The Mystic Chronicles: Locket

by Elizabeth Hawkins

  “I’ll just make you, myself.” She muttered, her teeth gritted. She’d escaped from her animal-like state, and back into Vampric form, which resulted in a thick black smoke, the residue from the transformation. “Scar, be careful.” Silas warned, as the bat flapped his wings. She ignored him, as she used her abilities to leap from the broken table that she stood on. It was near the bar where Saytrix was.

  The brave girl had grasped the collar of his green blazer. With fear in his eyes, Saytrix gasped. The Vampric girl then did a backward flip into the profound, fiery space. She bit the inside of her cheeks as the flames slightly licked her back. When they gazed up swiftly to the ceiling, the fresh city air had kissed their faces as crumbles of cement began to drip like rain. The foundation of the restaurant was eroding away in flames.

  When she landed back on the table with her two feet, she dropped him.

  “I'm going to transform again. Either use your beloved wings or get killed. We don’t have much time.” Her forehead was creased, she gazed at him fiercely. “And I won’t let you die. Not now.” Saytrix nodded in response, barely catching his breath. It was hard to keep up with two Vampiric beings, who never had trouble with running too fast.

  Fiery explosion traveled from the ground and married the walls. There were creatures running here and there, chaos. Pulling off his blazer and tearing off his expensive, silk blue shirt, Saytrix unleashed his wings. They glowed with a blaring white light, an overwhelming beam of enchantment. They reminded Scarlett of thin ice as it also was decorated with an elaborate design. Delicate and thin. He glanced up at the hole in the ceiling of the restaurant, as the curls of black hair spilled over his forehead in an eruption of suspense.

  “Everyone has escaped, and the fires have met all of the exits. We must leave through that way!” He pointed, his eyes screaming in fear.

  The others agreed, as they all flew up and out of the restaurant. They watched from the dark plum-colored sky as the last of the ruby flames had finally made its way to the roof whilst the entire building collapsed, exploding with a large bang.

  The sound was like a gunshot going off, and the fire had glimmered in all of their eyes.

  Saytrix had an unreadable expression, as he saw the restaurant engulfed in the hot mess. Scarlett kept a straight mouth, and stared at him. Did they really do that? Did they really destroy a business?

  He’d raked his fingers through the dark curls of his hair and exhaled. The breeze of the night running over his exposed chest. He briefly looked at Scarlett, as she was in bat-form. He looked as if he wanted to say so much. But instead, his lips said to her, “We should never meet again.”

  And then he flew away.

  “Well, you burned down Sylvano's.”

  “Shut up, Silas.”

  Chapter|Three

  “Local Vampric Investigators have searched for the remains of the restaurant from the insufferable ruins and damaged properties of evidence and possible culprits. Unfortunately, they have been left empty-handed. Vampric civilians from the horrendous night have reported not being aware of who or what could have started the explosion. Fortunately, nobody was harmed during this dreadful afternoon. As for the restaurant…” The Vampress woman had turned down the volume of the radio. She was short and pale, a worried expression danced across her face.

  The news was on, and the word was out. The screen flashed all that was left of the restaurant that Scarlett, the Fairy boy, and Silas had managed to escape from. The woman was dressed in a thin slip and a light cloak. Her hands clasped around an orange mug. It was the morning. The two sisters sat at the counter, the two of them in completely different states.

  Scarlett was worried sick. How could they have not gotten footage of Saytrix, herself, or Silas? Broadcast journalists were terrible, Scarlett thought. And so were crime scene investigators. The press blamed it on a small kitchen fire, when Scarlett knew for a fact that the flames began at the bar.

  Flashes from last night filled her brain and radiated through her soul. She thought it was all a dream. It wasn’t exactly fun seeing the restaurant that she burned down being plastered all over the news and social media. There were even memes about it. She cringed at the thought of the hashtag that was suddenly trending on magicbook and flutter.

