On a Sunday afternoon, Scarlett was standing in front of a large group of mourners who had gathered in front of a coffin. They were holding umbrellas over their heads to protect themselves from the still-pouring rain.
As she stood next to October, she struggled to hold back tears in the hope that it was all just a bad dream and that her father wasn't already gone. Her auburn hair had recently been dyed black and was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was dressed in a long, black gown.
"Go on, Scarlett. Put the flowers on the casket," said October. As her mother's hand slipped from her shoulder, she walked over to her father's coffin to place the flower on it. "Say something to him so he can hear it," her mom added.
Scarlett wasn't the kind of girl to hold those beliefs. She was the kind of girl who was knowledgeable about things that other people weren't. At two years old, she was already aware that the tooth fairy was a myth made up to make kids happy. She didn't go through financial hardship as a child because she was born wealthy and her parents were both financially okay.
She was not the stereotypical rich girl you might expect—often portrayed as a spoiled brat in books or movies. She was the complete opposite of that. She was tall, has a body fit for a model, excelled in school, and has made a lot of friends. She was accepted for who she was, but right now she was standing in front of the coffin of her best friend. Scarlett still doesn't believe that he's gone for good.
When she learned that her father's heart had been removed, it was difficult for her to even approach him after the detective dropped off his body at their home. She knew her mother and Belly were keeping something from her, and she had also suspected them when they went to a corner to talk.
The detective had also informed her that the results of the requested autopsy would be available in a few weeks, and Scarlett was glad that she would soon be able to discover the true cause of her father's death.
For the first time, Scarlett ran to her room and stayed there all day long by herself, not even wanting to eat or talk to anyone. She kept berating herself for losing track of what had transpired in the car prior to her passing out. She might have been able to understand what was really going on if she had been awake. She could have found out what happened to her father if she had been a little more conscious.
Perhaps this wouldn't have happened to her and her father would still be here with her if they hadn't gone to the game.
"It's all your fault, Scarlett. You caused this!" She beat herself up and repeatedly banged her head against the edge of her bed, and as she sobbed helplessly on her bed, her chest was in excruciating pain.
Two days later, Scarlett received instructions to prepare for the funeral and to wear the gown her mother had purchased. Just as the programme was about to start, she finally left her room and arrived at the location. At that point, it began to rain.
After seeing her younger sister lay flowers on the coffin, Scarlett walked back to her mother's side.
"I will miss him." said Isabella.
Scarlett nodded, still fighting the urge to cry in front of the entire gathering. She knew that after the funeral, she would cry herself to sleep in her room for the entire following week. Her best friend would not be coming back to her. He won't be coming back from trips with a big box of presents for her anymore. Sincerely, she will miss him.
She rested her head on Isabella's shoulder. With a sigh, she exhaled. "I too will miss him."
Scarlett watched her mother leave after the service to talk to those who had taken their time to attend. She walked over to the car with the intention of having some alone time or returning to the mansion to lock herself in her room.
"Scarlett, wait!" Belly yelled.
Turning around, Scarlett noticed Belly rushing over to her while holding her long dress. "Mom is with Grandpa if you're looking for her. They probably would still be babbling nonsense to her." Scarlett said.
Isabella came up to her and halted. "They don't get along. We all know that her relationship with Dad's family was sour and now they will blame her for his passing." Belly shut her umbrella, allowing a thin mist to fall on her head. "There is less rain now. Are you alright?" Isabella was worried. Scarlett hasn't really talked to her family since they brought their father's body home; she's been grieving.
She gave a nod. "Everything is fine with me. Why?"
"You did not cry. I was expecting you to cry. You were dad's favourite, and since you two got along so well, I didn't get that chance with him. However, I wish I had."
"Belly, I'm good." Scarlett made every effort to control the trembling in her voice. She does not have to sob in public. If she did, they would think she was weak. It will be better if she is left alone in her room to cry. "The tears are holding back." Rather, she said.
