Alive

Chapter 4

"This is it." Crystal says plainly as we arrive at an abandoned barn with holes jutting around the roof top. I stay silent as we entered, the light from the holes flittering around the inside of the old wooden barn.

"You know; I can fix that for you." I say as soon as we enter, pointing to a huge hole in the roof.

"Nice." Crystal replies, throwing a bag my way. I watch as she walks into another room, throwing pieces of clothing out on top of the bag.

"Ok then." I reply and race around the barn, grabbing a small hammer and some nails. I take a small piece of wood up to the roof, hammer in hand and nails sticking out of my mouth as I climb up to the roof. Once I got up their I placed the wood gently in place and started to nail it down, taking one nail at a time. Soon enough I had finished and the hole wasn't bothering me anymore. I climbed down slowly and entered the barn once more, seeing Crystal staring at where the opening use to be.

"You did a nice job." Crystal complimented, smiling at my work.

"Thanks..." I reply. "hey, we better get going. Won't Scar be pleased to see a mortal like you." I finish with a sarcastic voice, leading Crystal away from the barn. I heard the sound of angry guards chasing after us and pushed Crystal in front of me. I grabbed a match out of my pocket and lit it quickly, tossing it towards the guards and it lit a wall of flame around them in the dry grass.

Soon enough we both arrived at the camp Scarlet had already rebuilt. The bramble and stick dome seemed to blend in with its lush forest surroundings. When I looked inside Scarlet was gone, but she had left fresh scent marks that told me she wouldn't be gone long. I led Crystal inside and sat her down by the fire pit.

"Do you want a place to sleep?" I ask seriously, giving the mortal my regular, expressionless gaze.

"I wouldn't mind a bed..." Crystal says and her voice trails off to thought. "Do vampires sleep?" She asks, her voice full of curiosity. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled with a longing curiosity I hadn't seen before, and I yearned to know exactly what she thought.

"I don't sleep much, but yes, vampires sleep too." I explain and glance back at the entrance way. I could see Scarlet's shape in the setting sun as she approached the camp with a pile of fire wood in her arms. I rush away from the entrance, a look of half terror on my face.

"What is it?" Crystal asked, standing from where she sat, her hands balled in tight fists by her side as if she was ready for battle. Scarlet came in with a pile of sticks, her jaw dropped and she dropped the branches she was carrying.

"What is a mortal doing in my camp?!" Scarlet asked, her voice a tight growl as if she was trying to hold back a burst of anger.

"Scar... I can explain." I say, approaching Scarlet cautiously.

"Then explain Arrow!" Scarlet spat out in a cold tone. I could just notice Crystal tense up at the sound of my old ex- friend's voice.

"Ok, I see that I've crossed a line. But I don't think you should-" I say and Scarlet furiously interrupts.

"I should what?! Take it out on Crystal? No! I'll take it out on you and dump you out in the wild with the rest of the rats!" She yells angrily, then covers her mouth with shock. I suddenly felt like a lump sat in my throat, and I felt like I couldn't breathe for what seemed like hours before I started to speak once more.

"Scar... I was going to say that you shouldn't get worked up." I explain cautiously. Scarlet stared at me with her good eye, her hair drooped over her face as she looked at me with an apologetic stare. "We need to unite with vampires and humans alike if we're going to stop the feud between our two species." I explain further. Scarlet seemed lost in thought, looking at Crystal, then back at me with the same apologetic stare.