Ordinary

They had entered through a personal entrance and been seated immediately by an overzealous middle aged baldy who turned out to be the owner and manager of the place. Daniels was his name and he kept repeating that it was a pleasure to have Kieren at his establishment. Violet made a mental note that literally everybody knew who Kieren was. Daniels finally left when Ted, Tom and Zen arrived, they too took one look at Violet and gasped, eyes and mouths round like O's. Alex kicked Zen in the shin, Ted whistled, and Kieren shook his head.

"Kieren spit out his drink," Alex pointed out with a grin, Kieren turned his eyes to Violet, mischief spreading rapidly. "How did you know tattoos turn me on? Is this on purpose? I'm interested." It was Zen's turn to choke on his drink. Violet rolled her eyes, "Alex dressed me with no regards for propriety or the fact that it's Winter." Kieren frowned, "You let her dress you?"

Alex winked at Kieren, "She was half asleep, very malleable, did you know she's a gymnast?"

Kieren looked like he was trying hard to decide wether he should be annoyed or ask for more details.

Violet picked up the menu rather aggressively, "Are we eating or should I leave?"

They ordered and sat chatting idly, the restaurant was amazing, it was definitely a place Violet would never have visited on her own. It screamed wealth and luxury at every turn and the waiters tried to coddle you like their lives depended on it. Violet felt fingertips on her arm, "So you've been hiding a full sleeve and a full leg, they weren't there when we first met. You like snakes?" Violet chuckled in response to his attention to detail. "Hmm, yeah, nobody at the school needs to know, the entire arm has a theme, if you can't guess it I'm not sharing."

Violet turned her leg closer towards Kieren, "The leg yeah, sidewinders are my favorite, closely followed by reticulated pythons."

"Wanna know something surprising?" Alex chimed in, "Zen also has tattoos, his entire back! It's a dragon!" Violet tried to turn her snicker into a cough, which was repeated by everyone much to Zen's displeasure. "It's family related," Zen was definitely miffed. Kieren pulled on Violet's arm, "You're not going to ask if I have a family crest tattoo?"

"Well then?" Violet asked, "Do you also have a dragon.?" Kieren winked, "a different kind of dragon... yeahhh"

The twins and Alex burst into laughter at the look of horror or Zen's face and the blank expression on Violet's face. Shaking her head Violet retorted, "I swear you're twelve."

The rest of them chimed in and suddenly the banter was on-going. It seemed weird, unnatural almost, Violet knew she did not belong.

These people were from a different world, she would do well to remember that. It was not like she could ever trust them. She observed them lost in thought, they all meshed so well together, even out of their uniforms and the rules of the school, they flourished on trust. Trust ruled by Kieren, she turned her attention to the king of the coop. He was at ease, dressed in all black, and as radiant as ever. This was one of the few times she had seen him this way, much more willing to truly smile, he even laughed a couple of times. She looked towards the arriving food, a complicated look on her face, that Kieren did not miss.

Violet woke with a head pounding headache, dehydrated, and utterly hungover. There was too much light and she was desperate for water.

"Where the fuck am I?" She turned on her back, not a room she recognized, "not my god dammed shirt." She took a sniff, "Holy fuck, it's Kieren's what the fuck, oh fuck." Violet looked around as if expecting Kieren to be in the bed. She let out a sigh of relief when he wasn't.

Her clothes however were no where to be found. "Not out of the woods..." sitting staring off into space like the calculating meme Violet muttered, "nothing feels sore or out of place... UGHHHG!" She shoved her face into a pillow attempting to piece together yesterday's events.

The food had arrived, along with sake bombs and other alcoholic beverages that Violet was sure they had not ordered. At first Violet had refused, but she had been tag-teamed with "Kieren drove so you can drink." "You won't make us drink alone right?" "I thought we were friends" "Do it, do it, please just one?"

She had laughed and agreed to one, which is how an hour and a half later they had all agreed to continue the feast at Kieren's place. The man had a house everywhere he liked to visit. Violet remembered coming into a smaller, yet just as dramatically stunning home. She had met Jace, Kieren's right hand man, -outside of his group- and his personal butler.

They had continued their 'party in the indoor entertainment area. Pool, cinema set up, game corridor.

"Rich people." She had mumbled.

There had been more alcohol, way way way more alcohol. Food, games, Alex singing horribly.

Violet froze, they had asked her about her parents and why she had been so weird when they met her. Violet groaned, she had admitted that her parents were dead, her entire family really. That she was an orphan and was running for safety but could not tell them more. She had joined the school because her ability was good and she would "never run again."

"Fuck, I hope they were all as drunk, I cannot believe I opened my big fat mouth."

The five of them had been sealed into silence sorry that they asked and the twins had changed the subject rapidly.

The next part was hazy but they were all laughing again. Around two in the morning Alex, completely inebriated had sat on Zen's lap and kissed him, he had promptly picked her up and carried her out of the room.

Violet who in turn had spit out her drink out in shock had been properly reassured by the twins that their behavior was completely normal and that those two had been hooking up for years. The twins had began a bizarre game that landed the remaining four of them in the pool playing a ridiculous version of volleyball. One that included more alcohol and movie lines. The twins had dragged themselves off to change and never returned.

Kieren had asked if she had a minute, he wanted to show her something.

Violet hyperventilated into the pillow. Did she want to remember the rest? She wasn't that stupid right? No, they had not done anything like that.

He had led her into a room, his room. Everything smelled like him, they had ran into Jace on the stairs, who looked surprised, but quickly provided warm towels.

She closed her eyes, there had been a melody, that was it. Kieren could play the piano, he had played the piano for her. She had sat on the floor, wrapped in a towel, eyes closed. He had mumbled, "this song screams your name." He played beautifully. She had surprised him by retorting, "It's Dirk Maassen, 'La Mer,' I love it." She had been lulling off to sleep at the song when he had stopped. She had looked into soft blue and stupidly told him that she would have never imagined his eyes could look at someone like that. That look in his eyes had intensified and without a word he had pulled her into his arms. She had dozed off like that, warm despite their still wet clothing. He had shaken her awake softly, offered her a clean shirt, "it'll be too big, but it's not wet" and led her to a different room. That's right she had undressed in the bathroom and left everything but his shirt there.

Violet sighed, "Could have been worse..."

A knock at the door interrupted her array of flashbacks, Kieren stuck his head in.

"How's your head?" She groaned in response, he laughed, he was the one who had drank the least. He came in carrying water, migraine medication, and a bag. He looked over admiring her lying on the bed in nothing but his shirt. "Mm, that's one hell of a sight Violet. Here, I had Jace get you some clothes, can't have you doing the walk of shame with nothing to show for it."

He laughed and left as Violet flung a pillow his way.

Violet sat with Kieren and the twins having breakfast when Alex appeared in the dining room. The twins burst into applause and Violet eyes devil-like commented, "Will you need some help stretching this morning? Any soreness we should know about? Plan B? C? D?" Alex blushed a violent shade and stammered for them to shut up as Zen appeared with a huge hickey on his neck.

Violet shook her head while laughing, it could have been worse. At least she was safe...