Keep Lying To Me | Violentine

Part Two | Make Me Wild

16th February

"Wow, this place is huge," exclaims Brody as she slams the driver's door of her 4x4 closed. She takes a few steps forward and places her hands on her hips as she marvels at the grandeur of the log cabin. The structure stands tall amongst the sprinkle of sparse pine trees, the main road is hidden from view by the mass of branches.

Violet slips out of the backseat of the car, hauling her overnight bag with her. She leaves Clementine's bag inside the vehicle and closes the door on it.

"It's been in Louis's family for years," says Marlon as he joins Brody and scans the wooden panelling and smoke pouring from the chimney. "We used to hang out here when we were teenagers," he explains. He grins for a moment, before taking strides towards the large oak front door, leaving the two girls marvelling at the structure.

"I think it's weird that Clementine didn't come with us this morning," Brody thinks out loud as she turns back to her car to retrieve the sleeping bags, bundles of clothes and bottles of beer from the boot. "We had it arranged like that for weeks. I wonder why she changed her mind last minute and decided to come up here last night instead."

Brody makes a tutting sound under her breath as she turns back to look at the blonde, waiting for her input on Clementine's spontaneous change of plan. Violet says nothing.

Clearing her throat, the auburn-haired girl decides that if Violet won't talk to her, she'll at least help her with the bags. "Help me take this stuff in Vi," Brody calls, her voice piercing the tranquil silence of the forest.

Brody unlocks the boot of the car, and then when she realises she's alone, she glances around the side of the vehicle at Violet who is clearly lost in some deep-seated trance. "Come give me a hand Vi," she calls again, aware that the blonde is still staring at the cabin motionlessly.

Violet snaps out of her trance, wondering what Louis and Clementine are doing inside the cabin, wondering why Clementine hasn't come out to greet her yet. Turning to face Brody, Violet drags her feet through the fallen leaves as she returns to the dark red car and her friend.

"This is for the kitchen," states Brody as she wipes her forehead with the back of her sleeve and hands Violet a cardboard box filled with food for the weekend. Violet looks down at the contents and occupies the empty space in her mind by rolling her eyes over the bags of crisps, the frozen pizzas, and the packets of dry pasta.

"Hey," says Brody, slamming the boot of the car closed and wiping her hands down on her jeans before she picks up the sleeping supplies from the forest floor. "Do you know why Clementine stayed the night and didn't come down with us this morning?" asks the older girl as she balances the items on her hip and locks her car.

Violet pauses and thinks. She's aware that too much time has passed between the question and the answer, so she blurts out the same excuse that Clementine delivered her the night before.

"She just said that she was tired after setting all the bedrooms up last night and that she and Louis ended up drinking so he couldn't drive her back." Violet adjusts the box in her arms and frowns as she nears the looming house. "It probably made sense in the long run," she says trying to convince herself. She throws a fake smile at Brody in the hopes the older girl will also believe her faux confidence.

Brody raises one eyebrow in response. "Well, I guess if they'd been drinking there's no way around that."

"Exactly," says Violet tight-lipped and quick with her response.

"It's a shame really," Brody mutters as she adjusts her grip on the bundles in her arms. "I feel like I never see Clementine anymore, she's always just hanging out with Louis." Brody laughs to herself as a thought crosses her mind. "It's almost like she's dating Louis and not you."