—Scarlett—

After our little hangout at Drake Cakes, the other group soon left to catch their flight. That left Adrian, Madia, Luc and I with two options, either sit around and do nothing but delay the inevitable, or go to my home early and introduce everyone to Tracy. Obviously we chose the latter. I had so much that I wanted to tell her. Even if she didn't believe me, it would be nice to finally get it off my chest. I hadn't really talked to her much since I got to Eternal, so you can only sense how much I wanted to talk to her.

I felt a spring in my step as I started walking down the sidewalk. I couldn't wait until I saw Tracy. I couldn't wait to finally yell, "I'm home!" as soon as I walked in the door. Even more, I couldn't wait to introduce her to my friends. I'd have to tell her I was dating Luc and would get an "I told you so" look from her, but it would be all worth it.

"Slow down, Scarlett!" Madia yelled at me. "With how fast you're going, people would assume you've just downed 15 gallons of energy drinks."

I looked back, stopped, and laughed once I realized I was a full block ahead of them. I laughed as they caught up.

"Sorry, Mad." I apologized. "I'm just so excited to go back home!"

"So you've been saying." Madia muttered under her breath, sighing and crossing her arms. "For the past week."

"I can't help it." I justified. "I just can't wait for all of you guys to meet her." I pulled out my phone and quickly texted her that I was on my way to visit her—which I honestly should have done earlier, but I forgot about it. She didn't respond right away, so I just placed my phone back in my pocket and focused my attention back on my friends. Adrian was looking at a shop that sold a bunch of pop-culture related items. He pointed at a t-shirt with a man in a black and red suit carrying two katanas printed on the front.
"Who in the name of the Eternal Flame is that!?" Adrian exclaimed, slightly shaking.

Luc looked through the window, squinting his eyes. "Oh, him? That's Deadpool."
Adrian gave him a confused look. "What is a Deadpool?"

I gave him a playful roll of my eyes. "Jeez, Adrian. How much do you get out?"

"Once or twice a month depending on how generous Talia is feeling." He answered earnestly.

Luc inhaled sharply through his nose and placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "Boy, I'm just going to explain this right now to you." He pointed at the character. "That is Deadpool. He is a Marvel anti-hero: a mercenary that kills for hire. He is known for his amazing regenerative abilities and his off-key sense of humor. Let's just say that he's...special."

Adrian grimaced and looked away. "He doesn't sound like a very honorable character."

Madia laughed. "Yeah, I think that this small child is a little too innocent for Deadpool's comedic style. Maybe you're better off watching something a little more suited for your innocence, maybe something like My Little Pony."

Adrian's eyes widened and he smiled. "Ooh! I love that show!"

We all couldn't help but laugh after he said that. Adrian was just being his adorable self as per usual. I loved my friends. I loved each of their fun personalities and how they completely differed from one another. I couldn't help but wonder why I never wanted this or actively sought it out.

I didn't keep wondering for long. I knew exactly why it was so hard for me to make friends. It was the last time I had ever trusted someone like that, the betrayal I promised myself I would never put up with again. He was the last friend I had ever fully trusted. My mind ended up trailing back to the day I met him.

* * * *

I must have been about ten years old, having nothing better to do than play hopscotch by myself. For some reason, nobody really liked me. I never knew why, though. Was it that I sung too loudly on music class? Was it that I always had my nose in a notebook either writing or doodling? Did they just not like how I looked!? The fourth grade me had no idea. All I knew was that people seemed to want to stay away from me. I still had optimism, though. Part of me clung to the tiniest shred of hope that things would get better and eventually I would make some actual friends. So I just kept doing what I was doing, waiting for that right person to come along.

That day, something caught my attention out from the corner of my eye. I saw a flash of white hair and a group of boys chasing its owner. They were just probably playing tag is what I had thought. I normally would have left it at that and called it a day, but for some reason I kept watching.

The boys finally caught up to him after he tripped. Instead of helping him up like I had thought they would have, they pushed him back down as he was starting to get up. One of the boys lifted him up by the collar and pinned him against the chain link fence. I felt a surge of burning anger rise up in my chest as I saw one of them land a heavy blow across his face. I completely forgot had I was doing and rushed over to help the boy. Someone was in trouble. Nothing else mattered.

I ran up to the main instigator and threw him off of the boy. Another one of his friends tried to come running at me, but I punched him in the gut, watching him collapse like a doll dropped by a child. The other two came at me, but I kicked them in the shins. I was disappointed. For being bullies, they really weren't that hard to take down. One of them raised his head, looking at me with a look of terror on his face.

"I-I'm gonna tell the teacher!" He stuttered, trying to look tough but utterly failing.

"Oh, really?" I asked, crossing my arms. "What are you going to tell them, that a girl beat you up? Imagine if everybody else heard. How embarrassed would you be?"

They seemed to take this into consideration. Another one of them looked at me, trying to seem like he wasn't afraid. "Well, it's not worth telling the teacher, anyways. It didn't really hurt all that much."

"Yeah." Another one added. "We just fell down to make you feel better."

