A Beast with a Smile {Book 1}

Chapter 19 (Scarlett): The Window to the Soul

I felt the butterflies trying to leave my stomach. The world changed from darkness to the city again, the same images as when I was falling from the dragon joy ride.

I thought that I was falling towards the pond, but I was ascending toward the dragon. He flew backwards and snatched me again.

His speed increased in a reverse descent to the breach in the trees where he picked me up. I began to flow in reverse too, seeing my journey for the second time, but heading straight for the danger this time. Time seemed to freeze for a second, or at least reversing so slow it seemed still.

The world felt like a photo, a still snapshot of a single terrifying event. It had paused on the fire engulfing my entire body. When I was running I didn't feel anything other than the heat; I knew it was on me, but I had no idea I was more fire than girl at any point.

The reverse sped up faster and I watched my clothing be magically repaired over the unbroken skin. I remembered seeing Mother Time's memories of her flesh burning away. That was a small fire while this was a dragon.

I should be dead.

The reverse sped up ten times, taking me back to the pimped out minivan. Again the images froze, this time on me shielding Elly when the trucks showed up.

She was pressed against the floor by my hand. I looked around and saw bullets floating; they had ricocheted off of something. By my hand I saw a shoulder that bullets crushed into and others bounced off completely.

The images reversed slightly more to the lifeless body of Elly in my arms. My tears were still wet on my face and I could see Archy's minivan ramming through the glass into the building.

Little shards floated, glued in place by time itself. My tears also floated between Elly and me, glowing bright white as they touched her skin. Tears landed all over her head and hair.

When time reversed, tears returned to my eyes; some returned to their original shape, glowing white on her skin and ascended reopening small cuts on her face.

Time sped up again: the speed was too fast to see fluent images. I saw memories from my entire life from meeting Scavenger to watching him die in many different ways. It stopped one last time on my earliest memory.

I was in the hospital wrapped in a blanket. My father was pressed against my mother's cheek and Jet was pressed under her chin. They were all squishing together to see the new member of their family.

My dad's hair was cut and combed over instead of long and unwashed, Jet had a buzz cut and a tooth was missing from his smile, and my mother had long fiery red hair, the same color as mine.

My eyes began to drip. I wished I could warn them about the meteor shower and I wished I could restart my life from this moment with the knowledge of the future. The memory began to play.

'Jet, I'd like you to meet your baby sister,' my mother said. She lowered me to Jet's eye level and he screeched with excitement. He tugged on my red blanket trying to see more of me.

"Whats her name?" he asked, jumping up and down.

She smiled and looked at my dad, "I don't know. Jack, what should we name her?"

My dad smiled, wiping away tears.

"Um, Jack Jr.?" he suggested with an awkward smile on his face.

My mother rolled her eyes.

A nurse asked, "Can I take her off of your hands for a second? I just need to do some check ups."