Scarlet jumped as Alexa dropped onto the couch next to her, the blonde startling her out of her internal spiral; the whole evening had been a bit of a fever dream since the nightmare last night. Now they were on a private plane, going to her father’s funeral, the windows painted over to prevent any light from touching her. Everything was happening so fast.

“You okay?”

“No, I’m fine!” Scarlet lied, showing a weak smile while trying not to sink her fangs into her lips; Selvaria mentioned it was a dead giveaway that she was panicking inside. “Is Rachel still in the back cabin… Yeah, she is,” she answered herself as she saw the door to the private jet’s bed area still closed.

Fiona hovered over to sit on the table beside them, using a tiny throne Maria had bought her the previous night. “It must be tough being Rachel. What’s she talking to the general and President about again?”

“Yeah…” Scarlet mumbled, watching the 20-year-old woman’s green hair turn white again as she quit channeling her Wind Magic. “Rachel is carrying a lot.”

Thankfully, Anthony pulled the conversation away from her, positioning a few chairs away on a tablet as he answered the Fairy. “They’re discussing the meeting with the Moon Bunny and Tintreach. Apparently, they’re using Mei’s information regarding people’s movements in the higher dimensions to map out potential problems, and he’s concerned about what she said regarding the Montana Crystal.”

“Right,” Alexa nodded. “Something about a big goddess leaving it alone or sensing a big bad there? Honestly, it feels like everything is fine when we’re walking around the streets, but then I flip on the news and see crap happening all over the globe… Kind of crazy.”

A lump of blood formed in Scarlet’s throat, making her internally curse at her stupid body for how it responded. Her parents had had a significant effect on all the conflicts around the world. Why did they do it? She still didn’t understand why it had to be her family out of the billions of people on the planet. How could she have been so blind?

The pressure looping around her chest dissipated as a warm arm pulled her in, and a smile lifted her eyes to the wonderful and caring Korean mom who sat on her opposite side. Molly’s gentle touch had been there to comfort her throughout the night and evening; she didn’t have to say anything because her presence was enough to keep herself from breaking down.

She let the conversation between Anthony, Alexa, and Fiona fade into the background as Maria, Nia, and Selvaria joined in; Scarlet didn’t want to hear it. Letting her mind wander through the magical week she’d had with Rachel’s family, she watched the Leviathan passively play with the hellion of a rabbit blob as the orange girl tried to poke and taunt her puffy-faced superior.

It didn’t take long for her gaze to drift to the back room, snuggling closer to Molly as goosebumps ran down her spine. The woman pulled her in tighter, shifting to draw a blanket around both of them, not that it would help her since she had no body heat. Still, it felt warm to her since it was like the mother was trying to isolate her from the rest of the world.

Filtering out the walls, she saw Jeanne and Rachel resting on the bed, chatting and laughing on a satellite phone while discussing plots happening around the world with prominent people. The sounds of the airplane drowned out their voices from her sensitive hearing; she wanted to know what they found so funny. She could use something that made her laugh.

Her thoughts were stuck on her encounter with a girl she used to know. Now, she had to wonder if she really knew anyone throughout her life, making her close her eyes and rest her head against Molly’s chest to hear the soft beats of her heart.

I’m so useless. Veronica’s right… No, she’s Twilight now. Ten thousand nights she struggled in that ocean after what Mom and Dad did to her, fighting the influence of whatever sleeps below the Blood Sea… She made that house to have a safe place, and I just moved right in. I bet she was thinking, ‘What’s with this girl that just stole my house and is sleeping in my bed? She’s so weak…’

Swallowing the blood in her throat, Scarlet puffed out a shaky breath, unsuccessfully stopping her fangs from sinking into her bottom lip as she pulled the blanket over her head. The others paused in their conversation, but Molly wrapped the blanket tighter around her and shifted her weight to hold her better. Shame bit into her as the Korean woman motioned for them to leave her alone; she didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, but she still felt so useless.

