P U R P L E  V I O L E T

"You have everything right?"

"That's the eleventh time you asked," Elena sighed. "But yes. I do."

"You sure? Snacks, clothes, charger, GPS? Wait, do you—"

"Right here." Elena held up a toothbrush. She grinned. "I got everything. And I could always stop by a convenience store if I need anything."

Christine took a breath. "Right," she said. "Right, sorry. It's just," she sighed, weaving her hand through her hair. "I wish I was going with you."

Elena frowned. "I told you. It's too dangerous. Besides, you still have work."

"I know, I know." Christine pulled Elena in for a hug. "Call me if you run into any trouble, 'kay?"

"I will," Elena murmured. "I'll even call when I get to the hotel."

"Good."

Christine pulled back. She was wearing her scrubs, all ready to be at the hospital even though her shift wouldn't be starting for another hour. But before she headed there, she would be making a quick stop at the old lab to drop off a new note for Lieselotte.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, closing the car door after Elena climbed in. "We should go out when you get back," she said. "You, me, and Stephen. And Nic could come too."

Elena smiled. "I'd like that," she said.

"Maybe lunch together? We haven't done that in ages."

"Yeah. Lunch is nice."

Starting the car, Elena took a deep breath. "Sounds great," she said. "I'll see you at lunch, then."

Christine laughed. "I'll see you at lunch."

Elena began backing up. She met Christine's eyes one last time before nodding and driving out of the parking garage. She immediately hit the highway, eyes intent on the road. Earlier the morning, Christine had kindly booked a hotel for her in Roanoke, Virginia. It was a seven hour drive, and Elena would have driven even farther if it weren't for her friend.

She would have liked to just continue driving forever, but Christine had called it dangerous and stupid. Elena knew she was right, but dangerous and stupid had been her name for the past few weeks. There was nothing wrong with a little more of it. She gave in, though, as Christine had booked a hotel. She wasn't about to waste money.

Before she had borrowed Tony's car, Elena hadn't driven anywhere in ages. Not even before the accident. She didn't even own a car. She remembered hating driving. It got on her nerves, and it always made her anxious to be in control of a two ton machine that had the power to end lives.

One mistake could have brought everything down, and she hated that. She still did. After all, it was one mistake that changed her life forever.

But Elena felt strangely calm being behind a wheel. Maybe it was because it was a change or because she had nothing else to lose. Whatever it was, she certainly found driving to be more thrilling than before.

With the windows rolled down, Elena felt the rush of the wind. Her hair flew behind her as if they were a comet's tail. She laughed to herself, hands relaxed on the wheel. She cherished the green trees that passed her, and there was not a single cloud in the blue sky.

Driving gave her something to think about. It didn't give her the opportunity to think about anything but the road before her. Elena quickly found a steady rhythm, and she didn't dare stop it until she absolutely had to. The hours went by slowly, but Elena didn't mind. She enjoyed her empty thoughts, and she didn't want to ever go back to the ones that mattered.

It was a little over five o'clock when Elena finally pulled into the hotel's parking up. A little disappointed to have stopped driving, she sighed and grabbed her bag. She hesitated at the bow. She would've felt a lot better if it was with her inside, but it was a weapon. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself.

Elena eventually decided to leave the bow, but she hid the quiver of arrows in her bag to be safe. Finally standing, she choked on her own spit. She wobbled as she shut the car door shut, grimacing. She cursed under her breath. It hadn't been too long since she stood. It had only been three and a half hours.

She got checked into her room quickly, and it didn't take long for her to collapse on the bed. Even though she had been sitting down most of the day, her feet ached. Her stomach growled, and Elena groaned. She didn't want to go to a restaurant, nor did she want to order anything.

Sitting up, she unzipped her bag. Tossing the quiver to the side, she rummaged through her things. By the time she found a pack of strawberry Pop Tarts she had swiped from Thor, she had made a mess. She didn't even bother to fix it, stuffing everything back in as she tore open a Pop Tart.

She was on her third when it felt like she had been struck in the head with lightning. Gasping, Elena convulsed forward, dropping the Pop Tart. She swallowed down bile, tasting the sour tang. Covering her mouth with a hand, Elena dropped onto her knees.

Dots danced in her eyes, and it didn't take long before Elena realized that they weren't thoughts. They were cells. The effects of the serum were fading. Elena grabbed her bag, and cursed when the syringes weren't where she had left them.

She must have tossed them somewhere after she found food. Coughing, Elena's eyes widened when the blood that came out were cells. She gritted her teeth, and turned her backpack upside down to dump everything. Where were the damn syringes?

Elena stiffened when she began seeing her skin cells. She resisted the urge to close her eyes and searched harder. It was then when her vision blacked out.

Now panicking, Elena's hand wrapped around something promising. She didn't even bother waiting for her vision to come back before plunging it into her skin. Only, it wasn't the syringe.

"Damn you, Clint," she practically yelled, tossing the suction-tip arrow across the room.

When she finally found a syringe, Elena slumped down in relief only to jerk up. She gulped, forgetting about the even more pain that came with injecting the serum. Rolling onto her side, she bit down her tongue, letting metal mix with sour bile.

Elena slumped down when it was over. Tears had begun running down her face, and she hauled herself up on the bed. She didn't even care about the Pop Tart that was laying on the carpet, slamming a pillow over her face.

Drawing in a deep breath, Elena forced her muscles to relax with no success. It was going to be a long night.

...

And that is chapter twenty! :D 

I don't have anything to say, so wishing you all a good day.