Hey, I've finally decided to put out the last chapter of the twisted arc! I know, I took a while, but I wanted to get those last two stories out first. No, they don't pertain to this story, but I wanted to get the more important prior stories out first. Obviously, there will still be more. I still have no clue of what I'm doing other than the main plot.
Anyway, I won't hold you too long! You have suffered my cliffhanger long enough...
Warning: Angst, fluff, depression, tears, and, um... I apologize. You'll know what I'm apologizing for when you get there.
Disclaimer: Thomas: Hey guys! What's u—
Newt: THE GRIEVERS ARE BACK!
Minho: Shuck it... EVERYONE INTO THE BIG HOUSE! TAKE COVER!
Thomas: Shuck! Um, sorry, I don't have much time—
Teresa: THOMAS! HURRY, ILOVEYOUSOMUCHANDWEMUSTBESOSPECIALBECAUSEWECAMELASTANDWECANTALKINOURHEADS!
Thomas: ... Right. Okay, Fantasy does not own rotg or any other references that may be made because she doesn't remember what all she wrote in this story! She also doesn't own The Maze Runner!
Newt: THOMAS, GET YOUR SHUCKING BOTTOM IN HERE NOW!
Thomas: Ugh, gotta go. Enjoy!
~*~*~*...*~*~*~
Pain.
That's all Violet knows when she wakes up.
Pain.
Pain.
And more pain.
It's a sudden, heart-wrenching pain in her leg that wakes her. She screams and falls into survival mode, fighting valiantly and desperately to get free. But the pain just gets worse the more she fights, and arms try to hold down her limbs, and she's scared and fights harder. Words are calling out to her, but she doesn't listen. She won't be tempted by the devil or broken by the enemy with words.
Warm hands are grabbing her face. She tries to fight them, but they hold tight, keeping her from banging her head against the table.
"Violet? Violet, listen to me. I need you to stop fighting. Violet? Please, stop fighting. You're hurting yourself. Please, Violet, we're only trying to help."
That voice. Something about it... She should recognize that voice. It sounds so familiar, so welcome. But she just can't remember... Everything hurts, and she doesn't want to think, so she doesn't. She just listens to the voice that sounds oh so familiar and calming, and she slowly stops fighting and relaxes. She listens to the voice as the pain worsens and gets better at odd intervals, and eventually lapses into a deeper darkness.
She wouldn't realize it, but she never once opened her eyes.
Not that she'd remember waking up anyway.
~*~*~*...*~*~*~
The next time, there's still pain. And she doesn't open her eyes. But hands aren't grabbing at her, and there aren't any sudden bursts of pain, just a consistent throbbing all over her body. It seems rather toned down for how it was before. The only thing similar between the wakings are that there are voices, though they're much calmer. Violet tries to focus in on the voices, discern and recognize to whom they belong.
"How is she?" This voice... It seems slightly familiar. But not very. Definitely not familiar enough to recognize.
"She's doing alright. She's strong. A few simple injuries aren't going to bring her down." Now this voice... It's the same voice from the time before. It seems so familiar, like it's at the front of her mind, but she just can't figure out who it is. It's coming from right next to her, and suddenly she realizes something is rubbing circles on the back of her hand.
"This is all my fault... She shouldn't be injured like this. I shouldn't have gotten in a fight with Jack. I'm such an idiot... I'm so sorry." This voice isn't familiar at all. The words sound like she should recognize the voice, but the voice itself... Not in the slightest.
"It's not your fault Luke, stop blaming yourself." This is the first voice again. It sounds slightly feminine... The only feminine of the three.
There's a soft chuckle. "Yeah, says you. You ended up hurt as well." Third voice. He sounds truly upset.
A deep sigh. "Luke, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine! I was exhausted afterwards, but that was it. I'm fine." First voice again. There's something hidden in the tone that makes Violet curious, but she can't quite determine what it is.
A snort right next to her. "What?" The first and third voice ask together.
