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Scarlett Louise Cartwright awoke to
the sound of loud screaming. She quickly –But not too quickly- Leapt out of bed
and glanced down the corridor, The pitiful sound was coming from all of her housemates room’s. She didn’t
hesitate to go into the room next door, which happened to be Melissa’s.
Scarlett knocked gently before entering.
‘Melissa! What’s the matter?’
Scarlett’s voice was full of concern for her good friend.
‘I... Had a dream. You were there, we
all were. Where are the others now?’ Her voice sounded groggy but wide awake
all the same. Her long, brown hair was matted with sweat.
‘In their rooms I think. That’s
strange, I had a dream like that too……’
‘Go fetch them, now. We’ve got to
talk about this.’ There was a sense of desperate urgency in Melissa’s voice,
and she knew it showed. Scarlett slowly departed from the room in search for
the others. She knew that she didn’t have to check Michelle’s room; she’d be in
with Christian. Believe it or not, Christian would need Michelle more than
Michelle would need Christian. Christian wasn’t your typical everyday hero lad;
the most he could save would be a toffee from disappearing down Melissa’s
throat. He wasn’t bad looking but the ladies just weren’t interested in him and
boy was he glad! Christian looks for that ever so special guy, not that it
makes a difference!
Sure enough, there she was. Sitting casually on his bed next to him, one
arm around his shoulder. He was shaking.
‘Christian… Aww god, you okay? Pretty
creepy, right? I had the same dream and so did Melissa. What about you
Michelle? You alright?’ Christian began to get up, approached Scarlett and just
collapsed in her arms. She hugged him until he was done. He promptly plonked
himself on the floor near to the bed before replying.
‘I’m good. Terrible sleep though, I’m
never going to sleep ever again!’ His voice was all over the place. Scarlett
couldn’t bear it when he sounded and looked like this and so she said
‘Melissa wants to see us, all of us.
Her room, 10 minutes.’ It sounded abrupt but Scarlett wanted to make it sound
as though she was on top of everything and knew exactly what was going on here.
‘Scar? Stay here with me while I get
changed; help me pick out something nice?’ At least he was sounding more like
himself now. She was pleased that he was regaining normality now. Scarlett
giggled.
‘Course I will!’ Scarlett beamed at
Christian like an idiot. She couldn’t help it; he always brought out the worst
side in her, always.
‘Guess I’ll see you then’ this was
the first thing Michelle had said since Scarlett had been in the room. This was
very unusual; normally she had plenty to say for herself.
‘See you M’ Christian always called
her that. Never Michelle, just M. She didn’t mind, though. Or if she did, she’d
never mentioned it. Michelle ambled her way out of Christian’s Taylor Swift
poster covered bedroom. He was obsessed with Taylor Swift. If he ever met her,
he’d die a happy man. That’s what he had whispered to me on many occasions. As
soon as Michelle left the room, he turned to Scarlett
‘Right, now she’s gone, let’s have some fun!’ Christian dug out something from
his drawer, placed what I figured was a CD into his stereo, and out blasted the
song ‘Mean’ by Taylor Swift. Scarlett and Christian both sang along whilst
emptying out Christian’s wardrobe, searching for something acceptable to wear
today. About 4 songs later, they mischievous pair began rooting through the
piles which were stacked as high as the ceiling.
‘This is everything you own?’
Scarlett laughed sarcastically.
‘Yep! Now, what type of day is it,
Jeans or Jeans?’ Christian smiled a genuine smile and the whole room lit up.
‘Jeans sounds like a good option!’
‘Jeans it is. Blue, red or black
t-shirt?’
‘Definitely blue!’
‘Yeah, I thought so too’
They often had conversations such as
this. Scarlett had known Christian since he was 3 and vice versa! Even back
then, they had been the best of friends. They had always been inseparable, even
while they were sick, they got sick together! Most importantly, they had been
through everything together. Christian’s mum died when he was just 9 and 6
months later, Scarlett’s dad died. Both were single parents. They helped each
other through their despaired thoughts and saved each other. When they were
just 12, Scarlett’s inheritance came through and they bought a small flat
together. Christian wasn’t entitled to his until he turned 15. They got by on
Scarlett’s dad’s money. It wasn’t a lot, but it worked. When Christian turned
15, they opted for buying a house. Along the way they met Melissa and Michelle.
They took them under their wing as they were both orphans.
‘Need a hand with anything else,
Captain?’
‘Unless you wanna assist me with
getting changed I’m good’ when he said this, Christian had an evil glint in his
eyes. He often had a wicked way about him.
‘Inviting… Come here then, big man!
See if you can deal with a girl
dressing you!’ Silently and cautiously, Christian walked towards Scarlett. She
slid his vest from around his chest up and over his head.
‘No more than that!’
‘Ha! I knew you couldn’t do it!
Christian, sometimes you’re such a baby!’ They shared a secret smile and
Scarlett thought to herself, nobody knows him better than I do.
‘C’mon Scar, you’re better than that.
The best you can do is get into a gay guy’s pants!’
‘I can’t even do that!’ Christian
laughs hysterically. Scarlett picks up a big pile of his clothes and throws
them at him with so much impact that you actually hear as they whack into him.
Christian throws them back and soon clothes are flying into every inch of the
room. Only when Melissa knocks on the door and enters do they realise what a
state they have actually made of the room, clothes were everywhere! Literally
everywhere! Scattered all over Christian’s desk, bed, drawers and even the
bottom of the wardrobe was filling up!
‘What the hell is going on here?
Christian? Scarlett? I thought we were all supposed to be meeting in my room?’
Melissa didn’t sound thrilled, but not angry. She just sounded tired and
agitated.
‘Sorry Mel, we got kinda caught up’
Even as Christian said this he tried to hide the smile that was spread widely
across his face. Before Scarlett had chance to open up her mouth, Christian
burst out laughing. Not just a little, this was full blown laughter. Melissa
didn’t even smile, not even a hint of a smile reached her lips. She turned to
go, but Scarlett jumped in with
‘Don’t blame him, it was me. I forgot
all about the dream because we were having such a good time. Christian knew
nothing about us going to your room. We’ll be along now, won’t we, Christian?’
‘No need, Michelle left already. Said
she had work’ Christian got up and walked to the window.
‘No she didn’t. Her car’s still here’
Christian informed them.
‘What? How can it be?’ Melissa’s
voice was full of concern by this point
‘If she hasn’t gone to work I know exactly where she’s gone’
‘Where?’ Christian and Melissa said,
simultaneously.
