“I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth.”
-Daphne du Maurier
“So, have you gotten anywhere with this one?”
“Yeah, mate… it’s going pretty good.”
“Keep it up and bleed ‘er dry.”
“Will do.”
XxXxX
“Goodbye, Sweetheart, and have a wonderful day at school.” Fred Erickson ruffled his daughter’s hair before grabbing his briefcase.
It was Monday again. The respite from the daily grind had come to an end, meaning that he could look forward to another five days of incompetent workers, assistants breaking down, stocks on rollercoaster rides, and coffee by the bucketful.
Thinking of the distance to the end of the week was like standing at the beginning of a dark and dank tunnel and being unable to see the light at the end.
But such was the life of Fred Erickson, the renowned millionaire business mogul, and CEO of a large company.
Despite the mundaneness of it all, Fred loved the cutthroat industry he was a part of. Survival of the fittest was a prevalent notion in business, and Fred was nothing if not fit. Sealing a good deal brought forth a feeling of exhilaration like no other.
From the beginning, Fred knew this path was the one for him. He wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
And yet…
“Alright, Dad. See you for dinner, then?” Her eyes were guarded, but the lilt of hopefulness in her voice was betraying.
Pausing in his tracks, Fred winced. “I’m afraid not. I’ve got a meeting in New York tomorrow morning, so I’m flying out tonight…” He hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Pumpkin, I know we had plans tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”
She laughed lightly. “It’s okay, Dad. I understand.” Her tone was gentle, but her eyes were downcast.
Fred sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, dear, I really am. Your ol’ Pa is a real flake, isn’t he?”
She hugged her father and kissed his cheek. “Yes… but he’s the only one I’ve got, so he’ll do. Now go and do what you’ve got to do!”
He chuckled and held his daughter close. “Thank you, dear.” He pulled away from her and nodded slightly.
“I suppose I’ll be off now. You should get going soon, as well. Are you sure you don’t need a ride?”
She shook her head. “No, Dad, I’ll be fine. You should get moving if you don’t want to be late.”
The last thing she needed to add to her recluse status was pulling up to school in a fancy car.
He smiled at her. “Alright.”
She walked him to the door, a thin strand of hope still tied tightly around her heart. But he said nothing.
At the last moment, she spoke up. “Make sure you aren’t forgetting anything, Dad!”
Fred quickly looked himself over. “I… I don’t believe I am.”
The strand loosened, but her smile never faltered. “Okay… bye, Dad, love you.”
He smiled confused, as though he were missing something. “Goodbye, dear. Take care of yourself.” He quickly hugged her once more before heading to his car.
“You too.” She murmured, letting the door close. She leaned on it for support, closing her eyes as tears escaped in warm trails down her cheeks.
“Happy Birthday, Violette.” She whispered.
XxXxX
Fred drove sullenly to work. He may not have known his daughter as well as he would have liked, but he was a good reader of expressions, and he knew her smiles were false, and masked how she truly felt.
He was ashamed. Ashamed of the distance between himself and his only child, the only family he’d had left.
In the business world, it was smart to have a poker face, and not let the competition know how you truly felt. But this wasn’t business. This was family. And his daughter didn’t trust him enough to let her guard down around him.
It was his own fault, really. He was so blinded, so consumed by his goals that he forgot about what truly mattered. And now, she was older and accustomed to a life without him.
He loved his job, but his job is what gave him his biggest regret.
Letting his child grow up without a mother or a father.
The guilt and regret took over Fred’s thoughts, and he almost completely disregarded the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something…
XxXxX
Violette hummed quietly to herself as she got ready for school. School… how she dreaded it.
Not her classes, though. She was a fairly keen student, and generally performed well. No, what she hated was the time between classes.
She wasn’t the most social person, to say the least. She couldn’t even count on one hand how many people she would consider a friend.
Violette struggled greatly with herself, and cursed her low confidence and self-esteem. Even raising her hand in class to answer a question made her heart pound painfully in her chest and her sweat run cold. And as such, she refrained from volunteering. Someone else could get it, she figured.
Most of the time, she felt invisible, as though no one noticed her. Everyone had always seemed to be looking through her. But that was okay, because the times they could see her weren’t always great.
Her shyness made her an easy target to tease, because what would she do about it? Nothing.
She bit her tongue, and accepted the insults that Amber and her cronies tossed at her.
Other people took her quiet nature as arrogance. As though Violette, being a millionaire’s daughter, and the only heir to his fortune, thought herself to be above all of the common people. How wrong they were. If only they knew that she sought to be one of them.
To be… accepted.
She’d been alone most of her life, with her mother dying when she was only five, and her father busy with work. She had grown used to it. Used to keeping her thoughts inside, having only her own company to enjoy…
Even so, the sinking feeling of loneliness was a painful one, like a tightness around her heart.