"Oh, nothing." The second voice responds nonchalantly. And Violet wants to laugh, because she knows that it's not nothing as well as the other voices do, and she has an idea of what the something is. But she doesn't have time to liger on that thought because her mind is sweeping her back into darkness.
~*~*~*...*~*~*~
The next time, it's much quieter. The only real sounds are those of beeping machines, and a rustling wind. In fact, she can feel the wind brushing against her. It almost feels like her wind, but Violet can't hear it speaking, so she figures it can't be. There are many other winds. There are probably many like her wind, and she's too tired to figure out which is which.
Then she hears voices. They're much softer than before, much more resigned.
"I don't know how she'll make it out of this. I just... I don't see how she'll be able to heal completely." The voice is old and kind, and Violet finds it to be very comforting.
"But her injuries are healin' fine! I thought the she'd make a full recovery." This voice is much rougher and has an Australian accent, but it's speaking softly as well. But who are they talking about? Who's injured?
"She will physically. All of her wounds are healing quite well. Especially that puncture in her lung. It would normally take months for it to even begin to scar, but it's already partially into that process." This is the first voice again. And now Violet's confused. So if they're doing fine... Better than fine, actually... What's wrong with them? And again, who are they talking about? Just say a name, already!
"Then what's so wrong with her?" The Australian accent demands. Thank you! Maybe now I'll get some answers!
There's a slight pause, then a gasp. "Wait, ya mean they haven't figured out how to fix it yet?" The Australian voice demands.
"No. They've been trying to glue it or tape it together, but it just won't stay. We believe it to be impossible to fix." Great. So no answers, just more questions.
"So what does that mean?" The Australian voice asks, voice very soft now.
A slight pause. Then, "I don't know. This has never happened before, not without the spirit dying." So now someone is dying? Please, somebody tell me what's going on!
The Australian voice begins to say something else, but stops as a sound comes from right next to Violet, almost like a snore. She feels the soft surface beneath her shift slightly, and something warm snuggles into her arm. A warm breath gusts across her skin as the solid sighs.
There's a moment of silence before the voices speak again. "We should take this conversation elsewhere. We don't want him freaking out." The first voice says quietly. Who? Who is going to freak out? I'm already freaking out, so...
"Yer right. I'll hook the sheila up with some more sedative, and she'll be set fer the night." No! No, I want to stay awake! I want to find out what's going on! Please! Let me stay awake!
But it's too late. Violet hears a few beeps that are different from the others, then a wave of tiredness washes over her and she can't fight the darkness any longer.
~*~*~*...*~*~*~
The next time, Violet feels more awake. The drowsiness of a sedative is missing, and she finally feels able to actually wake up.
There are voices around her, but she ignores them for the time being. Instead, she focuses all her energy on her eyes. She wants them to open, to finally see the world around her, the people surrounding her and the place she's in.
It's hard. Really, it should be easier to simply open her eyes, but they still feel so heavy. It's like trying to lift a bolder, but with her eye muscles... Or whatever they are. She groans, annoyed with her lack of strength.
Violet feels a gentle hand touch her arm, and she realizes that the voices have stopped. "Violet? Can you hear me?"
She knows that voice. It's that familiar voice she heard those first two times she woke up. And finally, she realizes who it is. The realization gives her a burst of strength, and after a bit more work, she finally gets her eyes open. The room is bright, and she has to close them again immediately, but she forces them back open, waiting for them to adjust.
When they do, and her suspicions are confirmed, she smiles.
"Aaron."
He smiles at her and places a caring hand against her face. "Always."
They grin at each other for a moment, Aaron looking extremely relieved, Violet feeling tired but happy. The moment is broken by a cough on Violet's other side. She turns her head and finds herself facing two people, a boy and girl.
The girl waves, looking slightly embarrassed. "Hi." She says simply. The boy nods at them, but is looking at the ground, refusing to look at them.