‘In the dream, we were all at Ol’
Barn. That’s where she is. She went on foot because it’s only 2 streets away!’
Christian suddenly looked very uncomfortable, the thought of having to go to
the place where a very beautiful woman was, his nightmare! I’ll never get him
there, Scarlett thought to herself. But what if she could? Would that be for the best? She guessed it would as they
Michelle couldn’t do it on her own.
‘We have to go find her…’ Christian
whispered softly
‘Okay, let’s go’ Melissa replied.
They all charged down the stairs way faster than was human. When they got to
the bottom they grabbed a few self-defence objects, hastily shoved their shoes
on and streamed out the door. From their small, old house on Kennedy-Brooke
Lane it would be a 5 minute walk if they hurried, they should be with Michelle
in no time. The closer we got to Camellot Lane, the more the trio, Christian
especially, began to wonder if they would come out and if they did, would they
be surfacing alive?
‘Scar, I’m scared’ Christian
whispered sounding much shaken up, he was clearly stressing and could you
really blame him? Going into your nightmare with girls to protect you, it
couldn’t have been the best feeling in the world.
‘Me too Chris’ this was the first
time she’d called him Chris since she was about 5. When she was 5, she couldn’t
say Christian properly so he was always Chris.
She tried to conceal her true emotions whilst saying this by smiling. He saw
through her smile.
‘In case we don’t come out of here
alive, I love you Scar’ Christian took her hand. Scarlett felt his hands
violently shaking.
‘Love you too Christian. You’re the
most amazing person on the earth and throughout all of space’ Saying this
sounded like saying a final goodbye, and she hated that. She never wanted to
say goodbye; least of all to him.
‘No, you are’ Christian replied. Scarlett
felt him suddenly stop. When she glanced up, she noticed that they were at the
end of the street. There was Ol’ Barn, just up ahead. Scarlett turned to
Melissa and Christian.
‘Ready guys?’
‘As I’ll ever be’ that was Melissa,
always putting on a brave face for everyone. She never let her emotions show.
She was never trusting enough to let her guard slip.
They silently walked into the Barn.
Sure enough, there was Michelle. She looked as though she was in a trace, her
black pixie cut hair matted and placed into a very effortless ponytail.
Scarlett, Christian and Melissa followed her eyes to a beautiful woman sitting
on a bale of hay. She was the most stunning woman on the planet with her blonde
streaked hair, deep blue eyes which quickly changed to green, and her
strikingly pale-white dress. Christian wolf-whistled under his breath and
Scarlett giggled, just slightly. No matter how little noise they made, the
exquisite woman turned and glared at them. You would think that a woman with
such uniqueness about her wouldn’t glare but there is no other way to put it.
It was in that moment that they realised just how deserted the town really was.
If they screamed, nobody would listen. There were deep rumblings which seemed
as if they were coming from inside
the walls. With sharp head jerks, they all turned to stare at the crumbling
wall on the left. It was no surprise that they could hear noise, the wall was
clearly very old and beyond restoration. The mysterious woman sauntered over to
the wall and the racket quietened down immediately. She then observed
Christian, Scarlett, Michelle and Melissa very closely.
‘Daughters and sons of the light’ She
paused before continuing. ‘You are needed at Tolourus immediately. When you
arrive, I shall be there to greet you. Use the fire to get there. I shall
explain more once you arrive’ her voice was so very compelling. Soft, sweet,
mellifluous.
‘Hold up, we’re daughters and sons of
light? How is that possible? And what
in god’s name is Tolourus? Aren’t we gonna get burnt if we go playing with
fire? That’s the saying, right?’ Michelle could be very inquisitive at times.
‘Yes, you are daughters and sons of my
ancestors which therefore makes you my property to take when I wish. You will
come and attend my practise house, preparing for the life of life, if you wish.
Tolourus is a discreet little place on the cloud next to heaven, we live in
harmony with spirits and god alike so do not
use his name in vain again. If you play with fire under normal
circumstances, yes. In this instance, no. Now go, my children. Go now!’ As she said this, the bales of hay
behind her burst into flames and she jumped straight into them. Christian held
on to Scarlett so hard that his knuckles turned white. Melissa and Michelle
went in first, hugging each other and crying. As soon as they had disappeared,
Christian and Scarlett hopped into the burning flames. It wasn’t as hot as
Scarlett had expected, but Christian cried anyway. She tried to comfort him but
he just wept. All of a sudden, Scarlett saw a black hole. She had learnt about
wormholes in Space 101 at E-Land high. It took around what Scarlett imagined 20
minutes to be to get through the wormhole and to the other end of it. When the
wormhole ended they arrived in extraordinary surroundings. Instead of gravel
being a dull shade of grey, it was a more prominent blue. Tree trunks were no
longer brown, but a regular shade of red. The most abnormal thing was looking
up at the sky. Except, there was no sky. There was nothing above, only
darkness. Thinking about it, this entire place was surrounded in darkness.
There was no light for as far as Scarlett could see and that scared her. She
reached out silently in the darkness and took hold of Christian’s hand. He
squeezed her hand, tight. Naturally, she did the same. This was their sort of
secret reassurance. In front, Melissa and Michelle suddenly appeared. The 4 of
them walked and walked until they reached a small cottage which was the only
house they had seen since being back on earth, way down below. Michelle gladly
jogged up to the front door of the cottage and banged the knocker 3 times.
There was a stirring within the household and a light flickered. An elderly
woman came to the door and stared out. She opened the big, brass door a crack,
not undoing the double bolt from the inside. She spoke in a voice that didn’t
quite fit her appearance
‘Do I know you? If not, it’s after dark,
go away’ She spoke with the voice of someone who were perhaps in their 20s. She
looked to be around 60 or 70.
‘Excuse me, ma’am. We don’t mean to
trouble you. We’re not from around here; could you tell us where we could find
the beautiful young lady who brought us here?’ Michelle spoke with such
purpose; without being rude. She had manners, but put her point across well.
‘Nyorra? Sure, she’s at the centre. Look
for Tile Street and go straight on, she’s normally there. Amarettil Shabol it’s
called, the place where she’ll be’
‘Thanks!’
‘Alright. You be careful, youngsters.
