Scarlett Blood

Chapter 2

"Did you make it there safe? Did you lock the door as soon as you got in?"

I held back a sigh by the skin of my teeth. I'd been in my new home for less than ten minutes when my phone had started ringing. Honestly, I'd thought about letting it go at first, but figured the longer I waited, the more frantic Mom would be.

"Yes, Mom. Like I said three times."

"Sorry. I'm just worried about you."

"I know. But honestly, Mom, the place is great."

The apartment was a surprise. Surprising, because I hadn't expected to like it so much. It wasn't huge, but it was spacious in its own way, with an open-concept kitchen and living room, and a hallway that led to the bathroom and bedroom. The two large windows in the living room allowed for natural light, casting golden rectangles on the light wood floors. Not real wood, I was sure, but it added to the charm of the place. The bedroom, however, had light, grey carpet that looked new.

My Mom made a sound like she was trying not to cry over the phone, and suddenly it was my Dad's voice on the other end. "Hey kiddo. I'm glad you like the place, and the movers should be there around five or so."

"Tell her not to open the door for anyone else!" my Mom shouted in the background.

"I take it that keeping her calm isn't working?" I asked lightly.

Dad laughed. "Not even a little bit. It doesn't help that Hazel has been moping around since you left."

"Really?"

"She's not as emotionless as she wants everyone to think. You're still her big sister, Scarlett."

A pang went through my chest. "Can I talk to her?"

"Sure." He called for Hazel. "Here you go."

There was some rustling, and then my sister's dull greeting.

"Hazel, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds. "Mom is going crazy, and she won't stop coming into my room to hug me. You haven't even been gone a whole day! And what am I supposed to do here without you? Who's going to walk with me to school? Who's going to help me with math? Who-"

"Hey!" I interrupted her. "Haze, it's okay. Look, Mom is going to calm down... eventually. And besides, you walk with Sophie to school. I just won't be there anymore. And Dad can help you with your math homework, and he's better at it than I am. Who do you think helped me?" I laughed.

"But... I miss you," she whispered.

"I miss you, too. Just remember that I'm not gone forever, and I'll be home for the holidays."

An idea struck then, one that made me smile.

"Hey, what if I talked to Mom and Dad about you finally getting your own phone? Then we can text and call whenever you want."

Hazel gasped. "Would you?!"

"Sure. Put Dad back on."

Neither of our parents were thrilled at the idea at first, but they both caved in the end. When we hung up, I felt a little lighter. Nobody had succeeded in calming my Mom, but that was inevitable. I walked into the kitchen, leaning against the island. I'd have to get some stools, or maybe some island chairs. It was an ideal spot for sitting to eat breakfast or have my morning coffee. The black and grey marble top matched the countertops in the rest of the kitchen, the modern black fridge and oven. I even had a small dishwasher. Curious, I opened the cupboards above the sink, pleased by the amount of room they had.

I wandered into the living room, over to the windows. I was on the nineteenth floor and the view was amazing, to me at least. I was sure that many people wouldn't be so amazed at the rows of buildings, but I didn't see it that way. Every one of them was built just a little different, varying from skyscrapers to townhouses. The dips and rises created a wave-like scene, an ocean of stone. I unlatched the window lock and pushed the bottom frame up. Instantly, the sounds of New York flooded my ears; cars honking, laughter, whistles, music... I closed my eyes, letting it wash over me. It wasn't crickets and wind, but I thought I could get used to this pretty quickly. Even after a few minutes, the individual sounds blurred together into the hum of city life.

Luckily for me, I'd been able to find an apartment close to the school. It was only a twenty-minute walk to campus. Even from here, I could see, in the distance, some of the bigger buildings I was sure were part of the school, and I was glad I'd opted out of getting a dorm. Sharing a small space with someone, maybe for years, wasn't an idea I was comfortable with. Perhaps I did have some of my Mom's ability to overthink things, but even I'd cringed at the pretty horrific college room-mate stories on T.V. over the years. Sure, living on campus was safer... unless your roommate was a psycho intent on murdering you in your sleep, or drugging you at a party. It was a crazy world.

I stayed by the window, looking out at the city until there was a knock on my door. That would be the movers with the rest of my stuff. But when I opened the door, it wasn't a bunch of guys with my stuff. It was one guy, with light brown hair and brown eyes and a wide smile, wearing a faded grey tee and jeans instead of the white and green uniform I was expecting.

"Hello..."

"Hi. Sorry to intrude. I'm Blake. I just wanted to welcome you to the building."

"Oh. Well, thank you. Uhm, I'm Scarlett."

I extended my hand and we shook once.

"I brought this for you," he said, and handed me a folded paper. The question must have been obvious on my face because he followed up with, "It's a map of the surrounding area. New York can be pretty confusing. I know — I moved here last year from a small town and got lost six times my first week."

I smiled. "Thanks. I'm really only going to be headed to the university, though."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to NYU?"

"Yeah."

"I'm part of the welcoming committee for the school. I have some maps of the campus too; we're supposed to hand them out at orientation tomorrow, but I can bring you one later."

"Really? That would be great!" And it would save me from wandering around like a complete i***t on my first day of school.

Blake grinned. "Cool. I'll bring it around dinner. Bye Scarlett."

He walked off down the hall to the elevator. I shut my door, wondering how many other people who lived here were NYU students. I hadn't thought about it before, but if I had to venture a guess, it was probably the majority. I only made it a few feet when another knock sounded. This time, I opened the door to the green and white uniform I'd been expecting.

"Scarlett Holden?"

"Yes, that's me."

I moved aside, leaving the door open. For the next hour and a half, I stood in the kitchen while the movers walked in and out with my stuff. When they were nearly finished, Blake appeared in my doorway, smiling and waving another piece of paper.

"Thanks," I said as I took the campus map.

"No problem. I'll get out of your way so they can finish. Later."

"Bye," I called as he disappeared out the door.

I had no experience with strange boys, but I had to wonder if I might have made my first friend already. Maybe life in New York was starting off on a good note after all.