Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 61: Summer

"Be still, Summer. This might be uncomfortable a bit," Raven told me, while holding a contact on the tip of her finger.

"Okay, but why do I have to wear contacts?" I asked.

"If you're going into hiding, you'll need to disguise yourself. You might want to change your hair too, but we can do that once we reach Vacuo."

"Why did you choose Vacuo to go to?"

"Well, I've been there a few times when I was younger. It's not as bad as my brother thinks it is. Plus we need somewhere to lay low until the threat of Salem goes away," she said.

"I guess that makes sense. Vacuo sure is hot, though."

"Grinn and bear it. Things could be worse."

"I suppose you have a point," I said to her, staying still as she put the second contact in.

"...There you go," Raven said. "I hope you don't mind, but I picked out blue."

She grabbed a hand mirror from her small drawer and handed it to me.
I gazed at the woman looking back. Instead of my usual silver eyes, they seemed to be a steel blue color. They were actually quite pretty.

"Wow. Putting on contacts sure makes a difference," I said.

"No kidding. You might even be able to keep your cloak on. No one should know who you are in Vacuo. Now, if you excuse me, I have some packing to do. You should start packing your things too. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

I nodded and left her tent to gather my things. Not that I had much on me.
Once I was done, I met with Raven in her tent. She had most of her things packed.

"I already told everyone to break down camp," she said. "They should be done by tonight."

"That's good," I told her, sitting on one of her cushions.

"Have you already packed?" she asked.

"Yeah. I didn't have much on me."

"Right. I'm sorry," she told me. "I kind of kidnapped you without any warning."

"It's okay," I said, "at least you told me the truth. You aren't a liar like Ozpin."

"I still have no idea what Blood Magic entails. I'm not sure I really want to," Raven said.

I shuddered a bit. "I have a feeling we're going to find out whether we like it or not."

Raven sighed. "Yeah. Part of me is still curious about it. I wonder how powerful one can get with that type of magic?"

"Raven don't tell me you're curious about Blood Magic. Look what it did to Salem!" I said.

"I know I know. I can still be curious. And it's like you said, we might figure it out whether we want to or not."

"I'm going to call it a night. I'll meet you at dawn," I told her, turning to walk out of the tent.

"Wait. Why don't you rest in my tent tonight? With the tribe breaking down camp, I highly doubt they'll have any spare beds. You're welcome to sleep in here."

I was caught off guard by her sudden hospitality.
"Um... sure. Thanks," I said, laying on the floor next to her bed.

"I'll see you in the morning Summer," I heard Raven say.

"Likewise," I told her, closing my eyes to sleep.

...

"Summer, Get up, it's dawn."

I groaned and sat up. Raven was looking down at me.

"It's about time you got up. I've been saying your name for the past ten minutes!" she said.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I must've been tired."

"Yeah. I'll say. Vernal is waiting for us. She's already arranged our travel plans. We're taking an airship."

"An airship? Does anyone know how to pilot it?" I asked.

Raven grinned and put her hand on her hip.
"I'm glad you asked. Not only am I skilled at medicine, but I also know how to pilot an airship. I learned years ago, along with my brother."

"That says amazing, Raven!" I said. "You're so talented!"

Raven blushed a bit and turned away slightly.
"It's nothing, really. Now let's get a move on."

I got to my feet and gathered my things before following Raven to the airship.
"Um... where is everyone else?" I asked.

"They're on their way to Vacuo as we speak. I had Vernal see that they were taken to Vacuo first."

"I see. Well, we shouldn't just stand here. Let's get going," I said, stepping inside the airship.

Raven followed me and took her place in the pilot's seat, next to Vernal.

I didn't say much as they piloted towards Vacuo. Once we were there, Raven landed the airship.

"We're here at Vacuo, watch your step," Raven said.

I was careful as I stepped out of the airship and into the hot and dry desert air. Vacuo was huge. There were buildings and houses everywhere.

"It's a lot bigger than I imagined," I said to Raven.

"What did you expect exactly?" Raven asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I thought less people would be interested in living in a desert. It's sweltering out here!"

"There a hairdresser place not too far from here. You need to upgrade your look anyway," Raven said. "We want to keep you out of sight for now. Salem is looking for you. And the only way I know how to get her off your back is to play dead and disguise yourself as someone else. Speaking of which, you need a new name. Got any ideas?"

"I don't know. I never thought about changing my name before."

Raven looked thoughtful for a few minutes.
"Hmm... what about Violet Solstice as a new name?"

"I like it," I said.

Raven smiled. "Good. Violet Solstice it is, then. Now, how about we update that hair of yours? Surely you have some ideas for a new hairstyle," she told me.

"I do actually," I replied. "What do you think about blonde?"

Raven smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Let's do it."