This isn’t the sort of place where you go around upsetting people. Careful who
you anger and don’t go out after dark. Good evening to you’ although they were
grateful for the warning, they heard the woman falter as if she was afraid to
be caught warning them. They bid their goodbyes and set off for Tile Street,
wherever the hell that was! Christian and Scarlett still had each other in
death grip. Not on purpose but it was what they did whenever they were afraid,
used each other to help them through. As they took a pointless wander in search
of Nyorra they passed a lot of alleys filled with people sucking the faces off
others. Scarlett found this most peculiar as the woman had warned them not to
go out after dark. Suddenly, from thin air, appeared a young looking guy who
looked to be telling the kids to scarper. Scarlett silently dragged Christian
over and hid in the shadows.
‘……..C’mon, I’ve told you guys before,
it’s not safe out at this time.’ His voice was like butter on toast, smooth.
‘Yeah, rebel a little man! They’re
messing with your head! They say, ‘’behave and we’ll treat you right’’ but
that’s not the way things work. They train you up, send you to battle the
darkness within you and around you and if that doesn’t kill you, they will. You
know the way’
‘Not true! Now get outta here before I
call the cops’ the kids fled up the street. ‘Stupid…… Stupid…… Stupid……Stupid!’ He muttered. He looked up
suddenly and saw them. ‘Thought I told you to get lost!’ Stepping out of the
shadows he looked taken aback. He stumbled over a drinks carton as he locked
eyes with Christian.
‘Uh… Hey. We’re looking for Tile Street,
any idea where we could find it?’ Scarlett decided that she’d better say
something considering Christian and mystery boy were too busy making googly
eyes at each other.
‘Umm… Yeah, Sure. I can, uh, take you
there if you want?’ He didn’t take his eyes off Christian the whole time and
so, naturally, Scarlett waited for Christian to reply.
‘Uh, Yeah, if it’s no trouble. Who are
you, by the way?’ Christian’s voice went all husky, he only did this when he
was trying to impress.
‘Damien, Damien Cross. You?’
‘Muller, Christian Muller. This is my
lifelong best friend Scarlett Cartwright’
‘Cool name, Christian. Wait, you a Chris
or Christian? And hey Scarlett’
‘He’s a Christian. Hey. You guys want a
moment or what?’ Scarlett was trying to be tactful in saying, ‘’love ya
Christian but not gunna be here while you fall in love, sorry’’.
‘Um… Yeah please Scar. If Damien and I
walk ahead do you mind hanging back a bit?’ Christian winked at Scarlett and
that said it all.
‘Course I wouldn’t! Just be good little
boys, you get me?’
‘Scar! Course we’ll be good, when’ve you ever known me to be bad?’
‘Don’t get me started Muller boy! C’mon,
first we’ve got to find Michelle and Melissa!’ Scarlett and Christian had both
forgotten up until that moment that they’d abandoned Michelle and Melissa. How
they were going to find them was a mystery. They had all left their mobiles
back down there so they had no form of communication.
‘God! We left them! Where would they
have gone?’ Nowhere, apparently. When they stepped out of the alley, Michelle
and Melissa were standing there looking impatient with stern looks on their
faces, until they saw Damien.
‘Where have you been? We’ve been standing here for ages! Who’s this?’ Michelle wolf
whistled at Damien
‘I’m Cross, Damien Cross. No need for
whistles. They came to ask for directions of how to get to Tile Street, you
guys are going there too, right?’ Christian winked at Melissa and Michelle and
they both made a silent O with their mouths.
‘Uh….. Yeah. Christian? Really?’
Christian beamed proudly
‘Really what?’ Damien wore a look of
bemusement on his face
‘You play for the other team!’ Michelle
and Melissa practically squealed together
‘Umm…. Yeah….. I try not to let it
show…….’ Damien hung his head as if he were ashamed
‘Well you’ll have Christian to keep you
company!’ They both smiled a genuine type of smile as if to let Damien know
that it was all good with whom he was and they’d been through all this with
Christian
‘You’re………….’
‘Yeah. Same here though, I don’t tell
many people. They judge. Not that I’m ashamed
or anything but….. They do judge’ Christian looked uncomfortable. He was good
at the actual doing part but not very
good when it comes to talking. He’d rather Damien have guessed, rather than
talk like this.
‘It’s okay, I’ll keep it quiet. Uh.. You
might want to avoid telling Nyorra, she doesn’t think too much of…. You know….
Gays. She thinks they’re a waste of space and air’ Damien didn’t enjoy talking
about it, either. Scarlett could tell.
‘Judgemental cow’ Christian muttered.
Damien burst into full snort laughing. Christian smiled gently as if he
couldn’t take anything in. He had been lonely just this morning and now look at
him! That’s what Scarlett thought he’d be thinking anyway. She was happy for
him, she really was. He deserved happiness but it had never come his way. He’d
told her once, if she ever found love, to grasp it with both hands, she would
have to remind him of that later, when they were alone.
‘You’re funny, you know that? I think
we’ll get along great, me and you. Let’s get moving, then’ Christian turned to
Scarlett and did a little ‘Ooh’ motion then followed Damien. Scarlett
purposefully fell behind and gave the boys their privacy. Michelle and Melissa
were just in front of her and so she yanked the both of them backwards
slightly.
‘What do you think you’re doing,
Scarlett?’ Michelle mumbled
‘I just want to give Christian and
Damien some space, okay? I’d appreciate it if you did, too’
‘Ah, I see. Jealous it’s not you with
lover boy, eh? We can all dream you know!’ Melissa whispers the next bit to
her, almost silently ‘I dream that someone
returns my feelings, but I’m aware that they don’t’ Melissa then apologises for
saying about being jealous because she doesn’t really want to fall out with
Scarlett, considering she’s helped her through everything. Scarlett could only
guess who this mystery person was and she had a pretty good idea. She knew that
Melissa was only joking about being jealous but it still wound her up a treat.
She loved Christian and didn’t know if she was ready to share him. When you’ve
had one and only one person to share your life with it’s hard to let go.
Scarlett knew that it was time for Christian to move on and accepted that he
wanted to so she decided to put on a brave face and accept that he was getting
on with his life. I mean they could still share there little looks of delight
or horror, share secrets and, most importantly, their best friendship. She
never ever wanted their special bond
to be broken. Cautiously, Damien led them onwards. Every so often, somebody
would slip on the cold, wet floor but manage to regain their balance.
Christian, however, didn’t. He fell flat on his face. Of course, both Damien
and Scarlett were there like a shot.
