I wrote this for Marissa Meyers' fanfiction contest
-Takes place toward the end of Scarlet
-Mashes TLC with Goldilocks
-Aurelia is my character
-The other characters are not mine

Howls echoed through Aurelia's mind as she darted in and out of the shadows. She did not care that hundreds were being slaughter and eaten alive. Only one thing was truly important at this moment, and that was to steal.
The Opera House, abandoned and old and crumbling, was finally empty of those horrid creatures.
And while the cat was away, the mice would most certainly play.
Aurelia paused at the entrance, straining to hear any sign of life. Not a sound.
She grinned widely.
Aurelia had been waiting forever for a golden opportunity such as this, a moment where she could feed her curiosity about the strange, animalistic men who lived in the deserted Opera House.
If she had had family, they would certainly have warned against such a rash action. But she had no relatives to speak of, and what little friends she did have also shared the same awe of the Opera House beasts.
Tonight, she was going to raid their little hideout.
Aurelia had to lean back and use all her weight just to wrench open the door. She was scrawny and short and no older than ten years old, making the task somewhat difficult. Upon entering, Aurelia found that the floor was hard, loud marble, but she had no problem making her footsteps inaudible.
The main lobby was bare of any valuables. Dust littered the torn up floor in odd places, trails of clean marble glistening where it was most walked on. Gorgeous architectural pillars sprung up close to the walls at equal distances apart, reaching up to the ceiling. Two sets of grand staircases mirrored each other, stretching from this floor to the next, flanked by broken and crumbling statues.
Aurelia scurried across the room, short blonde curls whipping behind her. She silently climbed the set of stairs up to the next floor, hoping to find something of value.
At the top, a creak reverberated against Aurelia's bare feet, making her jump from fright. She hurriedly opened the nearest door and dashed inside. She pressed her ear to the cool wood and listened for any other sound. When nothing followed, she let out a breath and turned to look at the new room she had just breached.
A dirty, cracked mirror leaned against the far wall, reflecting the pale moonlight that shone in from a sunroof on the slanted ceiling. Beside that was a large, metal door, looking like it might lead to a freezer. Stockpiled to her right were dozens of large boxes. One close to the door where Aurelia stood was ripped open, its dully colored contents nearly spilling down onto the floor.
She peered into the cardboard box, expecting to find musty old costumes and scrips, thrown in here and out of the way. Instead, it was crowded with transparent military-packaged meals filled with smaller brown packages that Aurelia assumed must each contain different foods.
Instantly, her stomach growled at the prospect of food. She hadn't eaten in a while, save for the scraps of someone's half-finished sandwich she had salvaged from a garbage the other day.
Without further thought, Aurelia tore into one of the bundles, spilling a couple brown packages onto the ground. She plucked a prism shaped one from her feet and studied it, the different shaped lettering confusing her as she had never learn how to read. She shrugged and ripped it open, exposing flat white squares. She picked one and cautiously brought it to her lips, taking a small nibble.
The cracker was bitter and relatively tasteless. Aurelia had almost never had the luxury of being picky, but with all the food at her disposable, she figured she could do better.
She rummaged through the bag that now sat propped against the box, pulling out a new brown package. This one was larger than the rest, which almost made Aurelia salivate at the thought of so much food. She yanked it open and red beans in a brown sauce spilled out.
Aurelia had had beans before, their mushy insides and slippery shells making them one of her least favorite foods to snatch. She distastefully plucked one into her mouth and bit down on the squishy bean. It was salty and the sauce hinted at an onion flavor; the texture almost made Aurelia gag.
She set down the bag of beans and looked for something to wash away the unpleasant flavor. She folded back the flaps of other cardboard boxes until she came across waters. She grabbed a bottle and chugged half of it before taking a breath; she hadn't even realized how thirsty she was.
Aurelia swiped an arm across her mouth to wipe away a dribble of liquid. She picked up another package, hoping for something acceptable this time. She tore a sliver off one side and reached in, pulling out a yellowish slab of cake.
Aurelia paused and sniffed the food. It smelt sweet and vaguely of vanilla. Without hesitation, she took a bite and was immediately filled from head to toe with ecstasy. The cake was sugary, but not too sweet, and a dash of cinnamon flavor was a pleasurable aftertaste.
Aurelia was overcome with an animalistic urge (she silently wondered if it was a virus that ran through veins in the walls of the Opera House); she shoved half the cake in her mouth, and before long it was all gone.
Satisfied and no longer very hungry, Aurelia sat down before the old, cracked mirror. She hadn't seen herself in a while, aside from distorted reflections in puddles and shop windows. Slightly less than half her head was roughly shaved close to the scalp, uneven little hairs sticking up (She had tired of the long hair getting in her way, but the job had been interrupted and therefore never properly finished); the other half was getting too long, already reaching past the shoulders. The blonde curls were tangled and dirty, a splatter of mud coating the tips. Aurelia's eyes were a lush green color, something that she always loved about her appearance. Her skin was tanned from being outside so much and the layer of grim and dirt only made it appear darker.
