Passion of a Violet Flame
-Chapter Three-
The silver-plum eyes of Violet stared up at the clear sky, watching as her friend carelessly flew high above the ground, beautiful white angelical wings flapping gracefully at her side. The girl's long blonde hair danced in the wind as she moved in a dance, her body moving to music only heard by her alone. Violet couldn't help but admire her friend for her ability to fly, seeming so carefree and happy. Violet knew she could never have that, that Shadows were what comforted her when she was in need of a get-away.
Violet's eyes turned to the small blonde girl, who stared up at her mom as she flew amongst the clouds. Admiration and pride filled the excited girl as her grey eyes trained on the woman flying above them. Not wanting to break the peaceful moment, Violet kept the silence between the small girl.
"Auntie Desha?" the small girl asked, "I'm glad you and Mama are back. Did you have fun on your trip?"
Violet smiled down at the small innocent being standing beside her, "Ireland was beautiful. We saw so many castles and beautiful, old Churches."
"Castles?" the small girl gasped, "Did you see a princess?"
Violet chuckled softly at the girl's naiveness, "No, Corona. No princesses. Did you enjoy your time with Aunt Kat?"
"We made cookies!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.
The rushing footsteps that could only be the footsteps of Marcus sounded softly, Violet picking them up and turned her head as her fiance ran over to them. His long brown hair, as dark as the Earth he controls, was pulled into a low ponytail. His pale, dilated green eyes stared blindly at Violet, who smiled a smile he could never see again after his mutation manifested.
He leaned forward, his lips pressed near her ear, and whispered, "I feel movement out front. I think there are twenty unwanted visitors."
Violet didn't need to be told twice. She bent down and informed the small girl to go to her room and not leave until one of them came to get her. Angela landed on the ground as her daughter ran off to the house, gracefully touching down to the ground. Marcus's pale eyes turned in her direction.
"Let's go."
The three found themselves greeting Katrina at the front of the house, the four staring down a group of twenty humans. Violet sneered when she noticed the metal guns gripped into the hand of ignorant humans. With one glance at their feet, their own shadows appeared and snatched the guns from their hands. Marcus touched his fingers to the ground once he felt the breeze from Angela's wings as she flew into the sky. Katrina hissed as Violet and her lunged their bodies toward the group of humans, both skillful at close-ranger combat. As the pair's bodies twisted and turned as they faught, spikes of dirt and mud pierced from the ground, protecting them whenever a human was about to make a hit toward them. Bodiless entities flung some of the humans into the air, only to be caught by a fierce gust of wind, gripped by the hands of Angela and with the force of a throw and a powerfuly gust behind the body, the humans were thrown to the ground.
The front of the Desha Manor became a chaotic war zone, bodies flying left and right as Violet and Katrina fought hard, sweat pouring from their pores. A gun shot sounded and not a moment later the body of Angela collapsed to the ground behind Violet. Violet growled and a large entity whipped nearly ten of the humans aside. The ebony-haired girl turned to the blonde and her silver-violet eyes gazed on a familiar pair of cold, ice green eyes.
"Riyu," the girl spat out.
The onyx-haired man before her grinned, a gun in his hand and pointed at the pained blonde at his feet, "You know only I would be here to make your life miserable."
The gun went off and a scream of agony ripped through the air as Angela gripped her stomach. As Violet lunged at the man before her, he disappeared as he hopped in the air, his body shooting off like a rocket. Violet turned her eyes on the blonde and knelt before her, her hands shaking with anger.
John stood silent as Violet finished her story, his dark brown eyes hardened by tears at the news of his friend. Violet didn't speak, only stared calmly at the picture before them. John glanced at his passive friend, her body radiating a saddened emotionless aura. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head, "I'm sorry."
"Her memorial session is this Saturday," the girl said softly, standing stiff in her friend's arms.
John suddenly remembered something, "Riyu's a mutant?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Wow, what a story," the voice of Kitty exclaimed from the open door, most of the group behind her saddened from the words the dark-haired girl spoke.
Violet, who didn't feel like dealing with Kitty, shifted into a pure black silhouette and disappeared. Marcus sighed when he didn't feel his fiance nearby, "Always Drifting."
"Drifting?" Remy questioned.
Marcus gazed blindly in his direction, "How do you think you got here? Violet calls it Shadow Drifting, because you travel at the speed of light."
"How do you figure that?" Piotr asked.
"If light travels that fast, and shadows are merely an offset of light, then Shadows must travel as fast as light does to keep up with it. She calls it Drifting because when you're in that state, your body is released of all its pain and all of your thoughts. You drift through shadows, moving without a cause," Katrina supplied the answer.
"But it's so cold," Bobby remarked. At the odd looks he sighed, "Not cold like temperature. It's cold like...dark...unfeeling."
"Like her." Kitty retorted.
Katrina and Marcus chose to ignore the girl and they lead the group to the vacant rooms they would be able to use as they stayed the weekend. Katrina smiled as she opened a familiar black oak door for John, who walked through. The walls of the room were painted black, the red stained-glass lamp shined a red glare onto the dark walls, the bedding and carpet matching in a deep red. John smiled at his old room he had when he would visit Violet every weekend.
"My old room?" John whispered.
Katrina nodded, "Violet didn't want anyone to get rid of all your things. She figured she would keep it in memory of you."
John smiled softly as the cat-like girl left him alone, walking out of the room and away from the Xavier students. John sighed before collapsing on the bed.
"...she touched everyone who met her. Whether you met her for a moment, saw her flying in the sky, or sat and had a conversation with her, she touched you in a way no one else could. She was one of a kind and I know that no matter how people say time will mend the wounds of losses, I can't help but feel like I've lost something more the day she died. I didn't lose a friend. I lost a sister."
"She always held a carefree attitude that you wouldn't expect from a single mother, raising a beautiful daughter. I couldn't help but admire Angela with the utmost respect. She respected everyone and treated everyone as though she was your friend. She forgave those who have foresakened her. She was a better person than any of us could ever dream of becoming."
"People often refer to angels as being, beings that prove their worth into getting into heaven. I believe that angels are made and created before they're even born. Angela was truely an angel and she was one that guarded us all with a fierce passion."
Violet walked from the podium, her face somber and calm as she took her seat between John and Marcus. The small girl, Corona, climbed onto her lap as the memorial continued, the young girl sobbing in her arms. Tears rolled down the face of Katrina as she hugged one of the other children close to her, the girl obviously trying hard to keep her composure.
The group left the church, Violet pausing, her eyes glancing up toward the roof of the church. John nudged her with his elbow, flashing her a questioning glance. She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling that they were being watched. She felt Marcus wrap his arm around her as the group walked back to the mansion. She buried herself in the warmth of the embrace, grieving to herself silently, her eyes staring blankly as they group walked silently.
'I'm sorry...' she thought to herself.
A stray wind brushed pass her, 'I'm still with you.'
'I know...I just wish it didn't have to be like this.'
"Hey, you ok?" John asked.
She realized they had arrived, the warmth gone as Marcus entered the house. She looked at her friend and nodded, "I was just thinking. It's been hard on everyone."
"Yeah, but I feel like you haven't grieved."
Violet smirked to herself, "I grieve every day I'm alive."
The girl walked into the Desha Manor, leaving behind a curious pyromaniac.
