Part 17
Erica refused to acknowledge the pit opening up inside her as she made her way to Scarlet's house. She frowned, trying to ignore the voices screaming inside her that she should have brought someone - Celeste or Triana - along with her.
Maybe it was a good thing Scarlet wanted to talk to her. There was nothing worse than getting off on the wrong foot with a bully.
She felt a stab of envy as she reached Scarlet's gigantic mansion. Huge white marble pillars lined the driveway where a sleek red Ferrari sat. A large fountain that looked like an ice sculpture of two swans sprouted water, sparking like diamonds. What wouldn't she do to get the money to afford a place like this?
She rang the doorbell. A maid in a crisp black and white uniform answered.
"Um...I'm supposed to be meeting Scarlet Blackthorn."
"Miss Scarlet's room is the third door on the second floor."
Erica went into the house, her sneakers squeaking on the marble floor. Valuable paintings, Chinese vases, expensive statues were everywhere Erica turned.
She tried to imagine herself coming home everyday to a place like this. The glamour and glitz of it all probably wore off after a while.
She headed up the wide carpeted staircase 9marble as well, of course) and found the third set of double doors on the second floor. Some screaming rock music was coming from inside. She knocked on the door, wondering how Scarlet would hear her over the racket. But within about ten seconds Scarlet answered.
"Come on in."
Erica didn't like the way she said that, nor did she like the way Scarlet smirked at her. It seemed almost...predatory. A thought struck her and she wondered if Scarlet knew about Janelle's murder. She decided not to mention it unless Scarlet did.
Scarlet's room was decorated in dark colours, reds, blacks, purples, with the occasional flashes of golds and silver. Erica suppressed a shudder as Scarlet went to the CD player. She pushed a button and the screaming rock music stopped. She pushed another button and the room filled with some sort of whiny chanting music.
Erica felt as if her skin were crawling. She found herself once again wishing she could think of something to say. "You...um...said there were things we needed to talk about," she got past the lump forming in her throat, wishing her heart would stop pounding.
"It seems we've had some...issues...that have made us look at one another different than we should." Scarlet sounded very smug and confident. So much surer of herself than Erica ever felt she could be.
"What...um...you mean the stuff with Dathan?" Erica asked. She had wondered why, if Dathan already had a girlfriend, he wanted to take her out. Something had gone hideously wrong, and somehow, Janelle had died.
"Yes, I suppose that could be one thing. Maybe the club was a bit too...freaky. Some people react that way when they're first introduced, but we're not that bad." Scarlet smiled, her attempt to be friendly was just making Erica nervous and even more uncomfortable.
It almost seemed to her that Scarlet was actually *hitting* on her, maybe even trying to seduce her? Then again, nobody had ever hit on Erica before, maybe she was just overreacting because she was scared and out of her element.
"I've never been to any place like that before," Erica said in a small voice.
"Most people don't get to go." Scarlet smirked. "It's a very select few you ever come across it, and survive."
~Janelle didn't survive~ Erica though, watching Scarlet's eyes twinkle in the darkness. She seemed almost...*inhuman*. She remembered eyes twinkling that night in the darkness in the club.
How scared she'd been. How nobody would answer any questions she asked, but how they constantly asked *her* questions....
God, what *were* those people? *People* probably wasn't even the right ford for them...
Had Scarlet brought Erica here to...to *eat* her? Erica was starting to panic. If *only* she'd listened to those instincts that had told her this was a bad, bad idea...
Typically, she had thought she'd be fine. How utterly stupid of her.
Scarlet had moved her over to the bed, her eyes glittering ferociously, her teeth extending to delicate, curving points.
~Oh my God~ Erica thought. ~She's a...a...~
"Cooperate, and you won't feel a thing." Scarlet's cool hands rested on either side of Erica's pale throat, pushing her head slightly to one side. Erica could feel cold tears slipping down her cheeks. ~I'm going to die...~
But as Scarlet's fangs slid into her flesh Erica didn't die. Nor did she feel unbearable agony. Something else happened.
