Woodpine Academy

Chapter 4

Scarlett enters the office to see both her parents seated in front of the principal, her dad quickly gets up to let her sit but she ignores him and walks straightly to the couch. she still looks at the office with amazement, this office could welcome two whole football teams! She was still thinking about how big the office was when the principal finally decided to break the silence.

"So, why did you want me to call Scarlett? Because clearly whatever this is shouldn't be settled here." said the principal firmly she seemed annoyed by the look of her voice.

"Well Scarlett, I wanted to inform you that while you were here your stepmom disappeared, I have no idea where she could've gone so, I had to adopt your sister whom I came to enroll today, because she was at East valley so you'll finally get to meet her sweetheart", her dad said turning his chair to look at Scarlett while talking.

"First of all Dad, that wife of yours probably ran away because she was cheating on you...But I don't give a fuck about that, you lied to me Dad, you told me that mom was dead and who's the person I bump into today? MOM!! Care to explain Father?", Scarlett said while looking him deep in the eyes, "You disapoint me dad you always taught me to not lie to always be honest."

Scarlett's words hung heavily in the air, the principal's office feeling even more cavernous as the silence stretched on. Her father's face flushed a deep crimson, the weight of his daughter's accusation visibly affecting him. He cleared his throat, struggling to maintain composure. "Scarlett, I didn't lie to you. I didn't know how to tell you the truth. Your mother... she had her reasons for staying away, but it was never my intention to deceive you. I thought it was best to protect you from the truth until we could find a better way to explain it."Scarlett's eyes narrowed, her frustration palpable. "Protect me? You think hiding the truth from me is protection? I had a right to know my mother was alive, and you took that away from me. How could you think it was okay to keep me in the dark all these years?" Her voice cracked with a mix of anger and hurt, emotions she hadn't fully processed until now. She felt a pang of betrayal, not just from her father but from the whole situation she had been thrust into.Her father sighed deeply, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I was trying to shield you from the complexities of our family situation. I wanted to give you a stable life, and I thought keeping the past buried was the best way to do that. I see now that I was wrong. I should have been honest with you, no matter how difficult the truth might have been." He looked up, his eyes reflecting a mixture of regret and pleading.The principal, sensing the emotional gravity of the conversation, decided to intervene. "Perhaps it's best to take a step back and let Scarlett and her father have a private conversation. This situation clearly requires more time and discussion than can be handled in this office." She gestured toward the door, offering a space for them to work through their emotions away from the formal setting.Scarlett's father nodded gratefully, his expression softening as he addressed his daughter. "Scarlett, I understand you're hurt, and you have every right to be. I want to make things right between us, but it will take time and patience. Your mother—well, she's here now, and maybe it's time for us all to face this new chapter together."Scarlett sat back on the couch, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. Meeting her mother, the revelations about her stepmother, and the fractured relationship with her father all seemed overwhelming. She glanced at the door where her mother stood, a stranger yet someone she had longed to know. The journey ahead seemed daunting, but Scarlett knew that facing it with honesty, despite the pain, was the only way forward. As she prepared to confront her mother, she felt a mix of trepidation and resolve, ready to seek the truth and rebuild the trust that had been so deeply shaken.Scarlett stared at the door for a moment longer, her breath hitching as her mother stood just beyond the threshold. The woman she had been told was dead—the woman who had vanished from her life without explanation—was now a living, breathing reality. Scarlett felt a swirl of emotions, but above all, an overwhelming sense of confusion. How could she reconcile the mother she had mourned with the stranger who had just reappeared in her life?Her mother's soft knock on the doorframe broke Scarlett out of her thoughts. "May I come in?" she asked, her voice hesitant, almost fragile. There was an air of vulnerability about her that Scarlett found both unsettling and oddly reassuring.Scarlett didn't respond immediately. Instead, she continued to scrutinize the woman who, despite years of absence, still seemed to know the exact tone to use to soften her defenses. Finally, with a nod that felt more like a concession than an invitation, Scarlett allowed her mother to enter.As her mother stepped into the office, Scarlett noticed how the room's atmosphere seemed to change. The tension between Scarlett and her father had been thick, but her mother's presence added a different dynamic. It wasn't anger that Scarlett felt now; it was a deep-seated need for answers, for explanations that