Purple Violet

You know that feeling when someone occupies your every thought twenty-four seven? Like they don’t want to leave, they do it on purpose, every single thought that lingers inside your brain, every corner. It’s that person. They stick there, like a highschool crush. Like a teenager in love.

Shouldn’t Percy have gotten over that silly crush already? Why did she still think about her? Why didn’t those feelings disappear? She hid her face between her arms. She could feel her face heat up, turning all shades of pink. She wanted to hold her gently, kiss her face, take her out for coffee, maybe dance with her. The way she soared the skies, she made it look graceful and easy, like walking on air, tiptoeing, and taking little turns and swifts.

She looked like a princess wearing that plumpy dress, making it swirl and twist around with her every movement. That thought immediately made her wish she was a prince so she could ask her for a dance. She didn’t have the guts Nadia had. If she could only ask her out...

“Hey!” a voice called to her, bubbly and cheerful. Persephone turned around to see whose voice it was. Her face went completely red, feeling how her stomach dropped. May the gods hear her prayers. “You are Persephone, right?” What could Percy do but nod, there was no way she would talk to that girl with how tong-tied she felt.

“So… Uh, would you like to grab some coffee with me?” the girl smiled softly while waiting for an answer. This is a dream, right? This can’t be real. Like a work of magic, all the blood in her body went straight to her face, if she was red, she was even redder now. “I- Uh- S-s-sure!” Persephone could even hear Nadia call her a useless lesbian, how could she be panicking like this? It’s just a minor crush. “Great! I’ll pick you up at six after my shift is over!”

The black girl summoned her wings, lifting herself in the air and flying away.

Percy was just standing there, mouth agape and face red as ever. Did the girl she like since highschool just invite her on a date? No, it can’t be a date, she doesn’t like her that way. Maybe Theodosia Arendt just wants to befriend her. Yeah! That must be it. There is no way a girl like her would ask her out on a date. Plus, she was fairly popular in high school. She most likely had several options- Her alarm started ringing in her phone. Time for class.

---

Anatomy class was a bit boring, especially with that substitute teacher who talked like he had all the time in the world. She looked at the time. 5:30 p.m. “Well, I’m doomed, there’s no way I can make it back and forth go get a change of clothes.” She slapped herself. Not like hitting herself would make the situation any better, but at least she could release the tension she was feeling.

She started wondering what the girl would use. After she graduated high school she officially became a hero, her costume was a classic Amazon Warrior outfit, so that was she displayed to the public. Heroes usually worked under commission, or in areas assigned by the principal police department. They were assigned rounds around certain areas, and depending on their specialty, they were assigned missions. Their public image was to inspire safety.

They were affiliated somehow to the police, whilst being their own division inside the security service of the city. Since the services were related they usually did work together. Police took minor cases when the need for execution of special abilities wasn’t needed. Like arrests, or persecutions, or muggings… etc. But talking about hostages, terrorist attacks, rescues. Yeah, heroes took care of that.

What would she wear? Not like it mattered, she would look absolutely perfect in any outfit. Ah, her face was flushed red again…

Persephone felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was greeted with the girl she was thinking about, dressed in a warm yellow fitted dress, decorated with flowers at the skirt, and had an almost unnoticeable golden hem. She’s smiling at Percy, balancing her body around lightly, giving some movement to the skirt.

“Did you wait too long for me? I’m sorry if I made you wait, mom insisted I bring some of the Tanghulu she made.” She stated as she took out a paper bag with some candied strawberries inside. “So… shall we go?” Percy nodded.

Theodosia grabbed Persephone by the wrist, guiding her outside the Med building and next outside the campus. “So! What is your favorite drink?” The one with darker skin asked to try and make small talk. The one wearing dreadlocks looked at her and stopped to think for a moment. “I like warm drinks since due to my ability I naturally am cold-blooded, I like warm drinks, I think I prefer tea the most.” Dodo nodded. “I like tea too, but iced tea, I can say though… that I prefer lemonade and that type of stuff.”

Persephone felt a flutter inside her chest. The way she talked was so sweet… dearest, how could anyone hate a person like her. Not to leave aside the fact that she is badass. Another flutter inside Percy’s chest. “You know? I- Uh- The dress you are wearing… It really suits you.” Dodo tilted her head to the side, her clear peach-yellow eyes looking directly a Percy. “Thank you!”

Both girls entered the coffee shop, searching for a table to be available so they could sit. They scanned with their eyes for a bit, until they found one, a bit deep inside the shop, but they didn’t mind. they made their way to the table and in a swift move, Persephone dragged the chair out for Dodo.

Dodo took the seat and so, Percy proceeded to take and sit down on the chair at the opposite side of the table. Dodo started looking to grow nervous as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. A waiter arrived at the table and Theodosia immediately lifted her gaze to the waiter. “I’ll have an Iced Caramel, Persephone, what would you like to have?” Percy looked at Theodosia, and then at the waiter, and then back to Theodosia.

She spoke quietly. “Uh… a Latte…” Even at the age of 19 she was unable to order things for herself. Either her older half-brother or her younger brother would order for her. So she wasn’t accustomed to getting things for herself or doing things for herself.

The waiter left the two young adults to their matters.

Dodo took a deep breath as if courage would come with it. Her eyes held an intense gaze towards the purple-haired girl. Imagine a confident person, opening up their hard shell to someone they barely know. Well… they do know each other, but they had interactions that could be counted with one hand. The girl with kinky hair opened her mouth to say something, stopping and rewording the thought in question for the millionth time, and while that happened, Persephone only watched at her, just… being a dumb idiot, waiting politely to be asked.