‘Christian! Oh my god! Are you okay? C’mon, I’ve got a few tissues in my pocket’ that
was Damien. That was fast, Scarlett thought to herself.
‘I’m fine thanks. Scar, give me a hand?’
Christian ignored Damien’s offer of helping him to get to his feet. Scarlett
smiled ever so slightly. Scarlett extended her hand to him and he took it.
‘Sure. 3, 2, 1, pull!’ Scarlett pulled
Christian up and silently handed him a tissue. There was now a thin streak of
blood trickling down the side of his face. He didn’t realise, and so she did it
for him. No big deal for her, but Damien was looking at her in awe. In that
very moment, Scarlett knew that he wish that was him. Even though he’d met
Christian only about an hour ago, she knew that he’d been waiting for a boy
like Christian to arrive all of his life, and, in a way, that scared Scarlett.
Such a powerful bond in the space of 60 minutes, that couldn’t be possible.
‘Thanks, Scarlett’ Christian said,
snapping her right out of her daydream
‘Oh, uh, no problem. Damien? A word?’
Christian and Damien both had a look of pure wonder on their faces and so
Scarlett hastily added ‘Nothing bad, just wanted a quick chat, won’t be a
minute’. Scarlett and Damien fell behind just enough so that no nosy parker
could eavesdrop.
‘Hey, umm, Scarlett, yeah?’
‘Yeah. Listen, I saw the way you looked
at Christian just a minute ago. It was a look of pure happiness. When I saw it,
I knew that you had been waiting for a lad like Christian all your life, and I thought
that was really cute.’ Damien looked uncomfortable but Scarlett continues
anyway ‘the thing is, Damien, Christian has been looking for someone like you
for as long as I can remember, too. I just wanted to say that if you ever ever hurt him, this won’t be over,
alright? I mean, you seem cool and all but seriously, I’ve known him for years,
you can’t just swoop in and sweep him off his feet. He’s fragile, don’t abuse
that. I like you, Damien. I think you’re cool and a good guy, I just don’t want
Christian to get hurt, okay? Sorry if this comes across as too full on but I
just couldn’t bear to see him upset. If you and him are going to make this
work, then you mustn’t mention his mum, okay? She died and I helped him through
just like he helped me when my dad died’
‘Scarlett, like you said, I’ve been
waiting for Christian forever. I physically couldn’t
abuse the amount of trust that he has put within me. Christian will never get
hurt, I won’t let him. I’d take a
bullet for him, and I’ve only known him for an hour! He told me about his mum,
I told him that if he ever needed to talk, he could come to me. He also told me
how amazing you are. He really loves you, Scarlett. He loves you more than I
could ever begin to imagine possible. I’d never get in the way of that, I
promise. Please, let’s try and get on? Now that all this is out in the open,
start again?’
‘Yes, I’d like that very much, Damien.
I’d like for us to be friends, good ones. I think that you and Christian are
perfect for each other. Treat him right, and you’ll get respect from both me,
and him. He needs someone to love him, he has so much love in his big heart,
but no one to give it to. That’s why me and him are such good friends, I think.
He’s never found anyone, and neither have I. We get by, by loving one another’
‘You’ll find somebody, Scarlett. Trust
me, you will. I better catch up with Christian now, but thanks. For everything’
‘Thanks for your co-operation. I’m only
thinking for my dear friend’
‘I know, goodbye for now!’ ‘CHRISTIAN! Wait up!’ He’s a nice guy,
Scarlett thought. She knew that they couldn’t be far from their destination now
because she could see in the not so distant area ahead, a town centre. That
meant that they were probably coming up to Tile Street and Amarettil Shabol, as
Damien said.
‘Hey, uh, Damien? When exactly are we
gunna get there?’ Michelle questioned
‘Umm… In approximately 10 minutes. Why?
You okay with that?’
‘Yeah, sure. Was just curious’ Michelle
and Melissa both yawned in unison. Damien was correct, it did take about 10
minutes to get there and when they did, they all wanted to be anywhere else but
where they were.
‘Time to go in then, you lot. I’m coming
in, too. I have unfinished business to attend to’
‘Okay, let’s all go in together, then’
Standing there, looking up at the
building towering above her, Scarlett felt the fear of a lifetime wash over her
like a tidal wave. It wasn’t that this building was particularly creepy in
anyway, just the feeling of so much power
running through it. The outside walls were a deep, velvety red colour with
splodges of purple. There were around 7 knives sticking out of the wall, which
reminded her never to cross anyone who worked or lived here. It was about 3
times the size of an average house with 17 windows all the way around, back and
front. The huge, wrought iron gates stood tall and proud in front of the main
entrance. 3 guards stood in front of the entrance, blocking it off from the public.
The grass appeared to be growing before Scarlett’s very eyes which was quite
shocking! She blinked away her confusion and continued forward with the rest of
the group. Scarlett walked across a short bridge which cut over a pond full of
catfish. Unusual, Scarlett thought. Damien was ahead so therefore he approached
the guards first and explained that he was here for ‘unfinished business’ as he
had put it, and that the rest of us were here because we had been summoned. The
guard whom Damien had spoken with consulted the other guards on duty before
waving us inwards. When Scarlett stepped in, she was taken aback by the true
beauty of this place. There were pictures hanging all over the walls of dogs.
Not people, dogs. Damien led them up 13 flights of stairs, until they reached a
small bedroom. Damien knocked and waited for a reply.
‘Who is it?’ There was that voice again.
Smooth but firm, somehow.
‘It’s Damien, ma’am. I’ve brought you
Christian, Scarlett, Melissa and Michelle, too’
‘Enter, Damien. Damien alone, is granted
entry. The rest of you must wait. I cannot see you all at once’ Gingerly,
Damien pushed the creaking door open, just a crack. He glanced around before
entering and closing the door behind him on Nyorra’s request. The four of them
pressed their ears against the door, in the hope of hearing a small amount of
what was going on behind the closed door. Scarlett could hear the muffled
sounds of the conversation
‘………. I’ve told you time and time again,
Damien, the matter is closed’
‘Please, Ma’am. I really need your help
to find her!’
‘………..Can not…………..I can’t…………..
Done………….’
‘……………..FINE…………….’
All of a sudden, the door opened and the
four of them spilled into the room. Nyorra tutted and muttered under her breath
‘Insolence’. She was right, Scarlett thought. We are insolent. If a beautiful
leader cannot have a small private conversation with a young friend –Is that
what he was?- then what hope was there left in this world.
