Chapter Fourteen: Blazing Fires
A week had passed since the polar bear incident, and nightmares had flooded Violet's limited sleep since. Of polar bears, of death, of Katie, of Claire, of Ethan, of Charlie. Violet's nightmares were vivid details of the polar bear clawing its way through the tree, ready to devour its victims in an instant, had it not been for Locke, Michael and Kate. Her nightmares also relived the days following the polar bear incident; events that made Violet almost forget about the polar bear.
The night after hers and Walt's escape, Locke came running on to the beach, holding an unconscious Claire in his arms. Everybody had crowded around, thinking she was dead, but she was alive. Violet would never forget the emptiness in Claire's eyes as she looked around questionnably, asking them all who they were. Claire had no recollection of anything that had happened to her. The last thing she remembered was boarding the plane back in Sydney. She had no memory of Ethan, of Charlie, or anybody else.
Charlie wasn't doing so well either. Violet guessed it had to do with his near-death experience, and the fact that he blamed himself for Claire's disappearance, and now her loss of memory. He kept to himself mostly that week.
About a day after Claire came back to the camp, Violet heard Jack, Charlie and some others talking. Ethan had returned, and had caught Charlie out in the jungle, and threatened to kill one member of the island every night until Claire was returned to him. Violet still remembered the mix of fear and hatred on Charlie's face, as Jack suggested setting up a trap around the perimeter of the beach. That night, Violet could not sleep, no matter how much Kate had tried to convince her they were safe. But the trap didn't work; one of the castaways was killed by Ethan, who remained unseen the whole time, and a memorial service was held the next day. Violet didn't know who the deceased was; she had never met him, but the same fear she was feeling blanketed the camp. No trap was going to ward Ethan off. If they didn't do something soon, he would kill again and again until Claire was returned.
Violet only heard about it after the fact; Kate hadn't told her because she knew Violet would try to come, but Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Sayid had taken Claire out into the jungle to use her as bait to capture Ethan. It had been Claire's idea all along, who was picking up on the fact that people were going to die unless she was returned. Ethan had appeared, and Jack had jumped him, beating him, and ready to interrogate him, to discover anything useful about where he had come from, and why he had taken Claire, hung Charlie to die, and left Violet. Jack had said Ethan seemed ready to talk out of fear, but Charlie had emerged from the bushes, and shot Ethan seven times out of anger and hatred. Their answers had died that day along with Ethan.
That night, Violet had asked Charlie why he did it. He said Ethan deserved to die after what he did; taking Claire like that, and now Claire had no memory of what had happened to her. The thing that frightened Violet the most was that Charlie seemed to have no remorse over what he had done. He killed a man, and regretted nothing.
Violet tossed and turned, and woke with a start, for the fourth time that night. Sleep was becoming less and less for Violet over the last week. Ethan was dead; that much was true, but she couldn't help but wonder, were there others like Ethan? He wasn't on the plane, and according to Hurley's manefest list, he was the only one that wasn't on the plane among them. But Ethan had taken Claire deep into the jungle. What was out there? Who was out there? It scared her to think about it.
The next morning, Violet could barely keep her eyes open. She hadn't gone back to sleep the night before, after her nightmares had awoken her. She splashed some water on her face in a failed attempt to wake herself up, as Kate approached her.
"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" She asked, out of concern. Violet sighed and shook her head. Kate looked at her seriously.
"Violet, you need to sleep." She said.
"I'm trying." Violet replied, feeling a slight twinge of frustration. She didn't mean to be snippy with Kate, but the lack of sleep was getting to her. Kate picked up on it immediately.
"I know you are, I'm just worried about you, that's all." She said as she handed Violet a towel she had brought with her for Violet. Violet took it and dried the water from her face, saying nothing.
"So what are you doing today?" Kate asked as she handed Violet a bottle of water, eyeing her carefully. Violet accepted it and took a sip.
"I was thinking of hanging out with Walt." She replied.
"I saw him helping his dad build the raft, but I'm sure they would welcome the extra help." Kate said with a smile. Violet cringed inside. She hated this raft idea, and had really hoped Michael would have given up on it by now, but he was more motivated than ever, what with everything that had been happening on the island; deaths and disappearances. He vowed to get his son away from it, to keep him safe. Violet hated the idea of being rescued, because she knew if Michael and Walt ever made it to safety on their raft, they would send somebody out to the island. Violet did not want to be rescued, and she especially didn't want to see Walt drift away on a raft, to go somewhere she would probably never see him again.