I just keep holding onto Rachel’s tail as she solves all my problems, and now her mom is even helping because she’s being stretched too thin… I’m a burden. Fiona can’t get a hold of her family, but she’s laughing and having fun with people… I guess I just suck at dealing with stress… Stupid. Is this what it’d feel like to be the daughter of Hitler? It… kind of feels like it. Why can’t I do anything but hide and cry?

She fought the blood from leaving her eyes; she’d cried enough.

“Ahem. Scarlet?” The soft voice made Scarlet peel the blanket back to see the concerned Fairy flying in front of her, Maria at her back and holding some wireless headphones. “I can’t really use these anymore, and so… I was wondering if you wanted to have them to listen to music?”

A dull pain pressed against her breast as Scarlet forced a smile and nodded. “Thanks, Fi. Thanks, Maria. Umm, sure, I’ll connect it to my phone.”

Taking the items and accepting her phone from Molly, who slid it across the table to her, Scarlet returned below the blanket to connect them. Maybe music would help her relax a bit and drown out her thoughts.

Connecting them, she slipped them into her pointed ears and settled in against Molly, squeezing her hand to let her know she was thankful for her attention. The somber music of Demon Hunter’s ‘I Am A Stone’ washed through her brain. Her lip tucked under as Ryan Clark’s voice drew her inward, letting the song she hadn’t listened to since she was thirteen express her emotions, set on the lowest volume to adjust to her sensitive hearing.

She lost herself in the tune, putting it on repeat as she sought some sort of redemption. Her parents had abandoned her after turning her into a monster. She had some world-ending final boss inside her, yet she was so weak. Why was Rachel so much stronger than her?

I don’t want to be weak, she internally cried, crimson liquid falling out of her eyes. I want to be strong and help people… like Rachel’s helped me. I want to help her. I have to get stronger. I have to change. I’ll beat whatever demon is inside me… and I’m not alone. I have to walk on my own, though. I have to walk with Rachel instead of everyone carrying me.

Molly gently squeezed her hand as they neared Miami Airport, and Scarlet pulled the blanket off her head. Naturally, the fussy mom drew out her hairbrush like a weapon, going to battle with her messy locks. A swift glance at the door showed Rachel still in the bedroom with the French Legendkin.

The flight to Miami was only three hours, but that was a long conversation; hopefully, nothing heinous had happened, which, if she was being honest, was probably the same chance of winning the lottery at this point.

Scarlet got to her feet and straightened her black dress, frowning as she filtered through the airplane walls to see dark clouds hanging over the city; it wasn’t a thunderstorm, at least, but it was raining. Of course. Why wouldn’t it?

Keeping the headphones in her ears, she used the rhythm to keep her nerves from spiking. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to Rachel about Twilight’s visit yet, and maybe that was one reason why she was so anxious. Well, that and seeing her father’s corpse and her mother crashing the ceremony with a vampire escort or something ridiculous like that.

As they were getting their luggage out of the compartments, Maria bumped her hip with a concerned frown, and she pulled out one of the headphones. “You know it’s not your fault, chica. We got your back. I know it’s rough.”

“Thanks,” Scarlet whispered, looking away and knowing she couldn’t really lie to the Unicorn as she found her elbow to squeeze for support. “It’s just… Yeah, I didn’t know about my powers, and I was scared… so my blood reacted… killing my dad. It, umm, yeah… Hehe. It is what it is, right?”

“Damn. I didn’t mean it like that,” the Spanish woman mumbled, rubbing her own arm uncomfortably before pulling her against her chest and into an embrace. “Yo, cry if you want, chica. We all cry, okay? Life sucks. Death sucks.”

“Yeah…” She swallowed and accepted it. “Death sucks.”

She got loving hugs from Alexa, Molly, Nia, and Fiona, but Selvaria almost bent her in two with her embrace. Coral latched onto her face at the same time, floppy orange ears locking behind her head. It was nice to have people around, even if it hurt.

