CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

Scarlet assimilated all her thoughts, the white theme, the roses and their friends present. Her eyes open wide in shock. She took a step back then turned to face Stephan a questioning look in her eyes.

“Scarlet, I would like you to marry me.” Stephan took her hand in his and held it to his heart.

“Oh. Um. Huh?”

That was all she could come up with. Her mind was blank.

“Will you marry me?”

The mention of marriage the second time set the wheels in her head in motion. She thought about it, they loved each other, they shared a son, and there was no reason why she should refuse. But something was holding her back.

“Ummm.” She exhaled then turned and left. She flashed quickly to her room, away from all the stares and away from Stephan’s disappointed look.

She closed her curtains, her window was in full view of the back yard and she wanted to get away from it for a while. Scarlet sat on the bed confused, she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t said yes immediately, but she was certain that she didn’t want to say no.

“Scarlet?” Kayla knocked on the door, once before letting herself in.

“You are my best friend. A little heads up would have been nice.” Scarlet was frustrated.

“I didn’t think you would take off like that. What happened?” Kayla sat on the bed next to her.

“I don’t know. I wanted to say yes but-. I don’t know what happened?”

“You could have said something better than ‘Oh, Um, Huh’ that was so lame.” Kayla found the humor in the tragedy of the situation.

“You are supposed to be helping me figure this out, not mocking me.” She stood up and peeked out the window. Stephan and Solara have huddled away from the rest of the crowd. “How is he?”

“Stephan is as confused as the rest of us. But he seemed like he was expecting you to turn him down. What happened in San Francisco?” Kayla was sure there was something greater than the feeling of being ambushed that made her turn away.

“Nothing it was-,” Her eyes were fixed on Stephan, she thought of a word to describe what she felt and only came up with one, “Perfect.”

“So?”

“Exactly, I don’t know. I feel like there is something I’m missing. He’s keeping something from me.” Their eyes met and she turned away.

“What do you think it is?” Kayla knew it was unforgivable to keep the situation a secret from her best friend, but what could she do. It wasn’t her secret to tell.

“Maybe I’m just not ready, or it’s nerves. It must be nerves because nothing should keep me from wanting to marry him.”

“Are you sure about all of this? You have to be because the deaths do you part clause is a bit of a stretch in your situation.”

“Kayla please cut out the jokes. I want a relationship like that of my parents. They were so close and never hid anything from each other. They would do everything together.” Her parents were her role model in many things she did. And marriage was one of the things she would do just as her parents did, she wasn’t going to settle.

“Your relationship with Stephan is great. You have a son and a crazy extended family. You share so much together, but if it doesn’t feel right to you then don’t.”

Scarlet thought about it, there was no reason to hold back and she was sure that whatever was troubling Stephan he would tell her.

“Ok, when you guys were planning to ambush me with a wedding did you by any chance get me a dress?” she smiled at Kayla and tried to make it as genuine as possible.

Kayla laid down a white dress on the bed. It was a simple off-shoulder, with a fairly long train. The bodice was adorned with little crystal beads.

Scarlet ran her fingers through the beads and over the soft satin dress. She closed her eyes and thought of all the good memories she and Stephan had shared.

She was trying to get her head and heart at the same place and bombarding her mind with happy loving memories was the only way she knew how.

She took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “Tell him I said yes.”

“Are you sure?”

Scarlet nodded, her eyes were still shut and she was concentrating on keeping her breathing steady. “Yep. I’m sure.”

Kayla didn’t have to leave the room, she looked down at Solara from the bedroom window.

It’s back on

Ok

Scarlet slipped on the dress, smoothing it down along the curves of her body. The ballet shoes they had gotten her made more sense than stilettos since she would be walking on grass. She sat in front of the mirror and lightly applied makeup while Kayla held her hair up in a bun.

“So how are you feeling?” Kayla was looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“I’m good I just didn’t think this day, would be like this.” Scarlet had always wanted the fairy tale wedding, but ever since her parents died she didn’t think of it much. It had always left a sour feeling in her heart, especially since her father couldn’t walk her down the aisle.

“How did you imagine it? I know its simple-,”

Scarlet cut her off, she didn’t want her to think she didn’t appreciate their efforts. “It’s not the glamour, it just feels strange, and not having my parents here for yet another big step in my life, is making it all the more difficult.”

“I’m sure they would love to see you in white with the man you love and your son. As for the strange feeling you have to figure it out. Preferably before you get downstairs.” Kayla took a step back to admire her work.

Kayla opened the door for the little boy who was furiously knocking. She caught him mid-air just as he was about to leap into Scarlet’s lap.

“Inspection first.” Once she was sure there wasn’t a speck of dirt on his white outfit, she gave him to Scarlet. “You look very handsome.”

“Thank you.” He answered with a beaming smile. “Mommy let’s go Daddy is waiting.”

