The Next Generation: Scarlet by Jaden Bieber (red seas under red skies TXT) 📕

Chapter 1

"C'mon, Dad!" I yelled to my father. I was so excited! For most of my life, I wasn't allowed to leave the cabin, but now that I'm 13, I convinced my dad I can.
"Scarlet, you have to be careful!" He yelled, trying to catch up with me. He finally did and walked in step with me.
"I know, Dad. I got this!" I smiled at him.
"Just because you know how to use your powers, doesn't mean nothing is stronger than you." He warned me.
Let's back it up here. My name is Scarlet... I don't really have a last name, but I do have a middle name. Scarlet Lynn. My mother's name was Maylin, so my middle name is from her. Dad doesn't talk about my mother very often. He misses her a lot, I can tell. But my dad gave me a book called a "photo album" with some pictures from an instant camera. There's one of my mom holding me seconds after I was born, then there's one of her and dad smiling. That's it, really.
"Hey, Daddy?" I put my hands behind my back and walked along the river.
"Hmm?" He said behind me.
"Did I kill mommy?" I asked, not stopping, but I could tell he stopped in his tracks at that question. The question I've wanted to ask for so many years now...
"S-Scarlet..." He sighed out. I faked a smile and turned around and faced him.
"Never mind." I faked a cheery attitude a lot. He never seemed to notice.
"No, Scarlet, you didn't kill your mother." He said with soft eyes. "She wasn't strong enough for a kid. Your grandmother was the same way." I nodded, understanding.
"Will I be like that, too?" His eyes widened and he swallowed hard.
"I don't know, hun. But you can't think like that. You have to think strong to be strong." He said. I just nodded, knowing this conversation had to end. It's not like I felt awkward around my father. It's just... I'm a negative thinker.
The way to define it is I think about everything bad, even knowing there can be some good or hope in the situation. I don't know why I do it. I just do. Like for example, I thought I was a devil. I should've never been born. I killed Seth's love. The one he loved most. He's done so much for me; teaching me everything I know. Then, all I think is... I killed her.
"So, what's Earth like?" I asked him.
"Busy. Crowded. A lot of humans and animals." He described.
"What about the landscape?" I asked.
"Same as here. They have grass, forest, snow, deserts, etc." He explained to me.
"Can I go there one day?" He gave me a look. We've had a talk about Earth before. Well, yes, it's a planet. But we document it as a dimension.
"I don't know, Scarlet." He sighed out.
"Dad, I want to go to school. I want to live a normal life. I want-"
"To live the life your mother did." He finished for me. I closed my mouth and nodded innocently. He looked away and combed his fingers through his jet black hair, like mine. I had my dad's hair and my mother's blue-green eyes. I didn't spend my life in front of a mirror, so I couldn't tell you if I was pretty or ugly, but I'm curvy-skinny, just like my mom was.
"Look," my dad said, "The reason your mother and I moved to his cabin is to get away from all of that." He said. I knew where he was going with that, but I wasn't going to give up.
"Dad, it'll be okay. I just want to learn like a normal girl. I want to at least be a little like my mom, you know?" I said, meeting his eyes from the ground. He sighed, and looked into my eyes, obviously thinking hardly about it.
"Fine, fine. I guess you can go. But no magic. And you have to stay with your grandmother."
"You mean, Mom's adoptive mom?" I asked, since he just said my grandmother was dead. He nodded.
"Yeah. I'll take you there and explain the situation tomorrow, but I haven't seen her in years. I don't know if she'd even let you stay." He said, truthfully.
"I could always go to a boarding school if she doesn't want me." I said, thought fully. He shrugged, but nodded. "Did I ever meet her?" I asked him.
"You were very young. I thought it'd be thoughtful to tell her the news."
"Which 'news'?"
"Both." He said, knowing exactly what I meant. My father would never lie to my face. In fact, he was very honest with me. Maybe a little too honest, but I liked it that way. I rather be told things truthfully than with lame excuses or maybes.
"Mm, so, when tomorrow?" I asked, getting a little more excited.
"After lunch." I smiled and ran up to him, hugging him.
"Thank you so much!" I squeezed him. He chuckled and hugged back.

