Total Eclipse

Chapter 1

A/N: This starts off a bit slow as I'm completely terrible at starting stories, but bare with it, hopefully it will start to get better!

7o'clock in the morning and the ringing of an alarm clock blasted out into Scarlett's bedroom. She lifted her hand slowly from under her duvet and pressed the button to turn the sound off. She sighed, and wondered why she still hadn't thrown that old thing out and replaced it with something that sounded less.. horrifying. If one imagined a cat being stepped on repeatedly, one would have a good idea at just how horrifying the alarm was. Scarlett rolled onto her back, and looked up at the ceiling. She could just about make it out; the room was dark and her curtains were shut tight. They hadn't been opened for days, she just wasn't in the mood. Scarlett sighed again. She had college today, which she hadn't enjoyed a day of since she started the month before, but it was made worse by the fact she hadn't slept a wink that night. She had just lay there, thinking. She had thought about her childhood. She rememered being six years old when the questions first started. She asked her mother repeatedly, "Where is my daddy? What happened to him?" but her mother never answered. She just tried to distract her daughter with toys and stupid books about fairys, which Scarlett had begin to resent by the time she was nine. Scarlett could tell, even at that young age, that there was something her mother wasn't telling her. When she was twelve, she brought questions up again.
"What happened to my dad?" she asked one afternoon after school, holding an ice pack to her face. Another girl had attacked her and clawed at her face.
"He was a bad person," her mum had said, avoiding eye contact. "Now stop asking me, Scarlett. I'm at my wits end with you. You know I was supposed to be going out tonight but you had to go and get in a fight." It wasn't what Scarlett had been hoping to hear but it was progress. A 'bad person'? Why? What did he do? Every year as Scarlett got older, she had began to resent her mother more and more. She enjoyed it when her mum went on nights out, even though it meant she had to look after herself for the night and sometimes even take herself to school the next morning.
It wasn't until she was fifteen that she made a breakthrough. It was Halloween and instead of going out or throwing a party like she usually did, Scarlett's mother, Janine, had decided to stay inside all day and do nothing, which was quite out of character. Scarlett had sensed there was something wrong, but she didn't know what, so she decided, though it pained her, to be extra sweet with her mother and look after her, almost. As the seventh trick or treater that night knocked on their door, Janine had flipped.
"That's it. This is doing my absolute head in. I'm in the right mind to call the police and have these little brats done for harrassment," she spat. Scarlett sensed her annoyance, and went to the door.
"GO AWAY!" she shouted. The kids outside were wearing masks, but Scarlett could tell they had horrified looks on their faces, and they ran off together. "Tell all your little friends to not bother coming here!" Scarlett called after them, then slammed the door shut and returned to the living room, where Janine was pouring herself some wine.
"Thank you," she sighed. She began to fill up a second glass. Scarlett watched her from the doorway. When Janine had filled the glass almost to the top, she looked up at her daughter.

"Here," she said, indicating to the glass. "You're almost an adult now, Scarlett. You're incredibly mature anyway. You're like me. Strong."
Scarlett hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the couch next to her mum. She picked up the glass and took a sip, then placed it back down on the coffee table. Janine took more than a sip of hers, she practically downed half of the drink in one go. Scarlett watched her, quietly, until Janine put her glass down.
"If you need anything, just let me know," she said. "You seem quite down today. You've always been there for me, so I'm returning the favour." This was a lie. Scarlett had felt alone most of her life, and she never felt more lonely than when she was in her mothers company. Janine looked at her, and gave a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, Scarlett," she said, and picked up her glass and finished her drink.
"Don't be sorry," Scarlett said. "I've had a.. great life. I've got everything I've ever wanted."
"Except the truth?" Janine said, though she seemed to be talking to herself more than Scarlett.
Scarlett remained silent.
"You always asked me about him," Janine said. Scarlett knew she was talking about her father, and excitement rose into her chest, but she tried to remain calm and unaffected.
"You have to understand, he was a bad person. He didn't really care about you, or me, or anyone except himself. He didn't even know how to love."
Scarlett continued to say nothing, and let this sink in.
"His name was Michael. Michael Moon," Janine continued.
Scarlett froze. Those were the words she'd waited to hear for so long.
"Why did you never tell me before?" she asked, quietly. A million thoughts raced around her head. There was another family in the Square with the name Moon. Was she related to them?
"It wasn't right," Janine said slowly. "I shouldn't have even told you anything tonight. It's only because it's the anniversary of his death.."
"Death?" Scarlett asked, her voice breaking. "He's dead? And you never told me?" She felt herself getting very hot. She looked at her mother, feeling nothing but anger. "I wish.. I wish I'd poisoned your wine!" she shouted, and hit her glass so that wine split everywhere. She stood up and left the room quickly. She didn't want to hear anymore.
"Scarlett!" Janine called after her, but Scarlett ignored her and went to her room.

*

As Scarlett lay in her bed thinking about all of this, she heard her mother get up from the room across from hers, and go down the stairs. The Halloween where Scarlett had learnt about her fathers death had been nearly three years before, and since then, their already flawed relationship had dwindled even more, and they barely ever spoke. Scarlett felt nothing but anger for her mother. She didn't feel like she could ever forgive her.