Rachel wrapped up her call with the President and general shortly after they landed, exiting with the blonde to offer her a soft smile.

“Do you want me to be honest about how you look?” the Korean girl asked with an appraising eye after breaking away from their hug.

Jeanne followed it, French accent thickening. “Exactly how a normal girl would react. You shouldn’t push yourself. If you need time, then let us know.”

Scarlet shook her head, gut tightening now that Rachel was in front of her again. Her internal world had a crack in its glass, and she didn’t want to get sucked out into the storm, but Twilight’s words about forging her own way forward haunted her.

“Umm. Actually, I’d like to talk to Rachel on the way to talk to my dad’s attorney—that’s, uh, where we’re going first… before the funeral, right?”

Rachel’s ears fell forward as she nodded, the others standing around and waiting for their next move. “Everyone else can go get ready for the funeral. Mom?”

The dark-haired woman handed her daughter the keys to her SUV; the Green Berets escorting them had probably kept it safe while they were in DC. “Take your time. We’ll be waiting for you to arrive. Do you have your phone in case something happens, and the address to the graveyard? I know some of the Green Berets will be following you, but—”

“Mom! Mom! Chill,” Rachel chuckled, making Scarlet smile as the hare drew her into an embrace to stop her worries. “We’ll be fine. I survived a Lesser God who wanted me dead. My hearing is sharp as ever, but yes, if anything happens, I’ll give you a call. Are your Shaman Senses tingling?” she joked, causing her mother to direct a light glare up at her daughter before reaching down to pinch her tail.

“Mom!” Rachel cried, ears shooting straight up and making everyone laugh.

“Just checking your reflexes,” her mother whispered while fussing with her dress. “So far, I’m not impressed.”

“Says the Trojan Horse,” Rachel grumbled, rubbing her backside. “You said you’d stop this morning when we were in the bathroom.”

“No!” her mom chimed. “I said this would be the last day I did it… unless I felt like teasing you another day.”

“You added that last exception!”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” she snickered, pulling her down to kiss the base of her ear. “Take care of our little Scarlet. Your father is getting the adoption papers drawn up for when and if Scarlet ever decides she wants to become a part of our family. We just want you to know you’re not alone, Sweetie,” the woman said, turning to fix pieces of her own outfit now. “We want to know you’re loved.”

Trying not to let her bottom lip quiver, Scarlet hugged the mom who had been there for her whenever she felt lonely and isolated. Alexa and Molly had been with her much of the past two weeks, taking her mind off things with anime or K-dramas.

“I really do appreciate everything your family has done for me.”

Seeing them off, Scarlet unfurled her umbrella as they stepped off the jet into the rainstorm. Oddly, it wasn’t as hard to exit the plane as it had been to step onto it. The tapping of the droplets against the plastic made her shiver, and the airport area they’d stopped at was filled with vehicles, mostly military.

Rachel met Barbara and Mateo in the downpour, mock-returning the salutes they gave her. “I see you came early to scope everything out, Captain.”

Scarlet gave them a timid wave from beside the hare, the others filing into other vehicles; however, Maria’s sports car crept closer to them as they spoke. “Hello.”

Barbara sighed and looked up at the dark sky. “Quite the night to be doing a funeral that could see cultists attack… We’ve got three more platoons with empowered soldiers on standby. No one is really sure what to expect. General Dallas seems to think that they might use your whereabouts to find the service location. Hear anything off the cuff?”

Tensing a little as she turned to look up at Rachel, she breathed a sigh of relief when the woman slowly shook her head, ears tilting left and right.

“The storm cuts my range by a bit. So far, I haven’t heard any conversations that spark my interest. I can’t hear Relica, Adele, or anyone else who might be connected to the cult. Anyway, apparently, Scarlet’s dad left a will behind. We’re going to some attorney’s office to hear what it has to say. Everyone else is heading over to the service area. Mind going with my mom? I’d feel safer if you were nearby, Barb.”

