Always ~ Violentine

27 ~ I Won't Let Go If You're Still Here

"Yeah, that's what I want: shit," Kate joked. Javier came up and took Kate to talk to her, away from the kids.

As the two adults walked away for a moment, Louis put a hand on Aasim's shoulders, attempting to console him. "How are you holding up, Aasim," he said delicately.

"I.. I don't know. Ruby and Omar.. they're really gone."

Vi, Louis, and Willy all glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. "This may not be the best time, but what do we do with their bodies?" Willy brought up.

"We'll have to burn most of them. Not Ruby or Omar's of course, but the rest. Too many for proper burials," Jesus replied, approaching the four.

The kids were silent. The only thing to be heard was a low-pitched hum vibrating from the illuminant lights. Gabe was still fuming about not seeing Clem in the corner, adjacent to her room. Now there was one question that remained: what were they to do with Minnie's body? Burn her body or bury her body? Knowing who she truly is now, the option would be to burn. But still, she used to be someone to the kids: to Violet, to Louis, Willy, Aasim. Even the kids who were gone: Brody, Marlon, Mitch, Ruby, Omar. The old Minnie who sung to brighten the mood, who truly cared for her family, who actually meant something important to them. That part of her old self still lived with the kids, even if it was far away in the back of their hearts.

"We should bury Minnie," Violet grimly stated.

The kids had shocked reactions painted across their faces. "You want to bury her?" Willy inquired with distaste.

"Look, she's a complete stranger, well, was a complete stranger. Even dead, I still hate her for everything she did. But.. she's Minnie. She used to be one of us. I know I felt differently before, but in a way she'll always be one of us. We still have some humanity left in us, right? So I vote we bury her." After a few minutes of discussion, the vote was unanimous.

~~~

Violet was the only one awake. The rest of the kids were uncomfortably asleep in their chairs. The blonde twiddled with her thumbs, waiting for the moment her girlfriend would awaken. It was hard to tell how long it would be: an hour, two, five. However long, Violet would wait patiently for her girlfriend. The last thing she wanted was for Clementine to wake from her slumber in a room alone.

As the night grew on, Violet went back and forth from her seat to the door frequently. She peered through the little window built into it, where her sound-asleep girlfriend could be viewed in the bed. Except when Violet stood up to check again this time, the girl was slowly rubbing her eyes awake.

Violet's heart fluttered, knowing she was seconds away from hearing Clementine's angelic voice again. She quietly turned the handle on the door and walked in, careful not to startle her girlfriend. The foggy brunette turned over, squinting to see who was there. When she could make out Violet's slender body figure, short blonde hair, and her ethereal beauty, she smiled endlessly. "Vi?" the girl asked.

"I'm right here, Clem."

Violet pulled up a chair directly next to her girlfriend. Her stomach was bandaged and she was hooked to an IV, but other than that she showed good signs of recovery. Even greater now that Violet was by her side.

The blonde took ahold of her girlfriend's hands. The feeling of her soft, tan skin against hers made her feel complete again. "How are you feeling?" Vi questioned, heavily concerned.

"Not horrible. The pain seems to come and go, but I'll manage. How are the others?"

"They're fine. Well, Aasim's had better days, but the rest are okay. I'd wake them, but I want to spend all the time I have with you alone before them and that shithead come in."