* * *
Erica refused to acknowledge the pit opening up inside her as she made her way to Scarlet's house. She frowned, trying to ignore the voices screaming inside her that she should have brought someone - Celeste or Triana - along with her.
Maybe it was a good thing Scarlet wanted to talk to her. There was nothing worse than getting off on the wrong foot with a bully.
She felt a stab of envy as she reached Scarlet's gigantic mansion. Huge white marble pillars lined the driveway where a sleek red Ferrari sat. A large fountain that looked like an ice sculpture of two swans sprouted water, sparking like diamonds. What wouldn't she do to get the money to afford a place like this?
She rang the doorbell. A maid in a crisp black and white uniform answered.
"Um...I'm supposed to be meeting Scarlet Blackthorn."
"Miss Scarlet's room is the third door on the second floor."
Erica went into the house, her sneakers squeaking on the marble floor. Valuable paintings, Chinese vases, expensive statues were everywhere Erica turned.
She tried to imagine herself coming home everyday to a place like this. The glamour and glitz of it all probably wore off after a while.
She headed up the wide carpeted staircase 9marble as well, of course) and found the third set of double doors on the second floor. Some screaming rock music was coming from inside. She knocked on the door, wondering how Scarlet would hear her over the racket. But within about ten seconds Scarlet answered.
"Come on in."
Erica didn't like the way she said that, nor did she like the way Scarlet smirked at her. It seemed almost...predatory. A thought struck her and she wondered if Scarlet knew about Janelle's murder. She decided not to mention it unless Scarlet did.
Scarlet's room was decorated in dark colours, reds, blacks, purples, with the occasional flashes of golds and silver. Erica suppressed a shudder as Scarlet went to the CD player. She pushed a button and the screaming rock music stopped. She pushed another button and the room filled with some sort of whiny chanting music.
Erica felt as if her skin were crawling. She found herself once again wishing she could think of something to say. "You...um...said there were things we needed to talk about," she got past the lump forming in her throat, wishing her heart would stop pounding.
"It seems we've had some...issues...that have made us look at one another different than we should." Scarlet sounded very smug and confident. So much surer of herself than Erica ever felt she could be.
"What...um...you mean the stuff with Dathan?" Erica asked. She had wondered why, if Dathan already had a girlfriend, he wanted to take her out. Something had gone hideously wrong, and somehow, Janelle had died.
"Yes, I suppose that could be one thing. Maybe the club was a bit too...freaky. Some people react that way when they're first introduced, but we're not that bad." Scarlet smiled, her attempt to be friendly was just making Erica nervous and even more uncomfortable.
It almost seemed to her that Scarlet was actually *hitting* on her, maybe even trying to seduce her? Then again, nobody had ever hit on Erica before, maybe she was just overreacting because she was scared and out of her element.
"I've never been to any place like that before," Erica said in a small voice.
"Most people don't get to go." Scarlet smirked. "It's a very select few you ever come across it, and survive."
~Janelle didn't survive~ Erica though, watching Scarlet's eyes twinkle in the darkness. She seemed almost...*inhuman*. She remembered eyes twinkling that night in the darkness in the club.
How scared she'd been. How nobody would answer any questions she asked, but how they constantly asked *her* questions....
God, what *were* those people? *People* probably wasn't even the right ford for them...
Had Scarlet brought Erica here to...to *eat* her? Erica was starting to panic. If *only* she'd listened to those instincts that had told her this was a bad, bad idea...
Typically, she had thought she'd be fine. How utterly stupid of her.
Scarlet had moved her over to the bed, her eyes glittering ferociously, her teeth extending to delicate, curving points.
~Oh my God~ Erica thought. ~She's a...a...~
"Cooperate, and you won't feel a thing." Scarlet's cool hands rested on either side of Erica's pale throat, pushing her head slightly to one side. Erica could feel cold tears slipping down her cheeks. ~I'm going to die...~
But as Scarlet's fangs slid into her flesh Erica didn't die. Nor did she feel unbearable agony. Something else happened.
* * *