Originally Posted by MadAlice

Violet was also becoming pretty scary when she was mad, only no one in her family had dared tell her so far. So it was just as well she and Ashley didn't become mad at the same time.

Listening to Ashley, Violet felt that a "good" year was too much to be hoped for; she would settle for a "not very dangerous year." But she grasped onto the other girl's last statement. "I'm starting to think it is planned, by someone. I mean, think of it--this many things couldn't possibly go wrong just by accident. I've been keeping track in my journal, and someday, I'm going to figure it out. In the meantime, though..." Violet paused and looked down for a minute, because she was a little shy about this and wasn't sure she wanted to share it with anyone yet. But still...since she and Ashley were talking so openly just now... "In the meantime, I've been thinking of trying to write a story. Not a newspaper story or anything, a short story, fiction, but using the castle as the setting and the events of the year the Neo-Alliance tried to take over as the background. It would mostly be about two friends and how everything affected them, but, you know, I could slip in some facts here and there. Because I think people ought to know these things, and they don't seem to want to talk about anything uncomfortable unless you sugar-coat it."

Violet had been thinking about this for a few months now. She'd decided that she was old enough to go beyond just writing down descriptions and observations and try to put things together into a real story. And then try to sell it. Because if she was really serious about being a writer, then she needed to get on with it. Even if she was a little afraid that she would find out she was no good at it.