While she sat, head propped up on Leah's shoulder, Violet couldn't focus on the horror movie in front of her eyes. She could see the lame blood splatter every few seconds but it wasn't registering. Instead, she was focused on the object burning a hole in the back pocket of her jeans. A playing card. Simple, sure, but... It had been placed in her room. And she knew exactly who had left it. There was no question. Oddly enough, she couldn't decide if she was intrigued or creeped out. At the moment, because she wasn't in her room and alone, she was feeling impartial about it. Whatever. Some guy next door broke into her room to give her a pack of cigarettes.

But then she remembered that she didn't even know this guy and yet, she had already smoked two of the cigarettes he had left her. They could have easily been laced with something deadly or super addictive. Yet, she didn't care. It was just another part of 'reckless' Violet. It had reached the point where she felt so numb, she would do anything to feel again.

"You okay, babe? You've been quiet," Leah mumbled, slowly turning to look over at the ashy blonde.

"Hm? Oh, I'm good. Just kind of tired."

"Something's on your mind. I know that look." And as much as Violet hated to admit it, Leah really did know. Just like she knew for Leah as well. If something was wrong, it was next to impossible for either of them to hide it from the other. Luckily for Violet, she was trained to lie more than Leah was.

"Just thinking about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" By now, the movie had been paused and Leah had shifted, so she was facing Violet and the two were sitting across from each-other. Pulling her knees to her chest, she sighed, resisting the urge to pull out the card. She knew that Leah would make a big deal about it, especially after the incident with that guy. She had been pretty protective over Violet since then, turning on the extreme watchful bitch mode. But for the most part, Violet had pretty much forgotten about it. Nothing had happened and the most important part of her was still in tact. With virginity still kicking, she didn't see the point of getting upset over it.

"Just... divorce stuff." It was a total lie, but there was some truth behind it. She thought about her parents a lot. And at the same time, she wondered what Tate's parents were like. Or if she would ever see them emerge from that house. They were like a coven of vampires, or something, from a badly done horror movie.

"Well, I know what that's like. Thinking about what it would have been like if they hadn't split up? Or..." Leah trailed off, leaving room for Violet to bring up the real problem.

"I guess. I don't know. I'm just... I feel like I'm playing a game, you know? I never know what move to make next, or which move anyone else if going to make." It sounded cheesy and somewhat cryptic, like something off of a fortune cookie, but it was how she felt. And this way there was some truth behind her words. It was like a literal game with Tate now and the card he had left.

"Play back. But with a poker face." That was all Leah said, before she messed up Violet's hair and leaned back, restarting the movie as her eyes focused on the screen. Gaze turning back to the film, Violet was silent for awhile as she sat and thought. As some blonde's neck was slashed, she finally blinked, a small smile on her lips. Yeah. She would play back.

An entire day had passed before Violet chose to reciprocate the message. Firstly, she had needed the time to think of something just as clever. Secondly, she didn't want to seem... too interested. Besides, this was kind of weird in it's entirety. Her plan was to write on another card and slip it under his door. Not exactly the most creative but she thought it would have to do.

Once she made it to her room, though, she stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn't actually been back in her room since she found the pack of cigarettes and the card. Having slept over at Leah's and with school today, she had set foot in her room for the first time in twenty four hours. It seemed... the same as always. But different, in a way. Like it had been violated. And as she stood there, just staring at all the things in her room, she imagined him there too. Running his hands over her stuff, examining every little detail of her private space. It seemed surreal, to think that only a few days ago, she had first met him. And then suddenly, he had been in her room without her permission or knowledge.

Biting her lip, she rushed over to her desk and rummaged around for the card. Instead of the queen of hearts, she chose the joker. It seemed fitting, in response to him. Next grabbing for a thick black marker, she popped the cap off and stared at the back of it. What would she write? 'Thanks for the cigarettes' seemed a bit... less poetic and cool than what he had written.

Sighing in frustration, she put the cap back on, sliding both the card and the marker into her bag before she raced down the stairs again, taking them two at a time. Slipping out the backdoor, she was greeted by the chilly night air nipping at her skin. It seemed eerily quiet as she circled around her backyard and out into the alleyway again, listening to the gravel beneath her feet. Was she really doing this? She knew nothing about this guy... Nothing at all.

But the thrill of adventure was fresh in her veins and she realized with a start that she was actually smiling. It was more of a smirk, but it was close, nonetheless. Swallowing her nerves with a gulp of ice cold air, she quietly unlocked the gate to their backyard, stepping inside carefully. She didn't close it, for fear of it creaking or making an incriminating noise. Even the grass beneath her feet seemed loud to her as she crept, edging towards their backdoor. As far as she could see, there was no one inside. In fact, it looked even more abandoned than she could remember. After climbing the stairs at a snails pace, she continued to stare at the door, debating with herself. The place literally looked empty.

Curiosity made her reckless and before she could stop herself, her fingers were curling around the doorknob, turning it as quietly as possible. Pushing it open, she let out a breath of air as she practically fell inside, catching her foot on the door step. There was no alarm going off and she didn't hear anything else from inside, so she released her grip that had kept her from falling and walked all the way into the house.

Her heart was racing at a million beats per minute, making her somewhat lightheaded. But she hadn't felt this alive for a long, long time. And this feeling was addictive. That was why she got into fights and broke everything she could. But somehow breaking and entering was a thousand times more exciting. Licking her lips, she walked around a bit, surprised to see that it was completely empty. There was no furniture, no mattresses... Nothing. Frowning a bit, she wandered into the area she assumed was the kitchen. There were a few bags of food lying around, though, so that was promising.

Deciding to wander up the stairs, she began to walk, keeping in mind not to make any unessecary noise. She wasn't sure if anyone was in here or not. But she would rather not risk it. Reaching the top of the stairs, she pushed open a random door, greeted by nothing but completely red light. There was a filter sitting over a lamp that turned the entire room a shade of red. Every surface glowed with a damp, deluded crimson and she was sure her face looked the same. Drifting further into the room, she let her gaze wander around, staring at the bareness. There were a few chairs, a backpack and... a ripped up package with cards strewn around it. The sight made her remember why she was here in the first place, instead of playing detective.

"Shit..." Cursing under her breath, she glanced around before she dropped to her knees, pulling out the card and the marker, wracking her brain for something to write. Something creative and witty. That was when she heard the footsteps.

Freezing where she was, Violet could have sworn that her heart stopped in her chest for a moment. There was no telling who the footsteps belonged to, or where they were coming from. She figured from downstairs, because they didn't sound loud enough to be so close to her. Straining to get a better listen, she realized that they were high heels. The distant clicking against the hardwood was impossible to mistake. Before she had the chance to bolt upright, there was suddenly a pair of arms around her and a hand clamped over her mouth, to muffle the scream of surprise that threatened to escape. Flailing for a moment, she only stopped when the grip tightened, practically hugging her to whoever it was, and she heard the low and urgent voice in her ear.

"Shut up, Violet." It was Tate. As she took a moment to process, her erratic fighting had stopped and he loosened his grip a bit, as if he didn't trust her enough to let her go completely.

"Tate?" The sound of a woman's voice interrupted Violet's train of thought, pulling her gaze towards the door as she tried to breath around the hand that was still placed over her mouth.

"Hide."

The singular word held no chance for her to argue. She had no other option. The arms released her and she practically fell over in her attempt to rip open the closet door and hide herself within the darkness. She caught the faintest glimpse of Tate, standing in the middle of the room, watching her with expressionless eyes. But then she closed the door and he was gone, leaving her in silence.