by Chelsea Fine
“You don’t look fine. You look...sad. And a little bit like a rag doll. What’s going on with your hair today? Did you lose your brush?”
“Not now, Heather,” Scarlet said, easing past her. She had more important things than her messy hair to worry about.
Like dying.
“Scarlet,” Heather said, coming up alongside her as they walked to their lockers. “What can I do to help? What do you need? Do you want me to beat Gabriel up for lying to you? ‘Cause I will. I’ll even break a nail if that’s what it takes.”
Scarlet smiled at the thought of tiny Heather trying to take on giant Gabriel. “No. No, I’m not even really mad at Gabriel. I’m…crazy about him. But I just…I just need time.”
Heather nodded, looking down the hallway. “Well, you’d better enjoy the next few seconds because I’m pretty sure Gabriel is headed this way.”
Scarlet looked up and saw Gabriel coming down the hallway, his handsome face fixed on hers. She wanted to turn and run away, finding solace in a broom closet or something, but she didn’t.
Because she had no idea where the nearest broom closet was.
And also because, despite the craziness of the last few days, she missed Gabriel.
She missed the way he smelled and his lovely voice and perfect smile.
Scarlet watched him approach, her feet planted next to her locker.
“Hey,” Gabriel said as he neared.
Scarlet nodded. “Hey.”
An awkward moment passed.
“Um….” Heather’s eyes darted from Gabriel to Scarlet and then back to Gabriel. “This is weird. And as much as I’d like to stick around and comment on Gabriel’s fantastic jeans,” she looked at Gabriel’s pants with a smile, “I’m gonna…go.” She exited the awkward tension and made her way to second period.
“So,” Gabriel said, looking at Scarlet with big, helpless eyes, “I know you want your space right now and I don’t want to pry my way back into your life, but,” he smiled sadly, “please don’t shut me out completely.”
Scarlet looked at him for a moment and realized her chest was hurting. She didn’t want to shut him out. She wanted her boyfriend back. She’d tried to be mad at him, she’d tried to hate how he’d lied to her, but she couldn’t. She’d missed him too much.
Not knowing what to say or how to undo the thickness between them, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, her eyes falling shut at the touch.
He kissed her back gently, almost hesitantly, like maybe he thought she was going to change her mind and pull away completely. His hands went to her waist where he held her softly against him until their lips parted.
Still in Gabriel’s arms and on her tiptoes, Scarlet opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.
She couldn’t help but smile back at his little-boy grin. “What?”
“Nothing. I just missed you.”
She blushed.
“Things will get better, Scarlet. I promise.”
Scarlet nodded, her smile faltering for brief second. “I hope so.”
“They will,” Gabriel said, confidently.
Scarlet pasted her smile back on for his sake. She wanted to believe him.
Maybe someday she would.
Scarlet lowered herself back to the floor as Gabriel’s hand fell from her waist to her hand and held it carefully.
For now, she would take things one day at a time.
Today, she would hold hands with her beautiful boyfriend and let him back into her life.
Tomorrow, maybe she would run a brush through her hair.
35
Tomorrow came and Scarlet managed to brush her hair, much to Heather’s approval. She also decided to pay Gabriel an impromptu visit at his cabin after school.
She had questions and the Archer brothers had answers.
Scarlet pulled her car into the cabin’s dirt driveway, took a deep breath, and got out.
She made her way up the porch steps and stood before the door. It seemed like years since she’d stood on that very porch and met Tristan. So much had changed for her since then.
After knocking a few times, the cabin door swung open to reveal Tristan.
Holding a sword.
A vey long, very sharp sword.
Scarlet’s heart began to knock around inside her chest. She looked at the sword, then at Tristan—who provided no explanation—and back at the sword.
“Uh…what’s with the weapon?” Scarlet asked.
Tristan looked at the blade in his hand and shrugged. “Do you really want to know?”
Scarlet thought about it. “Nope.”
She had too much on her mind right now, she didn’t need to add any weird Tristan facts to the mess in her brain.
He stood back from the door, motioned her inside and shut the door behind her after she entered.
Gabriel appeared in the entryway and smiled warmly. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
Tristan disappeared down the hallway.
She shrugged. “I have a lot of questions. You know, about the curse and…well, everything.”
Gabriel nodded. “Sure. Come on in.”
Scarlet made her way to the living room and sat on the same couch as before. The last time she’d sat on that couch, her whole world had come undone.
Hopefully this time, her world—as fragile and weird as it was—would stay in one piece.
36
Gabriel sat next to Scarlet on the couch, grateful she’d returned to ask questions. He felt for her. He couldn’t imagine how terrified and confused she must feel.
Scarlet folded her hands together in her lap. “I’m not sure where to begin so…I guess let’s just start with the immortal thing. You said you guys didn’t know you were immortal, right?”
“Right.”
“So, how did you figure that out?”
Gabriel took a deep breath. “Our first clue was Tristan surviving an arrow through his heart. It was crazy. One minute he was bleeding on the ground beside you and the next, his wound was closing up.