That's when Violet decides to figure out where she is. Slowly, she turns her head and moves her eyes to take in the room they're in. She's lying on a bed (why had she not realized that sooner?), and a very nice one at that, a queen with very plush pillows and blankets, in what looks to be a bedroom. Two walls are painted in green shades, one darker and one lighter, one is painted lavender, and one is painted a soft magenta. The bed's blankets are light pink, and the comforter pulled down to the bottom looks to be a soft green decorated in gold vines and flowers of varying shades of pink and purple. A small white nightstand sits beside the bed, with a lamp made of hanging pink and purple gems sitting on it. Across the room sits a beautiful rosewood wardrobe, big enough to take up most of the wall. The wall to her right holds a large oak door and a wooden desk with a white rolling chair. On the wall to her left is a large window, right in the center. A plush window seat sits beneath it, colored in purples, pinks, and greens, and covered in pillows of every color imaginable. Aaron sits on a small cushioned chair beside her bed, holding onto her hand.
Finally, Violet returns her gaze to the other two in the room. The boy has blonde hair and a crazy tan. He's wearing a black tank top and sports shorts, his feet bare. Violet can't see his eyes or face because his head is turned down, but she figures it's as strong-looking as the rest of him.
The girl, on the other hand, looks rather small, almost like a pixie. Her hair is long and extremely curly, and her skin is of a medium tone. She's wearing a gypsy-like outfit made up of garments that vary in red, orange, yellow, brown, and gold tones. It looks rather showy, the shirt and corset showing off her bust, and her skirt slit on one side rather high up, showing off her tall boots. But her face is innocent and gentle, her features soft, and her kaleidoscope hazel eyes kind.
She seems so familiar, and Violet knows she should recognize her. And then it clicks.
"Harvey!" Violet exclaims, surprised and happy to see her. "You're okay!"
Harvey just rolls her eyes and snorts. "Really, I'm okay? Of course I'm okay. I didn't fly into an EF5 twister and break every bone in my body."
"But you did fly into a twister." The blonde mutters. Harvey reaches over and smacks him on the arm, and he chuckles. It only lasts a moment, though, before he quiets down, glancing up for a second before looking back down. Violet just catches a glimpse of his deep blue eyes.
She looks over at Aaron for help, and he smiles at her. "Violet, this is Harvey, spirit of Autumn, though you already knew that." He says, gesturing to Harvey. She smiles and waves again, looking very much like a child. "And this is Luke Warm, spirit of Summer."
He lifts his head slightly, but doesn't do anything else. Harvey frowns at him, but doesn't say anything. She elbows him lightly on the arm, and he meets her eyes. They seem to have a silent fight between the two of them, and again, Violet looks to Aaron for help. This time, he shrugs, squeezing her hand in support.
Violet looks back at the two, sitting quietly until Luke gives a soft sigh. He looks back at her and meets her eyes.
"I'm sorry." He says softly. Violet begins to ask what he means, but he quickly continues. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just... Whenever I get anywhere near Winter and Jack, I lose control of myself and Summer. I lose all sense and follow one instinct: attack. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I didn't even know what I was doing. I'm so thankful that you went in to stop it, but I'm so sorry you even had to."
He sounded so horribly upset and so truly sorry, Violet's heart immediately went out to him. "Luke, stop. It's fine. If I were given the chance to go back and change everything, I would go and do the exact same thing. Well, except for taking so long to stop it. I would get to that immediately." She jokes.
Luke smiles slightly, but it doesn't last long. "You shouldn't have anything to go back and change."
Violet sighs and closes her eyes for a second before opening them again. "Luke, I need you to listen to me. Carefully." She says softly. She waits for him to focus on her before continuing. "There are some things you'll do in your life that you'll regret, things you'll wish you could go back and change. Things you'll blame yourself for and hate yourself for." She pauses for a moment, letting her words sink in and watching as Luke wilts. His eyes close and he looks away again, but she knows she's still listening. After a few moments, she continues, and her voice grows in strength as she speaks.
"You need to let all those things go." Luke's eyes snap up to meet hers, looking very much surprised. "I don't mean you should forget all those things you did wrong. No, never forget them. But you can't hate yourself for those things. Learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and let them go." She pauses a moment, smiling at him. "I forgave you a long time ago."
