The sound of a screeching car on pavement sliced through the house, followed by the illuminating brightness of headlights which provided a stark contrast to the midnight darkness of the room. Piercing and shrill, the sound cautioned the girl from moving beyond her room. Minutes before she had been asleep, burrowed comfortably in her bed, dreaming ignorantly. Now, however, she rose, groggily wiping her squinting eyes.

By now the noise had died down, but the glaring light shone brighter through the windows, making the shadows in the room long and angular. Slowly, she slid off her bed, ears open for any sounds in the house. Nothing replied to the soft treading of feet against the frayed carpet. Only silence.

It was amazing what her mum could sleep through.

Sharp and low, her breaths filled up the silence of the room. From beyond the window she could hear noise, faint murmurs of voices and laughter. She stepped closer, her feet slow and unsure.

Peeking over the side of the window, the girl tried to remain invisible to the person who was outside. A small broken-looking car was in the driveway, its engine humming slightly as its headlights shone into her eyes. A few figures were outside, talking quietly to one another. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to see who they were but the light was too blinding.

Instinctively, her hands straightened the plant pots on the ledge of the window. Her skin almost glowed under the glare of headlights.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from outside, making her jump sharply. Darting back into her room, she let out a loud exhale before taking a step forward again. Her mind frantically tried to reassure her that no, this was not what her mind was imagining: these people were not some kind of British ninjas. Everything was okay.

Taking in one deep breath she reappeared at the window, showing herself. "Who is it?" she tried to shout, though it came out as more of a mumble. Someone sighed. A guy chuckled. And a high pitched voice told them off.

"Come on, Violet!" The same voice said but this time the girl, now known as Violet, recognised it. His voice had definitely got deeper from when she last met him, but the whining in her brother's mouth was still there. Never would it fade away.

Biting back a sigh Violet counted to ten, her hands slowly unclenching the less she thought about what was going on. "What the hell." she managed to mutter to herself, before walking briskly out of the room, down the stairs and through the front door. Her mother had left the key in the keyhole like she normally did, making it easy for Violet to escape whenever she wanted. Whenever she needed.

She could see everyone's faces now - the light illuminated her brother's soft round features. A boy that she vaguely recognised stood behind him, the brightness carving shadows into his face while making his copper hair glow. And right next to him was Violet's friend, Mia, her copper hair matching her brother's, a wide toothy grin set on her face. She was trying not to look guilty.

"What the fu-" Violet's brother interrupted her, his brown eyes almost pitch black in the dark.

"Vi, what have I told you about your language?" he joked, slapping her on the back and making his sister gasp from the pain. She didn't respond, instead shooting him a glare.

"Cole, why are you here?" she finally managed to ask. She was trying to make herself sound tired, annoyed by his presence. Violet didn't have to hide her anger towards him. That could never be truly masked.

"For your birthday."

"My birthday's in a month."

"Well - I'm being organised."

Rolling her eyes she tried to fight back a small smile. It was almost like he hadn't left. "For once."

A sharp wind rustled through the driveway, making Violet shiver and swaying her baggy pyjamas that had once belonged to some guy at school. Her eyes glanced at Mia and her brother, curiously wondering why they were here as well.

"Well," Mia said brightly, stepping forward so Violet could see her better through the darkness, "Looks like we should head off." Her plump arms clutched a small bag and she headed towards the car, dropping it into the tiny boot before sliding into the passenger's seat.

"Where are you guys going?" Violet asked, slightly confused. Both Cole and Mia's brother laughed. A light breeze ruffled Cole's hair, revealing a small scar just above his eyebrow from when he was little.

"We, my dear sister, are going on an adventure."

Violet was not really sure how she should've reacted to her brother. For a few seconds she stood there, her eyes frowning at him in a way that said she knew this was some kind of sick joke he was playing. She was more shocked to find that he had got Mia, one of her only friends, involved.

Of all the pranks her brother had played on her, she thought this was the one that caused her to worry the most, more about his sanity than anything.

"I have school tomorrow." she replied rather meekly, not telling Cole about her real feelings right now. It was probably best not to get too involved in emotional disputes at the moment. Violet wasn't sure what she was expecting - for him to retreat back in his car and return to whatever he did in his life? Or for him to finally apologise?

She was probably overthinking again.

"It will only be a couple of days," he tried to reason, but she shook her head briskly.

"I can't leave mum."

"Vi, mum already knows."

Looking up at her brother's dark almond eyes that they shared, the girl frowned. Her brother held her gaze almost furiously, showing no signs of deceit or trouble. "Do it for me," he pleaded, "a final goodbye to the best big brother you ever had." Cole's chest puffed up in pride dramatically, his eyes tearing up emotionally.

