Part 16
Aida wondered why she bothered something. She wasn't interesting in the pitiful little human Erica, not understanding the sudden fascination with her.
So Scarlet was pissed off because the little human girl had foolishly knocked into her, and it had started something of an obsession. The obsession had now drifted from her to the Daybreakers, convincing themselves they needed to save her before Scarlet did something to her.
Dathan and Joab had dome something the previous night that had thrown everything completely off balance.
"You don't look too pleased."
Aida glared at Joab, hating the way he just sneaked up on people, appearing as if out of nowhere. "No, I'm not pleased," she snapped. "Am I the only one who thinks this thing with the new girl is totally ridiculous?"
Joab was silent for a moment. "No, you're not, but you know what Scarlet at Dathan are like when they want something," he said with a roll of his endless black eyes.
Aida studied him. She could never tell where this guy was coming from. One minute he was as psychotic as his brother...the next he was vague and distant. "What happened last night?" she asked.
Joab frowned. "This kid was following Erica and Dathan. Scarlet told me and Ara to watch out for anything unusual. I pointed her out to Dathan."
Aida sighed "And you guys killed her." A dead kid. Just great. No wonder things were so heated up between Scarlet and Dathan. Celeste was going to freak.
"You two need to lighten up, big time," Scarlet and Dathan joined them, arms around each other. Obviously, they had made up.
Joab eyed them curiously. "So..."
"So we deal and get on with the plan," Scarlet said smugly. "Just leave everything to me." She glanced over at Aida and Joab. "You two are still on board, right?"
Aida just nodded. Joab shrugged. Scarlet turned in Dathan's arms and pulled Joab towards her. "I want you to do something for me."
Joab sighed. "Now what?" After about five minutes he nodded. Then walked away.
Aida exchanged a look with Dathan, who was just as confused as she was to what Scarlet thought she was doing. He was smart enough not to say anything.
"You just keep those stupid Daybreakers thinking that you're on their side," Scarlet told Aida. She waved, and headed off to class with Dathan.
Aida trudged off to her own class, wondering again why she bothered.
* * *
A bad feeling had been plaguing Erica all day. People were still being reasonably friendly. She had lunch with Triana and Celeste. Caleb and Ridge waved to her whenever they passed in the halls. She managed to wave back with a slight smile. She noticed two girls from the club - Li and Aida seemed to be hanging around a bit more.
But the bad feeling wasn't much in relation to all these strange people watching her. It was like a gnawing deep inside her. It had been there ever since that morning, when she had found out Janelle hadn't come home.
She always told herself she wouldn't care of something happened to Janelle, but the more she thought and worried, the more became convinced something *had* happened. Janelle had had a crush on Dathan like most girls seemed to. What if Janelle had followed her to that creepy club?
Would they...? But Janelle was only a kid! Completely harmless, no matter how freaky she tried to look.
It was during her last class all her worst fears were confirmed when two police officers stepped in and took her out. Erica followed with a lump in her stomach, convinced this wasn't really happening. It was all too - Hollywoodish - for her liking.
Her mother was at home when the cops took her back to her house, sobbing in some neighbour's arms. And Erica knew for sure.
Janelle was dead.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
"We found the body this morning," one cop told her gently. "We're not exactly sure what happened, we're all working together to try and find the people that did this."
Erica thought about the strange incident when Joab had appeared at the club and left with Dathan, they'd gone away and Dathan had come back slightly - different. Could he and Joab have...? Why *would* they?
Three times over she told about five different people what she had done the night before. Gone out with some new friends. Nothing unusual had happened.
The last thing she wanted was Scarlet on her case for getting Dathan in trouble with the police. She was relieved when she was finally able to escape from her room. Only her relief was short lived when the phone rang.
Instinct had told her she didn't want to answer it. But the phone just rang and rang. The caller wasn't going to hang up. Erica snatched up the receiver. "Yes?"
"Erica? This is Scarlet Blackthorn?"
The floor seemed to be opening up in front of Erica's feet. She didn't even think about how Scarlet had managed to get her phone number. A cold sense of dread was seeping over her. "What?"
"There are some things we need to talk about. The sooner we get it cleared up, the better. Come over to my house as soon as you can. It's the large mansion on Mandrake Road, number 666. Not hard to miss." Before Erica could say yes or no Scarlet had hung up.
Scarlet lived at number 666. In any other circumstance, Erica might have laughed at that. As stupid as it probably was, Erica already knew she was going.