When we got to the cabin, my father told me funny stories of him and mom while we ate diner. Starting from where they first met, 'til she had me.
"It wasn't my plan, falling in love with your mother. In fact, I was just like you. I wanted to know more about one of my parent's life. My dad was human, my mother is a dragon." I nodded. "That's why I went easy on you, letting you go to Earth."
"Liar. You're a softie." I smirked, reaching over and pinching his cheek. "My daddy's a softie." He just laughed and I released his cheek.
"You're such a freak. I swear, your mother cheated on me with a crack head and you're his kid." I almost spit out my water I stupidly took a sip of.
"That's not funny!" I laughed out.
"I was just kidding." He said, but I heard him mumble, "A theory."
"I HEARD THAT!" I pointed at him, childishly. Somehow, we got off track, so he nicely took off where he left off.
"I flew through the window of the room she was in. She was treating me like a house pet. She was telling me commands." He chuckled at the memory. "Then we ended up going to Earth and argued most of the time. At the time, my own mother didn't know I was sneaking out here and there, so I had to be back by the next morning... And she didn't know how to make a portal without having to panic."
"Let me guess, you made her panic."
"Good guess."
"You're mean!"
"If you don't remember correctly, my mother is a DRAGON. She'd eat me alive! I wanted to stay alive even if I made someone panic. Besides, I didn't 'care' for her, exactly."
"Yet." He added. I just nodded, gesturing to go on. "Anyway, I found her upset one day by the lake that wasn't far from the castle. She was a negative thinker, just like you." I frowned at that.
"She was crying, because she blamed herself for killing her mother. I comforted her. We eventually fell asleep.." He trailed off.
"That's romantic." I said, sarcastically.
"Eat." He demanded, playfully. I guess it was a nicer way of telling me to shut up so he can continue.
"I showed her my human form that night. I also learned that, I liked pizza." He said, looking up.
"What's pizza?" I asked, curiously.
"Oh my- it's this amazing cheesy.. bread.. tomato.. I will get it for you when we go there tomorrow." He said, excitedly, making me laugh. Men never grow up, do they?
"That night, I watched her sleep. I wasn't used to a human sleeping so close.. or at all. I was so curious. My curiosity lead me to feeling protective of her. At first, I didn't understand he overprotective feeling, but then I realized I fell for her." I smiled.
"Touching.."
"Our love was forbidden. We almost were torn apart. But my faith in her never left. Now here you are. A beautiful living creature. I would never change anything."
"Even if it meant keeping Mom alive?" I asked, looking down.
"Are you kidding? She wanted you more than I did." He said, then, "Not that I didn't want you. I did. But she always wanted a baby girl. When she was pregnant, she was at her happiest. Except, her hormones were raging and I was put through hell-"
"'Kay! You should've stopped at 'happiest'!" I said. He laughed and ruffled my hair. I smiled. I kept every thing he just told me locked up in my head.
I helped him clean the dishes, and soon we were off to bed. Tomorrow will be amazing. I will actually get to meet my grandmother. The women who raise my mother. I was so excited, I didn't know if I could sleep. But, I ended up passing out as soon as my end landed on the pillow...

Chapter 2.

Waking up, I remember today was going to awesome! I got up and dressed and all that good stuff. I walked down stairs to see my dad cooking.
"Mornin'!" I said, excitedly.
"Mornin', love." He kissed the top of my head and continued cooking.
"What's cookin', good lookin'?" I asked.
"Omelet. Want one?"
"Omelet?" I asked. What the hell?
"Eggs."
"Oh. Yes." I smiled, nodding. I sat at the kitchen table and waited patiently.
"By the way, last night, I took the time to call your grandmother. I explained everything to her. She's siked and can't wait to meet you." He said. My smile widened.
"Really!?"
"Mhm."
"Will you visit me?" I asked him.
"Of course." He said. "I mise as well see what the dragons have been up to since it seems we're doing some kind of... reunion."
"Reunion?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe that's not the word, but still."
"'Kay. Whatever makes you sleep at night." He frowned at me, handing me a plate with eggs on them. I dug in.
"Do you like it?" He asked. I nodded.
"Is this an omelet?"
"A cheese omelet. Humans invented it." He said. I nodded, chewing happily. I couldn't sit still. I kicked my feet under the table.
"Hey," He said, "Are you excited?"
"YES!" I screamed, making his eyes widened, but a smile danced across his lips. He laughed.
"Good. I couldn't tell." I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm.
"Like me not being able to sit still wasn't enough for you."
"Sarcasm, hun." He reminded me. He sat in the chair across from me and we ate our 'cheese omelets'.

After breakfast, I asked Dad to take me to the lake. He is such a frikkin' softie, it's not even funny.
I stuck my feet in the clear water. It was cold, but I didn't really care. I giggled and felt like a little kid again. He sat on the grass and watched me stomp and jump up and down so the water would hit me. I was so immature for a 13 year old, wasn't I?
"You're going to get yourself soaked." My dad said. Is he blind or something?
"Thanks for reminding me of what I was planning to do, Daddy. Love ya!" I smiled innocently and continued jumping up and down.
Then something was wrong. I froze. Something was coming. But from where? I looked high, low, and side to side. My dad's eyes flicked to my right, where the forest stood. I gathered up some of my energy to