"You're aware that I'm available to help you with anything, right? Even though I may not be as close to you as you were to your daddy, I will make an effort to be there for you."
"Thank you, Belly. Coming from you, that means a lot." Scarlett gave a small smile.
Belly cocked her head to the side and nodded before turning to face Scarlett. "I'll..I'll go right now. I need to find Mia." Just as she was about to walk away, Scarlett stopped her. Out of curiosity, Belly turned around.
"Something has been bothering me, Belly."
"What is it? You can talk to me."
"Can I?"
"Of course. Scarlett, talk to me. If I have the answers to your questions, I will tell you."
After giving her sister a long glance, Scarlett realised that Belly wouldn't provide the clarification she was seeking.
Belly laughed a little. "Come on, Scarlett. Is it about a boy? Are you shy?"
The last thing Scarlett needed to worry about was a boy situation.
"Belly."
"Yes, Scarlett."
"Do you have anything you'd like to share with me?"
Belly was bewildered. She giggled apprehensively. "Whoa, what do you mean? I don't want to share anything with you. You were the one who wanted to tell me something."
Scarlett nodded. She knew Belly wouldn't readily admit it if she said what was bothering her. "Belly," Scarlett called. Then she grinned. "It is about the bear. I remember the colour now." She added.
"What?"
"Now, tell me. What secret are you and Mom hiding from me, Belly?"
"Now, tell me. What secret are you and Mom hiding from me, Belly?"Belly scoffed and began to laugh. "I have no idea what prank you are pulling, but you can trust me Scar, Mom and I are not hiding anything from you."Slowly, Scarlett nodded. "Okay. I'll end the conversation if you say so. That's Mia you're looking for." Scarlett said as she peered over Belly's shoulder. I will find my way back to the car." She whirled around and started moving once more. When she arrived at the car, she unlocked the door when a recognisable head suddenly emerged and startled her by blowing confetti in her face. "What are you two doing here? You scared me." It was her very best pal. Cornelia and Avery.Cornelia and Avery have been Scarlett's friends right from childhood, and their parents are also each other's best friends.Avery has long black hair. She wore ankle boots over her short, pink leather skirt. She was standing next to Cornelia, who was petite. She wore long blue jean trousers with an open
Shortly after leaving the funeral home, Scarlett and her friends arrived at Tucker's house, but they didn't get out of the car until after eight. Scarlett ignored Mrs. O'Hara's repeated calls and threw her phone into the car's storage area.In front of a white glass mansion, Scarlett was standing between Cornelia and Avery with her hands now entwined with those of her companions. She took a deep breath. "Here we are." She spoke while fixating on the house. Tucker's house.At 15, Scarlett was aware of Tucker's intense love of partying and it was one of the barriers preventing the two of them from being together. Whenever his parents are away, Tucker takes advantage of the chance to party with his basketball teammates every weekend. Even though they still liked one another, the fact that Scarlett was a bookworm and Tucker wasn't didn't make them compatible.The mansion had a large pool in front of it and music was playing inside. People from the lower classes who weren't invited to the
Scarlett came to a stop in front of the trees. Where could he have gone? She thought. She turned her head in all directions, but all she could see was the shadows. She took a step forward before turning around and walking backward, telling herself it would be foolish to follow that boy inside.The part of her that was in love wanted to follow him to find out what he was up to, but another part of her warned her against even attempting to do so.After waiting outside for a while, Scarlett exclaimed, "Fuck it." She had to go inside to look for the boy because he hadn't come out. She turned on the light on her phone before entering the woods, but all she could hear were the sounds of crickets.Following that, she stepped on something that made a noise, which startled her; however, when she flashed her light in its direction, she saw that it was nothing more than a thong of dry leaves. She moved forward and kept looking, but she couldn't find anything. "Where did he go?" She asked herself