For a moment, no one says anything. Then Luke let's out a short, relieved laugh. Then another. And then he's laughing and crying a bit, and Violet finds herself trapped in a hug. She laughs as well, trying not to wince from the pain shooting through every inch of her body.
He only pulls back when Harvey tells him to. "She's still healing, remember?" She says, and Luke seems to, because he quickly pulls away and looks her over. After a few seconds, he nods and pulls away completely.
"What's all wrong with me? Violet asks, trying to push herself up into a sitting position. Aaron comes to her aid, grabbing and extra pillow and stuffing it behind her to prop her up. She smiles at him, then looks down at her apparently broken and battered body. "Why is it taking so long for me to heal?"
The three exchange glances for a second before Aaron begins to speak slowly. "Well, you broke your left leg, fractured your right ankle, cracked your pelvis, broke seven ribs, broke your right arm, pulled a few muscles in your left arm, cracked your collarbone, popped your left shoulder out of its socket, and hit your head hard enough to cause a tiny crack in your skull and give yourself a major concussion."
Violet just stares at him. It takes several seconds for her to find her voice again. "Anything else?" She asks warily.
Aaron bites his lip. "Um, dozens of cuts and bruises, a major cut on your left side, and a bit of infection as a result." He adds, not meeting Violet's eyes.
Something about the way he's talking makes Violet nervous. "And?" She prompts him.
For a moment, he doesn't speak. He glances at the other two for help, but they won't meet his eyes, keeping steady gazes trained on the floor. Aaron sighs and returns his gaze to Violet, who is starting to feel very anxious at this point. What could be so bad that none of them will say anything?
Finally, Aaron opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything. The door opens, revealing a yeti with a clipboard. Everyone turns to look at him, but he doesn't seem to notice. He's busy writing things down. He walks over to some machines, glancing at them and writing down things. After a few moments, he glances up at Violet, then looks back at the clipboard. He does a few more things, then completely freezes. Slowly, he looks up, and his eyes lock on Violet. For a moment, they just stare at each other. Then the yeti shouts something in gibberish and runs out of the room, still yelling. The four spirits watched him with gaping mouths as he disappeared.
"Well..." Harvey tries to say something to get rid of the awkwardness, but she stops, unable to think of anything.
"That went well." Luke finally says, shifting awkwardly on his feet.
Violet, for the life of her, can't figure out what's going on. There's no reason for the yeti to react that way. Unless...
"Aaron..." Violet begins slowly, waiting for the boy to look at her before continuing. "How long have I been out?" The boy pales and looks away.
"Well... That's a bit of a difficult question. Just a few days since you partially woke up in a haze." He stammers, and Violet's eyes narrow.
"You're avoiding the question." Violet states, trying to cross her arms, but stopping with a wince at the pain. She settles on just glaring.
Aaron gives a nervous laugh. "What, me? I'm not avoiding any question. I just answered you!"
"Aaron." Violet says, and he stops and looks at her sheepishly. "How long?"
Aaron opens his mouth again, but whether he's going to answer her or dodge around the question some more, Violet doesn't find out. The door opens yet again, and Violet finds herself enveloped in a tight hug.
"OhmygoshVioletwewereSOworriedI'msogladyou'realrightwellmostlyyou'restillhealingandthere'sthatonereallybigissue–"
"Tooth, sheila, calm down, yer gonna squeeze the girl ta death!" Bunny calls out in a humorous voice.
Tooth pulls away, looking a bit embarrassed, and mutters a quick "sorry", moving back and allowing Violet to see everyone. Bunny had moved to just behind Aaron, leaning back against the wall. He's smiling at Violet, a soft kind smile. Tooth is now standing near the foot of the bed, fidgeting and smiling and trying to keep herself from hugging Violet yet again and crying all over her. North is standing just inside the doorway, talking with a yeti, and standing beside him inside the room are two people Violet has never seen before.
One is an elderly woman, and its obvious she's aged well. Her graying hair is pulled back in a loose bun, the wrinkles on her face showing signs of too much smiling during her younger years. Her yes are a warm, welcoming chocolate brown. She's wearing a long dress, like the ones peasant woman wears, decorated in flower designs. Looking at her, Violet knows she was beautiful during her youth.