“He is?” Scarlet swallowed hard. She knew she couldn’t turn back once she stepped out of her room. There was no reason to back out, she was doing the right thing for herself and her family.

“Go wait for me at the stairs, you are going to walk with Mommy down the aisle. Would you like that?”

SJ bobbed his head so eagerly before he dashed out of the room to his assigned post.

Scarlet closed her eyes and inhaled once more. She once again filled her head with happy memories ignoring the horrible ones lingering at the back of her mind.

“Are you ready to do this?” Kayla put her hands on Scarlet’s shoulders and massaged them gently.

“OK, let’s do this.” She hyped herself up, ignoring the loud warning in her head. “Nothing is going to spoil this day for us. We are going to get married and be a family officially.”

She knew she was speaking to herself more than she was Kayla. She flexed her shoulders before taking a heavy step out the door.

There was no bouquet so her hands were left free to hold her son as they walked to the back yard. Everyone was there, standing on each side of the aisle.

Scarlet wondered why they didn’t get a seat and then it occurred to her that they didn’t need them. They could stand in one spot for hours without feeling any strain.

Kayla walked ahead of her and as soon as she reached the front it was her turn. She held on to SJ’s little hand as they slowly approached Stephan.

Scarlet looked at Stephan’s face, she could see his serene smile but there was something else behind it. Something that he was trying so hard to hide, but was very evident in his eyes.

She broke their stare and concentrated on everything else that surrounded them. Her eyes flickered from the crowd to the roses to her son, to Kayla, and her hidden feet.

She was trying anything and everything not to meet his eyes. She didn’t want a confirmation that he was keeping something important from her. Especially not now as she was walking towards him, about to take their vows and make sacred promises to each other.

Stephan noticed her behavior but chucked it out to nerves. He held his hand out to her when she reached the makeshift altar, Solara had put together.

Scarlet waited for a while the applauds to die down. When she turned she noticed something was missing. Her head was too preoccupied to notice there wasn’t a priest or an officiator.

“Kayla, I think we are missing someone?”

“No, actually we aren’t. Everyone who needs to be here is here.” Stephan’s deep voice answered her.

Scarlet looked p at him, and for the first time in those few seconds, she saw him. She saw Stephan the man she loved, the father of her son. She didn’t see the secret he was hiding or the killer vampire nor did he see the beast in him.

His eyes, his voice, and his touch brought her to that moment. To that heartbeat and it made her see the importance of what was going to happen. She didn’t care about anything but that moment.

“I love you. I have loved you since the day we met since the day I found out I was carrying your child. I have loved you through the pain, through the deaths, and through all the horrible things that have happened this past two years.” A tear trickled down her cheek as she took both his hands in hers,

“I loved you even when I have hated you, and even when I felt robbed of my best friend or a normal life. Through all the times I have plotted and planned or left you hurt in some way, I loved you. And at times I don’t think I could survive your world I always knew my love for you would. My love for you is stronger than I am because just as SJ is, it is also a part of you. So I know somehow I will survive all this craziness.”

Scarlet cupped her hand on his face and brushed off a stray tear from his cheek, “To answer your question, yes I will be honored to marry you.”

Stephan swallowed back the lump of emotion building in his throat, “I hope so considering we are already up here.” He smiled at her then kissed the top of her head. “You better than anyone else here know what I have been through, you know my past and the uncertainty of my future. The only thing that I do know is that you are my rock and with you, as my partner, everything will be fine.”

He slipped a diamond-studded platinum ring on her finger. Scarlet gasp and eyes dropped to it, taking in its beauty and its magnificence. She had never owned a piece of jewelry that cost more than a hundred dollars, she was sure this one costs a thousand times more.

“As long as you are by my side, I will have the strength to survive anything.”

“I’m not a sidekick though. I just thought I should let you know.” It was a lame thing to say but her mind wasn’t functioning well at that time. She was still dazed by the ring.

“Solara is my sidekick, don’t worry about that part.” He gently wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

They all laughed when Solara muttered a thank you under his breath.

“That’s enough of that. Now let’s get down to business.” Solara stepped forward and tossed a lit match stick in a tin bowl.

Scarlet watched in confusion as Stephan took off his white shirt and handed it to Vincent. “Where is your ring?”

“I have one but right now we are doing something much more, for lack of a better word, permanent.” Stephan kissed her hand before he knelt before the altar.

“Kayla, what’s going on?” Scarlet was afraid that she had entered some sort of a cult she didn’t know about. It was evident that Stephan wasn’t very religious but she didn’t think he needed to be.

Scarlet could see that Kayla wasn’t as surprised by what was happening as much as she was. She watched as Eric left with SJ and was surprised that he didn’t fight against it.

“Kayla.”

“It’s strange and border lining insane. When Solara told me about it I thought he was crazy.” Kayla watched as closely as she did. She didn’t want to miss any part of the bizarre act.

“Here Scarlet take this.” Solara handed her a black leather box.