Awry by Chelsea Fine Read Free Book Online

wiped her hands on her dress. “It’s no matter. I will never see him again.”
    Ana smiled. “That is a shame, my dear, for he is so handsome.”
    “Mama, stop.” Scarlet blushed.
    “Did you not see his face, child? He was heavenly.” Ana eyed her playfully.
    Scarlet went back to the dirt. “Even the face of an angel can mislead you.”
    Ana winked. “Or take you right where you need to go.”
    “Enough, mama.” Scarlet felt her blush grow hotter and hated herself for being attracted to the hunter. “I need no man. I can take care of us.” She looked at her mother. “I can take care of you.”
    Ana nodded slowly. “Yes, but who will care for you?”

 
     
    9
     
    “Scarlet Marie Jacobs!” Heather’s eyes were giant.
    Scarlet was caught off-guard when she found Heather, still dressed for the dance in her fluffy blue gown, standing just inside her house when she got home.
    “Where have you been?” Heather’s voice sounded angry, but her eyes looked hurt as Scarlet walked through the front door. “You ran out of here babbling about Tristan. And then Gabriel stopped by, but no one knew where you were and he was all freaked out, which freaked me out, and then you didn’t answer your phone for three hours, which freaked me out even more!”
    Emotion clogged Scarlet’s throat. If she hadn’t come right back to life, if she’d vanished and not come back for another century…she would have lost Heather forever.
    Tears burned the back of Scarlet’s eyes at the thought.
    Heather continued, “You could have sent me a text. Or an email. Or a carrier pigeon…something!” Her eyes softened a tad. “We totally missed the dance, Scarlet. W-T-H?”
    Scarlet spun around to shut the door behind her before turning back to apologize to Heather. But her apology got stuck in her throat when she saw Heather’s eyes taking in her appearance. Her very dirty, very bloody appearance.
    Oh,no.
    “Is that…?” Heather took a step back and fully looked Scarlet over. “Is that blood on your dress?” Her eyes widened. “O…M…G….”
    Scarlet hurriedly said, “It’s not what you think.”
    “You mean you’re not a crazy serial killer?” Heather cocked her head. “Did you get in a knife fight? Fall into a vat of blood? What the F?”
    Scarlet looked at Heather, the girl who’d accepted her amnesia without question. The girl who’d cheered her up even when everything was dark. The girl who’d panicked when Scarlet hadn’t returned her calls for three hours.
    Heather loved Scarlet and she deserved the truth.
    “Okay, I need you not to freak out,” Scarlet said, raising her palms to Heather.
    Heather’s eyes stayed wide. “Freak out? About the dried blood all over the back of your dress? Why would I freak out about that?” Heather squeezed her eyes shut. “Please tell me it’s ketchup.” She opened her eyes. “Please tell me you went to get a hot dog and had an altercation with a ketchup bottle.”
    Scarlet shook her head and adjusted the black corset top that was squeezing her lungs. “Heather…I love you.”
    Heather whispered, “O-M-G, O-M-G.”
    Scarlet continued, “I’m going to tell you something that will sound crazy, but just…go with it, okay?”
    Heather pressed her lips together.
    Scarlet bit her lip, really hoping her crazy friend was just crazy enough to believe her.
    “I’m semi-immortal,” Scarlet said, wiping her palms on her skirt.
    Heather blinked.
    “I die…and come back to life,” Scarlet explained, keeping her eyes on her blond friend.
    Heather blinked again.
    Scarlet swallowed. There was no turning back now.
    “Gabriel, Tristan, and I were born in the 1500s. Gabriel and Tristan are immortal because their mom drank water from the fountain of youth while she was pregnant with them. And, apparently, if you drink fountain water when you’re pregnant, your baby will be immortal.”
    “Anyway,” Scarlet blinked, “in the 1500s, I was engaged to Gabriel, but his