"Oh. In that case, would you like me go beat you up even more?" I threatened, shaking my fist for emphasis.

They all shook their heads in unison.
I smiled, knowing that I had won this battle. "Good. Now go away and leave him alone, am I clear?"

They nodded and stood up, running away like the little wusses they were. I turned around and looked at the bit who had been beaten up. His hand covered one of his eyes and he seemed to be in pain. I walked over to him and gently touched his shoulder. He responded by giving me a dirty glare.

"What do you want?" He snapped.
I replied with a smile. "I want to help you. No one deserves to be hurt like that for no reason."

"That's what everybody seems to say, but you're the first person who has actually noticed what's going on. You're the one that actually helped me." He pointed out, kicking a stone ruefully. "Why did you?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. If no one has helped you, that just gives me even more of a reason to take a chance and stand up for what I believe in."

He looked at me curiously, and I took a special note about the color of his eyes. They were bright violet. I was in no place to judge, though. After all, mine were bright red.

"You're a weird girl." He said after a while.

"I know I am." I said confidently. I held out my hand. "My name is Scarlett Kaida. What's your name?"

He looked at my hand suspiciously, as if it were some sort of bomb that would explode at any moment. I stood there in awkward silence for a bit, unsure exactly what he was thinking. After a while, he finally took my hand and shook it. "I'm Miles. Miles Lockwood."

I smiled and let go of his hand. "Can I see your eye? It looks like it hurts."
He backed away from me a bit, looking at me suspiciously. "Why do you want to see my eye?"

"Because if it's really bad, then I could walk you home and we could take care of it." I explained. "Tracy has a first aid kit at home and she taught me how to use it."

Miles paused for a big a bit before removing his hand from his eye. There was really nothing more than a bruise on his cheek. There was a scar over his eye that was shaped like a zig-zag, though. I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's great. You're okay."

He looked at me with eyes full of disbelief. "You're not going to call me an albino reject Harry Potter or anything like that?"

I shook my head. "Why would I? Theses absolutely no reason to make fun of you. You didn't do anything to me, so why would I do something like that to you?"
There was another pause full of silence before he finally said, "Yeah. You really are weird."

That was the day of the start of our friendship.

***

My feeling of nostalgia was gone as soon as Tracy's apartment came into view. I smiled and ran up to the main entrance. I motioned for my friends go follow me. I ran up to the second floor. After everybody caught up to me, I knocked on the door excitedly.

"Those stamina lessons with Talia have really paid off, haven't they?" Luc commented.

I nodded. "I guess they did. I'm definitely able to run more over more distance."
The door opened and I squealed with happiness as I saw a familiar orange frizzy-haired face. I wrapped her in a hug and breathed in the scent of her orange scented perfume. I was finally home.

"Tracy!" I exclaimed.

She separated from me after a few moments and held me at arm's length. She ran her hand across my cheek and smiled. "My baby! You're finally home! I'm so happy! I can't believe it!" Tracy's eyes ran over me, scanning me from head to toe. "You seem to have grown a bit since I met you. You look...different in some way." She quickly added, "In a good way, of course."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Tracy. It is true that I have done a lot of growing since Ice fine to Eternal, and in a way I think you might appreciate." I gestured to the people behind me. "These are my friends."

She gasped and then laughed. "Well don't just stand there! We have guests!" She opened the door wider and motioned for them to come in. "Come on! Take a seat on the couch! I'll grab you all a drink. What would you like?"

"Umm...I'd just like some water if that's okay." Adrian said.

"Do you have any Mountain Dew?" Luc asked.

"I'll take any kind of juice that you've got." Madia said.

Tracy nodded, letting everyone into the apartment. She looked to me as I entered into the living room. "What about you, Scarlett."

I shook my head. "I'm good. Thanks for the offer but I don't need a drink right now." I told her politely, taking a seat on the couch.

"Are you sure?" She asked again.

I nodded. "Yes. I'm perfectly fine."

She shrugged and ran into the kitchen, coming back out with drinks in cups and handing them to their appropriate owners. Luc took his cup, set it on the coffee table in the living room, and then stood up with his hand held out to Tracy.

"Hello, Miss Kingston. My name is Lucian D'Ange. Scarlett may not have mentioned this to you, but I'm kind of her boyfriend."
I almost wanted to die right there. I could not believe that he had just said that. I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. Really, Luc? Was that necessary, man? I was flustered, but I had to accept that what had been done was done. Now I just had to prepare for whatever was going to happen next.

I looked up to see Tracy smiling, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and excitement. She took Luc's hand and shook it in a friendly manner.

"Well, I don't know what to say. This is a complete surprise. Usually Scarlett's behavior learns more towards that of an introvert. I'm glad to see that she's finally overcome some of her social anxiety, not only making friends but also getting herself a boyfriend as well." She let go of his hand and looked at Madia and Adrian. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, would you two introduce yourselves as well?"
Madia nodded enthusiastically. Being the first to rise to her feet, she gave an animated salute. "My name is Madia Luna Ochoa! It's very nice to meet you, ma'am!"

