Part 25
It seemed as if everything was ruined. There was no way Scarlet could ever show her face in school again. Not if that bitch was there. If she went around bragging what she'd done...
She hastily threw things into a small suitcase, deciding there was only one option dealing with all this. Leave. Go somewhere now where no one knew who she was. She would change her looks, her name, and hide. No one would be able to find her.
She didn't care about anything anymore. Right now staying alive and escaping were all that mattered to her. So why did images of soft blonde hair and hurt grey eyes keep flicking in her mind? Why did she keep thinking how upset Erica would be if she left and they never got to do anything about their soulmate connection?
She had told herself Erica meant nothing to her. *Nothing*. Scarlet sighed, knowing as she had all along, no matter how much she tried to deny it, she and Erica *were* soulmates.
Erica was vermin and it would be death for them both. It was safer for Erica if Scarlet just left, they wouldn't get the chance to get to know each other. Then nothing could happen between them and Tatania could never spoil it.
"You think if you leave she won't be able to find you?"
Scarlet froze at the unexpected sound of Joab's voice. She glared at him furiously. "Please *warn* me before you do that!" she snapped. She despised the way Joab just appeared as if out of nowhere. What he did knew that she didn't?
"Well, I know the truth about what happened between you and Erica for one thing," he said calmly.
Scarlet glared sullenly. "How?"
"I asked her. I'm not sure how she feels about it, thought. She doesn't seem as freaked as you."
Scarlet wasn't that surprised. Erica hadn't been in town for a week. She didn't have a reputation to uphold. "What else do you know?"
"What Tatania Patterson did."
Scarlet's mouth opened, then fell shut. She couldn't find anything to say for a full three minutes. "*What?*" she whispered, dropping down on the bed.
He sat next to her. "I guessed. I'm surprised no one else has figured it out, really."
So was Scarlet, to tell the truth. She had tried to keep it a secret as long as possible. It now looked like the secret was out.
"I haven't told anyone, not even Dathan or Erica," Joab said gently, touching her hand lightly. "And I'm not going to."
Despite some of his most irritating habits and over all weirdness Scarlet was oddly certain she could trust him. She couldn't understand why he would care, but found herself glad she had someone she could talk to.
"What I'm wondering," Joab said, "is if she tortured you, what *you* did to provoke it? If she's a Daybreaker, they generally don't go around slaughtering and torturing people."
Scarlet flinched at the word of 'torture'. It was the nice was of saying what she had been through. She was a *vampire*. She had been doing what vampires do. "She's *not* a Daybreaker," Scarlet snorted. "I didn't do anything."
Joab's eyebrow raised. "Come on, I'm not stupid. I can either find out from you - or I can ask her."
Scarlet went stiff. If Tatania told Joab and someone else over heard...if the truth came out...The truth about Janelle would come out too, quite possibly the exposure of the Night World as well.
She was clear either way. "Some younger kid wanted to be popular. Just a vermin. We played with her for a while, and then we killed her."
"She was related to Tatania?"
"Apparently. Somehow I got all the blame."
"You really think running away is the answer?"
Scarlet stood up, done with talking for the time being. It was good enough for her. "Yeah. I can't see any other option - apart from being dead and that's not exactly appealing."
Joab smiled dryly. "There is another option. Though you'll probably hate me for even thinking it. For you and Erica."
Scarlet frowned at him. Then got what he meant. "Never. Not now. Not ever." No way. Absolutely not. She'd rather be dead. "Just go away." She left the room, grabbing her suitcase, taking it with her.
The hell with this. She was leaving and no one was going to talk her out of it.
* * *
It seemed as if everything was ruined. There was no way Scarlet could ever show her face in school again. Not if that bitch was there. If she went around bragging what she'd done...
She hastily threw things into a small suitcase, deciding there was only one option dealing with all this. Leave. Go somewhere now where no one knew who she was. She would change her looks, her name, and hide. No one would be able to find her.
She didn't care about anything anymore. Right now staying alive and escaping were all that mattered to her. So why did images of soft blonde hair and hurt grey eyes keep flicking in her mind? Why did she keep thinking how upset Erica would be if she left and they never got to do anything about their soulmate connection?
She had told herself Erica meant nothing to her. *Nothing*. Scarlet sighed, knowing as she had all along, no matter how much she tried to deny it, she and Erica *were* soulmates.
Erica was vermin and it would be death for them both. It was safer for Erica if Scarlet just left, they wouldn't get the chance to get to know each other. Then nothing could happen between them and Tatania could never spoil it.
"You think if you leave she won't be able to find you?"
Scarlet froze at the unexpected sound of Joab's voice. She glared at him furiously. "Please *warn* me before you do that!" she snapped. She despised the way Joab just appeared as if out of nowhere. What he did knew that she didn't?
"Well, I know the truth about what happened between you and Erica for one thing," he said calmly.
Scarlet glared sullenly. "How?"
"I asked her. I'm not sure how she feels about it, thought. She doesn't seem as freaked as you."
Scarlet wasn't that surprised. Erica hadn't been in town for a week. She didn't have a reputation to uphold. "What else do you know?"
"What Tatania Patterson did."
Scarlet's mouth opened, then fell shut. She couldn't find anything to say for a full three minutes. "*What?*" she whispered, dropping down on the bed.
He sat next to her. "I guessed. I'm surprised no one else has figured it out, really."
So was Scarlet, to tell the truth. She had tried to keep it a secret as long as possible. It now looked like the secret was out.
"I haven't told anyone, not even Dathan or Erica," Joab said gently, touching her hand lightly. "And I'm not going to."
Despite some of his most irritating habits and over all weirdness Scarlet was oddly certain she could trust him. She couldn't understand why he would care, but found herself glad she had someone she could talk to.
"What I'm wondering," Joab said, "is if she tortured you, what *you* did to provoke it? If she's a Daybreaker, they generally don't go around slaughtering and torturing people."
Scarlet flinched at the word of 'torture'. It was the nice was of saying what she had been through. She was a *vampire*. She had been doing what vampires do. "She's *not* a Daybreaker," Scarlet snorted. "I didn't do anything."
Joab's eyebrow raised. "Come on, I'm not stupid. I can either find out from you - or I can ask her."
Scarlet went stiff. If Tatania told Joab and someone else over heard...if the truth came out...The truth about Janelle would come out too, quite possibly the exposure of the Night World as well.
She was clear either way. "Some younger kid wanted to be popular. Just a vermin. We played with her for a while, and then we killed her."
"She was related to Tatania?"
"Apparently. Somehow I got all the blame."
"You really think running away is the answer?"
Scarlet stood up, done with talking for the time being. It was good enough for her. "Yeah. I can't see any other option - apart from being dead and that's not exactly appealing."
Joab smiled dryly. "There is another option. Though you'll probably hate me for even thinking it. For you and Erica."
Scarlet frowned at him. Then got what he meant. "Never. Not now. Not ever." No way. Absolutely not. She'd rather be dead. "Just go away." She left the room, grabbing her suitcase, taking it with her.
The hell with this. She was leaving and no one was going to talk her out of it.
* * *