Scarlett The Devil's Daughter (12 page)

Finally we get up to leave. There is a cab
waiting to take us to the venue. It's at the local sports centre
and they are expecting a huge turnout tonight. The cab drops us off
outside and I look around me with interest. We once again command a
lot of attention from the milling crowd and I notice the way that
people look at my father. There is a curiosity mixed with fear and
reverence. He ignores nearly everybody whilst Luna waves and blows
kisses to the people she knows. The twins look disdainfully around
them. They are certainly beautiful and are the focus of rather a
lot of attention. As usual I try to blend into the shadows and not
draw attention to myself. I am desperate to get away from them and
take my opportunity when my father is stopped by a couple who
obviously know him. Slipping away I look for the changing area. I
want to wish Dylan luck not to mention the fact that I want to be
with Drake. I see a sign indicating the way and head off to find
them. It doesn't take me long and I hesitate before knocking on the
door. After a few moments the door opens and I see Drake standing
there. He smiles nervously and pulls me into the room. I can see
Dylan warming up and feel the anxiety that fills the room. Dylan
smiles. "Good to see you Scarlett, you look nice." I smile at him
brightly. "You're such a sweet talker Dylan." He laughs and Drake
pulls me against him. "You leave my girl alone brother and
concentrate on decking her brother." We all laugh but it is without
any humour. Looking softly at Drake I pull him towards me and
whisper, "Look I have to sit with my family but I'll be routing for
Dylan. It may be difficult for me to get away but as soon as I can
I'll see you back at the house." His eyes soften and he kisses me
gently whispering, "I love you Scarlett. Despite what your brother
may do it won't change my feelings towards you." Tears spring into
my eyes and I kiss him softly. Turning to Dylan I say cheerily.
"Listen Dylan remember what I told you. Back to Layla, ok?" Dylan
raises his eyes. "Yes I remember, although I haven't got a clue why
you think that's important." I smile sweetly. "So that Marius will
be looking into the eyes of his girlfriend as he hits her beloved
Dylan. I already know that she has pleaded with him to go easy on
you and if I'm right he may be caught a little off guard if he sees
her watching." Drake and Dylan laugh. "You're devious Scarlett;
your brothers are no match for you." I smile but inside I worry
about just how devious I really am. They are right about one thing;
my brothers are no match for me.

As I exit the room I am surprised to see my
brothers in the distance. They look as if they have just arrived
but I know that they left ages before us. Suddenly an icy feeling
spreads through my body. I should have guessed from the moment they
left. They had a job to do tonight and it was on the instructions
of my father. The trouble is I know exactly what that job was and
know that my world is about to come crashing down.

I head back to find my seat trying to ignore
the knot in my stomach. There is nothing I can do but pick up the
pieces. Somebody knocks past me and I almost fall over. Looking up
I notice Taylor smirking at me. "Well well Scarlett from
Hicksville. Making the most of your last few nights in a real town
are we?" I push my anger firmly down inside me. I don't have the
time or the energy for her tonight and just give her a withering
stare. She carries on. "I wouldn't worry about Drake when you've
gone. He is a popular guy and won't be lonely for long. There are
plenty of other girls queuing up to take your place; I just thought
that you would like to know that he won't be pining after you for
too long." I carry on walking and it annoys her. She grabs hold of
my arm and pulls me back hissing. "Don't you walk away from me you
low life scum. I realise that you may not have the intelligence to
answer me when I'm speaking to you but didn't your mama tell you
it's rude to walk away when someone is talking to you?" I sigh
heavily and pulling my arm away turn to face her and look at her
wearily. "Listen Taylor, I really don't have time for this so I'm
gonna make this easy on you. I know why you hate me so much and
that's fine. You don't like seeing Drake with someone else and
you're hitting out. I totally get that I mean if it was me I
wouldn't like it either. I haven't done anything to you and nor
will I so back off. Your words don't hurt me because I live with
much worse than you could ever throw at me. So just take my advice
and back off. I'll be gone soon and you won't have me to worry
about. The trouble is people like you waste far too much energy
worrying about other people and not enough on being the best that
you can be. I am sure that you're a great girl underneath it all
and if I had stayed who knows we may have found that we have more
in common than you think, I mean Drake wouldn't have gone out with
you if you weren't nice underneath this bitchy exterior. So just
leave me alone Taylor and I will you." Before she can speak the
door flies open and my brothers fill the hallway. They see us
standing there and I see their eyes narrow. Taylor pulls herself up
straight and fixes a sexy look on her face. Caleb looks between us
and sneers. "What are you doing here Scarlett? Oh let me guess
visiting lover boy. Well take one last look at his brother before
Marius changes his appearance for the worst." Taylor giggles beside
me and I glare at them. Caleb laughs. "If I were you I'd take my
seat it's gonna start in a minute, enjoy the fight I know that I
am." I walk away from them all without another word. I don't have
any more time to waste with people like them. Now I know why Drake
finished with Taylor. She may be beautiful but she is ugly inside,
whereas he is perfection throughout.

