Seeing Red

Chapter 1

It was dark around me and I could feel the panic rising in my chest. Even though I had gone through this nightmare before, it was still terrifying every time it happened.

"Did you miss me, Little Red?"

My memory of the voice of Gwendolyn Stephenson always caused me to start shivering. Even back when Gwen and I first met, while she was the counselor of the prison delinquency camp I was in, she was an intimidating woman who always commandeered attention, especially mine.

This time was no different, especially since it sounded like she was right next to my bed. I tried to look in the direction of the voice, but as per usual, I couldn't move.

"I know I missed you," Gwen's voice continued, "I missed you so much. I missed you so much I could just eat you all up."

I felt a gentle tickle, as though Gwen was licking the side of my face. Considering the fact that Gwen and all those counselors at the camp were werewolves, it made sense.

"But of course, I'm going to have to wait a little longer."

This was different. Gwen's voice had never said anything like this before. My panic was only increasing now.

"Soon, Little Red. Soon."

That was when I woke up.

"Another nightmare, Scarlet?"

My eyes shot open and I sat up in my bed to see Grace White, my roommate and sister in the foster home I was currently staying in. Grace was standing in front of my bed, fully dressed with a full face of makeup on.

"Good morning to you, Grace." I said as I kicked my blanket off and climbed out of bed, my black hair jetting out and covering my eyes a bit as well. My pajamas - if you could call a button-up shirt that was half unbuttoned and a pair of shorts 'pajamas' - were all wrinkled from being in bed. I stretched, yawned a little, and started making my way to the bathroom as Grace helped me pull my hair back before I could brush it.

"What time is it?" I asked as Grace and I went into the bathroom and I started brushing my hair down.

"Eight in the morning." said Grace, "Better than last Friday when you only had like ten minutes to get to that bookstore."

Grace was talking about the Barnes & Nobles that I had been working at for the past ten months, shortly after I arrived at the foster home. She was the first one out of the other three girls in the house that tried to befriend me after I was exonerated from the charges that put me in the werewolf camp to begin with. Grace turned out to be the friend I needed at the time, and she'd been there for me ever since.

I initially tried to keep to myself when I got to the house, even though Paige and Elliot, the owners, seemed nice enough. Thanks to Grace, I was on a first name basis with everyone now.

"Did you get that letter you're expecting from Yale?" Grace asked. I managed to secure my GED within three months out of juvie, and I was forever grateful to Paige and Elliot that they allowed me to go off to college if I got in, considering the scholarship I got.

"Not yet," I said, "It should be coming any day now."

"Then you'll be up and leaving us." said Grace, the bitterness obvious in her voice. I knew that Grace was a bit jealous of my college-bound butt, but I could also tell that it was the fact that I would soon be leaving her.

"What's your plan for the day?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Making coffee and serving it too," said Grace as she made her way to the doorway, "As is the life of a barista."