When the phone rings at 2AM in the morning you know it’s never a good thing. I moaned as I dragged myself out of bed to grab the phone, cursing out loud for not having turned off the ringer. Walking across the cold hallway didn’t do anything to improve my mood either. I cursed again for still not having put an extension line into my bedroom as well. I grabbed the phone off the still ringing hook.
‘What?’ I growled.
‘Violet, is that you?’ A woman’s voice was shouting over blaring music.
‘No, it’s the other woman who lives in the apartment.’ I was grumbling into the telephone, still half asleep, not recognising the woman’s voice.
‘Violet?’ Confusion coloured the anonymous voice.
‘Yes, it’s me. Who is it and what the hell do you want?’ Okay, so I get a little cranky when I’m woken up after only a few hours of sleep. Alright, a lot cranky.
‘It’s Grace.’ She was still shouting over the loud music and I could barely hear her.
I sighed. ‘Grace, I can’t hear you.’
‘Okay, wait a few seconds. Let me find somewhere quiet.’
I waited, resting my back against the wall, eyes closed, as I heard Grace asking people politely to ‘excuse me, please’ and ‘could I get past, thank you’. That was Grace for you. Grace Levana was polite, to say the least. She was one of those people that, even at 26, you couldn’t help but say ‘awww’ at some of the things she did. She was loving, kind and well, I guess, innocent in a way. She was sweet and nice. Yes, that was Grace in a nutshell. Nice. So, I knew that whatever she was calling me for must be important, because nice people do not call their friends at 2AM.
The blaring music quietened until it was in the background and I realised Grace must have left wherever she had been. Her voice came back on the phone.
‘Violet?’ she asked, checking to see whether I was still there or if I had decided to go back to sleep and ignore her. I had to say that the thought had crossed my mind. But she would have just phoned back.
‘Yeah, I’m here. What is it Grace?’
‘I called your mobile but it’s not working.’
‘I know. I switched it off.’ I replied impatiently, grinding my teeth, telling myself not to get angry with her. It wasn’t exactly her fault that I had only slept for a few hours.
‘Oh. Sorry. I know you were sleeping and that I woke you up but it’s…it’s Jess.’ Grace stammered out. I tried not to scream at Grace to get to the point. It was one of those things she got upset about. People screaming at her.
‘What about Jess?’ I was still waking up and was too sleepy to realise what she was saying at that point. If I had, I would have already put the phone down.
‘She…she’s at a club and…and its happened again.’
Now I realised why Grace was being so careful with what she was saying. She was trying not to upset me. Well, she had failed. I was officially pissed off. Or at least more pissed off then I had been before.
‘I don’t care if she’s being attacked by a pack of rogue werewolves. I’m not helping. Not again.’
‘Violet!’ Grace exclaimed in shock. ‘You don’t mean that.’
‘Don’t I?’
‘Violet, please.’ She said, avoiding the question. ‘I can’t help her on my own. You know that.’
‘Well, maybe she should have thought about that before she got herself into this mess. I can’t run to her aid every time she gets into some sort of trouble. And neither can you.’
She pleaded again. ‘Please, Violet.’
I sighed again, this time out loud, and Grace knew she had me. I couldn’t leave Jess to fend for herself. It just wasn’t in my nature to bail out on a friend, which was what Jess was. Barely. Plus, if I didn’t help then she wouldn’t be the only one in trouble.
‘Fine, where are you guys?’ I sighed.
‘Thanks so much, I knew you would help. We’re at that new place, Generation.’
‘I’ll be there.’ I said, before putting down the phone and walking back into my bedroom. I pulled my jeans on from where I had left them on the floor and then grabbed a black t-shirt and my gun from the bedside table. I put it into the waistband of my jeans and then chose two of my knives. Strapping one to my hip and one to my forearm, I picked up my jacket and I was ready to go.