I make my way into the sports hall and look
for my family. As I thought they are sitting in the front row
behind the ring. As I approach Luna waves excitedly. "Here
Scarlett, I've saved you a seat next to me." I see my father frown
and my sisters sneer at me. Sighing I sink down beside Luna. "This
is so exciting isn't it Scarlett? You must point your boyfriend out
to me. I bet he's really hot." I notice that once again my father
frowns and now my sisters look interested. I notice that the place
is almost full and there is a huge amount of noise and
anticipation. I hate fighting despite my background and wish that I
was as far away from here as I could get. I can see layla sitting
in the front row across from us and can tell that she is anxious.
Even from here I can see how beautiful she is. Typical Marius, he
obviously chose the best looking girl in school. Unusually though
she has a personality to match and I wonder if that is as much the
attraction to him as her looks. We don't get much love at home that
is for sure and like me he probably craves it like the air that we
need to breathe.

There is a big roar from the crowd as the
contestants make their way to the ring. My heart goes out to Dylan
who despite putting on a brave face must be feeling extremely
worried. Drake walks beside him and my heart breaks. This is going
to be the toughest night for them both and there is nothing I can
do to help them. Luna shrieks excitedly as we see Marius flanked by
Ash and Caleb. They make an intimidating sight and just look around
them with their usual air of boredom. Once again I look at Layla
and can see the fear and anxiety in her expression. I smile to
myself. Perfect. If she can just maintain it for a little bit
longer then I will have one less thing to worry about. Ashley
nudges me. "Is that your boyfriend Scarlett? The hot brooding one
with the wicked tattoo?" Savannah cranes her neck to see and Luna
grips hold of my arm. "Goodness Honey, I can see why you've been
spending so much time there. He's hot." Once again my father looks
irritated and looks at Drake with animosity. Savannah looks
interested. "Hmm he certainly has something I'll give you that. I
prefer more Ivy league than Rock star but each to their own." That
doesn't surprise me both the twins have certain standards that they
want to maintain and it appears that that is all that matters to
them. As I look at Drake my heart fills with love for him. He is
concentrating on helping Dylan in his corner and I wish that I
could be there supporting them. Soon the referee calls them both
forward and they take their places. There is a hushed silence in
the hall as the anticipation grows. I dig my finger nails into my
hands to stem how nervous I feel. I must be strong and show no
emotion. As they face each other I can tell how nervous Dylan is.
You wouldn't know it just by looking at him but I can see it in his
eyes. Marius will also see it and I hope that it doesn't go against
my plan. My brothers like nothing more than sensing someone's fear
just before they strike. They feed off of it and I can only hope
that Marius reserves that particular pleasure for the next
opponent. I can see Layla looking devastated opposite me and then
suddenly the bells rings. Holding my breath I focus on the men in
the ring. I can't see Marius's face as he has his back to us so
don't know what he will do. They circle each other warily and I can
tell that Marius is waiting for Dylan to make the first move.
Suddenly Dylan lunges forward and I watch with horror as Marius
moves sharply to the side whilst bringing up his fist in one swift
sharp move. The contact is brutal and I watch as Dylan's head snaps
back as he feels the full force of the blow. He staggers back and
there is silence as the whole room watches in disbelief as he falls
to the floor out for the count. The referee goes to him and counts
to ten and calls him out. There is uproar in the room. Marius moves
back to his corner and Caleb turns around and looks at me
triumphantly. I know what he is thinking and I don't care. $100 was
nothing to lose in the grand scheme of things. No my winnings are
much greater than even he realises. My father sees the look between
us and looks at us with interest. Luna is cheering and jumping
around madly but I cannot celebrate. My sisters look bored and my
father just claps slowly. Looking over at Drake I see him crouched
over Dylan checking him over anxiously. The doctor is called and
they carry him from the ring. I stand up to go to them and my
father hisses, "Sit down Scarlett. The evening isn't over yet and
you must watch your brother fight. Remember where your loyalties
lie." I sit back down again with a scowl.

