"Are you sure you have everything?" Violet asked Melody hastily, rushing around the apartment with her mental check list. She had almost forgot Ross had showed up, but of course how could she really forget? It's not so often that her past was deeply trudged up in the matter of moments. Although she was grateful he had been gone by the time she had woken up. Out of sight, out of mind, she had tried to convince herself, she had more imperative things to worry about like where are the damn keys.

"Mmhm," Melody mumbled in response only half-listening, flying her toy unicorn in the air with a 'swoosh'. She suddenly jumped to her mother's legs and exclaimed, "Me and Princess Lily are going to play all the games!" She waved the mystical creature, Princess Lily in the air with apparent excitement.

"Only if you are by Mommy's side the whole time," She stopped a moment to ruffle the child's hair. Melody ignored her again as Princess Lily galloped and soared through the imaginary sky. "There it is!" Violet shouted a little too loudly, but she was relieved to find her car keys tucked away in the couch. "I swear these things run away from me every day," she sighed with an exasperated chuckle.

Melody looked up to her mom in intense fascination, "Your keys are magical too? I wanna see!" She reached up with her free hand desperately. Violet couldn't help, but laugh at the curiosity that gleamed like crisp diamonds in the darkness of her baby's eyes.

"Only if you can beat me to the car," She smiled as she whispered into her small ear. "One, two, three, go!" Violet threw open the front door and her toddler threw herself down the hallway. She locked the door immediately and jogged slightly behind the wobbly, sprinting legs, "Uh oh! I'm gonna beat you!" She teased whole heartedly. With that, they were off to a new adventure.

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After what seemed like an eternity to Melody, they had finally arrived at the fair just outside the city. Melody had been buzzing about it for weeks. For Violet it was more difficult than she had let show. A day off meant less money to pay the rent that was far overdue, but the constant calculations in her head told her she could spare just one day to see Melody a little happier.

"Sweets," Violet chirped, only to see her child asleep from the long car ride over. A dribble of drool had dried on her chin and her hair was much more wild than the little girl had been. "Sweets," She spoke louder, unbuckling herself from her seat just to help Melody out of hers with a gentle nudge, "We're here!" The tired, gleaming eyes dabbed a few times before she had realized what her mother had said. She squealed in anticipation and clamored out of the car. To her the air already smelled like deep-fried-this and candy-that and her fingers were jolting with electricity almost as much as her mind. Walking would never get her there fast enough so when Violet latched their hands together Melody had been pulling all of their weight. Any normal thought was gone, simply because there was no room to think of anything else. This day was to be a vacation from Violet's reality too and although she'd hate to admit it, she was as thrilled as her daughter.

As they arrived, Violet took what was left of her exhausted breath to breathe in deeply. The day had let way a little sunshine amongst the sparse candy flossed clouds. Groups danced, skipped, and jumped down the busy street and smiled back at strangers. Amongst the bustle of the impatient and eager crowds Melody found herself overwhelmed by the vivid streams of color everywhere she looked. Costumes outshone the sun in riots of colors that appeared to form a maze of bright, vibrant people in bold brush strokes. Some performers sparkled brilliantly in sequins and outrageous feathers while other passerby blew bubbles. Melody wanted to play dress up with the strangers too, but her mother had to tell her no for obvious reasons. This didn't diminish her unrestrained joy though because of the delicious aroma that weaved through the mass and perfumed her button nose.

There was a singing of an acoustic guitar as groups of men guzzled the flowing beer. Their happy shouts only added to the music that floated on the warm breeze like tender leaves in the Fall. The festive beats coerced people to jump and dance along. It was the heartbeat that swayed bodies to the rhythm.

The air tasted delectable as snacks were prepared in their stands. Melody watched the other kids pasted to the walls. These few children stood near their parents and devoured their sweets. A little boy held a dripping ice cream scoop that faltered perilously over the cone and melted over his tiny fingers. Another munching on sugary strands off cotton candy that dissolved on the tongue.

She tugged at her mom's shirt hungrily, "Mommy, Mommy, can I have some?" Melody was practically licking her lips, in fact, she was. Violet's prominent smile slipped into a line. She didn't have the extra money she needed for her daughter which made her upset at herself. If only she had gone to work today and postponed this trip maybe they would have been alright, but it was too late for that now.

"I'm sorry baby, we have food at home" She spoke loudly over the bustling people around them.

"But I want ice cream! I'm hungry!" She whined audibly and stamped her feet.

Violet tried her hardest to soothe the oncoming tantrum, "I know sweetie, but we can't get it right now."

Melody threw her hand from her mother's and let a few dry sobs escape. After a few tense moments between the two, the crowd seemed to multiply in size. That's when Melody saw her newest infatuation of elaborate face paintings. One girl had a multicolored tiara on her pale forehead while the boy next to her had a fierce dinosaur on his rosy cheek.

Violet stopped to examine the vendors and consider how many more hours she'd have to do if she bought Melody a little something special for her to eat. As she approached the churro stand the man plastered on a fake smile, "Hello ma'am what can I get you?"

She returned his faux grin, "I think I'll get one churro for my daughter please," She reached down to touch Melody's hand, but it was replaced with open space. She looked down frantically to see her daughter was gone. The man reached out to hand her the churro, but Violet refused it, searching for her amongst the moving legs. Her mind refuged to all the possibilities, What if someone else has her? What if she is scared all alone? What if she's gone already? Questions burned in her mind as she dodged the people around her, she didn't care if she bumped into them, she only cared about one thing. Her daughter. "Melody!" She called over repeatedly. "Melody!" Her voice quivered, but overpowered the noises of the crowd. A second felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours.

Author's Note: Yes it's true I changed the name of the book from Kissing Violet to Ultraviolet. Notice any theme there? I hope so.
This is a sort of leeway chapter so stay tuned for the next one