Chapter 3 - Scarlet <Re-edit>

"Wait, my aunt asks if you-" before she could finish her sentence, Maven ended the call. She brought her phone in front of her, frowning at the screen that blinked red for a second from the call before switching back to her home screen. She rested her chin on her hand which was resting on her knee. With her phone in the other, she went through the text message between her and Maven, she considered sending her a text asking if she was ok but then thought better of it and decided not to. She slid her phone back into the pocket of her gray jeans, her pair of golden eyes darted over to the many shopping bags sitting at the foot of the bench to her left. There were at least 12 shopping bags, some small fitting into the bigger ones. Her eyes then went towards the front of the mall to her right, the glass front doors opened with everyone heading in and out, there wasn't a single moment where the doors closed completely as people funneled in and out. She sat there on the cold stone bench, in the middle of December waiting for her aunt to finally come out with the hot drinks. She didn't blame her aunt for taking so long, after all, the weather today was far from nice. With Christmas just around the corner, no one dared to rest until they had gotten everything ready for it. She tapped her worn-out sneaker lightly on the concrete floor, finding something to distract herself with.

"My, that took longer than I thought." Said the voice of her aunt approaching her. She glanced up from her sneakers and watched her aunt walk gracefully towards her with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and something else in the other. As she walked over, a soft gust of wind blew her aunt's soft, red hair to one side. Hair that was exactly like her own, her aunt handed her one of the cups before taking a seat to her right. "The holidays in the city are much more exciting." Her aunt added, taking a sip of hot chocolate. Curious as to what her aunt had gotten her, she popped the small pop-out off on the cap and took a sip of the drink. Right away she tasted the bitterness of the coffee followed by the sweetness of the sugar along with the milky flavor to the coffee, this was better than any hot chocolate you see families or couples drink in the movies. She placed the coffee on the bench between them, next to her dark gray backpack, she stretched her arms out and her legs, feeling a bit sleepy after only taking a sip of the coffee.

"Tired already? See this is why I told you that we could have gone shopping tomorrow since it was the weekend." Her aunt chuckled as she watched her wipe the tears from her eyes. "But you insisted that you want to spend some time out today." Her aunt added

"My idea of spending some time together is just relaxing in your new apartment, not coming out here and doing all this holiday shopping." She replied, glancing at the shopping bags again. Her aunt had dragged her through all the shops in the mall, buying all the clothes she had said were cute. She could feel the eyes of the workers when they wrapped the clothes up for them, eyes that said "I wish I had a loving and rich aunt like that." Well, she was pretty sure they have mistaken her aunt as her mother since the two looked so much alike that they might as well be sisters if not for their age difference. Her aunt wasn't rich, well...not those people that drove fancy cars or wore fancy dresses that sold for hundreds of dollars. Her aunt is a well-known fashion designer, although she doesn't get paid a crazy amount of money, her aunt didn't like to spend the money on herself. That is the reason why her aunt had so much to spend.

"I recently learned how to cook, I'm dying to have to taste some of my dishes." Her aunt said with a huge smile. She gave her aunt a look of horror.

"Oh god, it's not going to send me to the hospital right?" She joked. Her aunt never got mad at her jokes even if they went a bit too far, her aunt even laughed at her joke and gave her a little evil grin. Her aunt then stood up and tossed her empty paper cup into the trash bin just a few feet away. Her aunt must have been very thirsty to be able to finish a hot drink so quickly. Her aunt then grabbed the shopping bags off the floor.

"Too bad you can't try them today, I'm afraid I have to get you home before your father scolds you for staying out too late." Her aunt said putting on a pity expression for not being able to have her try her cooking. She knew that was her aunt's retort as she got up and followed her aunt to their car parked just up the street. She smiled and grabbed her backpack in one hand and her cup of coffee in the other, she quickened her pace until she walked side by side with her aunt.

"I assume you have stopped giving your father trouble now since I have not received any words from any of your professors in a while." Her aunt said, opening the trunk of the car and placing all the bags in neatly. She went to the front of the car and took her seat at the front, waiting for her aunt to hop in the driver's seat.

"It's not like I'm always looking for trouble." She muttered when her aunt came in. Her aunt chuckled as they fastened their seatbelt. The two were silent for a moment as the car pulled out of its parking spot and joined the rest of the cars on the road. She opened her phone and sent a happy holiday sticker to the group chat before shutting it off when her aunt cleared her throat.

"The earring..." Her aunt started

Her hand flew up to the single earring on her right ear unconsciously. Her fingers brushed against the cold, thin silver metal that dangled with a small silver branch of the cherry blossom tree. It was only a branch, so the detail put into the gem was much greater than a whole tree. The small leaves and flowers shined green and pink of its shiny gems. Her aunt must have seen the sad expression she was making and decided not to ask what was on her mind.