The other is a younger male. His clothes are raggedy, a long threadbare cape hanging off his shoulders. His hair is golden blonde and slightly ruffled. His pale green eyes sparkle with mischief, and Violet can tell he's a trouble-maker. He smirks at her when he catches her eye and winks, moving over to stand next to Harvey and Luke.
Aaron grins and stands up. "Mother! What are you doing here?" He exclaims happily.
The elderly woman turns and smiles kindly at him, moving over and enveloping her in a hug. "I've been visiting every week since the incidence. I just had the luck of being here today." She says, pulling away and caressing Aaron's face gently.
Aaron rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I don't believe that for one second. Nothing is ever luck with you." Mother winks and Aaron laughs, shaking his head.
"Wait, your mother is a spirit as well?" Everyone turns to look at Violet, who just gazes back in confusion.
Aaron rolls his eyes and laughs. "No, her name is Mother. Well, her name is Elizabeth Goose, but everyone just calls her Mother." He explains.
Violet stares at him a moment, then at Mother. "As in Mother Goose?" She asks, and wants to smack herself for being so obvious.
Mother just smiles patiently and nods. "That's right, dear." She affirms. "The children have made many stories about me, and that's the name they always use for me. I quite enjoy the name myself. It seems quite fitting."
Violet nods slowly. "Okay." She says simply. Hey when you stay with the Easter Bunny and your best friend is Cupid, you get used to the craziness that is the spirit world.
"And I'm Peter." Violet turns to look at the boy, who is holding up his hand in a mock wave. "It's nice to meet you too."
Violet raises an eyebrow. "Peter? That seems like an overly simple name."
Aaron leans in and pretends to whisper in her ear, though he speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. "His full name is Peter Piper because he likes to pipe."
Peter stomps his foot and points at Aaron with his flute. "I told you to stop saying that!" He complains angrily.
"Only when you stop calling me Cupid!" Aaron yells back, crossing his arms. A yelling fest begins, but it only gets through a few rounds before Violet interrupts.
"Oh my gosh, this isn't what I wanted to wake up to!" Violet exclaims, looking between the two boys. "You're acting like children!"
At least they have the decency to look sheepish as they mutter apologies. Aaron returns to his seat, and Peter returns to standing next to the wall. The others chuckle, glancing at each other and shaking their heads.
There's a moment of companionable silence, everyone just enjoying each other's presence. Then Violet remembers her questions from earlier that were never answered. "So, how long have I been out."
And that's all it takes to make the silence awkward again. No one will meet Violet's eyes. And again, she feels extremely nervous. Seriously, what's so bad that they won't even look at me? It can't be that bad. Maybe a week or two, but that's not too bad...
"Violet..." Bunny begins, but he doesn't continue, and Violet can tell he wants her to drop the topic.
"Why can't you tell me?" Violet bursts out, looking around at everyone. "I'm not going to be upset! What was it, one week? Two?"
"Two and a half months." Violet turns sharply and stares at Harvey. She's still staring at the ground, and Violet is certain she heard wrong.
"What?" Violet asks quietly. No... There's no way...
"You've been out for two and a half months, Violet." Harvey says again, and this time she looks up, meeting Violet's emerald gaze. "I'm sorry, that's why we didn't want to tell you."
But Violet isn't listening anymore. Her gaze has gone different as those words run through her head. Two and a half months. She can't have missed that much time. She's been shirking her duties that long, she's missed out on that much of her life... This must be some practical joke.
And her wind...
Violet leaps out of her bed, ignoring the pain that shoots through every inch of her body. The others yell and try to stop her as she makes a beeline for the window, desperately trying to open it. A pair of furry arms grab her and pull her back, but she fights against them. "No!" She screams, fighting against the arms. "No, my wind! I have to make sure its okay, it probably misses me, I have to see it!"
"Violet, stop fightin'! Ya need to get back in bed, yer hurt!" Bunny yelled back, trying to drag her away.