Violet sighed, her slightly wobbly hands trying to straighten her messy ponytail, "You're my only brother."

"That is hardly the point," Cole said, taking her by the shoulders and steering her towards the rusty old car. His friend, Mia's brother, had been patiently waiting outside for them, and as they moved towards the vehicle, he slowly slipped into the back.

Violet was surprised the headlights even worked, the car itself looked like it belonged in a scrap yard. The deformed car doors were tainted with the copper colour of rust, its glint shimmering slightly in the light of the moon. Stepping inside would be a suicide mission.

"Relax," Violet's brother joked, rubbing her shoulders like a masseuse, "the car is fine. Everything will be fine."

It took Violet too long to escape Cole's grip, her tall height meaning their eyes were level as she tried her utmost best to stare him down. "This idea," she murmured, somewhat angrily, "this joke. This... whatever kind of strange plan that came out of your head is... is stupid. Do you really expect me to hop out of my bed at one o'clock in the morning, greet you like a long lost friend after what you did, and then merrily jump into a car that looks like it could explode?"

By this time her hands were waving about in the air, almost like she had joined Cole on the deranged side of life. Violet's brother looked her level in the eye and said, very slowly, almost like he was sharing some unknown secret:

"Violet, it's three o'clock in the morning."

She had to stop herself from screaming. She had to stop all the anger and frustration she had been hoarding up over the years he had been gone flooding out into the world. Instead she calmly straightened her pyjama top before - rather effortlessly - sliding into the dusty back of the small car. She had nailed the art of sanity to a pinpoint.

Keeping her eyes locked ahead, Violet made sure to keep her head high. If her mother knew about this it was probably a test. Some kind of punishment she had cooked up for her because she hadn't been good enough for her expectations. Spending even ten minutes with the brother she hardly knew was torture; and her mum knew it all too well. But, for once in her life, Violet was tempted to prove her wrong. To show that maybe her brother was not as bad as everyone thought.

She had a long way to go.

-

Streaks of peach and plush pink stroked the skies, the dawn of the morning coming out to play. It taunted the people lingering on earth: its beauty recognised but never really understood. The car journey itself was quiet. At first Mia had tried to talk, but soon she figured Violet wanted to be left alone, and swiftly fell asleep in the passenger's seat.

Cole was driving, his eyes narrowed on the road while he tapped his fingers to the beat of some quick-rhythmed song on the radio. His t-shirt seemed a bit tight for his body, stretching in places that would cause discomfort and seem uncomfortable. It was the same for his trousers - stopping off way above the ankle - and showing his unattractive ankles.

Someone coughed lightly, and Violet's attention was drawn towards Mia's brother who was awkwardly sitting beside her. She was ashamed to admit that she didn't even know his name. Not once in her life did she remember talking to him. When she went to Mia's house, he was either with her brother or tucked away in his room, never making a noise or seen. Violet just thought he preferred the company of himself to others.

With the morning sun shining through the window, his grey eyes looked illuminating. Sensing someone staring he looked up, causing the two to give each other a small smile before hastily look out the window. Neither one moved. The car was so small that, if they did, both would probably end up sitting on each other.

"Where are we going?" Violet finally asked, straightening a used coffee cup in its holder without thinking. Cole shrugged nonchalantly, checking the road for a minute before turning towards his sister. His shaggy brown hair had grown longer since last year, his round face now also rough with stubble. "Aiden can explain."

Violet made a note of his name.

Turning into the direction of Mia's brother she raised her eyebrows, waiting for a reasonable explanation to what was going on. Or, she more accurately thought, as reasonable as Cole can get.

"A field," Aiden blurted out, although he didn't look like he meant it. His eyes were wide as they darted from her confused face towards Cole's silent laughter. Like an animal caught in the headlights he froze in his seat.

"God, you aren't trying to murder me?" Violet joked back, but Aiden just blinked at her; still unsure of what to say. Looking down at the floor she almost cringed - trying to make light of the situation obviously didn't work well with Aiden right now. This was fair. After all, they had only just met.

"No. We're actually going to a field," he eventually said, his hands fiddling with the coffee cup Violet had just straightened out. He paused for a bit, then continued, "for camping."

"You're not joking?"

"No."

Turning towards Cole, Violet gave him an annoyed look. Camping holidays had never gone well for either of them in the past. Those memories were best left not-so-neatly packed away.

Interrupting something Aiden was going to say, Cole almost whined at his sister: "Come on, Vi. It will be fun."

Not saying anything Violet shrugged her shoulders, straightening out the coffee cup again she stubbornly turned towards the window. A few murmurs were uncomfortably whispered but everyone fell into silence once again.

