Have relatives that drive you nuts? I feel your pain...
Scarlet combed her short, well cut, dirty blonde hair with her fingers. Her red lipstick was the equivalent of a stain mark. Her choice of dress was a black, pinstripe skirt suit with stiletto high heels that rivaled Lucy Skandon's. Her eyes were harsh and shrewd like a snake.
Scarlet took her heavy suitcases and shoved it into Barret's arms. As Barret walked away to leave her things in a guest room, he muttered curses under his breathe. Her heels clicked on the tile floors as Shera meekly strolled behind.
"Cloud is going to kill me," Shera thought to herself. "I should never have let Scarlet convince me to let her come along."
"Nice place Cloud has," Scarlet mumbled. "I can't believe someone like him would even need a house this size. Always traveling…competing in those silly dance competitions…"
"Cloud doesn't do that anymore," Shera said harshly. "He stopped five years ago."
Scarlet noticed a water color painting in the entrance hall.
"What?" Scarlet replied in mock astonishment. "He's no good anymore?"
Shera shook her head and sighed heavily. Cloud was definitely going to kill her.
"Scarlet," Cloud began, "Is the kind of woman you love to hate."
It had taken a straight half-hour for Cloud to recover. Tifa walked behind him up the stairs as they made their way back from the library. It was time to meet Shera and her sister.
"The kind of woman you love to hate?" Tifa asked. "Why?"
"For as long as I can remember," he said, "she always makes an effort to belittle anyone in everything that they do."
Tifa tripped on a step and nearly fell forward. Cloud grabbed her arms and hoisted her up.
"Sorry…the lights are slightly dimmed…I should've made them brighter when we I came down here…"
They stood for a moment and stared at each other, awkwardly, with Cloud still having a good hold on Tifa's arms.
"I can see just fine," Tifa answered. "I…the steps…the steps are just too old…"
Cloud let go and continued up the stairs. Tifa stood where she was for moment. She shook her head as if to clear it and followed.
"Ironically," he went on, "Scarlet has some faults of her own…some that everyone in the family knows…and some that only Shera and I have knowledge of…and Marlene of course. I never told anything I knew about her that my parents didn't know…I feared that I'd seem…"
"Perverted?" Tifa asked.
"I was going to say vulgar," Cloud replied, "but that works too."
"What has she done that's so…vulgar?"
Cloud growled in disgust.
"I don't care to say it directly," he said, "so I'll just give examples. For starters, when I was twelve at Christmastime, I saw her kick her family dog…a two year puppy…who seemingly chewed on one of her prized leather boot stilettos."
Tifa covered her mouth and yelped with laughter. Cloud looked back at her in amusement.
"Don't hide it," he said. "I thought it was pretty funny myself."
Cloud opened the door at the top, and they made their way into the kitchen.
"I also remember one thing I learned from my mother about Scarlet. I was fifteen then, when I started taking jobs under Cid's supervision. Scarlet was nineteen. She went for the summer…to live with my second cousin on my mother's side…her second cousin as well. A month later, he and his wife got a divorce…you can make the call…"
Tifa stared at Cloud, eyes wide open. Cloud nodded, strongly holding fast the truth in his statements."Why doesn't your family disown her?!" Tifa cried.
"Because very few people in the family know."
Cloud went into the pantry and came back with two bottles of Heineken. He sat them on the counter and took off the caps.
"For the guests?" Tifa asked. "Are we meeting them right know?"
"No," Cloud replied. "They're for you and me. And boy are we gonna need it."
Tifa looked at the beer and frowned.
"I seldom drink, Cloud-sensei," she said. "And I hate beer."
"I don't like it much either, Tifa, but I've always kept it just in case. Marlene only thinks that I keep it for guests…but in all actuality…I kept it around if for some freakish reason…that shrew came crashing back in my world one day. That day has finally come."
"Don't tell me you plan on getting wasted!" Tifa exclaimed.
Cloud took a huge swig straight from the bottle and breathed out.
"Nah," he retorted. "I'm having just one bottle to calm my nerves. I'd drink it I were I you, Tifa."
Tifa reluctantly sipped from the bottle and cringed at the bitter taste. To get rid of the vile substance, she began to chug it down.
"I hate having her here," Cloud grumbled. "Whenever she's around, I become a bad example to Marlene. As soon as Scarlet shows up, the house becomes a bloody war zone. In fact, you're going to see a very nasty side of me… exactly as I was when I pestered you on our first few weeks together…only magnified and with malicious intent. I can't have Marlene see me like that…I can't treat a woman that way in front of her…I never do that."