"No, let go!" She yells, flinging her elbow back. It hits Bunny squarely in the chin, and Violet knows she should feel bad, but she only feels relief when Bunny's grip loosens just enough for her to get free. She reaches the window, unhooks the latch and throws it open.
Violet's as close as she waits for her wind to wrap around her and welcome her home, but... She doesn't feel it. She only feels the biting cold that is the North pole. A warm wind wraps around her, but she can barely feel it with the cold wind wrapping around her. And she can't hear the voice of her wind... The whistling that isn't the kind of speech people normally use, but Violet understands perfectly.
Bunny's arms wrap back around Violet, and this time she doesn't fight him. She lets him pick her up and carry her back to the bed. She lets him and the others tuck the sheets back around her, adjust her pillows. She lets Aaron grip her hand, and she squeezes it for dear life.
"Where... Where is my wind?" She asks softly, eyes focusing and looking to anyone for help. She feels Harvey take her free hand and hold it tightly between both of hers. There are tears in her eyes.
"Where is it?" Violet asks again, and Harvey slowly shakes her head.
"It's here. I can feel it along with my wind." She tells Violet softly, thumb running slow, soothing circles on the back of Violet's hand.
"Then why can't I feel it? Why can't I hear my wind?" Violet asks desperately, throat tight with unshed tears. Harvey stays quiet, and Violet can't stand it. "Please. Why can't I feel my wind? What's wrong?"
"Your staff is broken." The words come out in a sob-like sound, and Harvey squeezes Violet's hand tightly, tears already streaming down her face.
Violet's eyes widen, and she stares. "What?" She asks, her voice barely a whisper.
"Your staff is broken. I'm so sorry, so so sorry..." She gets out between sobs, squeezing Violet's hand even tighter, holding on for dear life.
But Violet doesn't hear her. In that moment, Violet's entire life falls apart. Her staff is broken. Her staff is broken.
Aaron's hand tightens around Violet's other hand. "I'm so sorry Violet. We'll find a way to fix it. Somehow. Together."
Violet's eyes close tightly, and she can't bring herself to nod. Because she doesn't believe it, not for a second. Destiny had told her it was her conduit of power. That was the source of her strength, her power. Her life as a spirit. Without it... She's nothing.
Aaron doesn't say anything else, just rubs her hand and tries to calm her, to convince her that everything would alright. But it won't be. Violet's life is nothing now. He staff is broken. She is nothing.
Harvey continues to sob. It's the only noise that can be heard in the room.
~*~*~*...*~*~*~
... So here's another, just because I'm so kind! Hehe... See what I did there? I continued from where I left off in the beginning, and... Yeah. This is the last part of this arc.
Love you too!
So, make sure to review. Tell me what you think. I got out two stories this week to make up for last week. You're welcome.
No, but seriously. I look at other stories, and their first chapter has, like, ten reviews. And I fell like I'm doing something wrong (I wouldn't be surprised if I was), and could you tell me if I am? I never said I was going to be consistent. Or make sense. This was a spur of the moment story that I wasn't really going to continue originally. But here I am, and the weirder characters will be coming in (more) after the movie takes place. Right now, it's just introductions and stories that explain stuff some. And, just a fore-warning... I don't actually know what I'm doing with Violet's broken staff. I have a basic idea, but I don't know if I want to do something super crazy that creates a sort of actual story, or do the same thing, but maybe without so much angst. And I bet I don't even make sense in this explanation... Should it be angsty, or super angsty/weird? And when I say weird, I mean weird. Like, I may be insane for even thinking about doing it.
Okay, I'm rambling. Thank you for reading, and please review!
******ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT! (Hence the asterisks):
I don't know when I'll next post. I'll a bit loaded on school work, and overly exhausted, and lacking inspiration. I know what I want to write, but it won't turn out how it's supposed to because, well... Words aren't just pouring out like they usually do. So I apologize ahead of time if it takes a while for my next update. If you can somehow inspire me, wonderful. But I'm a bit lacking as of late.
Ta for now!
~*Fantasy Forger*~