Violet woke up to the sound of birds chirping. The sun beamed down on her face and people were starting to mingle outside. She squinted her eyes and looked both ways in the alley to find it completely empty. Where was Aiden? She had no idea whether it would be best to just sit there or go find him. What if he was in danger? The thought was erased as her stomach began to growl noisily. She needed breakfast, but her pockets were empty.
Just as Violet thought her world was about to end, Aiden returned and threw a wrapped object at her head.
"Eat up," he simply said.
She had never been happier in her entire life. Lifting up the McDonald's wrapper unveiled a warm, soft cheeseburger begging to be eaten. "Thank you," she muttered before digging in.
Aiden stood there awkwardly as the girl practically devoured the burger whole. He made a face and backed away. "I've never seen someone eat like that before."
Finishing up, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and frowned. "I feel like throwing up."
He shook his head. "Serves you right."
Violet coughed and threw the wrapper in the trash. "Where were you earlier?" she asked.
"I had to get my own food."
She nodded, not needing any further explanations. "So what now?"
"They're still fixing the car so we should keep walking further to get to them quicker," he suggested.
Violet winced when she took a step forward. "I don't know if I can keep this up. I have blisters on my feet."
He raised his right foot in the air. "So do I but I'm not complaining."
She had to accumulate strength in order to endure the pain. Her feet were probably red by now because each step felt like her feet were burning. Violet eyed Aiden a few times, but he appeared distant in his own bubble with the back of his head facing her. It was as if their talk from last night had never occurred. Pedestrians probably assumed they were just strangers coincidentally walking in the same direction.
They were about thirty minutes into the walk when a taxi cab stopped them. "Do you guys need a ride?" The driver wore thick glasses with slicked back hair, which was quite appealing for the guy.
Aiden turned to Violet. "I only have a few dollars left. Should we really waste it on this?" he whispered.
"Yes, please." She was desperate to relieve the horrendous foot pain even if it was just for a little while.
"We're going to need a ride up north," Aiden told the driver.
They both got in the taxi and fastened their seat belts.
"I'm Derek," announced the driver. "What are your names?"
"I'm Donovan and she's Haven," Aiden answered.
Derek stepped on the gas and the taxi set off with incredible speed. "It's nice to meet you two."
Violet tried to contain herself from vomiting up her burger. Derek was going pass the speed limit and she felt a little carsick. "Please slow down sir," she begged.
"What? Can't hear you." He went even faster.
When a red light appeared she felt temporary relief until Derek slammed the brakes, causing her and Aiden to fall forward, hitting their heads onto the seats in front.
"Are you trying to kill us? What the hell?" Aiden complained with frustration. He cursed under his breath while rubbing his forehead where a red bump was forming.
"I'm just trying to get there faster," the driver explained, "you know how it is in L.A. with all the traffic."
Violet shook her head. "Aid- uh Donovan, we should get another taxi. Maybe a bus?"
The light turned green and the cab shot out of there in a second. "You guys are staying in here," claimed Derek. He was driving with such intensity that they were starting to panic.
"Please stop the car!" Aiden hollered.
The driver slowed down and cackled loudly. "Oh, it gets them everytime. Sorry, I was just messing with you guys."
They stared at him like he was a lunatic.
"I'll give you a fifty percent off discount for that. Your reactions were priceless!" He continued laughing and drove at a steady pace.
Violet glared at him. "Not funny."
He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that. I get carried away too often."
Aiden pulled out his phone and began tapping it swiftly, making Violet wonder who he was texting.
"Cyrus just texted you this," Aiden said casually, handing his phone over to Violet.
She gave him a look of uncertainty. Who on earth was Cyrus?
On the screen of the phone displayed the notes app open with the following text:
Do you think he's a little suspicious? Should we just find a bus?
She realized he was trying to communicate with her secretly through text, and that Cyrus wasn't a real person.
She typed in response: He is acting a little strange. Idk, should we just take his discount offer?
