ELEMENTS Book Two

Chapter Nine: The Interrogation

Author's note: This is not how it will be in the actual book. And, yes, there may be one.

The next day, all four of us boys and Ayla, Marie (and of course Violet) interrogate Katie about her 'behavior' as of late. All of us try to think of something to say to her, but Aiden has the hardest time doing so. "Er... um... K-Katie, my love..."

As Aiden tries to finish his sentence, Adam barges in straight-faced, saying "Stop being a bitch; got it? You cook the food, you clean the house, and you shut the hell up; those are your three primary jobs." Katie just stares at him and asks "Would you like a sandwich, King Adam? Or a foot-rub, or your toenails clipped?"  

"I would like all three if possible, madam." Katie smirks, a sure sign that she is fed uo with Adam's BS. "Well, then; it's too bad I'm not a maid, isn't it, Adam?" At this snarky comment, Adam is officially taken aback and shuts up. I stand up, to assert my authority as the man of this household.

"Katie... I don't know how to say this, but... I realize that you and Violet are 'BFFs', but when she and I want our privacy, it is our right to have it. Look at it this way - do I or even Violet, barge in on you and Aiden, when the two of you are alone together?" I wait a minute, and then she answers, her voice shaky with melancholy; I can sense tears welling up behind her retinas.

"N-No... y-you don't..." I hand her a tissue as I speak. "Alright... you see, Adam? All a woman like Katie, or Violet, or even Marie really wants is love and understanding. Of course, I only love Katie as a friend, but still, it is a type of love; especially one that should be upheld throughout the entirety of my relationship with Violet." 

Katie speaks again, this time her voice is less shaky that before. "I'm g-glad you guys got married; to see her walk down that aisle... it actually made me jealous..." She looks to Aiden, who nods as if to say 'go ahead - tell them'.

Katie continues "Well, Aiden and I are betrothed now; I wanted to tell you guys all about it, but I also didn't want to hurt Aiden's feelings if he didn't happen to be present when the telling occurred. You see, unlike some people..." she looks at Adam for emphasis, then continues, "unlike some people, I do have feelings, emotions... I do care about others; those reasons are why I was being so protective of you, Violet; you're like a sister in my eyes." 

At this endearing comment, most of us aww; but not Violet; she cries instead, as if someone has punched her in the stomach fifty times, even if no one has done so. "What's wrong, beloved; are you ill, Violet?"

She grimaces, a sure sign that she is in pain. Not being able to bear seeing the love of my life in pain, I walk over to the phone and dial Kellie's number while Adam holds Violet's head. After a few rings, the phone is answered by a very sleepy Kellie. 

"Hello?" Violet's wailing is becoming stronger by the minute; in fact, it becomes so strong that she yells my name. "River! It hurts so damn much, baby; please help me..." I can't help her very well right now. "Hey, Kellie; is there a possibility that you could come over tonight?

I hear a sigh on the other end, and then "I don't know, River... I worked a full day at the clinic, cleaned my house, and visited Lazarus, all in one day. I am very tired. But I suppose I could come over to check on Violet; for both of your sakes." At this point, I'm glad Kellie is even a doctor. "Thank you, Kellie; you have no idea how much this means to me, or to Violet."

A joyful voice now reaches my ears. "I am glad to help you kids anytime you need it, River." Instead of hanging up after she does, I hold the phone to my ear for a few more seconds. I don't know why, but there's something about the sound of a dead phoneline that calms me. 

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BRIEFLY SWITCHING TO LAZARUS' POV... BEWARE... SOME LIGHT CURSING... 

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Well, Kellie's gone now... but I know she'll be back; she always comes back. She'll be back, even if I have to fight to get what I want - her love. Never mind that Denna's soul will haunt me for it; I love Kellie no matter what. I only wanted her to return that love, and she did, for a time... but then she turned me away and handed me over to the crabbiest King on the face of this planet... Ilmatar. I punch the wall and the guy in the cell next to me yells at me.

"Hey; you woke me up!" This snide comment enraged me so much that I yell "I don't give a shit if I woke you up!" Ilmatar apparently heard this, so he (and Brook, of course...) come down the stairs, and he yells "What is going on down here?" I am at a loss for words; eventually something comes out of my mouth. Unfortunately, that something is a stuttering mess.

"I- he- but then I- and he- oh, never mind; it's no use..." I can only slump my shoulders in defeat. "Do you remember why you're here, Lazarus?" Surprisingly, Ilmatar's face is not crumpled, as it was yesterday. I nod and answer "I'm here because I am a danger to all those around me..." 

"And?" 

"And because I killed my wife..." 

"And what did you learn from this?" 

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you- are you saying that Kellie is going to kill me?" 

"Maybe..." 

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SWITCHING BACK TO RIVER'S POV... 

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Once Kellie arrives, Violet's wailing calms down to just above a whimper. She tugs on my sleeve and says "I know what's wrong, River...." 

"What is it?" I am curious to know this fact. "I'd rather not... talk about it in front of everyone. I'd like to keep it between you, me, and Kellie." To make her happy, I tell her "Alright, Violet; I won't tell anyone." I trust my wife, and she trusts me in return; so for either of us to break that trust would be like me drowning and being a member of the Water Realm- bad. 

Now that we have somewhat deduced the problem, Kellie asks "Would you two like me to do an ultrasound? I'm sure Violet would like to see her beautiful baby girl." Violet and I nod at the same time. "I wanna see my baby; please, Kellie! Please show me my child... our child..." Kellie nods and fires up the sonogram machine.

As the image comes up on the screen, all we can see is a grey oval filled in with black. Violet rubs her belly and mutters 'Where's my baby?' All of a sudden, when Kellie moves the 'joystick', as she calls it, a little dot appears on the screen. "You were just having pregnancy cramps, Violet; you'll be alright, sweetheart." Instead of thanking Kellie, Violet sits up and asks "How do you know? You've never had a baby!"

Kellie frowns and replies "I may have never borne a child, Violet, but I sure as hell know how to assist in chilbirth! I helped my sister give birth to Marie, if you didn't already know!" She storms out, leaving Violet in tears.

Violet's POV

Later, after everyone is gone except for River, who is holding and massaging my other hand, I pick up the phone and dial the number of the man I trust most besides my husband; Uncle Lazarus. After the first few rings, he picks up. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Uncle Lazarus? It's me; Violet. I need to talk to you about Kellie..."

"What is wrong? Did she do something? Are you hurt?" This rapidfire onslaught of questions is too much, even for my brain. I try to answer them as best I can. "No, I'm fine; just... upset. She got mad at me because I told her she never had a baby, so she didn't know what pregnancy cramps were like. She told me off by saying that-"

"That she helped Auntie Denna give birth to Marie?"

"Yes; and now I feel bad because I was so rude to her... what do I do, Uncle?"

"The next time I see her, I will talk to her for you, my dear."

"Thank you, Uncle." Both of us hang up and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.