‘I would say ‘’Enter’’ but it appears
that children such as yourselves do not need to be invited before invading
someone else’s private space’
‘Sorry, ma’am. We did not mean to
intrude’ Christian did a very good formal apology.
‘If you did not mean it then why did you
do it, eh, clever boy?’
‘Sorry, ma’am. All me and my friends and
do is apologise’ They all muttered ‘’sorry’’.
‘Very well, let us let bygones be
bygones. Damien led you here, yes? Very well. Now that you are here, let us
sort you out with a room. We have two going spare, who will share with who?’
‘Dibbs on Scarlett!’ Christian yelled,
excitedly.
‘Calm down, my child. You and the one
you call Scarlett can share a room and the other two, Melissa and Michelle,
will be sharing a room. I shall request this now’
‘Thanks. So, what are you and where are
we?’
‘Hush, my boy. All will become clear
soon enough. Damien! Rooms 1321 and 1322 are available. Show these to their
rooms. Your belongings shall be brought along shortly’
‘Yes, Ma’am’ Damien sounded very
respectful whilst speaking to Nyorra, Even whilst having their own private
conversation. He spoke to her as if she was his mother, although that was
impossible, He looked a few years younger than Nyorra. Nyorra herself could be
no older than 29 and Damien could be no older than about 18 or 19. Scarlett,
Christian, Melissa and Michelle followed Damien to their room, up another 20
flights of stairs. When they got there, Christian collapsed in Scarlett’s arms
and so she dragged him inside and they lay on the bed together for what felt
like forever. Scarlett never wanted to move, wrapped in the safe arms of
Christian Muller. God, she loved him. More than anyone in the universe. In
space, in hell, in heaven, on earth. Her trail of thought was broken when
someone knocked and called through the door
‘Delivery!’
‘Coming!’ Scarlett leapt up from the bed
and opened up the door. There, lay a pile of her and Christian’s things from
earth. She thanked the kind gentleman who had brought up their belongings and
went to close the door. Christian padded across the floor towards her and looked
down the hall after the delivery guy.
‘Whoa…….’ Scarlett pushed him, hard,
squarely in the chest. ‘What’d I do?’ Christian said defensively.
‘You’re so gay!’ Christian beamed at her
‘And you love it honey!’ Scarlett
laughed and threw his box of things at him. On top, was a picture of him and
his mum. He dropped the box and it hit the ground with a shattering sound.
Christian went and sat on the bed, breathing deeply. Scarlett picked up the
broken glass from the picture frame which had smashed from the impact of the
drop. She put her arm around Christian and sang his mum’s favourite song. ‘You
are my sunshine’ By The Pine Ridge Boys and The Rice Brothers Gang. He sobbed
gently into her shoulder. When Scarlett had sung the song 3 times through,
Christian’s sobbing was easing.
‘I’m s……sorry, S……..Scar……’ Christian
stuttered.
‘Aww Christian, It’s alright! As long as
you’re okay. Do you want me to go get anyone? Damien?’ Christian shook his head
violently.
‘Nobody can see me like this. Only you,
Scar. I only trust you’
‘Okay, Christian’
‘I love you, Scarlett Cartwright’
‘Love you too, Christian Muller’
They sat there, just enjoying each
other’s company for a while, not realising how much time actually passed. The
only time that either of them moved, was when Damien knocked.
‘Who is it?’ Christian asked
‘It’s me! Damien. Open up, time for
dinner’ When Scarlett went to open the door, Christian was right by her side,
defensively. Scarlett opened the door a crack and Damien pushed the door all
the way open. Scarlett and Christian stood there, gawping, for a good 30
seconds before Christian managed a small, slow ‘Whoa…’
‘Like it?’ Damien smoothed down his
suit, proudly. He was wearing a white tuxedo with a black bow tie and black
trousers. Damien had gelled his hair back.
‘Yeah man! You look amazing…… I have to
ask though, will faded Jeans and a plain T-Shirt do? Because that’s pretty much
all I own….’ Damien laughed.
‘Of course that’ll be okay, silly! I’m
not staying for dinner tonight, I’m going out with a few of my mates. I’ve been
telling a few old pals about you lot today and they’re more than happy for you
to sit with them at dinner. They’ll be in the left corner, where they always
are’ Damien then apologised for having to dash, leaving Christian and Scarlett
alone yet again. Scarlett went to go knock for Melissa and Michelle when an
abnormal sound caught her attention. It sounded like a sort of chant. She told
Christian to inform Melissa and Michelle of their dinner arrangements and that
she would be right back. Scarlett then disappeared down the hall. When she
reached the end of the hall, there was a narrow corridor. She decided to follow
the hallway and if the sound wasn’t at the end, she’d turn around and come
straight back. She slowly strolled down the hallway, her footsteps tentative.
She used the curved, brown banister to help keep her weight and balance even.
The walls in this corridor were a perfect pale purple. As Scarlett neared the
end of the corridor, she heard the chanting increase to the maximum of sound
humanly possible. Scarlett could hear around 20 voices all chanting at the same
rhythm and speed. She suddenly felt a rush of giddiness go to her head. It was
then that she felt a cold, human hand on her shoulder, steadying her. She
looked up to find a stunning young-looking girl around her own age.
‘Hey, what you doing on our territory?’
‘Uh, hi. I heard something, came down to
see what or who it was’
‘You new?’
‘Yeah, just arrived a couple of hours
ago’
‘Want in?’
‘In what?’ Scarlett knew that she looked
tremendously imprudent in front of all of these people but she honestly had no
clue what this strange person was on about, and knew that she had to get out of
it, now
‘In the darkness of course!’
‘What darkness?’ Everyone in the hallway
sniggered at her
‘The
darkness! You know, dark magic? Using dark powers? Channelling all the black
power?’
‘Excuse me? You have powers?’ Everybody in the corridor
erupted into a sea of laughter. Scarlett tried to make a break for it but one
of the boys grabbed her wrist, tight. ‘Let go of me!’ Scarlett screeched in
anger. She was seeing red now. ‘I said
Let me go!’ He gripped tighter.
‘Let her go, Theo. She’s not worth it’
So that’s what the ginger kid’s name was. Theo wasn’t that bad looking,
actually. Ginger hair, freckles, green eyes. Scarlett Cartwright get a hold of
yourself! You’re thinking about how he isn’t that bad looking when you could die at any moment! With that, Theo let
Scarlett go. Scarlett backed up. ‘So, little one, you haven’t been informed of
the powers that are rising within you? I thought Nyorra was very specific in
saying that she always made newbies
aware of what they are capable of given the chance? Theo? Any light to shed on
the subject?’
