2 Scarlett Walker

Immortality is the one thing that everyone seeks as the fear of death is man's greatest weakness. Rarely has man conquered this fear and this is why the prospect of immortality was so exciting to humanity.

But immortality has its prison because, without the fear of death, life served no purpose. The suffocating feeling of loneliness after centuries of living. Watching people you love die, loving new people, and watching them die as well.

Those who don't have immortality crave it and those who do have it, resent it.

"Scarlett! Get ready! You will be late!" A lady screamed, her voice reverberating through every wall in the house.

"Arrrghhh! I can't get any fucking reading done!" Scarlett cussed under her breath. Scarlett was an aspiring brunette writer in her late teens about to start college. She was a fit lady with shoulder-length hair, she had glasses on with an open book right in front of her.

Her room was like the room of any teenager her age, except she had posters of famous gore movies and comics plastered across every corner on her walls, unlike the average teenagers that were all about boys.

"I guess it can't be helped," Scarlett heaved an irritated sigh, clasping her book shut.

"SOPHIA!" The voice called once again but it was even louder than before.

"For the love of God…" Scarlett whispered in annoyance as she jumped to her feet and grabbed her suitcase.

"I AM COMING, MOM!" Scarlett screamed back, mimicking the tone of her mother's voice.

"Don't you dare shout at me, young lady," The mother responded. Scarlett wanted so badly just to sit back down and wave the middle finger in her mother's face but she did not have that time.

"I'm definitely not looking forward to this…" Scarlett muttered but looking through the things she needed for school, she realized that something was missing from her luggage or it was more accurate to say she had forgotten to buy it.

"Shit!" Scarlett thought that this was something her mother kept reminding her to get constantly and she always responded with "I got handled, mom! I'm not a kid!"

She could already picture her mother's smug expression as she tells her "I told you so."

"I'd rather die than let that happen!" An inner monologue took place in her mind.

"Okay, maybe not die. That is kind of extreme." Scarlett thought as she knew she had to get it quickly but that meant she had to sneak out of the house.

The house was a bungalow so it was easy for her to sneak out of the window with little difficulty and she did just that. It was a new city so she did not have any friends but she knew she would make all the friends she needed once she enrolls in college.

"Great! Phase 1 was successful!" Scarlett smiled proudly as she left the house undetected.

She ran quite literally to the nearest shop, the weather was scorching hot and Scarlett looked like a mess, she hadn't even done her hair but she was not the type of girl to fixate on her looks because she was blessed with natural beauty but she also knew the importance of looking presentable.

"Welcome… What can I help you with…" The store clerk welcomed Scarlett but he had a look of disgust when he inspected her from head to toe.

"I'm sorry but are you sure you can afford our services?" The clerk blurted out in a condescending tone.

Scarlett couldn't believe this and took it as an attack on her femininity. She would have walked out of the store if she wasn't so short on time.

"Hahaha! Of course, I can…" Scarlett said, taking a closer look at the nametag on his uniform in a bid to get on his good side.

"...Frank," Scarlett concluded with a wink, but this had the opposite effect because Frank thought she was a bum that couldn't afford the services they offered.

"What can I help you with?" Frank questioned with an expressionless face and Scarlett showed him a list of things she needed to confirm if they were in the store to which Frank confirmed.

"We do have it, ma'am," Frank responded firmly, he had no choice but to be professional.

Scarlett explored the shop for a bit and she got everything she needed, this included bedsheets among other school items that she overlooked.

"That will be $149, ma'am," Frank muttered at the checkout counter and this was Scarlett's chance to prove him wrong as she dug her slender fingers into her pocket to bring out her wallet.

"Hold on! Give me a minute!" Scarlett said, rustling through her pocket as she realized that she was wearing the wrong pair of blue shorts and this one didn't have her wallet in them as she was more concerned with what crop top she wore with her shorts, which was black.

The look on Frank's face was one full of utter disappointment and it reminded her of the face her mother made when she got bad grades.

"You don't have it, do you?" Frank said and she could feel the judgment from his eyes piercing her soul.

"I swear I'm not a bum!" Scarlett blurted out involuntarily to defend herself.

"Says every bum ever," Frank was not having it and didn't bother packaging the goods.

"Excuse me…" A voice said behind Scarlett and the 5'5 lady looked back to see just who was there. It was a tall blonde man with luscious blonde hair and crimson-red eyes.

"Who is he?" Scarlett thought as her brown eyes settled on the 6'5 man in casual clothing.

"I'm in a hurry so I will pay for her stuff." The man said, cutting in front of her with cash in hand.

"I didn't say I needed your help but thanks anyway…" Scarlett muttered flustered because this was an embarrassing moment for her and she didn't want anyone to see her in such a pathetic state.

"She can't even thank him… How arrogant…" Frank thought to himself as he packaged her goods for her and Scarlett expected him to hit on her because why else would he pay for her goods? But the man didn't and simply paid for his items.

Scarlett was surprised he didn't, almost relieved because she didn't know chivalry still existed but this made her cringe when she realized she was unnecessarily rude to such a nice person.

"I'm such an asshole!" Scarlett muttered to herself as she ran back home.

"That girl… She is just like…" The red-eyed man thought; he was revealed to be Dante Miller.