"You okay?" Kate asked, snapping Violet out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied. "I'm going to go find Walt, and help him and his dad with the raft." Violet replied, waving a quick goodbye, and running down the beach toward Michael's and Walt's raft site.
Violet spent most of the day with Walt and Michael, as they built the raft, but in all honesty, Violet didn't do anything. She pretended like she was helping, but mostly just watched. The more she watched the mechanics behind the raft, the more she realized how much this was going to be a definite possibility, and soon.
"How long do you think it's going to take for this raft to be finished?" Violet asked cautiously, as Michael wiped his brow from sweat. He appeared to be thinking, as he scanned the raft carefully.
"I'm not sure, maybe another week, or so." He replied. Violet's stomach dropped. That soon? I thought it would take much longer than that! She sighed, as she stood up.
"I'm going for a walk." She stated, and Walt turned to his dad.
"Can I go too?" He asked. Michael seemed to think about it, but finally nodded.
"Just don't go into the jungle, guys." He warned. Violet secretly rolled her eyes. After their close encounter with the polar bear, she wasn't going anywhere near that jungle.
Walt caught up to her, and the two of them wandered down the beach, silent for a long time, before either one of them said a single word. Violet was beginning to hate, and resent the relationship that was beginning to form between Michael and Walt. The very concept of family was a distant memory to her now, and hadn't had to deal with it on this island, but as Walt and Michael were growing closer, she couldn't help but think of her mom, and Katie, and the family they used to have. It wasn't fair; at least Walt had his father. You have your father too. She thought to herself, but in her mind, she had no father. It was his fault she was here on this island, and his fault that her mother, and Katie were dead. She wanted nothing to do with him; she never wanted to leave this island to face the possibility of having to meet him, and having to stay with him if custody were ever granted to him.
"You and your dad seem to be getting closer." Violet said, a little too bitterly. She hadn't meant to; but she couldn't help herself. So much was raging through her mind. She could lose Walt in a week or so, the only friend who truly understood what she was going through, the only one who's wounds were still fresh. She was resentful of everything. Walt could only stare at her for a minute, before he stopped. She turned and stared at him.
"What's the matter with you?" He asked, picking up on her hostility. Violet shrugged.
"What do you mean? I was just making a point." She said.
"I don't know my dad, at all. I'm only working with him because he's making me. I know about as much about him as you know about your dad." Walt replied. Violet's stomach dropped. She hadn't even said anything, but somehow, she wasn't surprised. Ever since the day they first met, they had that connection they couldn't explain, or talk about. She wasn't surprised he was picking up on things, the same way she had picked up on things about him.
"I guess not." She said, continuing to walk down the beach again, walking slowly for Walt to catch up. When he did, she turned to him with a small smile.
"I'm sorry." She said. He shrugged, and Violet could feel that there were no hard feelings between them, but still, as she turned and saw Michael working hard on the raft, all she wanted to do was scream!
Kate was coming back from the caves with a cooler full of water bottles to stock up for the next few days, when she saw Jack off in the distance, chopping firewood. She smiled, and approached him, dropping the cooler to the ground.
"Hey stranger." She said, as he turned around.
"Oh hey Kate. What's up?" Jack asked. She shrugged, and looked off in the distance, to see Michael working hard on the raft, with Violet and Walt helping him. Kate shook her head.
"Do you think it's really going to work?" She asked, motioning toward the raft. Jack stared at Michael and the kids for a moment, as though considering it. He shrugged.
"It's possible, I mean I've checked it out. I don't know a lot about building stuff, but it looks pretty safe. I think it's a definite possibility." He replied. "Did you hear he's taking Sawyer with him?"
Kate stared at him incredulously.
"How did that happen?" She asked. Jack shrugged.
"From what I understand, he had something Michael needed for the raft, and you know Sawyer, he wanted a trade." He chopped another piece of wood. "And I guess Michael was desperate for that part."
"So Sawyer will be leaving next week with Michael and Walt, I guess." Kate said, feeling something she had never felt before. She didn't even like Sawyer, so why was she so distraught by these news?
"How's Violet doing?" Jack asked. Kate smiled. Jack was so sweet, always checking up on everybody every couple of days or so. He seemed to take a special interest in Violet though, for some reason, but then, so had she.