* * *
Aida wondered why she bothered something. She wasn't interesting in the pitiful little human Erica, not understanding the sudden fascination with her.
So Scarlet was pissed off because the little human girl had foolishly knocked into her, and it had started something of an obsession. The obsession had now drifted from her to the Daybreakers, convincing themselves they needed to save her before Scarlet did something to her.
Dathan and Joab had dome something the previous night that had thrown everything completely off balance.
"You don't look too pleased."
Aida glared at Joab, hating the way he just sneaked up on people, appearing as if out of nowhere. "No, I'm not pleased," she snapped. "Am I the only one who thinks this thing with the new girl is totally ridiculous?"
Joab was silent for a moment. "No, you're not, but you know what Scarlet at Dathan are like when they want something," he said with a roll of his endless black eyes.
Aida studied him. She could never tell where this guy was coming from. One minute he was as psychotic as his brother...the next he was vague and distant. "What happened last night?" she asked.
Joab frowned. "This kid was following Erica and Dathan. Scarlet told me and Ara to watch out for anything unusual. I pointed her out to Dathan."
Aida sighed "And you guys killed her." A dead kid. Just great. No wonder things were so heated up between Scarlet and Dathan. Celeste was going to freak.
"You two need to lighten up, big time," Scarlet and Dathan joined them, arms around each other. Obviously, they had made up.
Joab eyed them curiously. "So..."
"So we deal and get on with the plan," Scarlet said smugly. "Just leave everything to me." She glanced over at Aida and Joab. "You two are still on board, right?"
Aida just nodded. Joab shrugged. Scarlet turned in Dathan's arms and pulled Joab towards her. "I want you to do something for me."
Joab sighed. "Now what?" After about five minutes he nodded. Then walked away.
Aida exchanged a look with Dathan, who was just as confused as she was to what Scarlet thought she was doing. He was smart enough not to say anything.
"You just keep those stupid Daybreakers thinking that you're on their side," Scarlet told Aida. She waved, and headed off to class with Dathan.
Aida trudged off to her own class, wondering again why she bothered.
* * *
A bad feeling had been plaguing Erica all day. People were still being reasonably friendly. She had lunch with Triana and Celeste. Caleb and Ridge waved to her whenever they passed in the halls. She managed to wave back with a slight smile. She noticed two girls from the club - Li and Aida seemed to be hanging around a bit more.
But the bad feeling wasn't much in relation to all these strange people watching her. It was like a gnawing deep inside her. It had been there ever since that morning, when she had found out Janelle hadn't come home.
She always told herself she wouldn't care of something happened to Janelle, but the more she thought and worried, the more became convinced something *had* happened. Janelle had had a crush on Dathan like most girls seemed to. What if Janelle had followed her to that creepy club?
Would they...? But Janelle was only a kid! Completely harmless, no matter how freaky she tried to look.
It was during her last class all her worst fears were confirmed when two police officers stepped in and took her out. Erica followed with a lump in her stomach, convinced this wasn't really happening. It was all too - Hollywoodish - for her liking.
Her mother was at home when the cops took her back to her house, sobbing in some neighbour's arms. And Erica knew for sure.
Janelle was dead.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
"We found the body this morning," one cop told her gently. "We're not exactly sure what happened, we're all working together to try and find the people that did this."
Erica thought about the strange incident when Joab had appeared at the club and left with Dathan, they'd gone away and Dathan had come back slightly - different. Could he and Joab have...? Why *would* they?
Three times over she told about five different people what she had done the night before. Gone out with some new friends. Nothing unusual had happened.
The last thing she wanted was Scarlet on her case for getting Dathan in trouble with the police. She was relieved when she was finally able to escape from her room. Only her relief was short lived when the phone rang.
Instinct had told her she didn't want to answer it. But the phone just rang and rang. The caller wasn't going to hang up. Erica snatched up the receiver. "Yes?"
"Erica? This is Scarlet Blackthorn?"
The floor seemed to be opening up in front of Erica's feet. She didn't even think about how Scarlet had managed to get her phone number. A cold sense of dread was seeping over her. "What?"
"There are some things we need to talk about. The sooner we get it cleared up, the better. Come over to my house as soon as you can. It's the large mansion on Mandrake Road, number 666. Not hard to miss." Before Erica could say yes or no Scarlet had hung up.
Scarlet lived at number 666. In any other circumstance, Erica might have laughed at that. As stupid as it probably was, Erica already knew she was going.
* * *