“I- uh. Is it normal when-” her face, if it is possible to see it, was lit up. You could say that she thanked her skin color because she felt her cheeks heating up immensely. “Is it… normal to like girls? Like… being a girl?” Theodosia hid behind her hands. Why did she- Wait… Both girls’ hearts were pounding hard against their chests, just as they wanted to come out of them. Dodo wasn’t able to handle the embarrassment she felt and wished to run away.

She got up from the table and was about to run out the door of the coffee shop.

She felt a tug at her wrist just as she was about to run. There was a tight grip surrounding the area and it was firm too, with no intention to let her go. As much as Theodosia tried to pull and get off, the one at the other end refused to let her go. There was a moment of silence.

“Yes.”

Dodo turned around to look at the girl that was holding her in place. Her eyes were brimming with tears. But as soon as she heard that word, she stopped struggling. “Is it not weird then?” Her voice was shaky and she was almost shivering. The purple-haired girl shook her head. “You probably already know since you asked me, but, I like girls.”

That was a correct affirmation on Persephone’s side. In high school, the rumor had spread that a certain rich girl with purple dreadlocks liked girls because she had been seen kissing one in a sleepover. All the school knew and she had almost moved schools if it wasn’t for Nadia Reid and Leonora Baudelaire who defended her and stood by her.

Persephone hugged her. Both of the girls’ hearts were pounding so hard they weren’t able to tell what the other was feeling. Persephone guided the shivering girl to sit on her lap so she was in a comfortable position. Theodosia refused to look at Persephone and refused to allow herself to cry.

Percy ran her hand softly through her back, stopping at the start of her neck, just where her suppression tattoo was, rubbing the area to create a sensation of comfort for the other girl. She would move her hands caressing her shoulders, the back of her neck, her back, waiting for the girl sitting on her lap to relax.

Theodosia shuffled in the embrace and hid her face in the crook of the red-eyed girl's neck.

Silently the waiter arrived with the drinks and left them at the table, leaving fast to give the two girls some privacy. They had already caught the attention of most of the locals, he wished not to make them uncomfortable with some more.

"He brought the drinks, how about we take them and we go somewhere calmer? Would you like that?" She was still petting the back of the girl, being aware that she was calmer. She felt a nod on her neck. She remembered something her mother would do when she was hugging her. She turned around a bit so the black girl was facing the table. "Grab the drinks."

She nodded.

---

They decided to go back to Persephone's house and to say the least, her place was enormous. The girl with kinky hair was still clinging onto the one with the snake tattoo, holding the drinks and the paper bag with the candy. There were two men in the living room, one sitting by the piano, playing a soft melody, the other one sitting on the sofa.

Both men had turned around at the hearing of the door close and approached the girl entering the room. As soon as they saw how their sister was with someone else, (and seeing how this person was clinging onto her like a child), they stopped in their tracks and looked at her. She shook her head.

"Livingroom or my room?" The two guys just stared, without knowing how to react to the situation. "Room…" Persephone nodded and started directing herself up the stairs.

She walked to the room farthest in the hall and entered it.

"Theodosia… I'll drop you on the bed alright?" The girl nodded. Persephone gently placed her on her bed and went to the bathroom. When she came back she was carrying a wet towel. She gently dabbed on Dodo's closed eyes.

"First-" she sighed. “I’m impressed by your strength. Second… That’s what you wanted to talk with me about?” The one with darker skin nodded. She was still avoiding to look at Persephone. Wouldn’t it be dramatic if I… Percy got closer to Dodo, kneeling in front of her, placing her index finger below her chin and her thumb on it. She lifted her face so they could face each other. She stared at bit into the other’s golden eyes, a bit red from the attempt of avoiding to cry, but glistening as if the sun rays came through the leaves of the trees of a forest. She could almost hear the sound of the stream, clear as water. Then she was able to see the stream.

Theodosia pulled away, rubbing her eyes with her hands in a somewhat failed attempt to clean the tears that rolled down her face. Persephone snapped out of it and blushed immediately, looking away. Theodosia’s cheeks started heating up, so she hugged her knees hiding her face between them.

"My mom once told me that it didn't matter who we loved, as long as they didn't harm us and as long as they made us happy. So if your concern is that, uh… there's nothing to worry about. " Her comment seemed to come out of nowhere, considering that the situation in question had changed already, evidently. She had never seen a person that she deemed to be strong, look… So vulnerable, least be her a hero, someone unbreakable in the public's eye. Somehow… there was a part of her, that wishes that she was able to see those parts of her.

They had little interactions, but with the passing of the years, the girl never left her mind. Always present. Lingering in her subconscious like an unsolvable worry.

After some silence, the girl that was sitting at her bed finally looked at her, kind of. She was holding her face in a way her hand would cover her mouth, only allowing her eyes to be seen.

Dodo got off the bed and walked towards Percy and sat beside her. Her voice was unsure. "It's not about- it wasn't just about that. I- it is something hard to- I'm not sure I-" she cut herself off. Persephone politely waited for her to sort her thoughts out.

Theodosia was signaling and playing with her hands as if that would be able to clarify things. "It's just that there's…"

Persephone suddenly felt a pressure against her lips, it was soft and sweet. She felt like she could melt right then and there, that calmness before the light through the leaves of the forest and the soft sound of the stream appeared before her eyes again.

It was a clumsy kiss, but it was careful and slow as if trying to catch some lost memory that was only to be sought and found with patience.

When the contact between the two finally broke, Persephone was left stammering. Theodosia on the other hand was sure. Her doubt had been resolved.

Persephone wasn't the only one with a certain person stuck in her head.

Those purple dreadlocks and red eyes had been wandering in Dodo's mind too.