The girl welcomed the quiet. Her eager eyes ate up the sky above her: her mind wishing for the impossible.

A few hours into the journey, Mia opened her small, chubby mouth, her chin almost doubling in size as she let out a loud snore. The reflection from the wing mirror gave Violet only half the view of her peculiar friend but even this was priceless. Her normally messy hair had turned into something closely resembling a bush, its ends matted like a stray dogs.

Still snoring, a small dribble of saliva dripped down Mia's mouth.

"She sounds like a tortured fox," Cole mumbled angrily, his hands clenching the steering wheel too tightly. The hours of driving had caught up with him. Whatever kind of calm he had been keeping was gone, leaving a coffee deprived psycho.

Mia let out another snore.

"No, scratch that. She sounds like an elephant in labour."

Resting her head onto the car seat Violet mumbled, "You sound like an elephant in labour." A light laugh from the right of her made her lips turn upwards into a soft smile.

"I heard that," Cole muttered.

"That was intended."

"It was rude."

"Does it matter?"

Tracing the lines of her baggy pyjamas Violet tried to blink away whatever tiredness she was still feeling. Back at home she would just be waking up, her mind fully rested and ready for school. Instead, however, she was stuck in a broken down car with three misfits.

"Can we stop soon?" she queried, but Cole shook his head. "Please?"

Cole shook his head again.

"We need to have a break," Violet stated and was secretly happy when Aiden nodded slightly from the right of her. "Everyone's tired."

Clenching slightly tighter onto the steering wheel Cole shook his head persistently, his eyes holding firmly on the road. "Mia's not tired," he stated.

"That because Mia's asleep." Violet replied. She was exasperated and her irritation was slowly building up. Cole didn't reply to her. His head was focused straight out ahead of him and not even acknowledging that Violet was even present in the car.

She sighed, her gaze turning towards the window. Just at this moment an old and tattered sign came up, the edges peeling off slightly. The bright and bold letters had faded in the weak British sun. It read, Violet having to fill in the gaps herself, something along the lines of:

The Mystical Museum. Get dazzled by our once in a lifetime artefacts.

"Stop here!" Violet eagerly shouted, leaning forward so she was right next to Cole. He couldn't ignore her now.

"No, we only have one hour to go," he murmured, brushing a greasy strand of hair away from his eyes. It had been too long since he had washed and he regretted that it was beginning to show. Giving him a look Violet manoeuvred herself so she was in the right side of her brother's vision.

"Cole," she politely said, "You look like a tramp." His brown eyes turned to her, slightly hurt, and she quickly corrected herself, "A very sexy tramp."

"We are not stopping." Cole stated, almost like it was a pain to say.

"But we are," Violet replied.

"We aren't."

"We are."

Aiden interrupted, his voice surprisingly loud compared to earlier, "I need to pee."

Smiling at his slightly blushing face, Violet gestured towards Mia's brother: "See? Aiden needs to pee. Do you really want to make him suffer for another hour?"

Not even bothering to answer her Cole sighed loudly, acting like a small child, before turning into what looked like the car park towards the strange place that called itself a museum.

He sighed, tired and defeated, "This better be good."

Violet couldn't help but laugh.

Mia woke up with a start, snorting and banging her head on the car seat behind her. It took a while for Violet to explain, between deep unattractive chuckles, what she had missed out on.

"Are you sure this place isn't a joke?" Mia finally managed to ask after her friend's explanation, her small eyes wide as she stared around the deserted car park and old looking building. Shrugging her shoulders, Violet followed Aiden, who had hastily jumped out the car. His steps were slightly shuffled and hurried as he made his way to the hope of finding a toilet.

Opening the old oak door, Mia's brother took a hesitant step in before turning around and smiling at the rest of the group in encouragement. His large hand gestured for them to come in while saying without words that it was alright, this place was not as run down as it looked.

"What the hell." Mia mumbled as they entered. Ignoring her friend, Violet stepped forward and let her eyes wander across the room. There were about three exhibits on display, contained in glass boxes while what was described as the reception desk was located at the very back, a tired looking girl clicking on the computer. She couldn't have been older than Violet and yet the dark circles under her eyes were those of someone much older.

Seeing the signs for the toilets, both Aiden and Cole quickly wandered off, leaving the two girls. "So," Mia mused, glancing at the closest exhibit towards them, "let's learn."

Shifting her attention towards an old shabby straight jacket with what looked like it had tea stains splashed onto it, Violet pursed her lips. Wiping some dust off the cabinet, she didn't quite know what to make of the place. "I don't think you can learn much here."