“Just minutes later, your body vanished, and Tristan and I freaked out. We thought for sure Raven’s curse had done something to both you and Tristan, but we didn’t know what.
“That’s when we tracked down a guy who lived in a nearby village, Nathaniel Fletcher. When we were children, Tristan and I witnessed Nate accidently cut his hand with a knife and miraculously heal. We figured whatever healed him may have played a part in healing Tristan.
“We met up with Nate and explained how you’d been shot, how your body had disappeared, and how Tristan had immediately healed after the arrow pierced him.
“He hypothesized that Tristan and I were immortal. Naturally, we thought he was crazy, but how else could we explain Tristan surviving an arrow through his heart? We let Nate do a…test of sorts, on our blood, confirming his suspicion. Tristan and I were immortal. Just like him.”
“That Nate guy was immortal, too?” Scarlet gaped.
Gabriel nodded. “Nate’s mom was given a vial of fountain water, just like our mom, and drank it while she was pregnant with him.”
“Is the Nate guy still around?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s a friend of ours. He lives in New York right now.”
Scarlet furrowed her brow. “How many immortals are out there? Like, thousands?”
Gabriel shook his head. “As far as we know, it’s only the three of us. We’re the only people we know of born to mothers who drank water from the fountain.”
Scarlet nodded. “Three immortals. Got it. Okay, let’s talk about fountain. If we find it, then I’ll be healed?”
Gabriel nodded. “Completely. I actually called Nate the other day. He’s been helping us try to locate the fountain for centuries.Maybe together, we’ll be able to find it this time, it’s him.” Gabriel gave her his best smile, trying to reassure her.
She weakly smiled back.
His heart tightened. He wanted nothing more than to heal Scarlet
, to keep her healthy and unafraid. But he felt so helpless.
Scarlet cleared her throat. “Let’s say we don’t find the fountain and I die. The next time I come back to life, will you still come find me?”
“Of course!” Gabriel would always find her. Or, at least, have Tristan track her down and then follow him. “It won’t be like it was this time. Tristan and I will come immediately in your next life. If you die. Which you won’t.” His palms got sweaty.
“Wait, you can find me immediately?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Then why did you wait two years to meet me?” Scarlet looked angry. “Why did you let me live in confusion and fear for so long?”
He swallowed. “Uh…that was Tristan’s idea. He wanted to wait until the curse was broken before meeting you.”
“Why?”
“Because he thought it would make things easier.”
“Well, it didn’t.”
Gabriel nodded. “I promise that will never happen again.”
“I hope not.” Scarlet looked off to the side.
She was right. They shouldn’t have let her live so long without them. It hadn’t been fair to her.
“I should never have listened to Tristan,” Gabriel continued. “He’s an idiot.”
Scarlet shook her head and wrinkled her brow. “Why did you keep Tristan a secret so long? Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
Gabriel shifted uncomfortably, trying to formulate a response that wouldn’t sound callous. “Tristan…asked me not to tell you.”
“Why?”
Gabriel shrugged, hoping she would accept his non-answer and move on.
She didn’t.
“Has he done that in past lives? Has he tried to keep himself hidden from me before?”
Gabriel sighed. “No.”
“Then why now?”
Gabriel shrugged. “I don’t know. He just said he didn’t want to meet you this time.” Gabriel spoke gently
“Why not? Does he hate me or something?”
Gabriel knew Tristan didn’t hate Scarlet, but he had no idea what Tristan wanted her to believe. “I’m not sure, you’d have to ask him.”
Scarlet nodded, but her eyes seemed far away.
Tristan walked into the living room, waving his cell phone. “Sorry to interrupt the age-old bonding that’s going on in here but Gabriel has a phone call.”
Gabriel looked at Tristan in puzzlement.
“It’s Nate,” Tristan said, looking at Gabriel pointedly. “He called my phone to discuss my…plan. And now he wants to talk to you.”
Gabriel waited for further explanation but when Tristan didn’t elaborate, he reluctantly rose from beside Scarlet and grabbed Tristan’s cell phone out of his hand.
“I’ll be just a minute,” Gabriel said to Scarlet’s big blue eyes.
Maybe Nate had information about the fountain of youth.
Which could be good news.
37
Tristan barely glanced at Scarlet before turning to leave the living room. He needed her out of the house. Soon. It was too hard for him to stay occupied and in control of himself when she was lounging on a sofa two-hundred feet away from him.
“Tristan,” her voice called to him. “Wait a sec.”
No, no, no.
No chatting.
He couldn’t handle her right now. He needed to go somewhere else…as far away as he could manage without being in too much pain…so he could plan his next suicide attempt.
This needed to end as soon as possible.
He rigidly turned around, trying his best to look uninterested. “What?”
She didn’t seem phased by his bad attitude—which wasn’t a good sign.
“Um….” She bit her bottom lip and every nerve in his body wanted to go over and bite it right along with her. She cleared her throat. “Why didn’t you want to meet me this time? In this life?” She looked concerned. Even insecure.
