P a r t i t i o n
Warning: It's really long (☉_☉) Probably the longest chapter I'll ever write.
Scarlett Walker was the very definition of 'darkly serene' even if she was only 18.
But it wasn't always like that.
Scar used to shine with happiness — key words — used to.
All of that was gone because of one filthy rich bastard. The mystery person was so influential no legal action was pressed against him. She didn't even know his damn name.
Night after night flashes of the ordeal plagued her mind relentlessly, to say the least — it was pure torture;
*
*
*
TWO YEARS BEFORE...
"Scar, how many times do I have to tell you. I don't want you fighting!" my mother scolded.
I just rolled my eyes "I don't get what the big deal is!"
"Genevieve, why don't we just let her fight for a couple more years" my father stated while his fingers drummed against the steering wheel. He was a fighter too — a very well known one and even well respected amongst the underground community.
My mother turned to face him "Andy, she's 16!"
"And I started fighting when I was even younger" I chimed in
She turned around to face me with a stern look on her face"Don't you star-" before any of us could brace ourselves a motorcycle swerved into the middle of our lane.
My father steered out of the way, at the cost of our vehicle spinning uncontrollably — before my mind could process what was happening next we crashed right off the bridge and into the river.
My vision blurred for a moment or two.
Panic coursed through my veins as the water started to slowly rise inside the van.
My cold shaking hands fumbled with my seatbelt, successfully unclicking it. My mother turned in her seat and reached out in an attempt to calm me.
My father turned around "It's going to be okay, Scar. It's going to be okay!" he yelled over the rushing water.Tears were brimming the edge of his eyes as his hands constantly yanked on the seat belt that seemed to be jammed.
"Dad!" I cried out as my trembling hands started to pull on the seat belt before turning to my other side and trying to help my mother undo her own.
No matter what I did, they wouldn't budge.
The water started to rise higher, this time just reaching the top of my chest.
No.
It was at that moment my parents stopped what they were doing and exchanged a look.
No.
I stared at them for a moment before my mother slowly turned to me and whispered a soft "We love you more than anything, remember that "
"She's right, princess, we always were and we always will be proud of you."
My watery gaze stared back at the both of them. I wasn't an idiot, I knew what they were doing. "w-we have to keep trying! We can undo your seat belts!"
"...We don't have much time..."
I sobbed brokenly "Please...don't make me leave you behind...please,"
"We love you Scar. Never forget that"
By this time the water was just under my chin, quietly my parents gave me one last smile. I reached out my hand trying to hold both of theirs but before I could grab them — the window beside me shattered.
Glass and water blurred my vision violently, surely cutting numerous places on my body. For a moment my breathing stopped — My whole body froze from the impact but as soon as the feeling came, two pair of hands were pushing my small form out of the broken window.
I knew at that moment my parents were saving my life and at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like I was betraying them.
My petite form was now out of the car and my lungs were burning with a heavy need for oxygen.
Darkness started to invade my vision.
The car below me made my heart ache at the thought of my parents still inside.
And just like that my whole world was taken from me.
In one single night.
By one single person.
*
*
*
A few months after Scarlett's parents died she moved in with her only living grandparents on her father's side. She had no clue how opulent they were until she saw the several companies they owned.
Everyone marvelled at the way Scarlett looked and sounded, her grandparents were awfully proud of it.
Men and even women stared after her with both lust and envy. As soon as her parents died she gave up underground fighting and closed herself off from everyone else.
She had made countless business transactions with her grandfather, who was thoroughly impressed by the way she dealt with money, he would always say "you're a blessing from the heavens"
She hated it though.
Hated the praise that others gave her, to Scarlett she didn't want people to think highly of her. She just wanted to be invisible. But no matter what, she'd stand out — she was, in fact, a Walker;
*
*
*
TWO YEARS BEFORE...
Currently sitting alone in the cafeteria had become my normal routine, even though I was only 16 everyone somehow thought I was 'out of their league'...whatever that means. Even going to the lengths of considering themselves too 'normal' compared to me — which I thought was absolutely ridiculous.
I scrolled through my phone absentmindedly, indulging in the soft murmur of voices that surrounded me. I liked the quietness of being alone — I might even refer to myself as a loner "HEY!"
And just like that my tranquil mood fell.
I lifted my gaze from the phone I held in my hand to face three girls. Taylor, Kim and Bailey.
"Yes," I answered coolly. The whole cafeteria silenced, each and every pair of eyes glued to the scene in front of them.