"Well, she's not sleeping, and when she is, it's been nightmares. She's woken up screaming a few times already, and it's beginning to worry me. I think too much stuff is happening, and the stress is too much for her. I'm hoping Michael and Walt will get that raft working so they can get to safety and send some help. Maybe what Violet needs is to get off this island." She said. Jack shrugged.
"If that ever happens." He said, and stared back into Kate's questioning eyes. "Sorry Kate, I want to get off this island as much as the next person, but I'm just trying to be realistic. The raft may not work, and even if it does, how will they know where to go? There's just so many 'what if's.' I just don't want anybody to get their hopes up." Kate had to agree with him there.
"You're right, I wouldn't want anybody to get disappointed either." She said, thinking of Violet, as she watched her off in the distance, rubbing her eyes every few seconds. Violet, I wish you would get some sleep. You're just not yourself. She thought.
That night, after the sun went down, and the stars speckled the black sky, the islanders began to get themselves ready for bed, as it was getting late. Kate was sitting with Sun by the fire. It wasn't too long ago that everybody discovered Sun could speak English. Jin hadn't been all too happy with the discovery, but had accepted it, eventually.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Sun asked, staring at the sky. Kate smiled.
"Yeah, it's pretty." She agreed, throwing another log in the fire. She looked around, and shivered at the cold breeze. The island always got colder at night, but tonight, the wind was stronger than usual. She pulled her sweater tighter around herself, shivering slightly.
"It's getting cold." Kate pointed out as she watched the fire dancing with the breeze, threatening to blow out. She turned around and stared at her tent, making sure it was securely fastened to it's poles she had set up. The last thing she needed was for her tent to go flying. Then Violet really wouldn't sleep. She thought to herself. She had already asked Sawyer earlier if he happened to have an extra blanket in his stash, so Violet would at least be warm, maybe helping her to sleep better. He had obliged, but she had to trade him her cooler of water for it. It was no big deal, she would just go back out to the caves the next day and refill. The blanket was waiting in the tent, but strangely, Kate hadn't seen Violet all night. Then again, she hadn't seen Michael or Walt, and she wasn't really looking for them. Violet was probably still helping with the raft.
No sooner had she thought about the raft when she heard shouting coming from off in the distance about a fire. Kate and Sun jumped up and saw where everyone was running toward. The raft. It was completely engulfed in flames! The islanders were doing their best to throw buckets of water and sand on the raft, to douse the fire, and Sun and Kate jumped in to help. It took a very long time, for the flames to finally die down, and their efforts had been lost. The raft was completely ruined. It lay in a pile of ashes and broken wood, never to be used again. Kate looked up and saw Michael staring at the wreckage, shaking his head slowly. Walt was standing next to him, looking around as though trying to figure out the source of the fire. Kate was wondering the same thing. Who could have started such a fire? And why?
When Kate made it back to her tent, she saw Violet sitting down, writing in her journal, or rather, drawing. Kate knew Violet couldn't write anything down, she only drew, but whatever helped her vent her emotions.
"Hey kiddo." Kate said quietly, as she knelt down. Violet managed a small smile.
"Hey." She said, as she stifled a yawn, and looked down toward the beach. "What's going on?" Kate sighed.
"Somebody caught the raft on fire." She replied. Violet gasped.
"What? Why?" She asked, as she closed her journal. Kate shrugged.
"I wish I knew. Nobody saw anybody, but the raft is completely ruined." She said. Violet shook her head.
"So what does that mean? They're going to stay on the island?" She asked. Kate sighed.
"I don't know, Violet. There's nothing anybody can do right now, it's late and it's windy." She replied. "But you need to get some sleep. I'm worried about you. You're going to get sick if you don't get some sleep." Kate reached over and grabbed the thick blanket she had traded her water for, and waited until Violet threw her journal over to one side, and curled up in her usual fetal position. Kate draped the thick blanket over her, and Violet puckered her brow.
"Where'd you get this from?" She asked curiosly. Kate smiled.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She replied. "But whatever helps you get the sleep you need." Kate settled herself down as well, and after saying goodnight to Violet, fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the ground. Violet lay awake, staring up at the night sky, unable to sleep once again.
