She strides down the dimly lit street, graceful as a cat. Her cerise hair falling in her face as she looks left and right down the dark alleyways; always watching with her cold, blue eyes that showed that she had seen more than her years suggest. She was trained to do this since she was six. It's been eleven years since her family died and she's finally found the killer. She was meeting up with him on the bench in front of the closed coffee shop. Maybe if she hadn't tried to find him, it wouldn't have happened. Maybe if she had let herself have closure, things wouldn't have gone like they did. Maybe...just maybe.
She still remembers the day her family was murdered. How could she not? She was there with them. It's so vivid in her mind like it has happened yesterday. It was her fifth birthday. They were having their traditional birthday picnic at the park. She and her twin sister were both eating their favourite dessert: strawberry angel cake. They're not really twins, her sister is a year older but people always mistook them for twins so it stuck. Her ten year old brother stared off into space while her parents spoke in hushed tones and gazed on lovingly. It happened so quickly, she didn't even have time to cry. One second, they were all laughing at something she said; the next, she was sprayed with something.
As her mom screamed, she brought shaky fingers up to her face. Now slick with thick, crimson blood; she was terrified. So terrified, she didn't even realize her mom was no longer screaming or the man standing behind her.
There was a boy. Such beautiful green eyes he had, she couldn't forget them. Last thing she had seen before she passed out from the cloth over her mouth was her sister and brother running into the woods but go down as two shots were fired. Then, it was black.
Her anger spiked. Her mother, father, brother and sister were all dead because of that boy. The only family she had was her uncle...until that same boy killed him while she was on a mission. She arrived at the meeting place. It was void of any living thing. It was like a ghost town. The wind whistled through boarded windows and dead, brown leaves swirled down the street. It actually reminded her of 'Silent Hill' just without ashes covering everything or the still burning fires. Yes, she does watch movies. She doesn't live under a rock.
She waited 5 minutes...10 minutes...15 minutes...20 minutes. She got up, about to leave when a voice sounded behind her.
"Scarlet Keller."
Turning to face the speaker, Scarlet was looking into those beautiful green eyes once again for the first time in eleven years. "Nix Rhodes. To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you?"
"Your presence is payment enough, my dear." Scarlet kept her face passive of the flattery.
"Enough," she hissed. "We both know we did not come here to play childish games."
"Well, I believe you might be correct," Nix replied in his velvety voice. "I also believe I have quite a surprise for you."
"As do I." Scarlet agreed, wearing a sly smirk.
Nix whistled and motioned with his fingers for someone to advance. Immediately, Scarlet was on high alert. No matter how prepared she was, no matter the amount of training, nothing could have prepared her for this. Nix was right; surprised, she was.
"Violet. " Scarlet gasped. Staring back at her with the same blue eyes she had, was the face of her twin. She looked at the person beside Violet. "Grayson?" Scarlet gaped at her brother, whom she had thought died eleven years prior. They had changed so much. Violet had dyed her copper hair to a deep raven black and she was taller. She looked so regal. Grayson on the other hand, his hair was still a sandy blonde and his cold, hazel eyes still had that murderous look to them. His shoulders were quite broad now and he was definitely more muscular.
The shock of seeing her presumed dead siblings was so great that Scarlet fell to her knees. All her training flew out the window. She made a fatal mistake; she let her guard down. Violet's eyes were shining with tears. She was shaking her head and repeating something. It appeared to be: 'No.'
No what?
Two seconds later, her inner question was answered. Scarlet was looking into the barrel of a gun held by Grayson.
"So this was a trap, Nix?" she asked casually, as if being held at gun point was an everyday thing to her.
Nix nodded, "And you fell for it."
"Go ahead, kill me." Scarlet shrugged.
Grayson cocked the gun. "Fine."
Scarlet looked her twin in the eyes one last time, "I love you."
She shut her eyes as it began to rain heavily. A gunshot rang out. No pain. No tunnel. No white light? She didn't even feel cold. Slowly, she cracked one eye open to see Nix pitch forward and Violet standing behind him with a smoking gun while Grayson looked on, no emotion showing. Scarlet ran over to her siblings and hugged them with all her might.
Violet began to mutter 'I'm Sorry.'
"Don't be sorry," Scarlet replied, tear mixing with rain. "You just saved my-," Another gunshot rang out. A pain flared in her chest. Letting go, Scarlet looked down. Red was blossoming on her shirt. She looked back up at Violet, disbelievingly.
"I'm sorry," Violet repeated.
Grayson helped Scarlet to the ground as her knees grew weak. Her eyelids feel heavy.
"Why Violet?" she asked. Violet shrugged and looked at Grayson. "Gray?" Scarlet questioned, using his nickname. He grimaced.
"I had to, Scar." he replied, using her nickname.
"No!" she cried. "You didn't!"
"I did!" Grayson retorted, his cold eyes ablaze. "It's your fault they died! If you hadn't insisted on having that stupid picnic, we wouldn't have been there! Then they wouldn't have died! People always die around you, so yes, I had to do it."
"Vi?" she turned to Violet.
Violet nodded, her serene expression mangled into one of anger. "It's all your fault."
Scarlet Keller's eyes closed, her body slick with rain and scarlet, a mantra echoing in her mind.
It's all your fault.
