Red and Gold (Scomiche)

Chapter 16 - Choices (Part 1)

I'm sorry I've been MIA. All those weeks getting ready for the PTX concert then RECOVERING from the PTX concert...oh man. What a night <3____<3 They are perfection!!!!!

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The air was humid and misty when we stepped outside. The temperature had dropped quite a bit and I shivered against the cold air. The others stood to my right with determination, staring off into the estate that reached out for miles.

“How are we doing this?” Avi asked Kevin.

Kevin turned to face him. “We branch off. Doesn’t matter where.” His voice was quieter and more fearful. Avi gave him a slightly concerned look before turning back to look into the distance. “Good luck…” He said and then started down the stairs straight down the middle of the estate. Mitch headed down next, making my throat feel as if it were closing up as I watched his small frame move away from me. They all moved on their ways and I froze where I stood, holding the foreign weapons in my hands. Suddenly I felt homesick. I felt as if I shouldn’t have been there.

“Scott?” Kirstie stopped on the stairs to look back at me. “Be strong.” She instructed, nodding in my direction. I nodded back quickly before she went on her way, leaving me alone outside the house. I started down the stairs carefully as they disappeared out of sight, either into the woods or into the fog. I reached the bottom and kept my eyes down before something made me look up.

There, directly down from me was a woman standing there. She looked sweet and innocent, with a round face that was littered with small freckles underneath her wide doe-like eyes. She stood far away enough that she wouldn’t be able to hear me but I was at least able to make out the features on her face. She started to walk towards me and I waited, slowly becoming more panicked as she neared closer.

“Who are you?” I asked her as she became close.

She tilted her head at me. “I’m Elizabeth.”

I tensed up immediately and lost everything I was going to say. There was no way this small girl, this pretty girl, could be the Betty that my friends feared so much. I stepped back slightly and she smiled at me when I did. Her teeth were pearly, bright and beautiful.

“Don’t be afraid of me.” She sounded almost like she was pleading when I distanced myself from her. Her light brown eyes were staring back at me in wonder. “I’m like you.”

I gulped. “You tried to hurt my friends…” I said. “I’m nothing like you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Her eyes went down to my weapons. “You don’t, do you?”

I dropped my eyes and tried to find something clever to say, but she leaned down to meet my eyes, bringing my stance back up.

“You have no idea what you’re doing.” She said. “All of your victories have been random tries. And even some of the time you weren’t even trying.”

I felt defeated and I wasn’t even twenty feet outside of the house. I was still on the marble that the stairs was built on, even. The others were scattered off in the woods looking for the woman that stood before me.

“You could be something so great…” She stepped forward slightly, bringing her arms up to put on my face. I started to shake uncontrollably, fumbling with the taser in my left hand. The metal clanked on the inside as my hands shook and she looked down at it quickly. Then she just smirked at me, the crinkles on the sides of her eyes showing themselves as her lips turned up.

She started to back up when she saw how panicked I was, seemingly unafraid of the weapons in my hands. Her eyes were empathetic and she stared at me as she backed away. “Your friends are only protecting their own. As am I.” She said. “It’s just a matter of territory.”