“Sure thing,” the auburn-haired woman said, nudging her head toward the Army lieutenant as Nia came skipping over to join them after telling Coral she couldn’t come. “I’ll have Mateo tail you with a few of his boys. Nia joining you?” she asked, bending down to get a better look at the small kid, showing off her black dress and accessories. “Cute.”

“Thank you!” Nia chirped. “Mhm! Mhm! I go everywhere the Cap goes, and Scarlet helped me pick out this one with the frills! Do you like it?”

Rachel chuckled and tapped the girl’s butt to get moving toward the SUV. “She already said it looked cute, Little Ears. Get buckled up.”

The girl’s ears drooped to the sides, leveling a light glare at her leader. “Bunny discriminination; ear length doesn’t mean everything, Captain! Humph. Your mom likes my ears! She pets them and combs out my hair and buys me fancy stuff…”

“Like a pet!” Rachel giggled, making the girl’s cheeks puff up and Scarlet hide a smile. “It’s discrimination, too; not discriminination.”

“W-What?! No! I’m her little darling, fantabulous-essly dressed bunny. I’m not a pet; I’m an outfit! There’s a big difference, Captain, but you wouldn’t understand the inticrasities.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Rachel laughed, looking at Scarlet with a smirk that made her stomach hurt with silent laughter; Selvaria had been teaching the girl sayings by watching anime shorts about cute little girls saying words wrong. “We’ll definitely not leave you, so go wait in the car.”

“Huh?” Nia’s face blanked, the gears in her head slowly spinning. “What do you mean you’ll leave me? You won’t leave me!”

“I said I wouldn’t leave you, silly.”

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“No! No!” she huffed, jumping up and down with agitation, sending water spraying around her. “You said you’d definitely not leave me, which means you will leave me! I’m not stupid, Captain! You’re trying to dump me on Selvaria so Coral will pull my ears and tail! I’m getting in, shotgun!” she yelled, jogging over to the SUV to pull on the locked door. “It denies me, Captain! Bad car!”

Feeling a lot better from the humorous interaction, she watched Rachel press the unlock button, the flashing lights making the bunny hop back defensively. “Airbags are a safety hazard, Nia. Kids can’t ride up front.”

“Kid discrimination!” Nia shouted, moving to the back seat and opening the door, but she stood still for a moment to glare at the car, thinking it had blocked her from the front seat. “Hah! I did it right this time! I’m not always a kid, you know… I’m watching you, SVU…”

“Awww.” Barbara tapped Mateo’s arm to let the man know to get his men ready to shove out. “She’s adorable. I’m seriously jealous. Where can I buy a Nia?”

“Custom tailored,” Rachel sang, tapping her dress and making Nia roll down her window.

“Yeah, I’m one of a kind! Super special! Hehe. Buy me more stockings and skirts!”

“Pick one!”

“Boooo! Eek! Wet—don’t get on my dress! Why does rain even exist?!”

She rolled up the window, and Barbara waved them off as she went to get in her military vehicle to take off. Scarlet’s fingers tightened around the umbrella’s rod when one of the doors on Maria’s sports car opened, revealing a nervous cat teenager. She had a little trouble getting her umbrella open, making the fur on her tail and hair bristle a bit.

Scarlet scanned her black apparel, spotting Felix, Maria’s little brother, move to the back seat as Maria took the driver’s seat while Fiona sat on the dashboard.

That Zoe girl again, who went with Rachel into Anthony’s Quest world… She knew Zoe before me. Hmm. Yet again… more people relying on Rachel. How much more can she handle? I don’t want to stress her out. Maybe… I shouldn’t tell her about Twilight.

It only took a few seconds for Scarlet to think twice and want to slap herself.

No! Rachel needs to know about it… Ugh. When can I do something for myself?! Stop thinking stupid thoughts! Trying not to let herself be black-pilled on the cat girl, Scarlet tried to put on a supportive smile. I’m not jealous or threatened. I’m not! Rachel is just really nice and helps all sorts of people… but she doesn’t.