A few small faded letters were printed on the bottom left corner, making her heavily squint to read the words: "Straight jacket worn by asylum patient. 1830."

Giving each other a look, the friends wandered past the two other exhibits on the way to the reception desk. One contained a small pillow with what the tab said was a real Roman coin perched on top. Even the owners of the museum had their doubts about this exhibit. The other held a life size wax figure of what the description said was Johnny Depp. Mia was quick to say it reminded her of one her little cousin's drawings.

"Hello," Violet said to the girl, whose eyes were trained on the computer. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she read the small nametag pinned to the girl's right breast pocket. On it was typed Aysel but just below that someone had scrawled pronounced uh-sel in biro. Years of people pronouncing her name wrong had caused Aysel to resort to rather rude measures to ensure her temper was kept in check. The black ink of her handiwork had spread a bit, making it hard to read.

Aysel thought it was the thought that counts.

"Hello," Violet repeated again, "Aysel."

The receptionist still didn't respond. Her droopy eyes held dark bags underneath them and she strained to concentrate on the computer. There was almost a hint of pity in Violet's mind.

"Hello!" Mia shouted and Aysel jumped up. Blinking rapidly at the two girls she pushed the computer mouse away and grimaced slightly. "How can I help?"

Violet let Mia ramble on, bombarding the poor girl with questions. Flicking her eyes towards the wall behind her, her gaze looked upon the dozens of advertisements and leaflets tacked onto the panel behind the desk. A sea of bright offers and once in a lifetime experiences shouted to be heard, though noneof them interested her.

"Cole, check this out," she heard a voice say. Violet was surprised to find Aiden standing next to her, his long fingers reaching for a leaflet on the wall. It didn't take long for her brother to come over from wherever he was lurking, his attention quickly turning towards the poster in Aiden's hands. "What does it say?" she asked, but they both ignored her. Their minds were caught up in extravagant ideas and plans no one could catch up with. A small smile settled on Aiden's features while Cole let out a loud laugh, smacking his friend's back in happiness; "You're bloody brilliant," he smiled. "Bloody brilliant."

"What does it say?" Violet asked again, making sure her voice was sterner than before. Turning towards his sister, Cole sighed and gave Aiden a look that displayed a strong emotion.

"She's got to know some time," Mia's brother mumbled, making the girl cross her arms in hopes of appearing somewhat demanding.

Letting out a breath in defeat Cole handed Violet the poster. Its rock style theme made her frown and when she had read the glossy paper she looked at her brother in confusion."Why do you want to enter a rock competition?"

Cole shot Aiden another irked look before pointing at the bottom of the poster, his finger resting on the prize for the winning band. £30,000.

"Why?"

"Because I need it," Cole said, trying to avoid Violet's straightforward question. His eyes scanned over the room before uncomfortably landing back on her. He knew he couldn't hide this from her.

"God, you aren't a drug addict, are you?" she questioned seriously, stepping closer so he could answer her question.

"No. No." Cole quickly replied, shaking his head as he did so. Only now did Violet notice that he had changed out of his clothes into a new pair. His hair was slightly damp and messy;trying to wash his hair in a small sink was not the most successful process but he was desperate.

"It's for the car," he painfully admitted, "I borrowed money for the car."

"The car that we drove here in?" Violet asked, her voice steady and careful. She was treading this ground too softly for comfort. Cole nodded in a way that required little movement of his head.

"How the hell did that piece of crap cost £30,000?"

"Actually, it was £35,000," Mia interrupted, trying to calm things down and handing Violet some clothes she had brought with her. Violet had almost forgotten that she was wearing her pyjamas. On top of the clothes her friend had given her lay a Snickers bar and a bag of Skittles: necessary energy for the road.

"You knew?"

Violet's voice rose dramatically and her brother stuck his fingers in his ears, exaggerating how loud she was being. Kicking his shin, she turned her gaze back to Mia. The look on her face was one of betrayal and flushed anger.

"Well... I..." Mia stammered slightly, unsure of what to say before giving up and admitting the truth. "Yes."

Counting up to ten Violet closed her eyes shut, slowly breathing in and out like the calming strategy her mother had taught her. She had seen anger as a weakness. As a result, her mum had spent the whole of Violet's summer holidays teaching her how to control it.

Her heart was in the right place.

That's what Violet had to keep telling herself, anyway.

Glancing back down at the poster in her hands, she sighed before handing it back to Cole. "You guys can't even sing."

Cole almost sighed in relief. Shaking his head he smiled and motioned the group to walk back to the car: abandoning the girl at the reception desk.

"That, Violet, is a very miniscule detail in a very important plan."