A voice sounded in the distance. Aurelia went still.
Silently, she got to her feet and crept toward the door. She inched it open, listening carefully.
"I need to use the bathroom."
It was a female voice, vague and far-off, probably a floor or two down.
"I'm going to escape now."
Aurelia quickly slipped into the hall and crept to the stairs. She listened intently.
Nothing.
She jogged back down the stairs and ran into the nearest shadow.
Her back to the cold wall, Aurelia inhaled, her anxiety levels skyrocketing. She breathed slowly through her mouth, in and out.
She glanced at the door.
Pushing herself off the wall, she took a silent step closer to her exit.
The door violently swung open on its hinges.
Aurelia stopped dead in her tracks. She stopped breathing.
A man, maybe twice her age, stomped into the room. He looked murderous and—was that blood on his clothes?
He swiftly made his way across the room and disappeared down a different hall.
Aurelia let out a shaky breath, putting her arm up on the wall to steady herself.
She had almost got caught. There was no doubt in her mind that the man would have mercilessly killed her. Maybe he would have even enjoyed it.
Aurelia slid down the wall until she was sitting. She knew she should run, get as far away from here as possible before he came back.
But what if more were waiting outside. Aurelia knew nowhere was safe, not with all of them out in the city attacking people. Only now did she realize how stupid she was to try and understand these monsters.
Her tailbone ached. She shifted position. It didn't help much.
She felt stupid, sitting there trying to get comfortable. She laid her forehead against her knees.
Minutes past, and even though there were small sounds that reached Aurelia's hiding spot, her ears didn't pick them up. Her mind and heart were racing too fast to realize.
There was a smashing sound and Aurelia's head whipped up. She was terrified. More loud sounds followed, getting louder, getting closer. A man's voice, taunting someone. It sounded like a cat and mouse chase, and Aurelia had no interest in being the mouse.
And then.
She came running down the stairs, crashing into the room. She was frantic, red tangles of hair flying behind her. The man was right behind her, pouncing on her when she trips. He pulled her up, said something through gritted teeth, something Aurelia couldn't hear. Then he threw her against one of the statues. The sound was loud, like breaking bones, and Aurelia flinched, fighting not to cry out.
The man crouched, and in that instant, though neither the girl nor her attacker realized it, a large figure darted in through the entrance. Aurelia noticed though.
Both men leaped into the air at the same time, different prey in mind, colliding seconds later.
Before Aurelia could tell what was happening, the smaller of the two was being flipped onto his back. He got up, his expression angry beyond any emotion Aurelia had ever felt. The girl was pressed against the statue still, watching them with something bordering on recognition in her eyes.
The two men had a rough conversation, each looking like they wanted to kill the other. Aurelia heard not a word, her mind racing with fear and plans of escape.
"Then you've made your choice," one of them said before pouncing.
They fought intensely, brawling with gnashing teeth and flying drops of crimson that splattered soundlessly against the marble.
Aurelia's mind couldn't keep up with their quick movements. She squeezed her eyes shut and rest her head on her knees, crying silently. She hugged her small frame so closely it ached.
She was scared, so scared.
She looked up only when she heard a loud howl echoing through the room. One stood over the other, clearly victorious. He leaned down closely and, without warning, bit down on the other man's neck, tearing the throat. Aurelia gaped as blood dripped down his chin, smeared on both their shirts, spilled to the floor. Blood everywhere. So much blood. Such a beautiful crimson color blood.
The man's gaze darted back to the girl (her hair was not quite as nice a hue of red, but pretty nonetheless) who was limping from the room as fast as she could go, fear in her eyes.
She was probably as scared as Aurelia.
He leapt to his feet and chased after her like a crazed maniac.
Aurelia exhaled a breath she had been holding in too long.
She wanted to run from the body, she wanted to hide from it, she wanted to be anywhere but here.
Her stomach churning, she fell on her hands and knees and vomited. The smell mixed with the scent of blood and she dry heaved, her stomach empty. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was thinking what a waste that food had been now that it sat here on the marble floor unwanted.
Aurelia glanced at the dead man. Her body moved without her mind's consent, slowly crawling over to the still corpse. Her curiosity would never die, would it?
She looked down at him. Blood splattered his skin and shirt and all up his clothes. But if she looked past all the red and the death, he looked peaceful. He could have been asleep if it weren't for his dead eyes searching the ceiling. Only slightly repulsed, Aurelia leaned over and pressed his eyelids closed. He deserved at least that.
Aurelia got up on shaky legs.
She had to leave.
One step.
Two steps.
She was out the door.
Past the gates.
Down the street.
Running, and never looking back.