Simon understood that the only way he could catch his prey was by luring it. He had only attended the party for that purpose. He was well aware of his attractiveness and it had always been to his advantage to entice women into the woods with him so he could eat them.No exception applied to the girl he met at the party. She was infatuated with him at first sight and he could even read how her heart was beating when he caught her in his arms. She would be too simple and sweet to consume.She was also beautiful and he couldn't deny that. Although Simon thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen or was about to eat, he needed to stop deluding himself. No matter how beautiful she was, she was going to be his dinner. He watched her until she climbed into her car. Acting as if he was having an argument on the phone was all part of the plan to lure her into the woods and he didn't believe it would work.What a fool!The moment he changed into his wolf, he smelled her fear. If
Simon stretched out his naked body and assumed a human form beneath the rounded red moon.Why would a human be selected to be the alpha's mate? He pondered.Why would the moon goddess be so cruel to him when she knew how he had hated humans for years?Lunas cannot be humans. It didn't make sense at all to Simon.He was the next in line following the passing of his parents. He rose to the position of pack leader, and now his Luna would be a human? A human would be his partner?Simon scoffed. How could the moon goddess do this to him? How could his wolf be drawn to a human?He was about to return to where he had left his clothes—in the leaves—when he felt something sharp beneath his feet. When he looked down to see what it was, he discovered it to be a phone and beside it was a pink handkerchief.As he knelt down to pick it up, Simon scoffed once more.He picked the handkerchief up and saw the embodiment "Scarlett O'Hara" written on it with white treads, but it was at the bottom o
Scarlett groaned as she grudgingly opened her eyes. She wondered where she was. Her eyes became more lucid as they scanned the area. Upon realising she was in her room, she let out a contented sigh.As soon as she started to experience head pain, she placed her hand on her head, groaning and getting to her feet. She questioned why she was lying on the ground. Scarlett gasped as she suddenly remembered that she had passed out on the floor just before going to bed after a run-in with the beast and being bitten by it. She was relieved that she survived the bite, even though it was possible for her to die. She found it odd that, while she could see that her blood had seeped into the bandage when she lifted her clothes up, she wasn't feeling the same amount of pain as the previous evening.While seated on her bed, Scarlett glanced at the time. Although school didn't begin until 8:00 a.m., it was already 6:30. She got up and went to the mirror to examine the bite and to get ready for the 7:
"Hey, Scar." As her car rolled into the parking space and came to a stop, Avery waved at Scarlett. Scarlett shut the door behind her as she got out of the car, and Avery and Cornelia walked over to her.Before leaving for school, Scarlett went to her backyard to gather the clothes she had thrown out the window. She didn't want her family to see it, so she kept it in the trunk of her car. After school, she had made up her mind to drive a considerable distance to a remote location and dispose of the clothing there."I texted and called your number, but no one answered. How could you just bail on us last night, Scar?" When Avery asked, Scarlett removed her sunglasses. Oh sh*t! Now she remembered. She left her phone in the woods.With a squeaky voice and an inhaled breath, Scarlett replied. "I'm so sorry, guys. I had to leave because Mom called." She was unable to reveal to them that while pursuing a hot guy in the woods, she was attacked by a strange beast. Her friends wouldn't take h
Opening her locker, Scarlett took a few notes before facing Tucker. Since what happened last night, she hasn't spoken to him. There was no way to text or call him."Can we talk?" Leaning against the locker next to hers, he questioned. Scarlett turned her head in his direction."Sure." As she spoke, she was holding her books. "What is this about, Tucker?""I tried to call you last night, but there was no answer. Didn't you get my text? I texted you more than nine times."Scarlett sighed. "Last night on the way home, I misplaced my phone.""Oh. Ah. I had no idea.""Of course you wouldn't. Why exactly are you here?" Tucker leaned in close. "I…Look. I just wanted to apologise for what Cassy said last night. She…"Scarlett interrupted. "No. Cassy is merely acting defensively. I totally understand her. If I were the one, I would have done the same thing if someone had an eye on my boyfriend. Tucker, I don't hold her responsible for what she said to me last night. You and I share this…" She