  But how did she burn it down in the first place? All she did was touch his shoulder. Saytrix’s shoulder. Why did their touch ignite flames? It practically would have melted the Fairy boy’s wings if he hadn’t exited with Scarlett and Silas. Despite the suspicious fire, She couldn’t get over the feeling of satisfaction when she saw her and Saytrix’s pictures morphed into one image. Just when she thought things were beginning to make sense, she’d never felt more confused. She had to get to the bottom of things. She tried to mentally brush over the fact that she’d put lives in danger. Luckily, nobody died that night. She looked at her hands. She imagined the flames that once grew from her fingernails.

  Their mother had turned to her daughters with a raised brow. “So, Sylvano's was burned down to the ground last evening. This is why I do not enjoy the idea of you two out past curfew. Especially in cities like Hypersdame.” She then shook her head, and drank from the mug. “Ridiculous….” She trailed off.

  Hypersdame did have a bad rep. Scarlett dreaded passing through there.

  Liveria argued, “Mom, I was just out with the girls and Corveticus.” She rambled. The curls at the ends of her strawberry hair rested on her wrists, as she was dressed in the dark uniform that was required for their conservatory, Shylack.

  Liveria sat at the table with her head resting on the palm of her hand as she played with her food. It was a warm, freshly baked scarlenberry muffin, with a tall glass of blood. “It was safe. We swear.” She muttered.

  Scarlett wasn’t paying attention. She hid her Oracle underneath the table, and clicked on the app Magicbook she’d downloaded. Quickly, Scarlett created an account.

  She had to find out who Saytrix really was. She had to see him again. Speak to him again. When she typed his name into the search bar, she widened her eyes and hid her smile as he popped up. She examined his profile. She knew it was him. Scarlett hooked her feet around the chair legs, and tilted her head.

  He resembled the same features of the woman in the picture more and more, as she began to think about it. When she clicked on Saytrix’s profile and examined his feed, she saw that his pictures mostly consisted of different landscapes, and much of the Enchanted ocean, which was in Endlaysha. Every now and then he had posted a photograph of himself. He must have liked to travel. Although, he had limited pictures. Only twelve.

  Scarlett decided to message him. It was a bad idea, she thought. But the information she wanted was worth fighting for. She hated being proven wrong, and she hated to be not right. Plus, she needed to know how they created those flames. Or had she been dreaming?

  ScarlettLenotine123: Hey.We met the other night, and we need to talk.

  ScarlettLenotine123: I know you remember me.

  A hit to her shoulder had shaken her from her thoughts. Swiftly, she turned to her sister. “What now?” She asked, as she tried hiding her annoyance.

  Her mother scoffed at Liveria and turned her face away. “You’ve been seeing Coreveticus again? I thought your father and I told you we did not want you two to see each other anymore, I do not like that boy. And Scarletta, where were you?” Her mother fumed, as she spoke with her hands. “Honey, I expect you to be more responsible. Especially in a city like that.”

  Her lips parted, as she looked into her mother's light eyes. She shoved her oracle into her pocket as a notification from Magicbook went off as she bluffed. “Uh…” She started, “I was with her.” Scarlett stammered. “I was watching over her and Coreveticus, and made sure nothing happened. Aside from the fire, it really was a fun night. We apologize for coming home later than usual. Won’t happen again,” she told her mom and nodded her head.

  Their mother squinted her eyes, setting the mug that was full of red, onto the c
ounter. She peered outside the window. “I try to trust you two with responsibilities, but when you break my rules deliberately, it makes me feel otherwise. Now, get to the conservatory. You’ll be late. I should catch up with your father, he’s in the city today.” She muttered, before heading out of the kitchen.

  Their parents owned a large company that sold all types of oracles, sometimes Scarlett liked it, other times she didn’t. She liked the idea of both of her parents being with her at the same time and usually her imaginations never worked out. Her father was either at work and her mother was home, or her mother was at work and her father was home. She thought the concept of oracles was cool, and grew to know all about them, as their parents were constantly talking about them all the time. They were fireproof, waterproof, electric proof, and magicproof. You could communicate with anyone in the entire Mystic world, and have the free space to download as many applications as you wanted.

