Game of Death: The Scarlet Lady(Part 1)

Chapter 2: Knowing More Than Before

Game of Death: The Scarlet Lady

Chapter 2: Knowing More Than Before

You would think that Mona would feel awkward hanging out with Alia, but she acted no different. Her and the rest of the girls sat at a picnic table outside the front of their high school. It was the day after Mona's confrontation with the Scarlet Lady and she could think about nothing else.

"All the guys keep gawking at that new teacher, Ms. Lauren," Alia complained. "It's the only class I have with Mike; now I don't even get his attention!"

"Well..." said Sarah, pulling her long brown hair over her shoulder, "maybe it's karma? You know, what goes around comes around? Maybe this is what you get for sleeping with Louie?"

Alia's jaw dropped, "I didn't sleep with him! I can't believe that you listen to those rumors...I just had sex with him!"

As if on que, all the girls rolled their eyes.

"So Mona," said Melissa, obviously trying to change the topic, "see the 'Scarlet Lady' anymore?"

She almost blurted out what had happened, but then she remembered that the lady warned her not to tell anyone and that if she did...she would know. Above all things, she really wanted to know if she would. Could she test her someway, she wondered. Even if she found a way, she new she would never have the guts.

" No," Mona thought, "she meant it."

Then, she remembered what happened after the Scarlet Lady disappeared into the forest. Mona thought about what she had said to her before she turned back to her big, brick house. As she did, Mona noticed her mother standing near the sliding glass door. She wore her white robe with a Scarlet M.A conveniently printed on it for Michelle Adams.

"Were you talking to someone?" Her mother asked.

She obviously hadn't seen her.

"Uh, no," Mona lied. "I was just playing a song on my phone. You probably just heard that."

Her mother gave her a strange look and said, "Mona, you don't even have your phone?"

She couldn't help it. Mona's eyes widened and she began breathing heavily. Her mother waited.

"I dropped it in the hot tub, okay?" she blurted out.

Mrs. Adams rolled her eyes. "Goodnight Mona," she yawned, walking back into the house. Mona followed soon after. She made her way to her room and when she did, she noticed something lying on her yellow comforter. A golden, heart shaped mask with a white business card beside it. At the top it said: "The Scarlet Lady" in a cursive font, in, of course, scarlet. Under it, in black, it said, "Use this. You'll need it! J."

She knew that someone was really watching her parents and that they had left the "present" there, or before she confronted her with her little task she left it there. Either one showed that the lady wasn't bluffing. Somehow, someone had gone into her bedroom without being detected and left her that mask. Not only did it show she wasn't bluffing, it showed Mona that whoever was watching her parents had stealth skills, considering they had alarms on the front and back door, and all the windows. Realizing that someone could get into her room so easily, Mona wasn't able to sleep; she barely blinked. She was terrified that someone might slip into her room and harm her, without giving the slightest hint of it coming.

"Mona?" said Melissa, waving her hand in front of Mona's face. "Come back from Wonderland."

Mona snapped out of her thinking. She'd forgotten Melissa had asked her about the Scarlet Lady. She wasn't very sure if she was mocking her or if she really wanted to know? Maybe she believed her! But she couldn't tell her the truth. The Scarlet Lady would know.

"No, I guess it was just a dream," Mona sighed.

She only caught a glance of Melissa's face, because she was avoiding eye contact. Mona knew she couldn't lie to Melissa. Her best friend, her sister, her Melissa! It just wasn't possible. It was a sympathetic look. Did Melissa know she was lying? And if she did, why would she be sympathetic? Unless...

"That's what we've been telling you all along, Mo-mo," said Sarah.

Mona heard her, but she didn't listen. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts. If Melissa had met the Scarlet Lady too, then of course she wouldn't tell Mona. After all, the lady did warn that she would know. Maybe she could try talking to Melissa. If the Scarlet Lady found out, it shouldn't matter, Mona thought, since they both already knew now. School was starting so the girls went their separate ways, except for Melissa and Mona. Their lockers where right beside each other, so they would be going together anyways, but this time, Mona had planned on a more serious conversation with Melissa. They were walking through the crammed school hallway on their way to their lockers, when Mona decided to strike.

"Did you see her?" she asked. Melissa looked around at the fellow students, searching for whoever Mona was talking about. "See who?" she finally asked.

"The Scarl-," she stopped.

A piece of fabric, about four inches long, flew over her shoulder. It was scarlet. That meant the Scarlet Lady was watching, she was near...and she didn't want them discussing her. It was a warning.

"The Scarlet Letter female role?" Mona covered up.

"No?" Melissa said confused, "I read the book last year, but that was only because I had to. I'm not watching the movie-,"

Melissa was going on and on, but Mona couldn't listen. Who had dropped that piece of fabric? She looked all around the hallway, but it was filled with numerous students all making their way to homeroom and to their lockers. The Scarlet Lady could've been any one of them. Possibly a student who had already passed, who'd already made it to class. It can even be a teacher, Mona realized petrified. What she couldn't stand, something that really disturbed her, was the fact that the Scarlet Lady was in her school.