The Scarlet Tower

Arlie POV

Two days till move

I woke up with a touch of a headache. I was in my room. Weird I don’t remember coming into my room at all last night. Must be stress, shit I have plenty to be stressed about. I still had to pack everyone up, make it seem like we were never there, and then move everyone to the tower safely. Lastly fight in a war, a war that I couldn’t help but feel we had no part in being in.

I got headaches like this all the time at the tower, so it wasn’t a big deal I just ignored it. It was only physical pain. I could ignore physical pain, she taught me that so young. Said it was the best lesson anyone could teach. Block out all of the pain then you would never have to feel it.

Sometimes I felt like maybe feeling pain could be a good thing, wasn’t it what was supposed to make you realize that you need to stop what you are doing.

I finally got out of bed and looked out the window. It was late in the day which meant the girls were already at the school, good I didn’t want to socialize today. I didn’t want to see their hopeful face that I know will be dead soon.

I got up and started packing everything and slowly taking down the spells that were all over the house. We had a lot of spells not just build up from practicing but spells to keep us hidden. Spells that make people suddenly want to go somewhere else when they get close to the house. I felt awful today, worse than ever before everything hurt. I could block some of the pain but not all of it. No idea why it all hurt, but a small part of me wanted to see the alpha boy. I felt drawn to him. I decided I was done packing for the day it was just to depressing.

I was very aware that I was just trying to delay the inevitable, to stall a war that was completely necessary. A war that could save our kind.

I ended up sitting in the back of the house watching the trees. I loved the forest or used to something now about it repelled me. I sipped my tea it was this dark tea that made me think of the time before Spain.

I was a diplomates daughter, always well dressed and polite. I was young and swinging on the swings. The swings here were so very fun, home didn’t have swings like this. It was cloudy out and no one else was on the playground. But that was okay, I liked to play by myself anyways.

My fluffy dress was a bright pink and I had matching shoes. It was as pretty as a princess dress. Dad said we were here for an important meeting; it was always an important meeting though. The best part was I would get to join the meeting. Dad said the meeting was all for me, they needed to see something. Which is great I always have wanted to help my dad with his work. Dad can do cool magical stuff like the fairy godmothers in stories.

Mom came and got me from the swings. She made sure my dress was still nice before taking me in to the big room where a bunch of people in long robes were. Mom told me they were the council to our kind. They had me sit in a big chair and held my hands to see if I had powers. They said it was too early to tell what type of powers but that I defiantly did have powers.

Dad smiled and took me away to go play while mom talked to the council.

I blinked and looked around. That was a very old memory it was mine for sure, but I thought my parents died. Did they die later? Why couldn’t I remember something as traumatic as my parents own deaths?

I felt freaked out and out of control. My powers flexed behind the walls I had built. Fuck, I looked at the grass and watched as the grass started dying in large amounts around me. I was hyper ventilating this was bad I couldn’t stop it.

“(name). breath follow my breaths. In 1, 2, 3 out 1, 2, 3.” Candace said she was in front of me. Where did she come from? She should still be in school. I followed her breathing and managed to calm down and control my powers.

“What happened?” she asked worried I could tell she hadn’t noticed what I had done because she didn’t freak out at me.

“Nothing just worried about what could happen.” I say softly sitting back down. Candace sat next to me biting her lip she seemed so conflicted.

“Have you ever seen any other towers before?” She asked tilting her head.

“I was at the violet tower before it was destroyed. But the scarlet tower is the last one standing.” I say feeling depressed and drained. Everything still hurt and that dark monster in the back of my mind was craving to see the alpha boy. His eyes were haunting me.

“Do you ever think that the scarlet tower is lying to you?” Candace said she was looking straight ahead so I couldn’t get a good read on her face.

“Yes, but its just me not wanting to believe the truth. It is a harsh and hard truth to accept but it is so. We are dying out because monsters like those wolves are killing us. They hunt us for sport. The leader of the tower had her own family killed by those monsters she watched them slaughter her children. All she wanted was peace, but they will not accept that. They want us to be completely wiped out.” I say seriously. Candace looked so sad, it was a hard and harsh truth to swallow but one had to. You can not live with your head in the sand all of your life.