‘Yeah, actually. Nyorra went to an
abnormal meeting with Sambodia. Perhaps you shouldn’t be so demanding, Kayla.
If you want to get her in our group, don’t intimidate the poor mite’
‘Are you telling me what to do,
brother?’
‘Of course not. Just let the girl go.
Get her name, and leave her be for now’
‘I can hear you, you know! I’m Scarlett;
now let me out of here!’
‘Okay, run along little one. If you
change your mind between now and the next time we meet coincidentally, you will
find me and my gang here. See you soon, has-been’. Scarlett scurried off back
the way she came, preparing for what she was going to tell Michelle, Christian
and Melissa about her adventure. She had no idea of how to explain what the hell had just happened; she didn’t even know what happened!
Using the banister for support, she slowly edged her way back to room numbers
3121 and 3122. When she got nearer, she could hear the sound of hushed voices.
She saw that Christian, Michelle and Melissa were in a huddle, talking.
‘……… What shall we do? Run for help?’
Christian asked
‘This is Scarlett we’re on about! She’ll get out!’ Melissa said, surely.
‘Yep, of course she will’ Scarlett said.
‘SCARLETT!’
Christian embraced her in an immense bear hug. She hugged him back but it
wasn’t a comfortable sort of hug, it was forced. ‘What’s wrong, Scar?’
‘Nothing, nothing. I ran into a few
people in the hallway, that’s all’
‘What kind of people?’ Christian’s voice
was now full of concern for his best friend
‘Just the kind you don’t want to mess
with. Dark magic users. Not to be crossed’ Christian made a silent O with his
mouth
‘You met people from As Darkness Rises?’
‘Is that the name of their group? And I
guess so, yeah’
‘Promise me you’ll avoid them, both of
them. Scarlett, don’t go near Kayla, or Theo. Definitely not Kayla. Just don’t
go back, okay?’
‘Wait, you know these people?’
‘Long story. Just stay away’ Christian
said this with efficiency which made Scarlett play this no further. ‘Now,
dinner anybody?’ Christian liked to do that; drop a bombshell then try to act
as if nothing had happened at all. It worked, though. Michelle and Melissa
gladly pressed the button for the elevator; there was no way they were taking
the stairs. They were on the 33rd floor!
‘Yeah! I’m starved’ Melissa said
excitedly
‘Same here’ Michelle agreed. They all
waited impatiently for the lift to reach them. When it did, they all hopped in.
When inside the elevator, Scarlett couldn’t see any buttons. She worked herself
up into a blind panic as the doors slowly closed them inside, leaving them on
their own.
‘Great’ Michelle muttered ‘Our first day
here and we’re stuck in an elevator! What next? Flying monkeys?’
‘There are no flying monkeys in here,
they are all on floor 22’ said a computerised voice. Scarlett turned in a 360
circle,
searching for the anonymous voice. ‘You won’t find me, under established child.
I do not exist to the partially mortal or full mortal’s viewing. This is simply
for my own safety; I wouldn’t expect you to understand’
‘Who are
you?’ Christian enquired
‘I am known by many names but you may
call me Sophie, Christian’
‘Wait a minute, how the hell do you know
my name?!’
‘I know all of your names! I know everybody’s
name!’ Sophie laughs shrilly
‘What’s my name then?’
‘Melissa. You’re in love with-‘
‘Ah ah ah! That’s personal!’ Sophie
laughs hysterically.
‘No trouble for me!’ Melissa blushes
immensely and turns away from Christian, Scarlett and Michelle. ‘Fine, I shall
not tell these fledgling somewhat mortals. However, there is a price’
‘What kind
of price?’
‘You carry a small message for me.
Nothing big, just a short message’
‘Go on’
‘Tell Lydia Louise Mann that we are not
done. Tell her to pop by tomorrow at around 2:30am. If she isn’t there, she’s a
dead girl. I will get Jessica to personally ensure that’
‘Who’s Lydia Mann?’
‘Red head, blue eyes. Bound to know her.
Hangs around with the boy you met earlier, Damien’
‘One of Damien’s mates? Alright, fine.
I’ll tell her’
‘Ah thank you. Now, goodbye moderately
mortals’
‘Wait! We don’t know how to get out of
here!’ Scarlett cried out frantically
‘Figure it out, partly mortals’ and with
that, Sophie was gone. Well, the voice was anyway. Scarlett had no idea whether
Sophie herself was still there. How was it possible that someone or something could be seen and not heard? How
was that humanly possible? Oh, right. I wasn’t
human, or possible. She guessed that’s what this world was, the impossible
becoming possible. Suddenly, a small girl appeared out of nowhere. Scarlett
screamed
‘Ahhh! Who the hell are you?’ Scarlett
shrieked
‘Who?’ Christian said, sounding concerned
for his best friend
‘That…… that…… Girl!’ Scarlett stumbled across her own words
‘What girl? I don’t see a girl?’
‘The one…… standing…… in the corner……..’
‘What are you on about, Scar?’
‘That girl!’ The young girl turned to
face Scarlett. She was wearing a ragged looking cloth as some sort of make
shift dress and wasn’t wearing any shoes. Her black hair was mounted in a tight
pony tail behind her head. Her face was ghastly pale in colour. Her eyes were
colourless. She looked completely dead behind the eyes. Her lips, however, were
blood red. She had finger nails like talons, razor sharp. She hissed at
Scarlett, baring her fangs. Fangs? Scarlett thought. But vampires aren’t real,
are they? Scarlett stared relentlessly at this stranger. All at once, the young
girl opened up her mouth and let out a scream that sounded similar to what
Scarlett imagined a banshee to sound like. With that, she was gone. When she
left, Scarlett watched her turn to mist. The mist formed one word, Command.
Scarlett didn’t think twice.
‘Ground floor’ Scarlett managed to say
this with minimal awkward glances. As soon as she said this, another voice came
through
‘Not accessible. This elevator goes as
far as floor 12’ this voice was computerised –again- but this time it was
masculine, not feminine.
‘Okay. Floor 12 please’
‘Coming right up, miss’
‘Thank you’
‘No problem, miss’ Sure enough, about 30
seconds later, they arrived on floor 12, unharmed. Scarlett dauntlessly stepped
up to the elevator which was to the left of the previous one which they had all
just clambered out of.