“Rachel, umm… heh, sorry for all the trouble,” Zoe whimpered, dropping her ears and tail in a way that made Scarlet’s mouth tighten. “Hey, Scarlet, nice seeing you again. I just wanted to thank you, Rachel, you know, for getting me in touch with Maria. All of her friends have been super supportive… with the exception of, uh, Elena.” the girl laughed nervously. “She’s a little mean, but Felix says she’s just being Honey Badger territorial or something.”

Rachel shrugged. “No problem. I thought Maria could help, and she did. Any word on your relatives?”

Zoe’s shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. “Nothing yet. Saint Barbara told me she’d put in a call to some soldiers she knows in the area who would check it out. I just feel… so bad. I’m a little cat leech.”

A nail dug into Scarlet’s chest, making her eyes dart to the wet ground as Maria called out for the cat to get in the car since everyone was leaving.

“Anyway, thanks, Rachel. And… I’m so sorry about… everything, Scarlet,” the girl whispered, moving forward to offer her a hug that she weakly returned. “Let me know if you need anything. I know that, umm, that’s kind of pointless and whatever,” she mumbled, rubbing her arm as they separated, “but I’d like to help if I can.”

“Yeah… sure.”

“Wha—Maria!” she cried, tail going stiff as the car began to inch away. “I’m coming! I’m coming!”

Rachel sighed, glancing down at her. “You’ve been kind of quiet, Scarlet. Do you want to drive around for a bit and get lost?”

“Haha. No… as much as I might like that,” she mumbled, swallowing and looking at her flats. “I… need to know what my dad said—I don’t know what I expect… I just… don’t want to feel this…” She clutched at her chest. “…I don’t want to feel this shame and uncertainty in my heart.”

A warm, gentle hand pressed against her back as Rachel guided her toward the SUV, only two military vehicles left behind them. “Then let’s go. Want to talk about the nightmare, too, or do you want me to kick out Nia since she’s a blabbermouth?”

Scarlet chuckled as she saw the girl throw up her hands inside the SUV and growl something. “It doesn’t matter since she’ll be able to listen no matter where you throw her… and I kind of like the vibes Nia brings. Will Big Nia make an appearance?”

“Halfway through the session,” Rachel answered, opening the passenger-side door for her to enter. “I wanted both of them to have their chance to be there for you.”

“Thanks… And, yeah, I… have something, well, vital to run by you… It’s about Veronica.”

Nia settled down in the back seat as Rachel’s vision narrowed, half-shutting the door after Scarlet pulled in her umbrella. “Okay, we’ll take the long way.” Closing the door, she walked around and entered the vehicle, starting it up and turning off the radio. “I’m listening.”

They pulled out, and Scarlet tentatively went through the entire experience. It was a little hard at some points, causing the pattering of the rain to come into focus as they stared out at the soaking streets of Miami. Rachel looped the office block twice before pulling into a parking space outside the building.

“Well?” Scarlet asked, hands held against her squirming belly. “I want to help you. I don’t want to feel like a burden…”

Nia sniffed from the back seat, having cried a little during the story. “Little Fang…”

Rachel held up her hand to have the kid quiet down as she thought, narrowed eyes on the steering wheel. The tapping droplets filled the space for several seconds before Rachel rubbed the back of her neck with a short sigh and looked at her.

“So, in essence, you’re telling me that Veronica has been marinating in this bloodstorm for… at least twenty-seven years, and she’s changed a lot in that time. We don’t know if all of that time had passed in an instant or progressively over a week before she escaped, using Relica’s spell as a bridge. Well, if she’s telling the truth. Is that right?”

Scarlet quietly nodded. “She talked like she abandoned who she was to survive. It was… kind of scary since she, you know, wanted me to jump into the storm, too.”

Rachel slowly nodded, folding her arms on the steering wheel and leaning forward to rest her forehead against them, ears pressing against the windshield. “Hmm. She made that house for herself, and… somehow you found it? No. She put you there when she left.”