The next morning, Kate woke up to see Violet wasn't in the tent. That was strange, usually Kate was up before her. Except for the last few nights, because she hasn't been sleeping. Kate stretched as she sat up, and looked over to where Violet's blanket lay in a forgotten bundle. Kate sighed, knowing Violet hadn't slept again, as she gathered the blanket to fold up. From the blanket, fell Violet's journal. Kate stopped when she saw it, knowing she shouldn't, but Violet had been acting so strangely the last few days, Kate was beginning to worry.
She looked around quickly, and reached for Violet's journal.
Violet was watching from a distance, arms crossed, as she watched Michael gathering wood and supplies, bringing them over to the site of the original raft. Violet shook her head. She couldn't believe this was happening. He still wanted to build a raft, even after all the work he had put into the first one.
"Michael, what are you doing?" She asked, hoping he was doing something else. Maybe he's just gathering wood for the fire. But why isn't he bringing it over to the firepit? Michael smiled with a small shrug.
"I'm building a raft." He replied. Violet stared in surprise.
"But your raft burned down. There's nothing left." She pointed out.
"I know, but I'm not giving up. I'm going to build a new one, a better one. Violet, I have to get my son off this island." Michael vowed, as he went back to his work. Violet sighed, shaking her head. She felt slightly light-headed, and walked down the beach in the opposite direction, plopping herself down in the sand, watching the ocean, feeling angry and confused. She jumped when Kate sat next to her; she hadn't even seen her coming.
"Good morning." Kate said. Violet nodded. Kate didn't even have to ask; she knew just by looking at the black circles under Violet's eyes that she had another sleepless night. Kate stared at Violet for only a moment, before she asked her what she came to ask her.
"Violet, why did you burn the raft?" She asked. Violet turned her head quickly, with wide eyes, as she stared at Kate. Kate only stared at her, without saying a word, waiting for Violet to admit to her crime. Violet only stared at Kate, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What-"
"Violet, I saw your journal. I saw the pictures you drew. I know it was you." Kate said quickly. "So why did you do it?" She expected Violet to grow defensive and angry at the concept of Kate going through her journal, but she seemed too surprised to even react. She was trying to come up with an excuse, a lie, but it wasn't working. There was nothing else to do. Violet began to cry a little.
"If that raft was finished, Michael would take Walt, and they would leave this island. I would never see him again. If they ever found safety, they would send a rescue plane and take us off this island." She replied. Kate puckered her brow, not expecting that answer at all.
"Violet, don't you want to be rescued?" She asked, surprised.
"No, I don't! If we're rescued, they'll send me to my father, who will probably get legal guardianship once they find out Katie's dead! I won't go with him, I can't go with him! I hate him! He's the reason everything in my life has gone wrong!" Violet yelled out. Kate looked at her in surprise.
"Violet, why would you say that?" She asked.
"Because, he walked out on us right before I was born. My mother was pregnant with me. He was going to be a father again, and he left! My mother died because he wasn't there to take care of her! Katie died because he insisted on meeting me, after fourteen years of no contact, no letters, nothing! That was the only reason we had to be on that stupid plane! He's the reason I've lost everybody that means anything to me!" Violet yelled out, and then took a deep breath, as Kate listened carefully. "I need to stay on this island. It's my home now. I hope we never get rescued." She stared off into the ocean, wiping away her tears angrily. Kate stared at her, amazed at how much she had revealed in only a moment, but suddenly everything made sense to Kate. This was the first time Violet had ever mentioned her parents at all, Kate didn't know what to say.
"Are you going to tell anybody what I did?" Violet asked, after a moment of silence. Kate turned and looked at her, considering. Violet wouldn't even look at her, as she stared at the ocean stubbornly.
"No." Kate said simply, and Violet turned to look at her, and smiled appreciatively. "But, you have to promise me you won't burn down this raft Michael's building now. I know you don't want to be rescued, but other people do, Violet. Some people have families to get home to. I know you don't want to go back, but please promise me you won't burn down the new raft. I promise you, Violet, everything will be okay, whether we get rescued or not." Violet sighed, and finally nodded.
"I won't burn down that raft." She said honestly. "But I don't know what I'm going to do when Walt leaves." With that, she began to cry again. Kate reached over and held Violet close. Kate would never understand the connection Violet felt with Walt; she could barely understand the connection she felt to Violet herself. Nothing on this island seemed to make any sense anymore. She had a feeling nothing ever would.