But what could she do? She was labelled a social outcast by most, and an ‘Art Freak’ by Amber and her merry band of… witches.
Well, Amber was right about that, and Violette didn’t mind it.
Violette loved art. She loved to draw, to paint, to take pictures… all of it. Art was what made her happy, and brought colour into her dull life—so to speak.
It was freeing, it was ecstasy.
What she couldn’t express in words could produce a sound much louder in her art.
And her art was what led her to a feeling of kinship with others.
Violette had set up a blog, titled In Blossom, showcasing her artwork. She had never expected to receive much—if any—attention, but was pleasantly surprised by how much people from all over loved her work. It was different from interacting with people face-to-face, certainly, but all the same, it managed to smother most of the loneliness she felt—usually, anyway.
It was strange. Talking to hundreds of people, but never really knowing who they were. It could be scary, too. Who knew who or what was out there? It was risky business. And yet, she discovered that a lot of the people were just as lost and alone as she was.
On the internet, you could be anything.
On the internet, Violette chose to express herself and be heard.
She brushed through her short, but ever-tangled waves and smiled slightly at her reflection in the mirror. If there was one thing that set Violette apart in the real world, and was the only loud part about her, it was her hair that was dyed to match her name.
Deciding that she was as satisfied as she could get with her hair, Violette looked at her watch, happy to see that she had time to spare before heading off to school.
Violette hopped onto her comfy bed and turned on her laptop. Giddily, she logged onto her blog website, excited to see what her followers had thought of her last post.
2546 likes. 170 comments. Violette couldn’t stop the grin from forming on her face. It felt strangely warm and nice to know that even complete strangers could be touched by your work.
Her latest post had been a photograph she had taken a few days ago when the weather had been nice. It was titled ‘A Violette in a Field of Lavender’—which was fairly self-explanatory.
It had been a difficult image to capture, but well worth it. She had struggled a lot to get her tripod to balance in the perfect spot on the unleveled field, with the sun in the right space, casting a beautiful glow on the scene. In a field of blooming lavender, Violette sat, wearing a flowing white dress with eyelet detailing, and fresh picked violets in her hands. Only her right profile was shown, a boater hat covering her eyes, and a hint of a smile on her face.
Violette had softened the colour and intensified the light from the sun.
Overall, she was incredibly satisfied with the end product, and was elated that others had liked it as well.
She scanned the comments, thanking as many of the people as she could, delighted by their interpretations, but looking for one commenter in particular…
WaveDestroyerDC: A gorgeous view… but one that doesn’t even close to comparing to your beauty. ;) Awesome work, as always. When I see that you’ve posted, it instantly makes my day about 1000% better! Haha what’s your secret? :P Anyways, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for next time, but I know I won’t be disappointed. –D
Violette blushed at these kind words from this unlikely friend. She had first talked to this person when he had commented on one of her posts several months earlier.
He had proceeded to send her a private message, profusely complimenting her talent in a very heartfelt note.
She had answered his message with a deep thank you.
He went on to ask her about tips and techniques, and through that, a budding friendship had formed.
They were able to bond on a more personal level. Their messages became longer and longer, straying farther and farther away from the topic of art.
They’d talk all day, and well into the night. Violette would try hard to supress her laughter when he would tell her side-splitting jokes at three in the morning.
It was the first time in her life that she’d ever felt this undecipherable feeling before. The first time she’d ever made a real friend. The first time that someone aside from her father seemed to care about her, have true concern for her well-being.
Never had Violette felt so strongly about another person before. Never had another person ever put so much effort into getting to know her.
She could never figure out what someone who had as vibrant and as charismatic a personality as him saw in someone as boring and as mousy as her.
She didn’t understand how she could feel so close to this person, as she had never even met him in person. To an outsider, their friendship might have seemed odd, but really, as far as she was concerned, they just didn’t understand.
The internet was a planet of its own, full of diverse people from all over the world. There was truly something for everyone. It made it easier for people to find like-minded others, and form bonds—a task that might have once been difficult for outsiders in the past. It was marvel that Violette would never get over.
Because through this planet, she was able to find a friend. A friend who helped her to discover parts of herself she never knew existed. A friend that gave her the freedom to express herself without fear of being criticised. A friend that made her feel good about herself, proud of her talents.
This friend, little by little, was helping her grow from the shell of a person she used to be.
This hidden violet was beginning to blossom at last.
XxXxX
“It’s her birthday today, isn’t it?” He murmured to himself. ‘Poor Violette, I bet no one has even wished her a happy birthday yet. What a shame.’
This ‘Violette’ was an interesting girl, for sure. She was like no one he had ever spoken to. So guarded, so reserved, so afraid… a hard nut to crack, indeed.
