Nobody knew what to say.
They all filed out the door to feel the fresh air cool them from tension.
"So we just leave her in there?" Riley said.
Violet nodded. "Yeah."
Aiden ran his fingers through his dark waves and sighed. "I need a drink."
"We need to find Colette," Violet quickly said, "My parents said they're after her blood."
Delsin started to speed towards the van. "Let's go. Now."
Inside the car, Colton was already waiting for them in the driver's seat with a dull expression. The chirping of crickets filled the atmosphere and the engine loudly rumbled on.
"We need to find Colette," Delsin stated and sat in the passenger's seat.
Ignoring him, Colton jerked his head to see Violet's pale face staring back at him. "What happened back there?" he asked her.
Everyone shut up and waited for her explanation.
She looked down guiltily and mumbled, "My parents took me earlier from the forest." She fingered the zipper of her black jacket nervously. "They told me the truth." Tears pricked her eyes and she couldn't help but let it all out. "She turned me a long time ago. It was Phoebe all along."
Nobody argued with her claims and patiently listened to her continue.
"Her husband, Wyatt was part of the injecteds. He left Victor's group and so my parents went after him, unintentionally killing him in the process." She gulped. "For revenge, she broke in and turned me at birth, setting a time limit of 17 years before the spell took action."
They gasped and finally understood why she was angry. "How are you back then? Shouldn't your parents have taken you for good?" Colton questioned.
She shrugged. "It was either kill me or let me run. They chose to let me run."
"And you came back to us," Aiden pointed out. "That's loyalty."
"Glad you're safe," Riley said, "but what do we do now?" Riley asked.
Em slammed her fist at the car and broke down. "All of this work.." A pause. "And for nothing. That-" She stopped mid-sentence and slammed her fist again. "She lied to us."
As devastated as they were, they couldn't stop to sulk and waste time. Their plans were in shambles. Thus, they had to act quickly to create a new plan.
"We have to find Colette," Delsin reminded them hastily.
Aiden nudged Violet gently and whispered, "You wanna come with me?"
Colton nodded at Delsin and started the vehicle while everyone hopped in except for Aiden and Violet.
"Sure," she said.
"I'll follow you in my car," Aiden told Colton before heading to his BMW with Violet.
Following Colton's car by themselves separately was more awkward than they anticipated. Aiden cleared his throat. "You okay?" he asked after turning on the radio on low volume. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears For Fears filled the car softly.
She shook her head. "No, that all happened so fast." She looked at the tiny bright stars in the sky and leaned her head against the window. "I can't even process it. I don't know who I was out there." She couldn't believe she had the courage to confront Phoebe, let alone stab her so mercilessly.
Aiden stepped on the gas to 80 mph, matching the pace of Colton's van through the empty roads. "Me neither," he said, "I feel like none of us have processed it." They both stared straight ahead. "One day we're working our asses off, killing to be saved. The next, we end up with absolutely nothing." He sped the car up even more. "Damn it, make it make sense."
Violet observed his facial features from his sharp jawline to his soft lips. She missed seeing it but looked away shortly. "Are you mad at what I did?"
There was a short silence before he finally responded. "I'm more mad at her for lying. I just wish I could've asked for more answers." He noticed the guilt spreading across her face and added, "But that would have been useless."
Violet blocked the noisy concerns in the back of her mind and laid back against the car seat releasing a huge breath. "What a coincidence that I ended up with your group in the end when I was affiliated with her before even meeting you guys."
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," he said. "It's so messed up."
"To all of us," she added, "We lost our lives for her."
Aiden grunted and made a sharp turn crossing into Wharlow Street. "And now we're all at risk of dying because the Silvers won't stop chasing us."
"Yeah, I know. We're screwed." She took in the song playing and tried to catch a short nap.
Before she could drift off into sleep, Aiden muttered, "I was worried sick you were never returning."
She smiled for a split second. "I missed you too."
When they stopped the car, they reached an old wooden house at the end of an empty street. Violet squinted her eyes at the rising sun and yawned before noticing Aiden smiling at her.
"What?" she asked, unsure what to think of the fuzzy feeling in her stomach. All she could think of was Ace when she looked at him.
