I'm back! And co authoring a story with my Bff aquamarine98. We are working on the first chapie! This chapter I decided should be self reflection. For two little redheads, more is revealed.

This is told in 1ST PERSON! P.S. I would have had this earlier but I was super duper tired and had slight writer's block, and I was slightly irritated at the amount of reviews. I will only write more if I get five reviews from different people!

Disclaimer: I don't own Huntik (I wish)

Chapter 8: Someone I don't know*

Steam rose up in clouds around me. Little puffs of water swirling, dancing through the frigid air.

The warm porcelain tub felt good on my beat up back. Sighs escaped my thin, pale lips. So much was happening. Lok and football. The harsh words and wounds on my body. I can only take so much.

Sometimes it feels like the whole world is against me. Like everyone is intent on breaking me. Even Lok is breaking me. He's making me lie. I hate lying. But I have to do it. Lok can't know; he'd leave me.

I guess another problem is I'm a selfish person. Everything I do is for myself. Every lie I've told is to protect my secrets. Maybe I should just come clean, like Lok did. Lok.

My only friend. The only one I think cares about me. He's always there for me and doing things for me. Even when he didn't know me that well, he still stood up to me. All I've done is make life hard for him. He gets bullied because of me. He gets hurt because of me. He does so much for me. All I do is lie to him. I wish I could tell him the truth. I wish I could. But it might only hurt him more.

Knowledge can hurt so much. Like the knowledge that my mom is never coming back. The knowledge that states I might lose Lok. The knowledge that I only have one friend. Dante and Zhalia are shaping up to be friends though. The knowledge that I'm selfish.

I really need to do something for Lok. Maybe I should bake him some cookies or something. He certainly seems to like them. Memories of that day surface and bring tears to my eyes. That was the first time I ever smiled or laughed around someone other than blood. I'd say family, but my family isn't blood. My family is mismatched friends over the years that have come and gone, Leblanc and Santiago, and my friends now. That is, if they want to count. I certainly count them. They are so much better than my real family.

I hear footsteps and shut the water off. A pink towel is ready for me to use. After drying off, I slip into comfortable cotton pjs. My fingers dance over the keyboard as I check my messages. One from Scarlet.

I did it again. You get a break tomorrow. :(

A silent cheer rang out in my head. Good, now I can heal. My eyes skim down to the next message. It's from Lok.

Hey, what is the answer to number 9 in our math HW? Oh, and are you going to the halloween party on the pier?

I laugh and shake my head. Typical Lok to ask for my homework. I send him my answer to both questions. My laptop lid shuts with an audible click.I wobble over and lock my door. Slipping under the covers, I lie in darkness for awhile then drift off to the land of dreams.

Scarlet POV

"Scarlet!" My eyes roll in my head. No way am I going to listen to my bitch of a stepmom. I slam my door loud enough to make a point. I lock it. Locked, like Lok's heart.

Ugh, Lok. He is the only one who doesn't listen to me! Instead he goes off with that pathetic excuse for a girl, Sophie. Sure she's pretty and talented and nice and supportive, but I'm all those things to, except for maybe nice. But I have a reputation to uphold, and Lok is making it difficult. Even Dante and Zhalia are talking to Sophie! Dante is the school heart throb, and he's hot. Lok's pretty hot too.

Why can't I have him?! I'm pretty and will make him powerful. He should go for me! What can Sophie do for him? Ah, nothing! But she does say and do nice things for him.

She might lie to him all the time (I am the only one that knows what is going on), but she makes up for it. She helps him with homework, protects him from my minions as he protects her, and she can even teach him complex football maneuvers! Football! All I do is tease and taunt him. But I also flirt with him! All guys want someone who will flirt! So why is he so hard to get?

All I want is for everyone to like me! My real mom told me that you can measure how much people like you by how much power they let you have. People in our school must love me a lot. But Lok doesn't! I want him to like me! But I'm just not good enough for him.

Tears prick my eyes as this revelation is made. I run to my bathroom. Turning on the water I get out my razor. I slide the blade along my arm. Enough to make it bleed but not enough to leave a scar. Scars will mar my perfect image.

The twinges of pain bring my cluttered thought back together. My blood turns the water red. Bright, vibrant red. I close my eyes and sigh in pleasure. Yes I take pleasure in cutting myself. It helps me gain control of the situation. Quickly, I do he other arm. More blood seeps into the sink. It is a dizzying sight.

Realizing that I've done enough, I patched myself up. All evidence swirled down the drain. Pressing gauze to my arms, I became fully aware of what I've done. I cut myself. I broke the deal that Sophie and I made all those years when she first noticed.

I had been cutting myself for awhile then. She said it offhandedly to me in the hall. I tracked her down after school and asked her how she knew. She showed me some faint scars on her arms.

"I used to cut myself. But then...I...I almost died. I had to stop so I made a deal with my uncle. He said that every time I did it he would get to take away my favorite book. So I stopped." She then proposed a deal for me. If I cut myself, I would tell her and not get to beat her up for a week. In exchange, if I didn't tell her, she would tell everyone in school I cut myself.

I found out her secret after half a year of not cutting myself. I saw her with bandages all up and down her arms. At night I sent her an IM asking if she chad cut herself. She said no and said that as a reward for not cutting myself she told me what was really going on. She threatened to tell my secret if I told hers. I think she just wanted to get that off her chest. Also so someone would know in case it was taken too far.

I scurry over to my desk and quickly shoot Sophie a message with the news. I give a sigh. Now I have to call my girls off. We'll plot something big to happen. A plan forms in my mind as my mouth twists into a cruel smile. Perfect. I IM Shauna and Susan and a few other my plan. This will be perfect.

I shut out my light and close my eyes as I drift off into the world of dreams.

Weren't expecting that now were ya? So I need to get 5 reviews before I even start writing the next chapter! Sooner I get the reviews, sooner you get your chapter. Now take it away guys!

Sophie: What is Scarlet planning?

Lok: Will Sophie go to the Halloween party?

Zhalia: Why is Scarlet being so mean when Sophie is being so nice?

Dante: Please Review! We can't come back until you do!