“Really?” Scarlet sank deeper into her seat, fingernails digging into her sides. “I… guess that makes sense. Is the storm getting worse since she left… and that’s why it’s breaking?”

“I don’t know, Scarlet.” A quake ran down her spine at Rachel’s soft words; she was the one who always had the answers. “Twilight has her own objectives. Whether she sees it or not, we can’t believe she hasn’t been twisted by whatever is below that sea… We don’t even know if it is a part of your Seed or if it is some other entity feeding off it, as scary as that sounds.”

Legs knotting, Scarlet tried to breathe out her stress. “So… could she be planning something with my… with my mom or for the funeral—maybe the vampire that Mei warned you about?”

Rachel shook her head and pushed herself back up, showing her a frown. “There’s no way for us to tell at this point. Think about it this way, if you do nothing, the house will break, and you’ll enter the Red Sea, or you open the door and brave the storm yourself. Maybe Twilight wants you to go before the storm really gets bad or is trying to trick you for some other purpose… There’s no way for us to tell.”

A small smile lifted Scarlet’s lips as she turned around to look at the frightened and confused bunny girl. “What would you do, Nia?”

“H-Hide under my blankets and wait for the captain to save me.”

“Hehe. And what would the captain do?”

Nia forced a laugh. “Be stupid and open the door to dive—no, hehe, she’d open the door and fly to outer space using moon hops! No freaky blood lady is going to tell her to dive into a spooky ocean. She’s going to the sky!”

Rachel snickered, reaching back to ruffle the bunny’s hair and make the girl balk at her superior, trying to fend off her hands. “That does sound like a certain kind of stupid I would do.”

Scarlet’s tight muscles relaxed. “It does sound like something you’d do… Thank you, Rachel, and you, too, Nia. I’m feeling better now. Can… we go up?”

Holding up a fist for her to pound, Rachel’s smile returned. “Let’s do it, Master Sergeant Fangs.”

Nia giggled. “Sergeant! Hah! I’m higher rank as a—wait… Why is she a Master Sergeant, and I’m only a Lieutenant?! Captain… Captain?!”

Scarlet’s belly hurt as she opened the door and unfurled her umbrella, the bunny continuing to pester Rachel about ranks Scarlet didn’t understand but was sure Rachel used to just get under the kid’s tail.

The doors were open since they’d called ahead and let him know that they were the nocturnal type of changed people. Nia’s loud voice announced them as the receptionist ushered them to go inside; it was 9:15 p.m., and the woman was likely more than ready to retire for the night since she got up and started getting ready to leave the second they walked in.

“Mr. Cruz is waiting for you, Ms. Johnson. He said to let yourselves in.”

Scarlet bit her lip at the last name the woman used; this was the attorney’s office her parents used, so they had to be members of the Scarlet Hand, right? The military said they’d cleared them, but she couldn’t believe it.

Her pace increased rather than slowed as she went right for the door and burst through it, feeling the heat rising inside her chest. “What did my parents leave me, huh? Is it a hit list of targets they want me to kill or some bullshit?! Some hypnosis trigger to make me destroy the world? What?!”

The Cuban man in his fifties lifted an eyebrow from behind his desk as she stormed into his office, breathing hard and red-faced. “Ms. Johnson… I—what? Y-You’ve lost me. Ahem. Regardless, I have no clue as to what your father’s intentions are. The military required a copy of the message and will he left behind for… some reason, and cleared it, but that is the extent of my knowledge. Please, sit down,” he offered the chairs that were in front of a large television.

Somewhat bewildered and lost as to what to do next, she accepted Rachel’s guiding prompts toward the leather chairs. “Is this supposed to be a private message?”

“No. No! You can stay, Rachel,” Scarlet blurted out, heartbeat now increasing rapidly. “I… I don’t want to be alone.”

Rachel’s soft hand slipped into hers as Mr. Cruz gave her a shrug and nod. “Okay, Scarlet. I’m here. What do we need to do?”

