Teenage Calamity ━━ MAYFIELD

009

A scoff leaves her lips, "The hell does it look like I'm doing, Lucas?"

"I thought you didn't care about finding Will." Lucas assumed, striking a nerve in her.

Her head snapped back to look at him, her words were sharp. "Well, you thought wrong." She looked forward again, "I can't believe that you would even think for a second that I don't want to bring Will home. You may not believe it, but he's my best friend, too."

"I can't believe anything you say, not after yesterday." Lucas replies to her bitterly, "You're a traitor. You played us. You let us believe that we were finding Will." He scoffs a little ways behind her, "But what I can't seem to understand... is why? If you're here right now and you're looking for him, then why did you do it? Why did you screw with the compasses. Why did you lead us the wrong way?"

A heavy sigh heaves from her chest, and falls from her lips. She couldn't keep it from the boys forever, they would find out eventually. She might as well just tell Lucas the truth right now, because even after what he said to her yesterday, he was still her best friend. And she would always care about him, no matter what. And she didn't want him to hate her, it was time for the truth to come out.

"Lucas." She she keeps walking as she goes to speak, "You're right. I am a traitor. Me and El screwed with the compasses, and we sent you guys off the path to the gate. But I did it to keep you safe." She halts in her steps, glancing back at him. "I know where the gate is. And I know how it got opened in the first place." His face is washed over with shock, and a breath leaves her lips as she turns forward and keeps walking. "Feel free to ask your questions. I'm not gonna hide anything from you anymore."

"Where's the gate?" Lucas asked her almost immediately.

"Hawkins Lab." She answered him simply.

"Did you know the whole time?" He questions her again.

She shook her head, "No. I didn't, not until I noticed El acting strange like you did. When you said you saw us talking behind you on the tracks yesterday, she told me everything."

"And why didn't you tell us?" Lucas continued to ask, picking up his pace as he walked behind her.

"Because I promised her that I wouldn't. And you of all people know how important promises are." She shakes her head as a soft scoff falls from her lips, "But that makes me a hypocrite, doesn't it? I promised no more secrets, then I hid a big one from you guys." She glanced down at her shoes, "I don't blame you for hating me, Lucas."

"Hey," Lucas catches up, then he slows down to walk alongside her. "I don't hate you, Vi." She looks up at him, meeting his dark ebony eyes. "I'm just angry. That's all."

Violet nodded understandably, "You have every right to be angry with me, Lucas." She ducks her head down, "I know you have more questions. Go ahead, ask me."

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him nod his head. "How did El know where the gate was?"

"Because she's seen it." She inhaled deeply as she prepared herself, knowing she was about to drop a huge bomb on him. "She opened it."

Lucas gapes, then his face hardens as he grows angry. "I knew it!"

"But she didn't mean to!" She quickly spat out, her eyes wide as she halted in her steps and turned to face him. "She was forced to. The head scientist there, his name is Dr. Brenner, he controlled all of us there. If he wanted the gate open, then none of us would have a choice. Not unless we wanted to be punished. Trust me, Lucas, if she had a choice she wouldn't have done it. I know that you don't trust El, but please, trust me."