Taylor stepped forward, flipping her platinum blond hair over her shoulder "I am sick of you acting so stuck up!" the only thing I was thinking about at that moment was how her hair couldn't possibly be that colour naturally...
Kim gasped "Are you ignoring us?" as much as I wanted to flinch at the girl's inhumanly high tone I refrained from doing so.
"No," I stood up from where I sat and dusted my clothes. "I just didn't hear what you said"
Bailey narrowed her eyes — it seemed as if I couldn't care less about the girls in front of me and everyone could see that. "PAY ATTENTION WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO YOU!"
"I am." my tone was deathly calm. I stepped forwards so I was now directly in front of them "Now that I'm closer, I'll be able to hear you better. Talk, I have other things to do" it was true. I had some paperwork to go over.
Taylor's eyes widened "Stop acting so innocent when you're just a spoilt little brat!"
"You're pathetic!" Kim screeched "Your parents would be ashamed"
Each and every person in that cafeteria expected me to turn around and run away crying but instead I did something they all didn't see coming. I simply stared at them with a blank expression and said, "...I know."
The three girls looked at each other weirdly "...what?"
"I said...I know." I repeated.
The group in front of me shifted nervously under my heavy gaze but I didn't stop.
I glared at them with every ounce of my being — they visibly flinched "These are the things I have to live with everyday, I wish I could see my parents, I wish I could hear them one last time, and I wish more than anything that it was me that had died and not them. But I can't, instead I have to live my life completely and undeniably lost - this is my curse. You didn't need to repeat it for me to remember." With that, I gave them one last glance before turning away and exiting the silenced cafeteria with my head held high.
It was that very day I had unknowingly become the Queen of Prosperous High.
I had somehow earned the respect of everyone in that hall.
Beautiful, smart, wealthy and strong.
They called me perfection in the flesh.
Idiots.
*
*
*
Scar revelled in the fact she had another four months of school as she made her way down an empty hall. Even though she was twenty minutes late for class, she still took her sweet time.
"I-I'm sorry!" A distinctive yell caught her attention, upon instinct she stopped mid-step.
Scar turned to her left before hearing someone cry out in pain. Her mind contemplated whether she had the strength to turn around and act like she didn't hear the desperate tone calling out for help.
Even though she hadn't been training or fighting for a while, she still knew how to handle herself plus walking into class late wasn't the most appealing thought in her mind at that moment. So it made perfect sense when she turned around and continued to walk in the direction of the voices.
"Fielder's aren't welcome here!" she heard a very low voice hiss, at this point her body had followed the dangerous tone into the parking lot. It didn't help the fact that it was raining, so her hands delicately reached up to her red hood and pulled it over her head.
Her footsteps quickened as her ears picked up the familiar sound of fists hitting a body.
Her feet halted as soon as her eyes came into contact with the scene in front of her.
One guy was viciously beating another.
"Excuse me" she politely called.
The man who was standing above the other turned around angrily "What do you want!"
"I suggest you step away from him." She stated coldly, half her face was covered by the hood and all that could be seen were her red plump lips.
The man gazed at her lustfully "and why should I do that, sugar?"
"Because I'm Scarlett Walker " Her hands swiftly pulled her hood down. She automatically recognised him as one of the 'popular' guys, he had the whole Captain of the football team, dating the head cheerleader thing going on.
"Y-you wouldn't..." Jake visibly flinched.
Scar raised an eyebrow "Are you sure about that?" he gulped nervously "Leave. Now"
He stumbled backwards slightly before turning and running around the corner.
It was a known fact that the 'Walker' family had enough money to ruin someone's reputation, all too easily — Jake was smart enough to run when he had the chance.
The boy on the ground still groaned in pain, rolling around on his back. She finally got a good look at him; dark hair, strong jawline, slim build. Pretty average.
She snapped out of her thoughts when he groaned once again "W-who's there?"
"Nobody" She answered without thinking twice she turned away.
He reached out, trying to pat the ground in search of something "Please, can you h-help me, find my-"
"No." she stated coldly, Scarlett was indeed the ice Queen but as she kept walking a few metres away her eyes caught the glint of something in the distance — his glasses — her morals decided to rush back with a vengeance.
She should have left them, she had done enough for the strange boy but her self-righteous compass wouldn't let that happen.
Reaching out and clutching the object, she turned around to face the nameless student patting the floor with his hands — he must've heard her footsteps since he suddenly blinked rapidly.
