• Sliver Cross

    “Hi, I'm Scarlett, My parents passed away when I was four years old, or so that’s what I'm told, I don't remember anything about them so I don't ask about it.
    My foster family took me in when they found me, in the rain, on their door step holding a note. They took me in and raised me as one of their own. To me they are my real family. Everything was normal until my eighteenth birthday, when everything started to get weird.

    The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky, birds fluttered from tree to tree, playing and dancing, a cat yawned and stretched lazily on the front gate, curled back up and it went back to sleep. Scarlett ran across the court yard dressed in black dress shoes, long knee high white socks with a red skirt. She wore a white button up shirt with a black jacket that had the school crest sewed onto the right side. She heaved her back pack further up her should to help her run better.
    "Ug I'm going to be late" she moaned as ran out the front gate.
    Her long black hair whipped behind her as she picked up speed, it sparkled in the sun light like a pool of black water. Her eyes, the same light blue as the sky, twinkled with her determination to get to school before the bell rang and the gates closed.
    As she rounded the last corner she heard the school bell ring, "Oh no! I'm late" she panted as she saw the gate keeper slowly starting to close the gates.
    She picked up her speed and ran full force toward the gates, turning her body side ways she slipped past before it slammed shut, almost clamping down on her leg.
    Scarlett sat on the ground panting wildly to get air into her lungs, "I...made...it" she proclaimed in between breaths as she flopped down on the ground.
    The gate keeper laughed and locked the gate, turning he to look at her, "You made it again today Scarlett, you surprise me everyday with how fast you get here" the old gate keeper smiled and helped her up.
    Scarlett smiled back "Now Cesar have I ever missed the gate?" she asked.
    The old man pondered for a minute then laughed back "No I guess not, now you better get going or the teacher will be mad." he added giving her a little push toward the school.
    "Yeah, yeah I'm going" she said sarcastically as she lightly jogged towards the school, then turning back to face him again "Oh yeah it's my birthday today. I'm eighteen now" she yelled.
    "Happy birthday" Cesar yelled, but she had already gone through the front doors of the school.

    The bell rang for lunch. Students packed up their bags and started to leave the classroom in groups to eat their lunches.
    Scarlett sat in her seat, arms folded in front of her, a pouting looking on her face "Why do I have to stay in for lunch?" she whined.
    "Cause you were late for class and you know how the teacher hates it when your late" Holly scolded her. Holly is one of Scarlett's best friends, they have known each other since Holly came to the school in first grade.
    "But it wasn't my fault" Scarlett whined again scratching at her head in frustration.
    "Then whose fault is it?" Holly asked sitting in the seat in front of her.
    Scarlett thought for a moment and was about to say something when Holly put up a hand to stop her, "Never mind I don't feel like hearing another one of your wild stories, the last one sent me for a loop, how a monster ate your alarm clock or you had rescue it" Scarlett sat back in her seat and huffed.
    "There true though" she muttered.
    "Yeah maybe in your dreams" Holly said.

    Just then the classroom door flew open and Violet ran in "I have them! I finally got them!" she yelled bouncing and hugging Scarlett, almost making her lose balance in her seat and fall over.
    "What are you yelling about?" Holly asked.
    Violet's Eye gleamed with joy "the tickets to the Silver Cross concert tonight"
    Scarlett jumped forward "are you serious?" she asked in amazement "I've wanted to see them for like ever! How many tickets did you get?" she asked pausing for a moment.
    Violet's smirked and started to laugh "three of coarse" she said showing them the tickets, Scarlett squealed and hugged Violet squeezing her tightly.
    "I knew you would pull through" she laughed.
    "Anything for your birthday" Violet added hugging her back. They had been friends since third grade when Violet transferred to the school, she had been an outcast but Scarlett had gone up to her and played with her every day, before they knew it they had become the best of friends.
    "So tonight we'll meet by the park and head to the concert from there?" Holly asked.
    "That sounds like the best of plans" Scarlett agreed patting Holly on the back.
    "I can't wait until tonight" Violet squealed, shuffling in one spot with excitement.