  As the front door closed, Liveria glared at her sister. “I had to cover for you all night, because you got home so late. Where were you?” Her fingers were playing with each other, and she shook her head slightly, “And I heard that notification. You have a Magicbook profile now and didn’t even follow me?” She pointed out and pursed her cherry lips. Liveria tucked in her head, her facial expression was vulnerable. “You can tell me if something weird...is going on, you know.” Liveria spoke, looking at her stepsisters with her big, childlike eyes.

  Scarlett wanted to tell her stepsister everything, but she couldn’t. For the first time in her life she couldn’t tell Liveria her secret. Her life was on the line. She was a Vampress who created fire from her palms as if she knew magic. Something was wrong. And she had to find out. Without her little sister blabbing her mouth and messing things up. It was far from the same petty, teenage, Vampiric drama that was usually the case. And she loved Liveria, but her sister had a big fat mouth that wouldn’t stop opening up when you asked it questions. Plus, the situation was important to her. It had to do with Scarlett’s birthparents. She shook her head, as a curly strand of brown hair fell in front of her right eye. “I’ll tell you everything later.” She lied.

  Her sister scoffed at her, and Scarlett grabbed her bag that was spread across the table where they both were eating. She then handed her sister’s bag to her. “It’s nothing serious,” Scarlett explained.

  “What and ever.” She responded. “Oh, and on the way out we should pick up a new sister for you, because obviously I'm not good enough!”

  Liveria then snatched her bag from her sister’s grasp, “I can’t believe you don’t trust me.” Her eyes were glossy, and her eyebrows drew together. “You don’t. Do you?” She questioned, studying Scarlett’s face as she pressed a hand to her throat. The shadows beneath her pale skin was like red smoke that danced underneath her eyelids. They were beneath the dangling dim lamp that hung by the front door.

  Scarlett slapped her forehead. “I just can’t tell you right now!” She exclaimed, her jaw clenched as her eyes verted to the ground.

  “Wow.” Liveria sneered.

  Scarlett avoided eye contact. Before she shut her eyes, Scarlett played with her messily painted black fingernails out of frustration. “I-I promise to tell you when the situation waters down. You’ve got to trust me” She told her, as she gave a half shrug.

  She went quiet for a beat and then clasped her hands. “Well, I guess I don’t.” Her eyes didn’t match her reasoning. She seemed upset, but it wasn’t entirely because of Scarlett. Something else was eating her up inside. It seemed as though she wanted to tell her stepsister something but didn’t know how. Scarlett shoved her hands into her pockets and tilted her head. For a moment, she ignored all the drama that happened last night and focused on her little sister.

  “Liv, Wait. Did anything happen last night?”

  Liveria ran a hand through her hair before she folded her arms with a shrug.“I guess I can't tell you right now.” She spoke sourly, as she smoothed down her skirt. “See you at the conservatory.”

  Chapter|Four

  The heavy reflection of Scarlett that glimmered through the dark of Silas’s eyes were prominent, as they took in her every appearance, without her noticing.

  She peered down at the screen of her oracle. Scarlett sat at one of the table’s in the dining hall of the conservatory, alone. That was usually how she sat anyway. Alone, or with Silas. After last year, she’d liked it that way.

  When he approached her, an unreadable expression was painted across his face. Memories from the night before had filled his brain. The fire. The Fey. The ferocity...

  “Hey uh, can we talk about what happened last night?” He spoke, his tone low as he met Scarlett’s gaze. As he finally sat down, Scarlett straightened her spine. It’d been two days since they’d spoken. Last night felt unreal to her. “I mean, you can’t just ignore all your problems, Scar.” He said. “You can’t just ignore me.” Silas spoke.