"Relax." Scar stated lazily "I found your glasses,"
A small smile graced his split lip before he placed the thick black frames onto his eyes "Thank you so much!" he exclaimed
As if on cue his eyes widened at the beauty in front of him — And for some reason it didn't seem to bother her as much as it usually would have.
For a moment he froze, and for a second so did she.
"You're welcome." Her voice came out melodically, "I've never seen you before, are you new?"
A crimson colour painted his cheeks, his gaze flicked to the ground "M-Maybe you just haven't noticed me..."
"No," she answered confidently, making the unnamed boy look in her direction "I would've remembered," he stared at her — Scar's memory was refined, she remembered every single face and name like the back of her hand.
His hand clutched his right arm tightly, making her feel the familiar pang of empathy seep in — as soon as it came, she ripped it away "...I'm new...my names, Mark"
"Just Mark?"
She had no clue why she was being so friendly with him, normally Scar hated talking to people "Umm, no. Not really?"
"Not really?" she raised an eyebrow "Everyone has a last name."
He stood up on his feet "I'd rather not say..." he muttered before turning around and limping away.
Scarlett stared at his back with confusion before her long tan legs followed after him "Do you know who I am?"
"...No..." Mark answered as surprise showed in her features.
Since the day Scarlett stepped into Manesfield Valley, every single person knew who she was. Scar cleared her throat lightly "I'm Scarlett Walker." She had expected him to be shocked, fearful, anything but instead he turned towards her and smiled softly.
Odd.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Scarlett Walker." he reached out his hand — Scar was taken back at how brave he acted, normally no one would even look her in the eye let alone shake her hand.
She decided to give him credit for his bravery.
Maybe he didn't know who she was, maybe he was a complete idiot but it was refreshing to finally meet someone who was blatantly oblivious "Nice to meet you, Mark 'not really', the new boy"
He chuckled lightly before letting go of her incredibly soft hand. He couldn't help but feel a warm sensation spread through his chest "I've never seen you before, did you just move into the Valley?"
"No, I live in the Fields," He answered bashfully.
Scar finally took in his appearance and cursed herself for not seeing it before. Unlike the many people she had met from the Valley he didn't wear designer clothes or even remotely expensive looking attire. Instead he wore a black sweater and a simple pair of jeans.
There were three sides of Manesfield Valley.
The rich side of society lived in the Valley. Middle class lived in the Manes. And then there was the Fields — in spite of the name, there wasn't any farm land or anything like that, it was actually short for battle Field —The poorest of citizens lived there.
Mark stared at his worn out shoes "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you helped me..." he whispered, before turning around and walking through the school gates
"Excuse me?"
He looked to his left, surprised she was still next to him "W-Well, I know you wouldn't want anyone to think you defended a...Fielder, it's okay, I get it..."
"What makes you think that?" she hissed, clearly offended.
One thing Scar hated the most was being compared with the upper class, sure they were wealthy and everything, but damn were they evil.
Mark quirked an eyebrow — she surprised him more and more "I'm not on the same level as you. I'm on a scholarship to come here..."
"Just because you're on a scholarship doesn't mean anything, it just means you work harder than half the people in this school" she grunted, her walls slowly crumbling for a boy who judged her way too soon for her taste.
He stopped walking in the middle of the path — the rain still heavily pelting the ground "...do you honestly think that...?"
"Of course..." she trailed off "If you can hold up a conversation with me - you need to give yourself more credit."
He sighed shakily "...thank you."
"Nothing you need to be thankful for," she voiced. For some reason he intrigued her — it had been a long time since she'd found someone who peaked her interests "You're hurt, I can help..."
Mark looked unsure for a moment.
"I have some medical experience," Truth was, she was taught how to patch up injuries at the age of nine — to say the least she had received many in her own years of fighting.
He contemplated her offer. His mother wouldn't be happy if he came home early and he wasn't going to spend his first day of school in pain "...I don't really like the Valley-"
"We're going to the Manes"
Mark didn't have any friends so the thought of gaining at least one both scared and elated him "...it's okay, you don't need to-"
"It wasn't a question."
She glanced towards him quickly before turning her attention forwards and walking down the path, her hood covered her head and her hands were tightly tucked in her jacket "W-wait!" he called out, lightly jogging up to her.
Scar only slowed her pace slightly — she didn't know why she was suddenly acting so friendly to this stranger.
She couldn't tell how long it had been since she's freely talked with anyone.
Maybe this year won't be as boring as she originally thought...
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top