It had taken extra effort, but it was worth it.
He gave her his best, and succeeded.
She let her guard down, and let him in.
She trusted him, and trust wasn’t easy to come by. Someone like her wouldn’t hand over their trust to just anybody. It had to be earned.
The more he chatted with her, and the more he got to know her, the guiltier he felt.
Feelings like guilt were irrelevant, and couldn’t come in the way of the objective. Thinking of the reward that would follow successful completion of the objective would override any petty and weak feelings like guilt, remorse, or regret.
However, deep inside his thoughts, he hoped that he was wrong, and that this girl wasn’t who he thought she was.
It would make things much easier.
But to know if he was right or wrong… that meant that he’d have to get even closer to her, something that both excited him and terrified him.
It was the excitement that terrified him even more.
But what could he do? After all, this was the life that he had chosen.
Wasn’t it?
XxXxX
With still fifteen minutes to spare, Violette logged into her IM account, in hopes the he would be online—unlikely, considering how early it was.
Even so, she was pleasantly surprised to see his name lit, indicating his presence.
Dake
Dakota… or ‘Dake’ as he shortened it as. Just the thought of his name would light up her face.
Lost in her thoughts, Violette was quickly brought back to Earth by the beep from her computer, signifying that she’d received an instant message.
Dake: HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIOLETTE!! :D He proceeded to send her several birthday related emoticons.
Violette laughed lightly at his digital enthusiasm. At least someone had remembered.
Vivi: Thanks, Dake! :)
Dake: No prob! Wow 17… they grow up so fast :’)
Vivi: LOL come on Dake, you aren’t even that much older than me. :P
Dake: True enough. So are you planning on doing anything special tonight?
Violette sighed when she remembered that her plans had fallen through.
Vivi: Well… I was going to dinner with my dad… but he kind of got busy. And he kind of forgot my birthday. /sighs I guess it’ll just be me and a bunch of Disney movies.
Dake: Ah, that sucks :(
Vivi: I guess… I mean, I understand why he’s busy, and I don’t really blame him for forgetting, but… I don’t know. I still feel upset about it. Is that bad? :/
Dake: No! Of course not! Its your birthday and you deserve to have an awesome time. Jeez, how many times I gotta tell you? Never feel bad for feeling the way you do—something on your mind? Say it!!
She smiled at his kind and encouraging words. Vivi: You’re definitely right. But hey, can we talk later? I kind of have to go to school now. :$ You know, that young kid life. :P
She saw that he began to type, and then stopped. There were a few moments of pause before he replied.
Dake: You know what? I’ll do you one better than just talking. How’s about we go on a date tonight?
Violette felt her heart stop. He wanted to meet up… in person? Sure, they had been talking for quite a while, and it was only natural that he wanted to hang out. Of course, Violette wanted to spend time with him as well, going out to do stuff, but she still had her concerns.
Concerns about him, and herself.
Vivi: Umm, are you sure about that? I’m sorry, I’m really just not ready for that—not that I don’t trust you or anything like that. I’m just really… Ugh, I can’t really explain it… ^^;;;;
XxXxX
Dakota chuckled. He could feel her panicking on the other end, and shook his head. ‘It makes me wonder if she’ll try to avoid it forever.’
Dake: Calm down violette!! Don’t misunderstand me :P what I meant to say was why don’t we have dinner
tonight online? Video chat? Feel free to say no b/c I don’t want you doing anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with. :)
He laughed again as she would type, stop, type again, stop again, and then pause for several moments.
‘Come on…’
XxXxX
Violette was relieved, but still slightly panicky. They had both seen pictures of each other before… but it wasn’t difficult to take a good picture if you knew the tricks. Live video… well that was something completely different. It was terrifying…
All the same, Violette really wanted to do this. She felt like she trusted him enough to take this next step.
And she really didn’t want to spend this birthday alone…
Plus, Dakota had told her that he was originally from Australia, and she was dying to hear his accent.
Vivi: Alright! C: Does around 6:30 work for you?
Dake: Perfect ;)
---------------------------------
Author's Note:
So, I'm back here with a big story for you all! It's an idea I've had for a very long time, and I'm very excited to finally write and share it. It's something that is very relevant and prevalent in our day and age, something that I'm certain many of you can relate to in some sense, though certainly (well, hopefully) not on the same level! I know that some parts are quite exaggerated, but hey, it's movie magic-- minus the movie. ;) My intention with this is definitely not to incite skepticism or for people to look down upon relationships found this way. It may not be my thing, but I certainly and wholly respect people for whom it is.
Ultimately, I just want everyone to stay safe without risking the loss of an open mind. D: Anyway, this blurb has gone on long enough, so I'll just stop now...