"I remember when you were only 3 when you tried to give yourself an ear piercing with needles." Her aunt said instead with a smile while keeping her eyes on the road. "You really gave your father a surprise when he walked in on you with needles in your hand and your ear bleeding. Think he was even more concerned that you weren't crying when you were bleeding so much." Her aunt added, making a left turn on the road. She too smiled at the old memory, but her smile quickly faded.

"Yeah, and that was the last time he ever showed any sign of worrying for me." She said quietly, glancing out the window at all the buildings they pass. She felt her aunt's hand resting on her shoulder lightly, comforting her.

"Scarlet, there's one thing I did teach you. Living with hate and regret is the worst feeling ever. It'll blind you from seeing many beauties in this world." Her aunt added softly. "Your father is doing his part, he has no choice but to do what he's doing right now. One day I promise you'll understand. So...stop hating him and try to be an understanding daughter."

She couldn't turn to face her aunt, what her aunt said was exactly what a wise person would say too but she felt like they wouldn't understand what she's going through. Arguing would be no better since her aunt would not have it, she simply nodded but did not face her aunt. Her aunt smiled and brought her attention back to the road. The rest of the way to her house was not a silent one, her aunt was an easy-going person and quickly found something to talk about like her friends and her work life right now as a well-known fashion designer. It wasn't long when they finally arrived at the front of her house, to her surprise she didn't see her father's while car in the driveway. She glanced at the time from her phone, it was already 8:37 pm but her father was not home at such a late hour.

"Strange...father's not home yet." She said, grabbing her backpack from her feet. She heard her aunt chuckled and turned to her with a frown.

"Sounds like your two do still care for each other, even if you two always argue over nothing." Her aunt pointed out. She rolled her eyes, she didn't hate her father to the point where she wouldn't call him father, it was simply what he had taken her under his roof and provided for her while she had nowhere to go. She moved to open the car door and get out but her aunt stopped her.

"Wait! I almost forgot I have something for you." Her aunt exclaimed and reached for the back seat. She brought a small sparkling gold shopping bag forward and handed it to her. She felt the shape of a small box when she held the gift bag. She gave her aunt a questioning look, Christmas wasn't until 1 week away, so why would her aunt give her a gift earlier?

"Open it." Her aunt said ignoring her look and nodded towards the bag in her hand with such excitement it made her seem like a child.

She reached in and pulled the small box out, there was no bow tie on it, it was just a simple box. She lifted the lid off revealing a single charm of a full moon, although it was a full moon, there were two different shades to it. The moon was divided in the middle, the half on the left was in a lightly milky color while the other half was a light gray color as if this half was covered by a shadow from a passing cloud. Her eyes remained on the shaded side of the moon, she lightly traced the figure carved onto the moon with thin lines. It was the figure of a sitting fox, she knew what the fox meant. She remembered her mother always sewing a fox into her homemade clothes. She remembered her late mother's words when she asked about them.

"To other people, foxes are known as cunning creatures. But foxes are only beautiful creatures, and it's because of its beauty that people are jealous of it." Those were what her mother had once said. She smiled a very small smile while running her finger through cold metal. The charm wasn't big but in fact, it was pretty small, but she could see it as clear as day. Her aunt took the charm out of its resting place.

"Give me your right ear." Her aunt said, and she did as she was told. She felt a light tug from her earring and a light snap before her aunt drew back with a big smile. She turned her right ear towards the side mirror of the car, her original earring with the cherry blossom earring was still dangling there, but now it was not alone, beside it was the small moon charm her aunt had clipped on for her. She smiled, thinking to herself what a masterpiece this earring was. The cherry blossom that was left behind by her mother, and now the new charm was given to her by the person she cares about most in this world.

"Ok now get out of my car and go home, I don't want no teary hugs and the silly thanks." Her aunt said turning while rolling her eyes. She glanced at her aunt, she could almost see the tear from her aunt's twinkling green eyes. She must have been thinking about the same thing as her. Even though her aunt said she didn't want a hug or any thanks, she gave her aunt a big hug. She felt that if she didn't her aunt might just shatter, she pulled away a moment after and hopped out of the car. Her aunt rowed down the window.

"Don't forget the things in the trunk." She chirped.

"Urgh, can't you keep some of the things yourself? I won't be needing all those new clothes." She groaned heading to the trunk of the car.

"As a fashion designer dear I too wish to wear comfy clothes but that would not be appropriate for the public would it." Her aunt replied from the front as she grabbed the bags out from the back and closed the trunk. She made her way around to the front of the car again.