Damn it.
His heart cracked as he steeled himself for what he was about to do. He was going to have to lie to her. He was going to push her away.
He was going to break her heart.
And it would kill him, but it would keep her alive.
He waited until a look of absolute apathy crossed his face before he gathered the nerve to say, “Because I don’t want you here.”
Scarlet looked taken aback. Hurt.
Pain flashed in her eyes and Tristan almost lost all his resolve right there. He took a slow breath, harnessing his emotions.
Scarlet shook her head. “I’m…I’m sorry…I don’t remember….”
“I know,” he said, his voice still harsh. “I’m not mad at you.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want you around.”
He was evil and deserved to die.
And, hopefully, he would.
Her eyes were glossy, on the verge of tears. He could feel pain and heartbreak ricocheting through her. He could feel sadness…anger…he could feel the damage of his words.
She didn’t remember him, but her soul did. Her heart did.
And both were breaking.
Please don’t cry.
Tristan kept his eyes locked on hers, steady, careless, praying she wouldn’t burst into tears.
If she cried….
Well, if she cried, all bets were off.
She could not cry.
“Then….” Scarlet swallowed, controlling her tears. “Then, why…did you come sit by me in the forest? Why were you so nice to me the other day?”
Tristan wanted to kick himself for his lapse in self-control last weekend. If he couldn’t convince Scarlet he didn’t care about her, then she would be her normal, lovely, beautiful self around him.
If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to resist her and she would die.
The thought of her death gave him the strength he needed to end their conversation by saying, “I was doing Gabriel a favor. He thinks he loves you, or something. So, he wants you around. That’s what I was doing in the forest—keeping you around.”
A silent moment passed, Scarlet’s big eyes asking a thousand questions.
“Anyway,” Tristan said coldly, like he hadn’t just crushed her spirit. “I have things to do.”
And with that, he left, leaving Scarlet stung and insulted by his black words.
His insides curled in guilt as he retreated from her.
He was a liar and villain.
He was also in love with the girl on his couch.
And that’s what kept him moving away from Scarlet’s sweet face and toward the only thing he had to live for.
Death.
38
Scarlet sat, stunned and hollow, in the wake of Tristan’s words. She’d never felt so hurt, so personally offended.
Why did she care?
Tristan was no one to her. He was just her boyfriend’s brother.
So why did she care if he hated her? Why did she care if he didn’t want her around?
Scarlet tried to readjust her feelings and put Tristan’s words into perspective.
He means nothing to me.
He’s a stranger.
He’s a mean stranger and I don’t care about him.
Her thoughts echoed back at her, calling her a liar.
Despite his sharp words, Scarlet still felt drawn to him and it broke her heart.
She should hate him right now or, at the very least, feel nothing for him.
But no.
Her heart clenched in her chest until she couldn’t breathe and her eyes went blurry with the threat of tears.
She heard footsteps coming back down the hallway and her silly heart hoped—actually hoped—it was Tristan returning to apologize.
She cleared her eyes and sat up straight and nervous.
But it wasn’t Tristan who returned, it was Gabriel.
Her heart sank.
“Sorry about that,” Gabriel said.
She gave him her best fake smile. “What did Nate say?”
He
examined her for a moment. “Are you okay?”
Gabriel had no idea Scarlet’s insides were bleeding from her conversation with Tristan, but she didn’t feel like sharing her hurt with him. “Of course. What did Nate say?”
Gabriel shook his head, “He doesn’t have any new information about the fountain. But he does have something to give to you.”
“What is it?”
“He wouldn’t tell me, but he said he’d send it to you.”
Scarlet tilted her head. “Huh.”
Gabriel shrugged before scooting closer to her and wrapping his strong arm around her. “Anyway, back to you. What other questions do you have?”
Scarlet blinked.
She had more questions, but all she could think about was Nate’s mysterious gift.
And Tristan’s cold words.
“Um…I think I’m good. For now.” Scarlet gave him another fake smile. “I’ll let you know.”
He tilted his head to the side, paused a moment, then smiled. “Are you sure?”
Scarlet nodded.
“Well, in that case, I think we should go on a date. Tonight. Let’s go do something normal. Something that has nothing to do with curses and fountains. Whatdaya say?”
Scarlet breathed out a laugh, “That sounds wonderful.”
And it did.
Or, at least, it sounded better than sitting in a house Tristan didn’t want her in.
A date would be good.
Scarlet needed a little love.
39
The following weekend, Scarlet smiled to herself as she knocked on the cabin door. She had a “secret” date planned for Gabriel and couldn’t wait to surprise him.
She was going to take him back to their picnic spot in the woods and spend the rest of the day talking and laughing and, hopefully, going over possible fountain leads. They’d spent the past weekend researching various legends and Scarlet was feeling hopeful.
She knocked again.
Tristan answered the door.
What was he? The doorman?
Scarlet’s happiness deflated.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Scarlet blinked. “Excuse me?”
Rude.