Scarlet couldn’t speak as the man brought over a remote and set up the message; it felt like the whole world was lodged in her throat. Before she knew it, the attorney handed her an unsealed envelope, probably from the army’s inquiry, and left them in his office for privacy.

Nia took the opposite side of her, reaching over to bring her other hand onto her lap. “This isn’t, umm, scary… right, Captain?”

“It shouldn’t be,” Rachel soothed. “Are you ready, Scarlet?”

Unable to stop her bloody tears from falling down her cheeks to be reabsorbed into her skin as her father’s face came on the screen, she nodded, fangs ravaging her clamped-down lips.

Rachel pressed the play button.

The video began to play, seemingly recorded on his smartphone as he set it on the front room coffee table and sat back; he wore his fancy blue business suit and looked so… normal as he ran his fingers through his somewhat messy black hair, a nervous laugh making his chest shake.

“Wooh. Huh. This is, uh… haaa. Yeah, isn’t this kind of crazy? I’m recording this with you upstairs, brooding on your computer after your mom tried to get you to go shopping with her… I bet you’re feeling lonely right now. What a mess…”

Ice crept up Scarlet’s insides as her father’s bottom lip tucked under, glancing away from the camera; shame and regret were in her dad’s slick eyes as his nose turned red and he fought back tears.

“You should be out making us worry, going on dates, and hanging out with friends… but all of your friends just… vanish out of your life.” He ran his hands over his face, shoulders falling as if weighted down by a lifetime of baggage. “I hate this life we’ve forced on you… This is not how I wanted things to go. If you’re seeing this, Scarlet, then… I’m too late. I failed you. I’ll shoulder that blame.”

Scarlet’s arms began to quiver, and it was hard to find air as needles dug into her chest. Her dad suddenly looked so old and tired, remorse of a thousand lives etched across his face with nightmares hidden behind his sunken eyes.

“Wow, this is, umm, hmm… If I died—if I left you alone after… after what Revilla has planned for you, then we were wrong… Your mother was wrong. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy—and I’ve played my part in ruining that dream.”

He scratched his nose and cleared his throat, attempting to find the strength to continue when it had been long spent. “I started to see things weren’t happening precisely like Revilla said they would these… these last several years—little things… but your mother refused to believe my concerns and brushed them aside… She’s scared.”

Rachel paused the video as Scarlet curled in, letting go of their hands to hug her knees. “Scarlet…”

“Why didn’t he stop her then? Why didn’t he warn me?”

Sniffing back her emotion, she reached over to take the remote and continued the video as Rachel moved to join her in the seat; her warm, soft arms held her tight as Nia tried to find room to do the same, sniffling back tears. Her blurry vision was on her father, though, as he confessed to her his faults.

“…I was scared, too… The things Revilla showed us were… terrifying. Your mother wet the bed multiple times when she was a teenager. Your grandparents even had her stay at an institution for study at one point to try and figure out what was wrong, but we both had the same nightmares… dozens of people did, which is where we all came together as friends.”

He paused, rubbing his eyes and puffing out his cheeks. “It’s… a cruel thing, looking back. Revilla sent us all these visions to draw us closer together for support… to serve her ends. I don’t know what is real or not anymore, but… I know I don’t want to hurt my little girl—and all the trouble you had in school—friends and feeling ugly because boys didn’t approach you… or when they did, suddenly they stopped showing interest… No, I don’t deserve to be called your father.”

A short time passed as he leaned forward to rub his face and shake his head. “Your mother’s gone out to get everything needed for the ceremony… It happens tomorrow night, and I already finished everything required. They’ll call it The Oscillation… and powerful gods and goddesses are fighting for space on their little board as I record this—all of it is pointless.”

He rubbed his eyes and looked up at her, red face now serious. “I’ve tweaked the ritual a tiny bit for Veronica’s part since it is the only one I could change at the last minute. I need someone who will have your best interests in mind. I can’t be sure how things will turn out, but most of the groups in the background will be focused on the gods and goddesses—the conflicts around the world—distracting them from the real threat brewing in the UK.”