"Ok Ms. famous fashion designer, don't forget to call me when you get home so I know you weren't abducted on your way home." She replied with a huge grin as her aunt rolled her eyes and drove away with a wave. She stood there under the street light, watching her aunt's car drive further and further until the shadows of the night swallowed it whole. Her eyes darted back to the large house just across the street. It was a quiet neighborhood, no one was really out on the street in the late evening unless they were walking their dog or going for a late jog. She made her way across the empty street and up the wide stone steps leading to the front door of the house. The bright lights from the inside shined through the window and cast a dim light on the bushes and plants just outside in their front yard. She fished keys from the pocket of her hoodie, once the door was unlocked, she stumbled in and closed the door behind her.

The moment she steps through the house, she felt awfully tired and wished not to be bothered by anyone. This was the usual feeling she had whenever she came back home. In movies, there would probably be a warm welcome from the mother who happens to be always in the kitchen, but here in her house, there were no greetings from anyone. Her younger step-brother was probably in his room somewhere upstairs gaming away on his new set. Her step-mother was probably upstairs in the master's bedroom redoing her make-up for the 20th times today. Since her father wasn't home yet, the downstairs part of the house is pretty much empty. As she walked up the stairs, the wooden planks creaked under the carpet that covered it. There were 5 rooms upstairs, 2 on the left and 3 on the right side. The 2 doors on the left side were the master's bedroom and a bathroom, while to the right side was her step-brother's room, the guest room followed by her room. The master's bedroom door flew open when she made it to the landing.

"Oh you made it back, but it would be better if you didn't, the house felt much better without your presence." Her step-mother said, staring at her reflection from the small hand-held mirror in her hand. Although what her step-mother said did make her blood boil, instead of turning around and bickering with her she continued her way to her room like she never heard her step-mother. As she was unlocking her room, which she normally kept locked due to the fact that she's rarely home and also didn't want anyone going into her room to snoop around.

"Went buying clothes again with your aunt? No wonder all the clothes you wear are so stingy to the eye." Her step-mother snickered while eyeing the shopping bags. She turned towards the end of the hall on her right and smiled.

"There's a reason why she's a fashion designer while you're not," She said simply as she went into her room and closed her door shut behind her. She tossed her bag aside in anger, she promised her aunt not to be annoyed at her father anymore, and bickering with her step-mother would really make her father disappointed, not like he isn't already. She tossed herself onto her soft bed and buried her face in her comfy pillow and silently screams, it wasn't fair, her aunts working her butt off flying all around the country to meet with customer's needs, and yet when people talk bad about her she's not even allowed to talk back under her aunt's order. She sighed and rolled over onto her back, the ceiling to her room was pretty empty besides a small ceiling fan in the middle. It wasn't that she wasn't living a good life, in fact, she had everything she ever needs in this room. Her closet stuff with all the news her aunt had brought her throughout the year, a bed to sleep on a desk and a chair to work on along with her laptop. Yet everything about this house seems less like a home to her, this house that her father brought that she lived in before the pair of mother and son moved in, but she feels more like an outcast than anyone else. The nights that she spent in her room when everyone was downstairs watching movies on the weekends, and all the meals that she was late to no one waited for her, instead, her portion of food was placed out in the open for her.

She heard the rumble of a car pulling into the driveway. The only window in her room did not face the front of the house so she was unable to peer out. She heard the front door open faintly from downstairs and her step-mother rushing downstairs, from the tone of her voice she must have seen very happy to her father. She figured her father brought dinner home along his way since when she passed the kitchen earlier she saw nothing on the dining table. She glances down at her ripped gray jeans and her dark baggy hoodie, clothes that her father deeply disapproved of. Her father disapproved of any clothes that didn't make a lady look lady-like, and clothes that didn't make boys look like a gentleman. To her, those were the clothes she hated wearing. Clothes that didn't let her be her, clothes that if she put on would chain her down. She sighed and changed into a white hoodie made by her aunt personally, her father wouldn't approve of the hoodie but he at least approves of the color black and white. She ignored the print of two foxes on the middle of the hoodie and slipped onto dark gray jeans that didn't have a single tear in them. It should be a bit better than what she was wearing before. She ran her fingers through her long wavy red hair as a knock came at the door.

"Scarlet, dad brought dinner home." The soft voice of her step-brother said from the other side of the closed door. She opened her mouth to reply but then thought better of it, even though he never really bothered her but whenever she got blamed for the stuff he did he was too afraid to speak up. She waited until he was gone from behind the door before she went downstairs.

The table was set with a paper plate for everyone, there was a large box of pizza and a large bag of fried chicken set in the middle of the table. Her father sat at the head of the table with his dark vest and suit pants. His stern brown eyes watched her every movement, He was not a skinny man, which made him seem like he didn't like to smile. Her stepmother sat on his left and her son sat across from her at her father's right. She avoided meeting his eyes and sat all the way at the other end of the table.

Her father cleared his throat right away when she sat down.

"Scarlet."