

"Exactly."

Ramona sighed and sat down on the bed as Violet went to change. When Vi came out, she was wearing one of his shirts and old jeans. One of the knees was ripped. Ramona felt an emptiness growing inside of her. Why hadn't she noticed that Violet did this after an entire year?

Violet sat down on the bed next to Ramona. She stared at her lap for a moment. Finally, she whispered, "I was sure he was coming, you know. I was so convinced," she said shakily, wiping her eyes. Ramona slipped her arm around Violet's shoulder.

"He did say it would be exactly one year," she said.

"Yeah. I know he's looking for Damien, but it's pointless now. Lily's gone," her voice cracked, "and I just hoped that if he couldn't find Damien, he'd give up and come home."

"That makes sense."

"I can't believe this."

"Hmm?"

"This is the first time we've ever really talked about it. About him leaving, I mean."

Ramona nodded. "Yeah. You know you can always talk to me. About anything, right?"

"Right."

Ramona could see through her. Violet was trying to act normal so Mona or the others wouldn't worry. Her attempts were useless. Her eyes almost screamed Violet's pain. She was dying inside. So much, she wanted to just crumple into a sorrowful little ball. Nothing was right.

Nothing would be right until Ezra was back.