IIIIIIII Scarlet IIIIIIII

"I'll tell you once we get outside," I interrupt, trying to smile. Stinging pain flickers up my back when I stand.

Kal nods. I check and make sure my phone's still in my back pocket and I follow him out. He walks me to a fountain and sits. The air is cool, and small sprays of water tickle my arm. It's more crowded than earlier, and Kal's eyes focus behind me. I turn my head as he waves at a group of guys walking into Peluda's Pizza. A tall blond waves back.

"They're from Red Fountain. We spar alot." Kal says, leaning towards me. Then he rubs his forehead and says, "Why are your eyes grey?"

Biting my lip, I crack my knuckles. "I, well, I can hide things. Well, really masquerade objects, people, places. I, uh, hide my eye color as school because I don't want the attention. When you ran into me, you kind of broke my illusion."

I'm running my fingers through my long black hair now. Why do I care what this guy thinks? An hour ago I didn't know he existed.

Kal leans back a bit. "That's...interesting. So that's your power? That sounds kind of witchy."

My eyes grow wide, once I realize- I should not be here. I should not be telling him these things. I shouldn't have these feelings of disappointment .

"Oh, look at the time!"I bolt up, startling him. "Thank you for the pizza. It was nice. I…Have to go." My words are flustered, and my heart beats quickly in my chest.

His mouth is open, like he's about to say something. I turn away before he can say anything. After all, what is there to say? He hit the nail on the head.

But then he grabs my wrist. "Wait." He looks down at me. "Please, can we meet again? I didn't mean anything by the 'witchy' thing. I guess it makes sense that you want to be better at being good, because your powers are different?"

He lets go of my wrist. His hands form gestures as he talks. "I'm sorry, It's just," he says rushed, "you seem really cool, and I'd like to get to know you better." Kal looks at me now, his hands on the back of his neck. "If that's alright."

Our eyes linger, and heat rises to my cheeks. It's the first time someone's asked for my number. I shouldn't give it to him. The closer he gets, the more he'll learn, and I'll just be a disappointment to him. It's not worth the risk, especially since I'm technically already engaged. My parents would be furious.

I shake my head. Screw that, I think. He's cute and nice and somehow finds me attractive.

"Where's your phone?" I ask. Kal reaches into his front pocket and pulls it out. The screen lights up, and he gives it to me. Our fingers touch as he hands it to me, and I hurriedly add my number to his contacts. I'm full of nervous energy, and I try to keep my hands from shaking.

Kal is grinning now. I hand his phone back to him and smile.

I turn then, lifting my hand. "Bye, Kal."

"See ya, Scarlet. Be expecting a call soon."

I glance back at him as he drifts back into the crowd. My stomach flutters and I take a deep breath.

I just gave a guy my phone number. I'm really smiling now, and I picture Kal's face in the back of my mind. A hot guy asked me for my number, and I gave it to him. Trisha's going to die when I tell her.

I check the time on my MMP3 and sigh. The next bus to Alfea is leaving soon. I take a shortcut through an alley. The busy sidewalks are a bit too much for me right now, and I can't think straight over Kal. The alley only has one hazy orange light over a doorway to a building, and the dumpster smells of sour food. I squinch my nose as I walk by, and suddenly the door bursts open. A girl collides into me, and we hit the opposite wall.

What is it with people running into me tonight?

"Are you alright?" I say.

The girl pushes off of me with a grunt. "Watch where you're going!"

"You're the one who ran into me," I say while dusting off my arms. Pain stretches all the way over my back, and I grimace. I look up at the girl. Tall, long brown hair, purple dress, and the distinct eye shadow of a witch. Great.

"What's a little fairy like you walking around in alleys, anyway?" She crosses her arms. He nails are long and pointed, and the clear gloss shines under the light.

"You don't know what I am," I snap back. My hand goes to my back pocket, and I frown when I feel it's empty. My phone.

She scoffs and says, "Please, all of you look the same. You even have the same dopey look as the rest of them." She takes a step closer and adds, "And you've just messed with the wrong witch."

I roll my eyes and strut past her. I don't have time for this- I must have left my phone at the fountain, and Kal will think I'm ignoring him.

The witch's heels clink against the ground. "Hey, I wasn't finished talking to you!"

Light flashes behind me and I turn to late. I'm thrust forward into a pile of disused boxes. The boxes tumble on top of me, and my arm touches something sticky. Gross.

The witch stands in front of me, her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't turn your back on a witch, you know."

I feel my temper rising, my nostrils flaring. I'll never understand why witches are like this. Surely this rivalry between witches and fairies is unhealthy. But either way, this witch won't respond to my words, or lack thereof. She wants a fight, I realize, and there's nothing I can do to convince her otherwise.

I stand up, kicking my way through boxes. My magic flares at my command. Wings sprout in between my shoulder blades. My clothes change as my belt slithers around my torso. My necklace glows with my transformation, and magic surges within me. And even though I have wings, they come to points like daggers. My eyes darken to scarlet.

She gasps, staggering back. "You're a-"

"A witch," I finish. She steps back as I extend my hands. I edge into her mind. It's easy to slip inside, and her fears and worries are all laid before me. Satisfied, I place her greatest fear in front of her. The witch falls on her knees, her eyes wide. She can no longer sense my presence, and all she knows is what I've showed her.

She stares at her hands, and her body begins to tremble. "My magic! I can't do anything!" She cries. "I-I'm nothing!"

Her words echo inside my head, and I pause. There are tears in the witch's eyes. What am I doing?

This is wrong. I'm doing exactly what my parents would want of me. This was what I ran away from, what I didn't want to be. I'm such a hypocrite.

I float to the ground. My necklace glows once more. My dress changes to a sparkling red, and my wings soften to gold. I know my eyes flicker back to their normal color as I take a step towards her. My fairy transformation always reflect my emotions.

I place a hand on her shoulder, and the image vanishes from her mind. She blinks and shakes her head before meeting my gold eyes.

"...What are you?"

"I'm sorry," I say. I flicker inside her mind once more and place an illusion in her most recent memories. She won't remember me with this, and if she does, it'll only appear like a dream.

I camouflage myself then. I might as well fly back to Alfea- flying usually calms me down and makes me feel like I'm at least in control of something. But then I hear my name, and when I look up, I see Kal stepping out from behind the dumpster. My heart drops at the sight of him. He's holding my phone in his hand.

He must have seen everything. I'm invisible, but I can tell he's looking for me. His brow is furrowed, his body tense. I didn't even realize he had followed me.

"Scarlet?" He says again.

He saw. And now he knows what I am. What I can do.

The witch stands and turns to him. "Get lost," she says. "I'm clearly not the person you're looking for."

She pushes past him before he can reply.

Before I realize it, warm tears trickle down the side of my face. I turn and take off. Dust rises from the ground at my movement, and Kal says my name again, reaching for where I once was. But I'm already two floors up, and I don't plan on seeing him again.

The cold wind bites my skin, but I don't care. I'd rather feel that than the growing ache in my chest.