Scarlet's Backstory - Book 1 ~ (The Dead City Series)

Chapter 8

I opened my eyes and I was falling. Not a dream, not a dream, not a dream, not a dream. My mind said over and over again. I snapped into consciousness and finally realized what was going on. I saw my mother and brother peering out the window from the hole I made. I looked around quickly and saw the glass shards. I felt the pain in my back, I had fallen back first and had been pierced. Everything was going in slow motion. I looked, Yep. The heart was on my chest like one of those wolf creatures.

I 'roll over' to face the ground I was headed for. I heard my family and the Saldwins gasp in confusion.

"What are you doing?!" I hear my brother scream.

I looked back at him and he was crying. It hurt me. I felt like my heart cracked a little more. I then understood the heart. It was connected to my emotions, my feelings, my thoughts. As long as I could control my anger, sadness, happiness, I could control the heart and whatever I might've contained. I let myself fall and waited for my nose to be almost touching the grass below me. I closed my eyes and I felt a tingly sting and held my hands out. I stopped in mid air, I figured out as I opened my eyes. I smiled a bit as I saw what I could do. I heard my brother gasp again. I moved my hands just a little to my sides and I suddenly fell to the one foot I had left beneath me. My body hurt and I was so tired I could just fall asleep right there. I put my head up and I met a small butterfly on my nose.

"Can all humans do that?" The butterfly said.

I leapt up and then got showered by the glass shards. I felt more pain on my back and some on my arms. Somehow I didn't want to die because of the pain. I looked at my back and cringed. There was so much glass in my back it was unreal.

"Owww..." I groaned in pain as I looked up again.

I saw my brother climbing the vines down.

"Sis, I'm coming!" He shouted and slid down some vines, tearing at his hands.

"You're gonna kill yourself if you do that," I said unimpressed.

"Yeah, says you!!" He shouted back annoyed.

He had a good point, I had just done... whatever you want to call what I just did.

"Come on you two..." The butterfly said and landed on a glass shard sticking out of my elbow.

Suddenly there was a small flash of light and there wasn't a butterfly anymore.

"Butterfly?" I asked and looked around to see a short little elf.

She kind of reminded me of Vici, but it definitely wasn't her.

"My name's not butterfly, that's just what I can shapeshift into right now. I'm in training to become something other than that though." She explained.

She was definitely a 'teen' elf. Her attitude reminded me of me to be honest. I looked up at my brother to see he was almost here.

"May I help out with the glass?" The elf asked me.

"Please do...!" I said eagerly.

She went to my back and took out the shards. I flinched whenever she did, which made it hurt more.

My brother got all the way down and watched the young elf carefully. After she took the shards out I felt her hand touch a wound and I flinched again.

"Geez, calm down!" She snaped at me impatiently.

"Sorry. It hurts, if you didn't notice."

"I know it hurts but I only have one more thing to do so be patient."

"Okay..."

I felt warmth on my back where one of the wounds were and realized she was healing me. My brother gasped for like the 50th time that day.

In a little while everything was healed and I thanked the young elf.

"The name's Recanna by the way."

"My name is Scarlet." I told her and she nodded.

Recanna had on a green/teal dress that sparkled when she was happy. So it had been sparkling then. I looked up at the sky, it was going to rain soon.

"We need to go inside. It'll rain soon." I started a small conversation.

"Darlings, you don't have to go in quite yet. You can explore the forest if you want. Make sure to call me if you have any troubles." My mom says from behind us.

I didn't even know when she got there.

"There aren't any bears or anything really dangerous in the woods?" My brother asked my mom and faced her.

"I know you'll be able to tell if you're in danger." She pointed at his chest, like where my heart was.

"Oh yeah, Scar." He said in a shameful voice. "I might have a heart too..." He said, pointing to my heart.

I realized it healed but had the unseeable crack in the middle. I thought about telling them, but I then thought, Nah, it's probably nothing.

"Oh... kay?" I say confused why he was ashamed.

"You guys should follow Recanna, she'll show you guys around the forest." Mom said, looking at Recanna. "Bring Vici with you too."

I looked at Vici who had apparently teleported down here.

"Oh! And don't travel too far away. I hear there are some 'hunters' of some sort deep in the forest. Also, don't be dumb." Mom lectured.

There's always rules. But they're always there for a good reason.