Chapter 4 : The Return

“Her throat hurt. “Then… who am I?, Scarlett?”

Victor stepped into the light. His suit was perfect, not a wrinkle. His eyes were harder than the shiny floor. “Yes. your name is Scarlett Blackwood.”

Her hand lifted, slow and weak, and touched the bandages on her face. She could feel the new shape underneath. Tears filled her eyes but did not fall. “So she is really gone…”

Victor’s voice was cold and sure. It was not a question. “Yes. Emily Hart died. Scarlett Blackwood was born.”

He moved to the side. The doctor stepped forward and held a mirror in front of her.

She looked at her reflection. A stranger wrapped in white looked back. She could not see Emily anywhere.

Victor leaned down close to her ear. His whisper was like a law, something that could not be broken.

“Welcome to your new life, Scarlett. Never forget. You belong to me now.”

*

*

Scarlett.”

Her name no longer felt strange on her tongue. Emily was gone, hidden under weeks of surgery, healing, and the fire Victor had poured into her. Scarlett sat in front of the mirror brushing her black hair, slow and steady strokes. The knock on her door was deep, heavy.

“Come in,” she said.

Victor walked in, filling the doorway with his dark clothes and sharper eyes. He looked at her the way a smith looked at a blade he had forged.

“You’re ready my Scarlett,” he said. His voice carried no question. Then he paused. “Not fully. But ready enough. The guards will go with you.”

Scarlett placed the brush down on the table. “So it’s finally today.”

“Yes.” Victor stepped closer, his shadow swallowing her small space. “Today, the world will meet Scarlett.”

She gave him a thin smile. “And Emily stays dead.”

“Exactly, Emily stays dead.” He touched a strand of hair that had fallen over her cheek and tucked it back. His lips brushed her forehead, a strange softness she still didn’t understand. “Fear is a waste now. You walk like you own every stone on the ground. Let them whisper. Let them choke on it.”

“I won’t bow my head again,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

“That’s my girl,” Victor said with the smallest of smiles.

The car ride was silent. Scarlett sat in the back, one guard beside her, two in the front. The black dress hugged her body, the jacket cut sharp. Her red lips burned against her pale skin, the first time she had ever worn such a color.

The guard next to her broke the silence. “Nervous?”

Scarlett kept her eyes on the tall gates ahead. “No,” she said, steady and cold. “I’m only waiting.”

The guard chuckled. “Good answer. The boss will like that.”

The car rolled to a stop. The driver opened her door. “Miss Scarlett.”

She stepped out. The sharp sound of her heels cracked against the ground. Heads turned. Conversations fell apart mid-laughter. Students stared.

“Who’s that?” one voice whispered.

“New girl?” another said.

“No way. She doesn’t look like a student. She looks… rich.”

Scarlett didn’t glance at any of them. She walked forward, her hair swinging, her chin high. Boys’ mouths dropped open. Girls squinted, whispering like bees buzzing too close to honey.

“She’s gorgeous.”

“She’s scary.”

“That dress… it must cost more than my life.”

Scarlett’s red lips curved slightly. Not a smile. More like a warning. Inside, Emily’s ghost trembled, but Scarlett whispered back to it, You’re dead. Stay buried.

The entrance hall was crowded. Students leaned on lockers, arms folded, but all of them were staring now. Whispers spread like fire.

Then she saw him.

Ayden.

His arm rested around Kelsey’s shoulders. Kelsey—perfect blonde hair, perfect laugh, perfect queen of the school. Emily had always been the shadow to her shine.

Ayden’s friend elbowed him, nodding toward Scarlett.

“Bro, who is that?”

Ayden’s smirk froze. His eyes, sharp and calculating, moved from Kelsey to Scarlett. His gaze narrowed. He stared as if he wanted to pull the truth from her face.

Kelsey followed his eyes, her laugh cut off mid-sound. Her hand tightened on Ayden’s arm. “Ayden?” she said, her voice sharp.

He didn’t answer her. His steps moved, smooth and confident, parting the crowd as he walked toward Scarlett.

Scarlett saw him but didn’t slow. She walked like he was invisible, her heels clapping against the ground.

Kelsey called again, louder this time. “Ayden!”

Still he ignored her.

He stopped right in front of Scarlett, blocking her path. His scent, clean cologne mixed with arrogance, hit her nose. He leaned down slightly, his eyes fixed on hers.

“Well, hello,” he said, voice low and smooth. “You must be new.”

Scarlett lifted her eyes to him. She said nothing. She only stared, letting silence press heavy between them.

Ayden smiled wider, used to girls melting under that look. “Not much of a talker?”

Scarlett’s gaze dropped to his mouth, then back to his eyes. “Not for everyone.”

The words cut sharper than a blade.

Behind him, Kelsey’s face went red. “Excuse me?” she snapped. “Ayden, you’re just going to—”

Ayden lifted a hand, silencing her without even looking back. His eyes never left Scarlett. “You’ve got fire. I like that. I love girls like you."

Scarlett tilted her head, lips curving in a cool smirk. “I don’t care what you like and boys like you are just aren't my type."

The crowd gasped. A ripple of shock passed through the students. Nobody spoke to Ayden that way. Nobody.

Ayden blinked once, then laughed softly. “Interesting.”

Scarlett stepped forward, brushing past Kelsey like she was air. The crowd parted without a sound, giving her space.

Ayden watched her, the smirk never leaving his face. “Scarlett, huh?” he called after her.

She didn’t look back. “That was fast but then remember it,” she said, her voice cool and sharp. “It’s the last name you’ll need to know.”