‘Hello, whoever may be listening. How
low does this elevator go?’
‘Hello, Scarlett. Thank you for picking
my elevator, I appreciate it. I’m Sam, Sam Wicket. I can take you all the way
to the ground floor, if you wish’
‘No problem, Sam. Me and my friends
would very much appreciate that, thank you’
‘Step inside and let’s get moving, then’
Christian and Scarlett entered first, followed by Michelle and Melissa. They
each murmured thanks on the way in. When the doors shut there was a deep
rumbling from deep within the computerised system. Probably starting up,
Scarlett thought. Scarlett thought she heard Sam swear from somewhere in the
elevator but it was quickly covered up by the sound of them dropping about 20
feet at 30 mph. When Scarlett felt them hit rock bottom, she held Christian’s
hand and slowly made her way out of Sam. It felt so weird to think that,
Scarlett was inside of someone. Apparently,
it freaked all hell out of Christian; too, as he held her hand so tightly that
Scarlett swore that he’d made her fingers go numb. She didn’t mind, though.
After all, he is her best friend. Scarlett, Christian, Melissa and Michelle
finally strolled into the dining hall, looking every bit as nervous as they
felt. Scarlett led the way. They walked up to the table in which Damien had
described and Scarlett was sure that they had the right place when she
approached the young people. Scarlett didn’t remember Damien telling her or
Christian their names.
‘Can I help you?’ Asked a girl who
looked as though she was no older than about 19. She approached them from
behind as she arrived carrying a silver platter and a golden goblet. Whoever
she was, she was beautiful, with hair so blonde you would swear it was white
and eyes which flickered between colours every few seconds. Just meeting her,
Scarlett could tell that she wasn’t exactly a normal person, with normal abilities. Scarlett realised, suddenly,
that she was just standing there, staring.
‘Uh, yeah, I think so. Damien Cross?’
The girl looks confused and so Scarlett hastily adds ‘What’s your name?’
‘What about him?’ She completely blanks
Scarlett’s question
‘We’re new. To this place I mean. We met
him a couple of hours back; he said you were friends of his and to have dinner
with you guys’
‘Fair enough. Any friend of Damien’s is
a friend of ours, right guys?’ She turned to look at the rest of the people
sitting around the slightly crowded table and they all nodded simultaneously in
response. ‘That’s settled then, you will sit with us, at least until Damien
comes back. Wait, where are my manners? What would you like to eat, young
friends? Pig or lamb?’
Melissa and Michelle looked at each
other, horrified, before they both said ‘Neither!!!!’
‘Melissa and Michelle are both
vegetarians’ Scarlett explained
‘Melissa and Michelle?’ The girl looked
confused for a moment before she understood ‘Ah, yes. Well, you won’t get
anything else around here. They cook it well, if you like it like that’
‘Okay, ewwww! I eat meat, yeah but
gross!’ That was Christian
‘Yeah, pretty vile to begin with but it
gets better’
‘I’ll take lamb, then’
‘Good choice, pork’s appalling here’ the
young girl smiled at Christian ‘What’s your name?’
‘Christian, you?’ the girl stretches out
her hand for him to shake
‘Alexis White. Lexi, if you please. Here
we have Lydia Mann and Connor Salman’
‘Cool name, Lexi. How about that lamb?’
Lexi was staring at Christian and Scarlett smiled to herself. So far, she didn’t
like Lexi all that much. It could potentially break her if Scarlett encouraged
Lexi to go after Christian. Now that
was an idea….
‘Yeah! I’ll go fetch it now!’ Lexi
hurriedly scurried away to fetch Christian some dinner, not asking any of the
others if they wanted anything on her way past. About 10 minutes later of
uncomfortable silence, Lexi came back and thrust a platter into Christian’s
hands with so much force that he almost watched it shatter into 1000 pieces.
‘What did I do?’ Christian looked slightly
bemused
‘Nothing? Is that not what you wanted?’
‘It is but you forced the plate onto me
as if it was some sort of disease?’
‘Sorry…’
‘What’s up? At first you were cool with
us all being here….. Wait, what’s someone said?’
‘Can I speak with you alone for just a
moment?’ She sounded nervous, and so Scarlett edged her way out of the path
dividing Christian and Lexi.
‘Uh, yeah. If you have to’ Christian
looked uncomfortable all of a sudden so Scarlett gave him a loving smile which
let him know –hopefully- that Scarlett thought that things would be okay.
Christian moved uneasily out of the seat and edged away from the table into a
more private space and Lexi followed.
‘What’s up?’
‘Somebody told me that you were
interested in Damien…’
‘Umm… Yeah… Sort of… Does it make a
difference, though?’ Christian gave Lexi a sort of awkward smile.
‘Not to me… The others were slightly
annoyed when they found out that Damien was… You know, gay. You see, they have
all dated him in the past… Damien has kind of a record with girls. When he told
us and everyone else who asked, they thought it was a bit strange. I’ve been
out with him. Many years ago, granted but still. I just wanted to say that you
might want to be careful not to get too
comfortable with him… I like you and I don’t want you getting hurt’ Christian
looked really hurt now
‘But…..’ It was then that Christian
cried. Not lightly either, full on sobs. Scarlett, of course, came running
over.
‘Christian? What’s wrong hun?’
‘Scar, can you help me back to the room?
But first, L…..L……Lexi?’
‘Yeah?’ Lexi’s voice sounded full of
concern; too much perhaps for someone she only met a matter of moments ago.
‘T…..Than……Thank you…… Sorry for
thi……this…… Scar……. Can you get Lexi’s number for me?’
‘Of course I can. C’mon. First let’s get
you back to the room. I’ll come back for your food’
‘Suddenly I’m not hungry’ Christian’s
sobs were dying down ever so slightly now.
‘Okay, I’ll come back for that number,
then. Let’s go’ Scarlett took Christian’s hand and led him down the hallway to
their bedroom. Scarlett opened up the door using Christian’s key –she had
forgotten hers- and she lay him down on the bed. Christian grabbed Scarlett’s
wrist and gently pulled her down next to him. Christian carefully lay Scarlett
down beside him and he held her there for multiple minutes. Eventually,
Scarlett laid her head on him muscular chest and fell asleep thinking about the
fast paced day that she had had. Scarlett dreamt of Christian and Lexi. It was
no longer Scarlett who had shared all of those many days, nights with
Christian. It had been her. Her with her luscious blonde streaked hair and
hazel coloured eyes. Her with her pale but freckle covered face. Suddenly,
Scarlett was falling. Falling down where there was nothing below. The only
thing above that was visible was Christian and Lexi, laughing. Laughing as she
fell. She kept falling and falling and falling until…
‘Scarlett! Scarlett, wake up, wake up!’