Tracy laughed. "You certainly have a lot of energy, Madia."

"Sometimes you wouldn't believe how much." I joked, causing Madia to glare at me playfully and stick her tongue out at me.

Tracy laughed and gave me a jokingly scolding look before turning her attention to Adrian. "And what is your name? I really haven't heard much from you yet."
He folded his hands in his lap and diverted his face to the floor as he began to talk, stuttering as he did so. "M-my name is A-Adrian Skalanias. I-It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Kingston."

Tracy laughed. "There's no reason to be shy, Adrian." She assured him. "I don't judge so there's no reason why you should be acting like I'm going to bite your head off at any moment."

Adrian gave a weak smile and looked up at Tracy for a moment. "O-Okay."

Well, I guess I wouldn't get a better opportunity than now to explain all this stuff to Tracy. I took a deep breath and began to speak. "Hey, Tracy. Fun fact about Adrian;" I started, clapping my hands together. "He's actually my biological cousin on my dad's side."

Tracy stopped, all life in her seeming to disappear for a moment as if it had been snatched from her. Her head turned towards me, her smile slowly turning into a frown. Her eyes were now focused on me and me alone. "You mean...you've finally found out who your dad is?"

I nodded, taken aback by Tracy's reaction, but that didn't stop the excitement brewing in my chest. "Tracy," I started. "You're absolutely not going to believe me, but he is so much different than I had thought. He's strong and brave and righteous, and he's—"

"King Ignacius de Leonaidas Dracos Emporius of Sciana." Tracy said under her breath.

I was confused on how she knew his name. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I tried to say more, but then Tracy silenced me with a look.

"I also know that he's a dragon. That makes you a Scale Child. Not only that, but that also means you are the heir to his throne as the prince."

I felt my eyes widen and my jaw drop in shock. "But how did you...huh?" Was all I could manage to say.

Tracy sighed. "Look, Scarlett, when j was younger, I met a man. This man swept me off my feet. He was a complete gentleman, so it was only natural that I fell in love with him. After a year of dating, he took me to an abandoned building and revealed to me that he was a dragon. I didn't cafe. I still loved him. Despite having grand duties and responsibilities, he still found gums to come and visit me. He blessed me with a beautiful baby girl, Bailey. He. Told me that it would be best for her to be schooled at Eternal Academy. Of course, I agreed and sent her to preschool once she came of age. Then, he gave me another daughter. He sensed something special about her and told me that she had to be raised in his homeland to be prepared for the day when she took over his duties.

"Then his homeland was attacked. She had to come back home. One of his most trusted allies, Haizea, came to my doorstep with my distressed baby girl. She told me that my daughter needed to stay with me in New York until her powers surfaced. I told my daughter that I had adopted her to keep myself from revealing too much about her past. I had to send Bailey to permanently live at Eternal so her little sister wouldn't learn about her powers. Now, that little girl is standing before me. The very girl I had raised is now all grown up."

I couldn't believe it. Did she seriously mean what I thought she meant? I stared at her, awestruck. "Y-You mean—"

"Yes, Scarlett." She said. "I am your biological mother."

I stared at her in disbelief. I should have been glad. I loved Tracy. Se was the one that I had honestly hoped to whatever god was out there that she was actually my mother, but to actually hear this in this situation did not feel how I thought it would have. Instead of being happy and wanting to hug her, I felt quite the opposite. I felt betrayed. How could she have done this to me?

"Look, Scarlett," Tracy started, pacing around the room. "I admit that it was wrong to keep the truth from you, but who am I to defy the request of the King and Peacekeeper of Sciana? I'm just a human. I didn't know any better at the time. With Kali wanting your head and seemingly no other option, what else was I supposed to do? Look, Scarlett, what I did was for your safety. I didn't ever intend to hurt you in any way."

I stood up and cast my gaze to the floor. Why did this hurt so much? I knew why. She hated me. That's why she never told me. I was nothing more than a disappointment to her. She didn't want to claim me as her daughter. That's why she talked about Bailey being her child and not me. I balled my fists and tried to hold back the tears that were forming. I felt a familiar pressure in my chest as I found it harder and harder to breathe. Not again. This could not be happening now of all times. I couldn't let everyone seeing me break down like this.

"Scarlett," Tracy started, her voice tinged with worry.

"Scar, are you okay?" Luc asked, the same concerned note ringing in his voice.
I had to get away; fast. I needed to flee like a wild animal would from its enemies. I began to hyperventilate. If I waited much longer, the anxiety attack would just get worse. I made like a rabbit and ran out of the apartment. I had to get as far away from here as possible. My feet flew and I ran out of the apartment, never once looking back.

OMG this took MUCH longer than expected. For those of you who are wondering, I have had writer's block for a while and haven't been able to do much as of late. Also my depression has been distracting me. Actually my depression and anxiety kind of tie into this chapter. Scarlett's anxiety attacks are a lot like how I experience them in real life. Considering the last time I had one was last week, and before that they hit me for ten days straight, I have a good idea of how they happen. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Keep tuned for more stuff in the future!

Signing Off, Kiera Savage