"Nothing," he answered before getting out of the car.
They reunited with Colton's group and entered the house cautiously. Surprisingly, nobody had locked the door or stood guard.
"Where is everyone?" Em whispered.
"Shh." Delsin nudged her to be quiet. Everyone slowly tiptoed after the door creaked shut. The rooms were pitch black except for a door that emitted dim lighting at the end of a long hallway. Riley led the group slowly towards the door, running her fingers along the textured walls. Suddenly, her nail hit a smooth tile with a tiny lever. She flipped the switch and the old lights turned on one by one.
All eyes immediately noticed the bodies laying in the center of the hallway. They were all apart of Phoebe's witch circle. Trying not gag or make noise, Riley put a finger to her lips and pointed at the door. They all nodded and followed her towards the door. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around the rusted knob and turned it.
It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Inside the door, they saw white walls and a small, ragged bed with brown sheets and a table lamp by its side. On the bed laid a petite Colette, staring straight at them with alarmed eyes. Her hospital gown was covered in red blood which matched the smudges around her mouth.
"You guys..." her voice cracked. She looked like she was ready to cry.
Delsin stepped into the room first and held her tight into his arms. "Thank god, you're okay," he whispered, rocking her back and forth.
She hugged him back and allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks. "I killed them all," she said while sobbing. "I don't know how but I did." She began breathing heavily, looking each of them in the eyes. "They tried to tie me up but I wouldn't let them and suddenly I grew hungry."
Delsin looked at her with surprise. "So you drank from them?"
She stared at him blankly. "...They tried to block me with their weird chants, similar to Phoebe's, but it didn't work. I broke free...I was so hungry and somehow, I attacked them unconsciously."
Riley laughed, impressed at Colette's sudden strength. "So you were able to kill all of them?"
Colette shrugged. "I don't know what happened to me. Victor's blood mixing with mine-" She let out another heavy breath. "I think it amplified my strength and urges."
Delsin held her hand in his and told her, "You're fine. If anything, you're more badass than before."
She tried to smile but shook her head. "No, I'm worse." Looking up at everyone, reality sunk back in. "Did something happen?" She looked at the clock on the wall, revealing the time of six in the morning. "Why are you guys here so early in the morning?"
Colton stepped up with a look of distraught and announced the news. "Violet reunited with her parents and found out that Phoebe's connected to her, which is why she turned. Now she's dead and we found out she lied about everything."
"Wait, what?" Colette looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Phoebe's dead?"
"She admitted she doesn't have the cure. She said we aren't able to turn back," he stated bluntly. "So her being dead doesn't even matter."
Before Colette could question them any longer, Violet said, "We'll explain the full details later. For now, we have to leave. The Silvers are after you specifically and they won't stop until all of us are dead."
"Let's go," Aiden commanded. "We have no time left."
Back in the BMW, Aiden continued to follow Colton's van in the distance. They had Colton's phone on speaker, communicating to each other on the next few plans.
"Okay, where are we going?" Aiden asked Colton through the phone.
"I say we escape the country," Em shouted out.
"Canada," Colton said aloud. "How about it?"
There were no denies and it was the closest destination for them to leave the United States.
"What about us?" Riley questioned. "We're immortal. We still need blood. What do we do?"
There was a long pause. "Maybe we can limit ourselves to animals," Violet mentioned, "it's worth a try."
There were a few groans and objections but they agreed to willingly change their diets.
"As for immortality, I'm not so sure," Violet continued, "maybe a suicide pact?" It sounded horrible but she couldn't think of another solution.
"So what? We wait til we're all eighty and then end our lives together?" Aiden laughed at the idea. "How cheesy."
"I'm down for it," Colton said, "the thing is we just won't age."
"So we just keep hopping around so no one notices," Em suggested.
"Right," Delsin responded, "we just need each other in the end."
Colette's voice trembled. "What if I age? I don't know what my new abilities are yet and what went away."
Delsin hushed her with reassurance. "We'll figure it out. Wherever you go, we'll be there with you."
"Damn right," Aiden shouted.
Altogether, they drove with the determination of being together until the very end. The only people they had left was each other.