‘Wh…. Wh… What? Christian?’ Christian
was looking concerned and he stared down at her
‘Yeah, you’re okay. You must’ve been
having a bad dream. You started screaming and at one stage you stopped
breathing!’ Christian pulled her in close to him, so close that she was nuzzled
comfortably against his chest, breathing slowly ‘That’s it, nice and slow’
Scarlett kept breathing calmly for a few more moments before realising what she
was supposed to do last night
‘Christian? What about getting Lexi’s
number?’
‘That’s not important right now. You’re
more important than some girl I met a day ago’ Scarlett could tell that
Christian hadn’t slept very well, he sounded exhausted
‘Didn’t you sleep very well?’
‘No, not really. All of yesterday’s
events….. You know? Kept going through my head’
‘Why don’t you have a kip now and I’ll
bring you a full English breakfast’
‘Nah, I’m okay. I’m more worried about
you. What was the matter? What did you dream about?’
‘Nothing. I mean….. It’s not important’
‘Alright, if you’re sure. I was going to
go to breakfast in about 10 minutes to see if I can find Lexi and apologise if
you fancy it?’
‘Uh, I’m alright. You go. I’ll hang
tight here for a bit’
‘You sure?’
‘Yeah, you go. Have fun’ with that,
Christian pottered off to the bathroom, throwing off his shirt as he went.
Scarlett lay back on the unmade, black bed. Scarlett looked around the room and
did a casual check for all the necessary items that they would need for the
time being. Music player-Check, Television-Check, Drawers-Check, Family
sentiments-Check, Clothes-Check. All but one thing was in their small
apartment, a washing machine. In the apartment there was a laundry room which
had a tumble dryer in, but no washing machine. Great. Just great. ‘Christian!’
Scarlett shouted so as he could hear her over the pounding of the water coming
from the shower
‘Yeah?!’ He yelled back
‘We don’t have a blooming washing
machine!’
‘WHAT?!
How are we supposed to wash our clothes? Magic?’
‘I’m not sure. Guessing we steam them in
the shower for a bit’
‘I’ll ask Lexi’ Scarlett didn’t reply to
that, as she really wasn’t sure about Lexi just yet. Yeah, she admitted it. She
was well jealous. Scarlett knew, deep down, that it was ridiculous but was it really ridiculous? She seemed pretty
smitten yesterday. What had they spoken about? Scarlett really wanted to know,
she wanted Lexi to try it on with Christian, More than anything. If Lexi wanted
him, he would be so upset he might not be able to face her again! When did this
happen? When did Scarlett become so cruel hearted? This wasn’t good. This
wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want Christian upset, did she? No, of course
not. He’s my best friend, how could I be so damn stupid! She thought. The sound of the water cutting off dragged
Scarlett right away from her trail of thought. Scarlett heard something hit the
floor and, probably, shatter.
‘Christian? You okay?’
‘Yeah, yeah, fine’ Christian grumbled.
Scarlett knew that she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help going up and attempting
to open the door
‘Don’t come in! Scarlett, please’
‘What’s going on? Christian?’
‘I just…. Dropped something. That’s all’
Scarlett could hear Christian gently slide down the door and drop to the floor.
She felt the vibration of him crying softly to himself through the thin paint
coated wood. She then realised what it was exactly that he had dropped
‘Christian, open up. I know what you’ve
dropped, and I’m not mad. I’ll just get it framed again, okay?’ Christian cried
harder, this time Scarlett could hear him
‘No… Scar, you don’t understand…..’
Scarlett heard the click of the handle as it unlocked. Scarlett pushed the door
open a crack before Christian had the chance to change his mind. When she
stepped in, she gasped before letting out a small, strangled cry. Scarlett bent
down to pick up the photo which had once been a beautiful picture of Scarlett,
Christian, Sophie and her dad. There was no longer a wonderful family memory of
Scarlett, her sister and her dad with her best friend. This was ruined.
Scarlett’s face was no longer smiling and it looked burnt and disfigured with a
prominent frown fixed under the heavy layers of clay-like skin. Christian’s
face didn’t look much better, scarred and very discomforting. Sophie, however,
looked normal. Well, as normal as she did on every other day. But, studying her
face closer, Scarlett could see that Sophie had two canine teeth protruding
over the outer of her perfectly ruddy lips. Looking from a more accurate angle,
Scarlett noticed a shockingly deep, gashing wound in the centre of her palm.
When you looked past the blood, you could see a dainty necklace in the shape of
what Scarlett thought looked like a brain. It was only a silhouette of whatever
it was supposed to be but it was there all the same. It was purple in colour
and the chain was gold. Pure gold. Simon, Scarlett’s dad, looked as though he
had seen a ghost. He was as pale as the clouds on a bright summer’s morning, his
skin tone uneven. Simon usually had a fair amount of spots and freckles but now
they were all gone, as though he were a different person. He no longer looked
like the father of both Scarlett and Sophie, he just looked exhausted and as
though he could really do with a
chilled night in. Scarlett leant against the door and gently eased herself to
the floor, next to Christian. Scarlett hadn’t realised that she was crying
until she felt Christian’s soft skin against her cheek, brushing the tears away
cautiously. She leaned into him and rested her head gently on his shoulder. As
Scarlett did this, Christian put his arm around her and kissed her softly on
the top of her head. Suddenly and without warning, Christian was sobbing
mildly, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. When Scarlett looked up into
his large, round, chocolate brown eyes she felt his misery. Scarlett forgot
sometimes that Christian thought of Simon as if he were his own father, since
he never knew his own. Sophie always had a good word to say about Christian,
too. Christian loved her like a sister and in some ways Scarlett began to think
that they were all just one big family. Christian lived with Scarlett, Simon
and Sophie until Simon died and then it was just Sophie, Scarlett and
Christian, looking out for each other. Sophie was all grown up, though. She
went off to college shortly afterwards and so Scarlett inherited the house and
all of its possessions which she shared with Christian. A fat teardrop fell to
the floor and Scarlett snapped right back into the reality of things.