The next fighter is called and I see the
fear in his eyes as he faces my brother. This time when the bell
rings Marius doesn't hold back. All of his pent up rage explodes in
the ring and the fight is soon stopped before he kills the other
guy. In total Marius fights five opponents and shows no mercy. He
is declared the winner and the noise in the room is deafening. My
father looks around him with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. Luna
grabs hold of his arm with excitement and he smiles indulgently at
her. The twins just play with their phones and look bored. My
brothers look around them disdainfully and Marius doesn't look like
he even broke sweat. As I look at my family once again I hate them
intensely. Nothing matters to them except winning and showing
everyone else how superior they are. They don't stop to think about
anyone else and the damage they cause in getting what they want. I
feel as if I can't breathe. The stench of evil fills my nostrils
and I feel as if I am drowning in it. I think of Drake and Dylan
and my eyes fill up. I hope that they are ok, that was just the
start of the nightmare that is probably unfolding right now.

It takes us absolutely ages to get out of
the hall. It appears that everyone wants to congratulate Marius and
pay homage to my father. It makes me sick and I scowl at everyone
that approaches us much to my father's obvious amusement. I notice
Layla with Marius. She is looking at him adoringly and I know that
he would have told her that he went easy on Dylan for her. Caleb
and Ash just stand there looking mean as usual and I look at them
all with hatred for what I know they have done.

As soon as we finally exit the building I
can hear the sirens. Looking at my father he looks as if he hasn't
got a care in the world. My brothers head off into the night and we
get inside the waiting car to go home. As we drive off I can see
the flames in the distance and know at once that it is the bar.
Looking anxiously at my father I plead with him. "Look there's a
fire, it must be the bar. Please take me there I must help." The
others look with interest out of the window and Luna's hands fly to
her mouth. "Oh my God, that's terrible. I hope that no one was
hurt. Those poor boys what a terrible thing to happen to them." The
twins look at me and smirk. Savannah says, "Well at least you won't
have to work there anymore." My father says nothing and looks at me
darkly. "If it is the bar then we are keeping well away. I am not
risking any of you getting caught up in it. No we are going home
and you can go there tomorrow when the fire is out." I feel like a
caged animal and look at him with pure and utter hatred. He smiles
wickedly and his eyes flash. "Keep it inside Scarlett. There is
nothing more you can do. You never know it may be the best thing
for them." I turn away from him. Oh I know that it is but not for
the reasons he thinks. I am going to take great delight in showing
him.

As soon as we reach the house I fully intend
of giving it a little while and then sneaking out. I don't care
what my father says; this is my decision to make not his. The
others head inside but he pulls me back. Turning to look at me I
can see his mind working. I snap at him. "What? Surely you've got
want you wanted now; they will have no choice but to sell the bar
to you." He smiles a sinister smile. "Possibly, but from what I
understand I am not the only interested purchaser." As I look at
him I am beginning to see the real reason for my work placement. My
mind starts working quickly and I look at him as say slowly, "Yes
you're right about that. Who knows who will make the better offer?
I mean the place is a goldmine. What you need is a different
approach; I don't know let's say you could offer them something
else that the other parties wouldn't think of." I can see his eyes
darkening as they pull me in. I know that this is what he wants.
Knowledge is power and I hold the key to it. He says darkly, "So
what have you learned that could be to my benefit?" I twist my
mouth into a smile every bit as sinister as his. "Well I happen to
know that you own several companies who operate a scholarship
programme. Let's just say one of those decides to make an offer to
cover Dylan's college fees? I happen to know that his greatest wish
is to study law. Actually quite handy when you think about it. If
he has the possibility of going to College then they may just go
with that offer. I mean they would be mad to refuse." I can see the
excitement burning in his eyes. "You have done well Scarlett. When
my children please me I feel like rewarding them. Yours is that you
can go and meet your friends. Help them in any way you can. I have
a feeling that they may need you tonight." I quickly move away
before he changes his mind. I can feel his eyes burning into my
back as I head towards the garage. Despite my brave exterior my
stomach is churning. I haven't finished yet and I won't rest until
I have.