Bitter Revenge

Chapter 24

Warning!

Scarlet took a deep breath, clearly readying herself for a long explanation. "Okay, how do I put this? Well for starters, I'm a vampire just like you. Have been for a little longer than you have. I know you don't remember me at all before Devil's Corner, because I erased any and all traces of me from your memory. But I knew you when you were human, alongside Violet but you and I were closer. And yes, I was the vampire who turned you." Everything came too quickly, like I was burning and I'd suddenly been dumped with ice cold water. Scarlet turned me. The chef that I always had memory problems with. She knew me when I was human. The first emotion to register in my brain was anger. "Why the hell are you tampering with my memories?! Why would you turn me?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

She held her hands up in surrender, clearly expecting this reaction- which honestly just pissed me off more. "I was your neighbor, we hung out very often. And I woke up one morning at around 4 a.m. to see not only your house crumbled into nothing but ash, but both you and your sister dead in your front lawn. I rushed over and checked your sister for a pulse, but she'd been dead for too long for me to save her. But you? You didn't have a pulse, but you couldn't have been dead for over half an hour when I got there. So in a moment of desperation and panic- I turned you.

I sucked whatever blood remained in you and managed to get you to swallow some of my blood. I sat there for like, half an hour watching your transformation. Your pretty blonde head slowly changing to black, your peachy skin turning olive and pale. I was surprised when your freckles remained, not many vampires keep spots created by the sun. And when you opened your eyes, your new transformation was too much for you and you attacked me. It's normal to attack the first person you see in a fit of hunger after transforming, but I didn't know that then. But when I tried explaining myself to you, you were so angry. Screaming that I should've left you for dead, then you demanded for me to undo it... so much happened. I eventually came to the conclusion that I would erase all traces of me from your memory and keep my eye on you from afar." That's not creepy at all.

While she spoke I could see her eyes turn red as she stared right into mine, and then memories slowly started coming back to me and everything she said checked off. A splitting headache hit me, and I cradled my head in my hands, feeling memories rush in front of my eyes. "I'm uncovering your memories, because you're right. I have no right to tamper with them." I saw the familiar memories right behind my eyelids.

***

"You've gotten really good at cooking haven't you?" Scarlet responded, she was younger then. Her hair was to her shoulders, and she was much more slender. Guessing from how we looked, we were probably 10. "I'm glad you think so."

"That's the tenth valentine card you've received Carly, you must be real popular with the boys." I joked, making Scarlet fake scoff before giggling. "Yeah whatever. They're all stupid jocks who like me because I'm 'brains and beauty.'" She quoted, even though it was totally true.

This memory was much more blurry. I could barely see, I just felt a sensation. Hunger. It was terrible, it was like I'd never eaten a day in my life. When my vision finally cleared, I was pinned to the ground of my burnt down living room. "There you are Nona. How do you feel?" I felt tears rise to my eyes at realizing that I failed, I was still alive. But she wasn't. "What did you do to me?" She sighed and the shock I felt at her confession blurred the world around me, and I just felt anger that it was her. It's her fault. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME BACK?!? I REFUSE TO BE LIVING WITHOUT VIOLET! UNDO IT!" I kept screaming and struggling under her, and she just looked at me with such sadness. It wasn't until I headbutted her so hard blood leaked down her nose that her eyes turned red and everything went black.

Worming my way into that guy's brain was a bad idea, I should seriously be more careful. I scolded myself for my carelessness when I heard him talk from outside. "Huh? Who the hell-" And then, he was cut off. I bent my knees immediately on alert and took a deep breath, recognizing a new scent that's joined the fritz. I creeped my way to the front doors and then after listening and hearing nothing but mumbling, I kicked the door open ready to face whoever was on the other side. A woman, do I know you?, stood there with the unfortunate-mistake-this-night's shirt gripped in her hand while her eyes glowed a bright red. She let him go and he walked off, as if he didn't even care that this woman was gripping him. Presumably, she wiped his memory cleaner than I could and then ordered him to go home. "Hey, do I know you?" She sighed, a tight frown on her face and a look of guilt sweeping through her features. Then suddenly, I was standing in front of Devil's Corner, the memory of that encounter wiped.

***

I sighed back in the forest, the silence had only lasted a couple seconds before I looked up at Scarlet, finally seeing her for her. Her person finally had depth and a warm compartment of my heart to store her memories in. "I understand why you did what you did. I honestly wouldn't have known what to do in your shoes. Anyway, aside from the past, what are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you get me out so easily? Who's that guy?" I raised my eyebrow at him, seeing as he hadn't spoken a word the whole time. "I know what you do when you get hungry. I know you pick random people off the streets and take them somewhere. I also know that some witches have been on your ass about it because of it. So when you never came back from dropping off Stella, I assumed something bad happened.

So after a week or so of listening to Cristina cry and Grayson sulk, I went to Queen Valerie. She helped me send out search parties all over the U.S. to search all the covens and investigate them for you, with me being teamed up with General Alexander to search and investigate the Floridian covens. We found you back there with the Royal Coven and brought you with us, seems like at the perfect time too. Good thing those Royal Coven snobs think so highly of their secret hide out that they don't even bother putting guards around you." General Alexander? So is this guy important? Who's Queen Valerie? Holy shit I can't believe I have a person right in front of me who knew the old me, it's like having a living piece of my past. It feels strange but also nice, to know that Scarlet saw and lived a piece of me that has long been dead.

Even with all these thoughts in my head, one was the loudest of the bunch. I hope Stella doesn't receive the repercussions of my escape.