Scarlett's POV
I don't remember what I did, but all I know is my dad beat me again. I can't even see properly. I can barely walk! I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying. I will not give him that satisfaction.
I ran out of the house before he can hit me again. It's evening and the sun was starting to set.
Where do I go?
I decided I'd go to my only friend's house. She lived a couple of blocks down. I was broken and bloody and no one on the street noticed. My muscles were aching.
I dialed her number on my cell and told her what happened. "My father is a drunk and he beats me." What a horrible thing to have to admit to your best friend.
She came outside a minute later and her eyes were sympathetic. "I'm really sorry that your dad--"
I cut her off. "Let's just go for a walk and I'll tell you everything, okay?"
She nodded and we wandered around random alleyways, which I now realize was a terrible idea, as I told her what happened.
Matthew's POV
Liz told me how I was being a creeper so I didn't go back to the girl's house. I just wandered around the city again with Liz. The sky was starting to darken.
"You smell that?" Liz asked me. "Smells like.. dried blood." I nodded but I didn't feel hungry. Liz, on the other hand, is always hungry. She sniffed the air again. "It's dinner time!" she said excitedly.
"I'm not hungry." I muttered.
"Suit yourself," she said. I followed after her, but not because I wanted blood, because sometimes people carry valuables that you can steal from them after they're dead.
And before I knew it, Liz was on top of this blonde girl, a pool of blood forming by her dead, limp body. There was another girl who stood frozen a few feet away. She screamed only once, but then covered her mouth as if paralyzed by fear. Then she looked in my direction and our eyes met. I knew this girl...
It was the girl from the subway.
When Liz was done with the blonde, she turned to the other girl. And before I could react, she sunk her fangs into the girl's neck. The girl screamed again, this time more agonizing than the last.
I tackled Liz and threw her aside. "LIZ! STOP!" I yelled, pinning her to the ground.
"Dude, what the f*ck! You said you weren't hungry!" Liz yelled in my face, her eyes glowing red.
"That's the girl!" I yelled back at her.
"Oh, sh*t! The one you told me about yesterday?" Liz' eyes grew wide.
"Yes! And you just bit her!" I screamed angrily. I jumped off of Liz and walked to where the girl lay sobbing in agony on the floor, curling into a ball and rubbing at her neck.
"Shhh, it's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise. And Liz, won't hurt you anymore, okay?" I kneeled down next to the girl. Her blood smelled delicious, but I resisted my urge. "Do you trust me?"
She didn't reply, just sobbed even harder.
Liz grunted and got up off the ground, wiping the dirt from her pants. "Yo chick, chill, you'll be fine," she said in an irritated tone.
She was probably just grumpy because I tackled her.
I picked up the girl and carried her in my arms. "Liz, get rid of the blonde's body. Clean up the mess. I'm taking her home with me."
"Ooh, you dog! You just met her and you're already taking her home!" she said mockingly.
I shot her a look. "Liz, quit your sh*t or I'll snap your neck."
She rolled her eyes at me. "Fine."
Scarlett's POV
I was in a dull white hospital room, sitting on the edge of my mom's hospital bed. The doctor said she didn't have very much time left; the cancer had spread too fast...
She took my hand and held it gently in hers, giving me a small smile but really it was more of a wince. And she sang to me, though her voice was hoarse. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey..."
And then she was cut off by the sound of a long beeeeeeeep. She died right in front of me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I placed a kiss on the back of her cold, dead hand. And through sobs, I sang back, "Please don't take my sunshine away."
That's when I woke up, gasping for breath. It was only a dream, I thought with a sigh of relief. But I was in an unfamiliar room. I sat up looked around and once again, met the eyes of the boy from the subway. He sat in a chair across from the bed. He perked up when he saw I was awake.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hi." I replied numbly.
I noticed there was a blanket over me and I wondered if he had been watching me sleep this whole time.
I stared at the wall, my mind spinning. I had so many questions but I had no idea where to start.
"Is um.. Is my friend... dead?" I asked, looking down at my hands.
"Yes." he said softly.
I felt my bottom lip start to tremble.
"Your friend... she... ate her?"
"Uh, yeah.. I'm really sorry about that..."
I bit my lip to keep from crying.
"Am I... Am I dead?" My voice cracked.
"No. Well, partially, yeah. You've only been bitten. But you are turned."
I turned to face him. "I'm one of you now?" He nodded slowly, his expression hard.
And the tears came streaming down my cheeks, despite my effort to keep them back. I hadn't cried this much since my mom died...
But he left me alone to cry.
Matthew's POV
I came back into the room and found her curled up into a ball facing the wall. I sat next to her on the bed, her back facing me.
"I'm sorry we haven't met officially. I'm Matthew, but I prefer Matt. And as you've learned, I'm a friggin' vampire."
"I'm Scarlett." Her voice was barely audible.
"I like that name. It suits you." She said nothing, just stared at the wall blankly.
Finally, she asked "You kind of saved me, didn't you?"
I was taken aback by the question. "Yes, I did."
She sat up now and faced me. "Why?"
"I, uh, well..." I found myself stuttering and unable to speak. Her eyes locked on me, now the same golden color as mine. "I just thought you seemed... special."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well I'm not. You should choose wisely next time you decide to play the Prince in Shining Armor because honestly, I was ready to die."
I opened my mouth to speak but I wasn't sure what to say. Finally, I managed to ask, "Why?"
"Why does it matter to you? What made me so special anyway? Did you think you could just keep me as a stupid pet for your own amusement? You should've killed me when you had the chance. Could've even got a meal out of it. It's a win-win situation."
"Scarlett, stop." I said, cutting her off. "Obviously I saved you for a reason. I just don't know it yet. Just be grateful you're still alive, okay?"
She looked back down at her hands, her expression hard. "Fine."
"What is so bad about your life that you were willing to die anyway?"
"None of your business." She replied coldly.
I nodded and walked out of the room. And I smirked.
That's why I saved her. She was just one giant mystery to me. And sooner or later she'll have to tell me her secret.
I was determined to solve the puzzle of the mysterious case of Scarlett...
