A FLAME IN THE DARK • a selection story

bleed.

My head is pounding and my mouth is strangely dry. I let out a cough.

Is this how Jules feels when she wakes up from her hangover?

I don't want that question answered.

As I get up, I struggle to think of what happened last night. Once I stand, it all comes rushing back to me and I open my bedroom door. I look to Via's room and am surprised to find her sitting in front of it, knees against her chest. Her eyes are wide open and as I walk over, they trail over to me. I sit in front of her and prop my elbows up on my knees.

"How long have you been out here?" I ask.

She doesn't answer me, only stares.

I clear my throat. "Via?"

Her eyes are empty and the spots under her eyes are full of dried tears. She was probably crying after we said goodnight only a couple of hours ago. I had stayed up with her because she didn't deserve to be left alone with all of her thoughts and tears so I stayed and talked her through some things. She didn't give a lot of information, but I did learn who Zoe was and who she was to Via.

It almost broke me when she started crying again and was muttering all about how much she missed her and how she didn't know how to live without her. But once she had calmed down and seemed okay, we both went to bed and bid each other goodnight.

I guess she wasn't calmed down enough.

"Have you gotten any sleep?"

She gives me a slight shake of her head.

I am at a loss. I don't know what else to say to her. We talked last night, and she gave me all she would have ever given me. She looks exhausted, and needs to sleep but who knows how restless that would be.

I stand. "Via, follow me," I order and she just looks up at me. Before I do anything else, I run back inside my room and quickly get dressed in my gym clothes and then go right back to Via, who still hasn't moved.

Her clothes would do. She doesn't have to exactly dress for it since I don't know how well she'll respond to me taking her down to the gym. But I can't just leave her sitting here and it's around the time I would be down there anyway.

I kneel down in front of her and grab her hand. She doesn't object. "Olivia," I say with force, and her head jolts to me. "Come with me. Please."

She slowly stands with me and I don't let go of her hand until we have reached the bottom of the steps from our suite. We walk side by side as we make our way to the gym. I'm sure Via has no idea where we're going, but that's better since I don't know how she'll react to what I'm about to show her.

The gym is empty, as usual, and I flip on the light switch. The gym lights up and my gaze goes right to the punching bag. I grin and clench my hands into fists. I grab Via's hand again and lead her to it, stopping right in front of it. She looks at me and then at the bag and frowns. I stifle a laugh and grab my punching gloves and slide them on her. She seems out of it so it's almost as if she doesn't realize what I'm doing until I speak.

"Hit it," I tell her and she just gives me an uninterested look. But then she must realize I'm serious and her eyes widen.

I smirk and grab her hands and position them in the way I normally would then release her.

"Hit it, Via."

She swallows. "Why?" she rasps out.

"I want you to hit it. Hard. As hard as you can, and then I'll answer your question."

She looks as if hitting this punching bag is the last thing she wants to do, but she doesn't back down and after a few moments of staring, she hits it. Not as hard as she could, but hard enough it rattled her. She lets out a breath and doesn't look at me. Instead, she takes a step back and swings again.