"Maybe Marlene actually understands your actions because it's just Scarlet."
Cloud leaned on the counter and looked at his bottle.
"Yeah, just Scarlet…"
Scarlet sat neatly on the couch in the Great room. Shera leaned forward in her spot with a small pad and pen on her lap. Cloud walked in, with Tifa rubbing his back at the last minute, for emotional support. Two maids followed.
"Shera," Cloud greeted, "It's been a long time."
Shera got up, with the pad and pen in her hand. She ran to her cousin, enthusiastically, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a good, warm embrace. Tifa looked over and noticed the pad in Shera's hand. On the first page, there were two names on it. Far apart, the names "Cloud" and "Scarlet" were written with lines underneath them. Tifa turned her head in bewilderment.
"Why did you keep us waiting so long," Scarlet asked. "Do you do that to all of your guests?" Cloud wriggled out of Shera's hug and smiled.
"Oh no," he replied. "I would never do that to all of my guests."
The two maids snickered between each other. Scarlet veered her attention over to them, and they stopped. Scarlet turned back to Cloud and smiled back. Tifa could tell that the nasty side of Cloud was beginning to manifest.
"So who is this?" Scarlet questioned.
Scarlet looked at Tifa as if she staring at meat in a store. Tifa stretched out her hand and offered it to Scarlet.
"I'm Tifa Lockhart," she said. "Nice to meet you."
Scarlet glared at Tifa's hand coldly, and Tifa sheepishly withdrew it.
"I'd like to see our rooms now," Scarlet said. "It's rather late you know."
The walk through the hall was silent yet deadly. Cloud kept on grimacing on and off whenever he stared in Scarlet's direction. Scarlet simply grinned at him like a fox. Shera rubbed her head.
"So," Scarlet finally said. "You must be Cloud's girlfriend. Figures…it's just like a man that he'd pick you."
The words came crashing on Tifa; she remembered exactly what Susan had said to her:
"Don't worry, dear. Twice is only a coincidence. It has to be five times in a short period of time to be a fact."
"She's not my girlfriend," Cloud replied harshly. "She's only a guest in my house for a short while. Others are staying here with her as well."
"Since when did you own a hotel?" Scarlet teased.
"Don't expect a twenty-four hour room service," Cloud replied.
Scarlet growled under her breathe. Shera pulled out her pad and scratched something on it with her pen.
"I like it in this room," Shera squeeled. "It's so cute!"
Shera fell back on the bed and relished the softness. Cloud looked down at her affectionately and stifled a chuckle. Tifa stood at the door, waiting.
Shera sat up in the bed.
"About why I'm here," she said. "Let's save it for the morning, okay."
"Sure. It can wait."
Shera let herself fall back on the bed and giggled.
"Night then!" Shera cooed.
Cloud bid her goodnight and walked out the door, with Tifa in tow. Then, a low call came from Scarlet's room.
"I have a bit of a complaint here, cousin."
Cloud groaned and walked into the threshold of doom. Tifa stayed outside by the door this time.
"And what complaint might that be?" Cloud asked.
"This room is small," Scarlet replied dryly. "Don't you have anything bigger?"
"Sorry. Only one of the guest rooms is bigger than the rest. Tifa has it."
Scarlet looked him up and down and smirked. Cloud made sure to step back.
"You must have largest bedroom in the estate," she declared.
"Of course. It's the master bedroom."
"Mind if we switch?" Scarlet asked. "If not…why not make some room for me there…"
Cloud immediately turned around to leave.
"My room is off limits to guests," Cloud answered, "unless you are there to speak to me or dine with me. No other reason will do."
"Can you reconsider?" she said slyly.
"I'll sleep on it."
Scarlet chuckled and watched him as began to walk away.
"To bad without a wife," she mocked. "After all, little Marlene will be in need of a mother figure during those years."
Cloud stopped at the door.
"Marlene will be thirteen in two weeks," he said quietly. "She's not little anymore. And besides, at this point in my life, I am not ready for marriage."
"Good thing too," Scarlet said. "If I were your wife, I'd put poison in your coffee."
Cloud looked back at her with a mischievious smile.
"If I were your husband," Cloud replied, "I'd drink it."
I wanted to put romance in this chapter, but it didn't work out that way.
Ah well, I'll do it in the next one...
-Lord Divestre Croft