He knew he had them. After all, he was right: he’d always been known for his tact, his ability to gain trust and confidence. That was because he was sincere. None of his cousins had that trait.
“If she’s not the one, as you predict,” his father said, “then it doesn’t matter either way, does it?
In that case, we might as well just kill her. Maybe I should just send Lore to take care of it now?” Sage reddened at his bluff being called.
“What would you gain by that?” Sage asked, on thin ice.
“What do you care?” smiled back his father. “Unless you have some reason to protect her?” Sage fumed. As usual, they had caught him, had managed to back him into a corner. He had to think quick. He cleared his throat.
“All I’m saying,” he began, “is give me another day. Surely one more day is not a lot to ask for.
These things take time. I will fulfill the mission. I will discover her secrets. And if she is the one, I will get her to give me the key.”
“And then, we will kill her,” his mother added.
He glared back at her, his eyes darkening. He’d had enough.
“You will get your way, mother,” he said back in a steely tone. “After all, you always have, haven’t you? But what if this trick doesn’t work. What if, like the rest of us, you’ll die in a few weeks? Then what, mother? Then who will you have left to order around?” With that, Sage stood, turned, and strutted from the room.
“Sage, get back here!” his father yelled after him.
But he’d had enough. He stormed out the room and slammed the door behind him. He couldn’t stand to hear their voices for one more moment.
As he closed the door behind him, he looked up and saw, standing there, his cousin. Lore. He was grinning back at him with an evil grin, his eyes glazed over in a drug haze. Lore was three inches taller than Sage, at six foot five, and had broad shoulders and a square jaw. He sneered down, dressed in his black leather jacket, unshaven, stubble on his face.
“Hello, cousin,” he said.
It took all Sage’s willpower to control his anger.
“Eavesdropping again?” Sage asked.
Lore only grinned wider.
“Your new mission. Is Scarlet her name?” his grin widened. “She sounds delightful. Don’t worry, if you can’t finish her off, I will.”
Sage wanted to kill him right then and there, with his bare hands.
But he couldn’t.
So instead, he forced himself to walk away, bumping Lore’s shoulder hard as he walked past him.
Sage needed to stay focused. More than anything, he needed to divert attention from this girl.
Because deep down, in his heart, he knew that Scarlet was the one. The key to his clan’s survival.
And he would do everything in his power to save her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Scarlet came home from school feeling totally on edge. She kept reliving in her head that fateful moment in the cafeteria, when Blake was about to ask her to the dance and Vivian interrupted them.
She was so mad just thinking about it. It seemed obvious that Blake liked her; but for some reason, he just didn’t have the backbone to stand up to Vivian. It was like he was afraid to make her mad.
She hated that about Blake. She was totally obsessed with them, but she hated the fact that he didn’t have the spine to stand up to her, to stand up for what he really wanted, despite what anybody else thought. Scarlet felt that she deserved a guy who wasn’t afraid to express his feelings for her, in front of anyone, no matter what the consequences, who wasn’t afraid to just walk up to her and ask her to the dance. Why was that so hard? Why did guys always have to deliberate, to hedge their bets?
Why couldn’t they just pick one girl and not think twice? Why did they always seem to keep their options open, always keep one eye on one other girl, just in case?
Scarlet fumed as she hurried up her steps, across the wide front porch, and entered her house.
The late October weather was starting to pick up, the temperature dropping. A cold breeze had chased her all the way home from school, and it was nice and warm inside.
As she walked in, Ruth barked hysterically, whining and jumping on her, dancing around her in circles, so excited. As always, once she saw Ruth, all Scarlet’s troubles faded into the background.
She knelt down and gave her a big hug, kissing her all over her face.
The smell of warm food wafted through the house, and as Scarlet stood, she noticed the fire in the fireplace. She was beginning to feel at ease again. There was nothing she loved more than a fire, and the fact that there was one burning only meant one thing: daddy was home from work in time for dinner.
“First fire of the year!” Caleb announced as he marched into the room, a satisfied grin on his face, carrying a small bundle of logs and setting them down beside the mantel. “What do you think?” he asked, as he came over and gave her a hug.
She gave him a big hug, thrilled he was home. She loved her dad more than anything, and his presence was always so reassuring in her life.
“I’m surprised,” she said. “You usually wait until Thanksgiving.”
“I know,” he answered. “But it got so cold, I figured why wait? After all, it’s practically November.”
“I love it,” Scarlet said. “Can’t come early enough for me.” Ruth seemed to feel the same, as she walked over to the fireplace and curled up in a ball a few feet away.
“How are you feeling?” Caleb asked, looking at her earnestly.
Scarlet hated when he looked at her like that, so worried. She didn’t want anyone to worry about her. She started to make her way towards the dining room.
“I’m fine,” she snapped, and immediately felt bad, sounding a little bit too edgy. “Don’t worry about me. Really. It was just like the flu or whatever.”
“I’m not worried about you,” Caleb said. “I know that your fine. But your mother is worried.” Scarlet looked at him, suddenly realizing, and dreading seeing her mom. The last thing she wanted was a worry session right now.
“How’s she doing?”
Caleb shrugged. “She’s a bit shaken. You gave us a fright. But she’ll be okay.” Scarlet’s stomach dropped at the thought of the dinner ahead. She could already envision how worried her mom would be, and she really didn’t want to be around it right now. Her mom had already texted her three times today to ask how she was. It was annoying. She appreciated how much her parents cared, but at the same time, it could be suffocating. She just wanted them to trust her, to trust that she was fine.