    A cold wind blew around Scarlett as she stood under a dim street light, waiting for her friends. The night was dark, only a small part of the moon could be seen among the clouds, an owl hooted in the distance echoing across the park. Scarlett pulled up the neck of her black jacket as the wind blew again "its cold tonight" she shivered watching her breath rise from her lips and playfully danced in the wind.
    Being so excited about the concert she had come a half hour early, she brought out her cell phone from her pocket and checked the time "It's only 7:45pm, the concert doesn't start until 9:00pm" she sighed, Holly and the others wanted to get there early to try and miss the crowed. As Scarlett started to text her friend, asking were they where, she heard something off in the distance, spinning around in the direction of the noise she strained her eyes to see if anything moved in the shadows. After a few minutes when nothing happened she turned back and went back to her texting. The wind had stopped “ I think my nose and ears are going to get frost bit” she thought, suddenly the hair at the back of her neck stood on ends as she shifted her eyes looking all around her, the feeling of being watched washed over her. Minutes passed, she stared into the on going darkness of the shadows, and then jumped when her cell phone rang. She quickly opened it up and read the text "Just about there. From Holly" Scarlett breathed a sigh of relive.
    "The awakening is almost here" a deep voice echoed, spinning around Scarlett saw nothing and wondered if the voice was in her head. She jumped again when she heard her friend’s voice in the distance. Holly ran in her direction waving hello, Scarlett sighed with relief and waved back.
    When Violet showed up they headed to the concert getting good seats for getting there early and enjoyed the show.
    After the show they stayed at the park for a while reminiscing about what had happen "Can you believe them? Their so good" Holly squealed.
    Violet stretched on a park bench "Yeah it was all some wasn't it?" she asked closing her eyes.
    Scarlett smiled "Oh it was kick a**! Plus Sliver Cross is so hot!" Scarlett lightly slapped her checks with excitement and to warm them up.
    Violet yawned "Well it's getting pretty late we should head home. Got school in the morning and all." She moaned as she got up from her seat "I'll see you guys in the morning" she waved good bye and walked down a southern pathway.
    Holly looked at her watch "Oh man I got to get home too, I'm going to be so grounded, but it was so worth it." she smiled and started to walk away "I'll see you later" she waved and walked westward through the park back towards her house.
    Scarlett stood alone in the night for minute, during the concert the sky had cleared and stars twinkled in the endless black sky, the half full moon gave off little light.
    Scarlett sighed; as she started to walk she pulled up on her jacket as a cold breeze blew around her sending her hair and the leaves into a frenzy.
    She walked down the poorly lighted street side, hearing a trash can knocked over she quickened her steps, as she came off the sidewalk to go down a back alley she stopped. She saw two shady characters standing in the darkness. She thought about turning back, but the only other way was to go all the way around and this would get her home on time, summoning the courage she walked down the alleyway.
    As she came closer she glanced at one of the characters and saw she was an old women, dressed in poor clothing, she was aimlessly looking down where Scarlett had just came from almost like she didn't even notice Scarlett was there, what Scarlett didn't notice was the women glance at her and smile wickedly at the last moment as she passed.
    Scarlett now saw the second character, he was a middle aged man dressed the same as the women 'must be hobo's or something' Scarlett thought as she went to pass the man.
    As Scarlett walked past the man she felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up and a shiver of fear run down her spine, suddenly the words 'RUN!' screamed in her mind. As she was about to pick up her speed into a full sprint when the man reached his arm back and wrapped it around Scarlett's throat pulling her on to the ground. The next thing Scarlett knew the man had her pined to the ground, him on top of her legs with both of her wrist in his hands at her sides, Scarlett's body shook with fear as she wondered what was going to happen. The women came beside them "Just give us your money and we'll leave you alone" she demanded.
    "I..I don't have any money" Scarlett shuddered as the man shuffled her body across the hard, rocky ground, towards the wall of the ally. Taking out some hand cuffs he strapped it to one of her wrists "That’s too bad I guess we'll have to leave you here then" she women replied.
    Scarlett struggled against him to try and stop him from cuffing her to the rusty pipe on the wall beside them, she could feel the bite of the cuff on her wrist, but still she fought, but it was useless he had both her hand and her legs pinned. Scarlett was about to give up when he leaned forward to cuff her to the pipe, his head was right next to hers, having nothing to fight with she could only think of one more thing she could do. Stretching her neck she managed to bite down on his ear lope, she could hear the crunch of the flesh in between her teeth as she bit down. Then her body seemed to freeze as she tasted his blood run into her mouth, the man yelled in pain, Scarlett let go, he sat atop her screaming and holding his ear but Scarlett didn't hear, all the noises seemed to melt away. She moved the blood around in her mouth with her tongue and savored it as it trickled down her throat. Suddenly her body seemed to plus and come alive with new life, blood rushing through her veins. As the man sat on top of her Scarlett slowly leaned up to him, as he looked into her eyes he froze almost as if her eyes had numbed his body, Scarlett moved her hands to his shoulders and pulled herself up to his bleeding ear. Slowly he let his hands fall limp to his sides as Scarlett lightly licked the blood that ran from his ear and down his neck, she stopped licking when she got a few inches from were the shoulder met the neck, pausing for a moment, then sank her teeth in. She could feel something like fangs sinking into his neck and the warm intoxicating liquid pool in her tongue and trickled down her throat. The man, frozen to the spot, could only gurgle as minutes went by. Scarlett stopped when she felt the man’s heart beat was so weak she could barely feel it. Pulling away she let the man drop to the ground and got to her feet.
    "What are you?" she heard the women ask as she moved away and started to run, Scarlett felt her body jolt towards at the women with such force she couldn’t stop. Her mind went blank sending her mind into darkness.