Part 22
Erica wasn't sure how she'd react, running into Scarlet in school. She barely slept that night, trying to make some sort of sense out of what was going on. So she knew about the Night World, what Scarlet was, and what soulmates meant.
That didn't exactly make her feel any better. Even though she knew, Janelle would still be dead. And Dathan and Joab were going to get away with it. She dragged herself out bed early that morning, unable to sleep.
She sighed heavily as she dressed simply in blue jeans and a pink t-shirt. At least she didn't have to worry about making a good impression anymore.
She supposed the good thing out of this experience was she found a group to belong to and some friends.
Her mother was silent at breakfast, still in her dressing gown, she hadn't even bothered brushing her hair. She just pushed scrambled eggs around on a plate with her fork.
Erica felt bad for not knowing what to say to make her mother feel better, She couldn't exactly say that Janelle had been killed by two vampires.
Erica finished her cereal and put the bowl in the sink. She went upstairs to brush her teeth. She picked up her books, pausing in the kitchen.
"I have to go to school now." Her mother didn't even look up. Erica sighed and trudged out the door.
When she got to school she kept an eye out for Scarlet, hoping to avoid her. She saw Joab walking down the hall looking like his typical cloud of gloom. Ara was beside him. Neither of them said anything to her as they passed. Had Scarlet not said anything to anyone?
Erica wasn't exactly ashamed of what had happened. She was just confused. She was even more confused when she reached the student common room to find Celeste, Cole, Triana and a few others with an older-looking girl she'd never seen before.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"This is Tatania Patterson," Celeste said smugly.
"I hear you've had an unfortunately run in with Scarlet Blackthorn." Tatania's voice was laced with bitterness and hatred.
From the brief moments she had spent inside Scarlet's mind Erica remembered something had happened to Scarlet, something this Tatania person was supposed to be responsible for.
She frowned, not sure why she was getting a very bad feeling about what this girl was doing here. Something to do with the whole soulmate thing?
"Not that unfortunate," she said with a shrug. She didn't want to stir up anymore bother with Scarlet and her Night People.
"Didn't her boyfriend and his brother kill your younger sister, with barely a reason for it?" Tatania pointed out.
This girl gave Erica the creeps twice as much as Scarlet and Dathan ever had. "Yeah, but..."
"Then they should pay for it," Celeste cut in. "The human police will never catch them. If we don't do something ourselves they'd never be brought to any kind of justice."
Erica looked at Triana, who just shrugged helplessly. Who just shrugged. She didn't know what to say. On the one hand, yeah, she agreed that Joab and Dathan should pay for what they did to Janelle. Killing her for being in the way was a stupid reason.
Yet on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to upset Scarlet anymore by killing her boyfriend.
And on a third hand, Dathan was in the way, preventing her and Scarlet from being together. Erica was more than willing to give the whole soulmate thing a try. Scarlet was the one being bitchy about it.
"What'd you have in mind?" she asked finally.
* * *
Erica wasn't sure how she'd react, running into Scarlet in school. She barely slept that night, trying to make some sort of sense out of what was going on. So she knew about the Night World, what Scarlet was, and what soulmates meant.
That didn't exactly make her feel any better. Even though she knew, Janelle would still be dead. And Dathan and Joab were going to get away with it. She dragged herself out bed early that morning, unable to sleep.
She sighed heavily as she dressed simply in blue jeans and a pink t-shirt. At least she didn't have to worry about making a good impression anymore.
She supposed the good thing out of this experience was she found a group to belong to and some friends.
Her mother was silent at breakfast, still in her dressing gown, she hadn't even bothered brushing her hair. She just pushed scrambled eggs around on a plate with her fork.
Erica felt bad for not knowing what to say to make her mother feel better, She couldn't exactly say that Janelle had been killed by two vampires.
Erica finished her cereal and put the bowl in the sink. She went upstairs to brush her teeth. She picked up her books, pausing in the kitchen.
"I have to go to school now." Her mother didn't even look up. Erica sighed and trudged out the door.
When she got to school she kept an eye out for Scarlet, hoping to avoid her. She saw Joab walking down the hall looking like his typical cloud of gloom. Ara was beside him. Neither of them said anything to her as they passed. Had Scarlet not said anything to anyone?
Erica wasn't exactly ashamed of what had happened. She was just confused. She was even more confused when she reached the student common room to find Celeste, Cole, Triana and a few others with an older-looking girl she'd never seen before.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"This is Tatania Patterson," Celeste said smugly.
"I hear you've had an unfortunately run in with Scarlet Blackthorn." Tatania's voice was laced with bitterness and hatred.
From the brief moments she had spent inside Scarlet's mind Erica remembered something had happened to Scarlet, something this Tatania person was supposed to be responsible for.
She frowned, not sure why she was getting a very bad feeling about what this girl was doing here. Something to do with the whole soulmate thing?
"Not that unfortunate," she said with a shrug. She didn't want to stir up anymore bother with Scarlet and her Night People.
"Didn't her boyfriend and his brother kill your younger sister, with barely a reason for it?" Tatania pointed out.
This girl gave Erica the creeps twice as much as Scarlet and Dathan ever had. "Yeah, but..."
"Then they should pay for it," Celeste cut in. "The human police will never catch them. If we don't do something ourselves they'd never be brought to any kind of justice."
Erica looked at Triana, who just shrugged helplessly. Who just shrugged. She didn't know what to say. On the one hand, yeah, she agreed that Joab and Dathan should pay for what they did to Janelle. Killing her for being in the way was a stupid reason.
Yet on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to upset Scarlet anymore by killing her boyfriend.
And on a third hand, Dathan was in the way, preventing her and Scarlet from being together. Erica was more than willing to give the whole soulmate thing a try. Scarlet was the one being bitchy about it.
"What'd you have in mind?" she asked finally.
* * *