Blood Red

Chapter Two

"Why did you leave? I mean...without saying goodbye..." Red asked, trying her best to hide the upset look on her face. After talking with him as they walked, she had begun to wonder what things would be like if Aaron had stayed with her. They could have helped out her mom, and played the entire day, run across open fields until their feet gave out beneath them. Why wasn't her childhood like that? Instead it was much...lonelier.

Aaron sighed, running his hand through his shaggy hair. "My father needed me back. And I wasn't supposed to be helping you in the first place. He would have been pretty pissed if he ever found out." As if that was any explanation at all for her.

"My mom always told me to help out those who need it. I didn't think it was a bad thing." Red said, slightly confused. 

"Yeah, well, he told me differently. That's all." his tone was a bit shorter than before, his lips in a fine line.

Red didn't question any further. Her grandmother's house was on top of a huge hill, and the two of them were just staring up at it from the very bottom. No one said anything for a while, already exhausted from the walk. Aaron glanced over at her in silence, an eyebrow raised. The look was enough.

"You serious?" he asked.

Red rolled her eyes, and tied her horse's reins to a tree nearby. "I'll be back, Speck." she whispered to him, kissing the pony's nose. With a look of determination in her eye, Red began climbing up the hill, Aaron reluctantly following behind her, whining all the way up.

Her grandmother's house was a cute little home, a faded pink and creme exterior. The garden was looking a bit shabby, not at all like Red had remembered it to be when she was young. Clutching the basket in her hand, she knocked on the door.

"Gramma?" she called. "I'm here..." With that, Red opened up the door and let herself in, knowing her elderly Gramma coudn't stroll over and unlatch the door herself without taking time and energy. Her grandmother was sitting on the couch, her slippered feet up on an ottoman. Wearing a blue nightgown and a blanket over her, Gramma gave her a warm smile.

"Oh, Red, dear...I'm so happy to see you..." Gramma started to say, but her kind eyes turned slightly cold when she saw Aaron walking in behind her. "Who's that?" she asked, in an almost flat tone. The smile she wore never reached her eyes.

Aaron remained silent, glancing over the elderly woman like he was being challenged by her. It ticked him off, but he didn't want to say anything in case Red got upset about it.

"It's Aaron. Well, he was the one that helped bring me to the family, remember? I know you haven't seen him in a long time-"

"Aaron?" she repeated, the word on the very edge to being classified as a sneer. "No. I haven't seen him in a very long time."

Red nodded her head, slipping into the kitchen to prepare the basket. Strange, she thought, for her grandmother to act like that. Of course, she was just sick, and probably not feeling too great. As soon as Red had left the room, Gramma's eyes shimmered yellow for a split second, only for Aaron to see. Like she was mocking him.

Aaron sucked in a sharp breath, almost looking afraid by the time Red came back into the room. Leaning his head in close to her ear, his breath warm agisnt her skin, he murmured, "We need to leave now."

Red blushed as he leaned close to her, but gave him a mock-scolding look, waving him off. "Don't be silly. You can leave if this is too awkward for you, but I have to finish my job." she whispered back, setting down a neat tray of food on her grandmother's bed before Aaron could try to stop her. He had a horrible feeling about all of this. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked Gramma, giving her a small smile.