  In his hands, there was a blue tray that held two bloodshakes and Manticore sandwiches. One with a straw, another without. Silas remembered how Scarlett liked her drinks with straws. He always remembered everything. Her voice was in a low mutter, as she slouched against the wall behind her. “You didn’t have to buy me lunch. I have plenty of coinage.” He leaned his head forward. “Yeah, well I did it, because I wanted to.” He said, as he sat down.

  There was a brief bit of silence. Only the chatter of the room filled both of their ears. Silas then put his hair up messily. When it was pulled back and away from his face, it brought out the strong structure of his jawline. She looked away from him. “Scar, we kissed. We need to talk about it.” He blurted out, his words spilling over each other.

  Scarlett’s lips were tight and her eyes were narrowed, as she bounced her leg. It wasn’t just a kiss to her. It was passion, confusion, pent up emotions. Which was why she’d avoided him. She needed to figure those emotions out, but whenever he appeared roses grew straight out of her chest and blossomed into the sea of sensuality that they’d both created.

  She bit her lip, “I know.” Scarlett muttered, taking a sip of the drink through her straw. She swallowed, “I know, okay. It was crazy.”

  Remembering the feel of his full lips against her own, the way she wanted his body to melt into her own. She sat up straight again, “But let’s just forget about it.” Scarlett said. “And move on. It was late, you were in my room, we were tired. I-It meant nothing. And you’re dating Orika.” She pointed out, with hunched shoulders.

  He put his hand over hers, and she swore her dead heart leaped. “But she’s not you.” He admitted, maintaining eye contact with her. She slid her hand away and crossed her arms. “This is wrong.” She said to him, “Where is she, anyway?” She asked, as she tried to change the subject. Usually Orika and her friends would join them during lunch.

  He cocked his head and blinked twice. “Who cares. Scarlett—”

  She bounced her leg and bit her lip. “Look, this is too much, okay? I have too many things to worry about right now.” She said, “Kinda makes me wanna smoke again.” She half-joked. She did long for a substance to take away all the bad thoughts. But she’d already been down that hole and climbed out. Now, firing guns and throwing blades and fighting gave her that feeling of release. She looked at him. “I mean not smoke, smoke, but you know.” She leaned her head against the back wall and stared up at the ceiling. Why did this Vampire make her feel things? He was supposed to be her friend, not her lover. She needed a friendship out of Silas. Not a new relationship.

  The burgundy-haired boy slumped his shoulders. “Don’t say that.” There was sympathy in his voice. “Alright, I’ll drop it.” He was the only one there for her last year when she overdosed on Unicorn dust at one of Julessa’s parties. He knew how serious Scarlett was whenever she mentioned that drug. Sometimes she’d get small urges to use it again, but she usually could maintain it. She didn’t want to ever go back.

  She could tell Silas anything, and she didn’t really want t
o befriend anyone else at her conservatory. Silas cared about her. She knew people at Shylack, sure. But, she connected with Silas. It was different for Scarlett. Nearly last year she’d been surrounded in a sea full of fake friends, and Silas happened to be the only one who was genuine. She didn’t want to break that because of her stupid schoolgirl feelings. Scarlett then gazed over at his notebook. There were scribbles of different things. Of landscapes, portraits, fonts. She then studied the small, minimal tattoos that littered his fingers. Scarlett sometimes would scold him whenever he’d show up with a new one. He happened to want to be a tattoo artist, and she never understood why. He seemed obsessed with the idea of it.

  “By the way, I think Liveria’s mad at you. On her pixiechat story there were about five quotes about lies and fake people.” He spoke, as he chewed his sandwich with his mouth full.

  She erupted in laughter. “Did she really?” Her smile faded. She touched her throat, as she shook her head with a shrug.“She’s just mad that she got caught sneaking around with Coreveticus, and I wasn’t there to get in trouble with her this time. Also, I didn’t want to tell her about the fire, and Saytrix.”