had been withheld for far too long.Her mother took a seat beside Scarlett, the space between them heavy with unspoken words. For a long moment, neither said anything. Scarlett's father, still standing, looked like he was caught between the impulse to leave and the desire to stay, his hands fidgeting with indecision.Finally, Scarlett broke the silence. "Why did you leave?" The question came out more calmly than she expected, but it was laced with the raw pain of years spent wondering.Her mother sighed deeply, her gaze dropping to her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. "Scarlett, it's not easy to explain. I didn't want to leave you, but I had to. There were... circumstances that made it impossible for me to stay. I thought you would be safer if I wasn't around.""Safer?" Scarlett echoed, the word tasting bitter on her tongue. "What could be so dangerous that you had to disappear without a trace? Without even telling me you were alive?"Her mother looked up, her eyes meeting Scarlett's with a mixture of sorrow and determination. "It was about protecting you, Scarlett. There were people—dangerous people—who were after me. If they knew you existed, they would have used you to get to me. I had to make sure they never found out about you, that they never had the chance to hurt you."Scarlett felt a chill run down her spine. "What kind of people? Who are you running from?""It's complicated," her mother began, her voice faltering slightly. "These people... they were part of something dark, something I got involved in before you were born. I thought I could handle it, but when I realized the threat it posed to you, I had to make the hardest decision of my life."Scarlett's mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of her mother's vague explanations. "So you just left? Without any plan to come back?""I had to," her mother repeated, more forcefully this time. "It was the only way to keep you safe. But I've been keeping an eye on you, Scarlett. I've always been close, even if you didn't know it."Scarlett shook her head, disbelief etched on her face. "And Dad? Did he know all this time? Did he know you were alive?"Her father finally spoke, his voice subdued. "I didn't know at first. I believed what I was told—that she was gone. But when I found out the truth, I was already committed to keeping you safe, Scarlett. I didn't want to drag you into a mess you weren't ready to understand.""And yet, here I am," Scarlett said, her voice growing colder. "Dragged into it anyway."Her mother reached out, but Scarlett flinched away, her anger bubbling back to the surface. "I don't need your pity or your excuses. I needed my mother. I needed the truth. And you both took that from me."Her mother's hand fell back to her side, trembling slightly. "I know, and I'm sorry. I wish I could change the past, but all I can do is try to make things right now."Scarlett looked between her parents, her heart a tumult of conflicting emotions. "How do you plan to do that? What could possibly make up for the years of lies?"Her mother swallowed hard, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "By telling you everything, no more secrets. You deserve to know the truth about who we are and why things happened the way they did."Scarlett's eyes narrowed. "Start now. No more evasions."Her mother nodded, taking a deep breath as she prepared to delve into the past. "It all started with a group—a cult, really. They were obsessed with immortality, with powers beyond this world. I was young, naive, and desperate for something more. I got involved, thinking it was harmless, but I was wrong. So wrong."Scarlett leaned in, her curiosity piqued despite her anger. "What did they do?""They experimented, tried to harness ancient forces. It was all dark magic and twisted science. When I realized how dangerous they were, it was too late. I tried to get out, but they wouldn't let me go. That's when I found out I was pregnant with you, and I knew I had to escape, for both our sakes."Her father added, his voice somber, "That's when we went into hiding. We changed everything about our lives, our names, our histories. But they still found us, and that's when your mother decided to disappear, to throw them off your scent."Scarlett felt a knot of fear tighten in her stomach. "And now? Are they still out there? Are we still in danger?"Her mother hesitated before answering. "Yes, Scarlett. They're still out there. But we're stronger now, more prepared. And you're older, ready to learn what you need to protect yourself. That's why I've come back. I can't hide anymore, and neither can you."Scarlett's breath caught in her throat. The weight of her mother's words settled heavily on her chest. This wasn't just about family secrets or parental lies—it was about survival. And suddenly, the world Scarlett had known seemed infinitely more dangerous and complex than she had ever imagined.







                                                                       **Author's Note**

Hii guys!!,
I'm so sorry I haven't been posting i almost forgot about y'all and i was kinda taking a break and I didn't have inspiration at all sorry xx.
But now i'm back but I dont think I'll post every month it will depend on my inspiration anyways thank you for reading this chapter i'm already working on the other one lots and lots of love <33

-Ophelia