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When she hung up, Sara squatted beside her "What about you?" She reached out and prodded Violet’s cheek, her intrusive fingers probing the base of Violet’s eye socket It took every ounce of willpower Violet had not to cry out, but the last thing she wanted was to let on how badly she was injured All she really wanted was to go ho, hot bath, and crawl into bed

Scratch that, just the bed Anders explored the injury, and Violet had to bite down on the inside of her lip to keep it fro, Sara applied pressure

Violet jolted and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting until the stars behind her eyelids disappeared She reopened the not to cry "It’s--it’s fine," she hissed from between clenched teeth "Great, in fact I think it probably looks worse than it is, you know?"

She definitely didn’t want Sara calling an a to explain this to her parents

Her parents Her stomach dropped and her head reeled There was no way she wanted to explain that she’d just been attacked outside the Center They orried enough about what she was doing with her new team If they knew she’d been assaulted

Violet couldn’t let herself think what that ht mean Still, she should call someone, she supposed; she definitely didn’t think she could drive herself hoet her

Of course he would, she silently corrected herself He was Jay; he was always there for her

She glanced around, her eyes darting back and forth nervously

"What’s wrong?" Sara asked, following Violet’s gaze

"My purse I rabbed me Maybe it’s by et here They’re on their way now"

Violet nodded Of course The police would find it, probably in the same place she’d dropped her phone