Her dad reached over to a folder on the table to extract a picture he’d drawn that was a perfect representation of the UK World Tree.

“I’ve sent these files to someone to give you if you go to the United Kingdom… He’ll know and find you. Revilla needs the power that this can channel to resurrect herself. She says it is for you, but… I’m beginning to think she isn’t an Apostle of Scarlet and that her true goal is to create a net to trap Scarlet inside you. From everything I’ve seen in the visions and read in the bible that she gave us—hah, that’s what I call it, anyway…

“I think she’s masking herself as this blood savior when she’s actually a hellish abomination… but not the Hell kind. Ugh…” He scratched his scalp and tossed the page back onto the file. “I know this must be… impossible for you, but I want to give you what answers I can… while I can… because your mother can’t handle the truth… She can’t handle the guilt of everything we’ve done if we are wrong.”

Scarlet felt numb; out of everything she’d expected to hear, this broken apology and attempt to do at least something to help her was not it. “What am I supposed to do then, Dad?” she cried, unsure what he wanted her to take away from this. “What are you asking me to do?! Are you… Are you asking me to save Mom from herself? How?! If you couldn’t, then how am I supposed to?! Would she even want me to…”

Her father didn’t give her any answers in that regard as he sank back into his chair, clearly distressed by his fidgets while processing what to say next.

“I know you must feel so lost… alone. I can only hope that you find someone who will be there for you—I have to hope Scarlet is the one causing these weird anomalies in our plans and that she’ll keep you safe… if anything, to preserve herself. Haha. If I’m right at all!”

Rachel’s fingers tightened around her shoulders, but Scarlet couldn’t think about anything as she stared at her heartbroken father’s last words to her.

“…Okay, listen… Haaa. I’ve given this a lot of thought,” he mumbled, bridged fingers rubbing his forehead. “Revilla is stronger than the Creation Gods and Goddesses. There are so many other creatures and entities above them, be they stronger gods beyond the barriers or something else, I don’t know… but whoever is pulling Revilla’s strings is doing it for a reason because she couldn’t act without their influence since she’s, well, dead, and I’m sure now…”

He looked up at her with deep seriousness. “Revilla wants Scarlet gone… She wants you gone, honey, and this is all I can do to protect you… to warn you. I don’t even know if this will ever reach you. I’ve changed the will so that you get everything—our entire fortune, assets, everything—I’ve stripped your mother from the accounts. She’ll probably realize it shortly after The Oscillation. I should have pushed an end to this sooner…

“I don’t know what will happen to my spirit when I die—if some god working for Revilla will be able to snatch me up—it doesn’t matter, but while I have the chance to do something to help you… I knew I had to take my shot… This is my last shot.

“I love you more than you’ll ever know. Your mother loves you more than you’ll ever know… She was just… blinded by horrors and shadows. Put the blame on me if it helps. I am to blame. I should have done something sooner. I should have protected you both. And for that, I’m sorry.”

His voice cracked as Scarlet’s heart broke, shifting to cling onto Rachel as her father ended his last will and testament. “Please, Scarlet… don’t give up hope to live. Find people you can trust because I know you are so hurt right now… lost and afraid. I want you to find a family that can support you better than we could. I love you, and that will never change.”

The recording ended, and the dam holding back her suppressed emotions fractured. She had found people who supported her, a family that gave her nothing but love. Despite that, the hole in her heart still burned like a sea of lava, filled with betrayal and loss, yet her father’s message did bring in soothing waters to help temper the flames.

It was time to put her past behind her and move forward with her new family. And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to save her mother. She had to have hope that it was possible. Her parents were fooled by Revilla, some ungodly entity trying to resurrect herself with some faceless entities behind the creature, and the key to learning why Scarlet was locked within her core. She just needed to be brave enough to enter the storm.