Page 54 of Knot Ruined

I can’t stop pacing. The house feels wrong. I keep thinking I see you, hear you laughing, but you’re not here. It’s killing me.

I choke back another sob, dropping the phone back onto the bed beside me. My body curls into itself, trembling with silent cries. They love me. I know they love me—I never doubted that. But they bought me from my mother like a goddamned commodity, and they hid it from me. The betrayal cuts deep, but even through the hurt, my body aches to feel their arms around me again.

The door creaks open slowly, the dim hallway light slipping in before Violet steps inside, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing me with a stern but worried expression. Her purple hair is piled into a messy bun, and she’s dressed casually in leggings and a loose, oversized sweatshirt.

“Alright, enough is enough,” she announces firmly. “You can’t keep hiding in here and wallowing. Get up, shower, get dressed. We’re going out for ice cream.”

I groan, pulling the duvet tighter around me, but she isn’t having it. Violet marches over and tugs the blankets away, giving me a stern look that softens slightly at my miserable expression.

“Come on, Fallon,” she says more gently. “You can’t stay here forever. You look like hell, and if we don’t at least get you sugar, I’m afraid you’ll wither away into a ghost. So up!”

Sighing dramatically, I push myself upright, my legs shaky beneath me. Violet wraps her arms around me briefly in a comforting hug. “It’s going to be okay, you know. Whatever happens, you have me.”

I manage a watery smile, squeezing her hand tightly. “Thank you, Vi.”

She nods once, determined. “Now let’s go drown your misery in a milkshake-like the adults we are.”

Laughing softly despite the lingering ache in my chest, I get up and head towards the bathroom, hoping the ice cream will numb some of this pain—or at least distract me from the chaos that’s waiting for me back home. She’s right. Moping won’t fix anything; despite it all, I don’t want to leave them. Looking at my phone for a moment, I send a group text.

I'm okay. Physically, at least. I just needed some space to breathe, but I miss you so much that it's killing me. I'll come home tomorrow—we can talk then. Please don't do anything stupid until I get there. I love you guys.

Fallon

April13th

7:59 P.M

The chilly night air bites at my skin as Violet and I step out onto the deserted sidewalk, leaving behind the cozy warmth of the ice cream shop. I pull my jacket tighter around me, savoring the lingering taste of strawberry milkshake on my tongue. Despite the heaviness that still lingers in my chest, the evening with Violet had been exactly what I needed.

“Thanks for dragging my miserable ass out, Vi.” I bump my shoulder against hers affectionately, glancing up at her profile bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights.

She snorts, tugging her scarf higher around her neck. "Someone had to. Watching you mope around was depressing as fuck. Next time, at least put some eyeliner on and commit to the goth aesthetic."

I laugh, the first real, unburdened laugh I've had in days. It feels good to smile again, even if the ache in my chest hasn’t fully disappeared. We walk down the deserted sidewalk, our heels clicking softly against the cracked pavement. The neighborhood is unusually quiet tonight, shadows stretching long and thin beneath the sparse streetlamps.

Violet parked around the corner, a side street with fewer lights, and as we round it, my laughter dies abruptly. The hairs at the back of my neck lift in warning. A chill trickles down my spine, making goosebumps rise along my arms beneath my sweater.

“Vi,” I whisper urgently, my body tensing with sudden apprehension. "Do you feel that?"

She pauses, fumbling distractedly in her oversized bag, fishing out her keys, seemingly oblivious. "Feel what? It's freezing, Fallon. I told you we should've—"

Her voice fades to nothing when a large, rough hand clamps over my mouth, yanking me backward. Panic explodes inside me, and I kick back, adrenaline surging like fire through my veins. Violet spins sharply, her eyes widening in horror as she screams, the shrill sound echoing off the brick buildings. Her keys tumble from her trembling fingers, clattering harshly to the sidewalk, metallic echoes slicing through the silence.

"Fallon!" Violet lunges toward me, but another figure blocks her path. She's knocked aside, stumbling against the hood of the car.

I bite hard into the palm covering my mouth, tasting blood, feeling satisfaction when the man curses violently, his grip loosening just enough for me to wrench away. I stumble forward, gasping for breath, heart pounding wildly in my chest as Violet shouts my name again, desperate and fearful.

Just as I spin around to fight, pain explodes at the side of my neck—a needle stabbing deep. Cold terror floods me, overwhelming the fight within as a burning sensation spreads rapidly through my bloodstream, robbing strength from my limbs. I blink hard, vision blurring. I sway, reaching out for Violet, but the world is already slipping away from me.

“Fallon!” Violet’s anguished scream echoes sharply through the night, slicing through me as my knees collapse. She scrambles toward me, only to be grabbed by another set of hands.

The drug surges brutally through my body, leaving me weightless and helpless. My vision darkens, streetlights blurring into vague pools of muted color as the ground rushes up. Violet's screams, stopping abruptly, are the last sounds that reach my fading consciousness. My name spills weakly from her, and the sinister, cruel laughter of our attackers echoes ominously through the darkness.

Jace

April 14th

2:06 P.M

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