"Cyrus wants to ask you about this." She returned the phone to Aiden.
After he read it, he put his phone away and looked up. "Alright Derek, let me get things straight. You keep driving north until I tell you to stop, but go within the speed limit or we'll have some issues. Got it?"
A nod. "Got it. No need to worry."
The rest of the ride was less hectic and Derek quieted down, keeping his eyes on the road. He would crack stupid jokes every now and then, but they didn't bother listening. After a while, he got the hint and shut up.
The drive was definitely slower than before, but Violet still felt like there was something wrong. "Can we roll down the windows?" she asked.
"Do as you like," Derek replied.
She rolled the windows down and got a taste of fresh air. Still, it felt unsettling being in there.
Aiden observed the street signs and their surroundings before questioning, "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
For a quick second, they could see Derek tense up. "Yeah, of course. We're going north right?"
"It looks like we're going south." Aiden glared at him. "Stop the car."
As if he didn't hear, the car kept going.
"I said stop the car," he said once more.
Either Derek was deaf or he had other plans because he began to speed up even faster than before.
"Hey!" Aiden yelled.
Violet yelped while clutching her seat belt. Cars honked and people stared in horror as they crossed through a red light.
With a convincing tone, Aiden threatened, "Stop it or I'll kill you."
Finally, Derek payed attention to him. "You won't." He smirked.
"And why wouldn't I?" Aiden waited patiently for a response while the car was still racing.
"Because I'm here to make a deal with you." Derek pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it to Aiden. "We're here with an offer."
Violet glanced down at the card and gasped as she read the bold letters of The Silvers' contact information.
"Fine. Talk." Aiden nodded at him.
"So you're willing to listen." The car reverted back to the speed limit. He cleared his throat. "The Silvers want you to help them out."
He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"
"We know you have normal blood and we tested it. We think Silversmith may have found a way to turn your group without using any toxins," Derek explained, "so we've decided to offer you ten thousand if you come and work with us."
"Ten thousand?" Aiden scoffed. "So you're trying to bribe us?"
"We're just trying to negotiate. We need your help figuring out how this is all possible. You could bring your other friends and ten thousand will go to each person as well." Just as Derek finished his previous sentence, they stopped at a red light. "So what do you say?" he asked.
Aiden reached over and grabbed Violet's hand gently. She looked at him in confusion. What was he doing?
"My answer is..." He opened the door. "No."
They both scurried out the cab and ran down the nearest street. Once the light turned green, the taxi jerked to the left and followed them on full speed.
Hand in hand, they were running once again. First it was from an old pervert and now it was from a taxi driver who was working for The Silvers. Could it possibly get any worse?
Hastily running past neighborhoods and shops, they came upon a fence behind a bar and jumped it. From behind, Derek exited his cab and ran for them by foot.
"You can't escape us!" he yelled.
Their footsteps were heavy against the pavement, but they couldn't stop. This was worse than escaping from the old man and even when Derek was no longer visible, they kept moving.
After about three miles, they finally decided it was safe to stop at a bus bench. Aiden let go of Violet and wiped his forehead of sweat. Violet panted loudly as her heart was beating out of her chest.
"We have to warn Colton. They're after us," Aiden said.
He dialed Colton's number and waited for an answer while Violet plopped down on the bench and groaned at her blistered feet.
"Colton?" A pause. "Look, I don't have much time to explain but once the van is fixed, go straight to Oregon. Don't come for us." A second pause. "Because The Silvers are after us. They know our blood's red. I-" He sighed and shook his head. "I'll explain it all later. Just go to Oregon and try to avoid anyone that approaches. I'm sure Victor gave them descriptions." A head nod. "Yes, Violet's fine. We'll figure out a way to get to Oregon by ourselves." He lowered the phone saying, "Alright, bye," and ended the call. "We're on our own now," he told Violet.
She gave him a half smile. "We've been on our own from the start."
"That's true."
They stared at the open road and wondered where it would lead them.