The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

darling girl of the stars ~ II

     Scarlett had never been to the North, but she imagined it to be a lot colder than the place outside the window Scarlett was looking through. She had no clue where she was, but she told herself not to worry. Her mother was here, and she was a Fate now.

     "Paradise?" She called bleakly, wondering if somehow the key had taken her to the wrong place.

     Then, she heard multiple footsteps and instinctively hid behind one of the dozens of barrels in the room she was in, carefully peeking around the side.

     "I think this calls for a celebration." A woman who looked like if Scarlett glanced at herself in the future held a wine glass, with bright red lipstick and the kindest smile she had ever seen.

     Paradise. Her mother.

     She wanted to say something, anything, but she could feel the presence of two other people in the room and decided against it.

     "I think that's a wonderful idea, dear." A man with blond hair tied back and a purple suit wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulders, raising a glass himself.

     She noticed no love radiating off of the man who was touching her mother, something nearly akin to what Gavriel felt towards Scarlett. But there was almost too much loving pink bursting around Paradise, and it was all for the curly blond girl—not much younger than Scarlett—standing before them.

     "To our daughter who we couldn't be more proud of, Donatella." Paradise's smile broadened even further.

     Scarlett nearly fell over. No. There was no way her mother, the mother that was supposed to be protecting her, had another family that she was proud of.

     Tears built up behind Scarlett's eyes, and she tried to block out the envious green and royal blue hurt that danced around her viciously. The girl—Donatella—laughed heartily and her parents joined in. It was a scene Scarlett had pictured herself being in as a child, but Donatella, her half-sister she never knew about, was living it.

     If Scarlett was a cruel Fate, she would have knocked the barrels over and caused hell on her mother's new family. But she was nothing more than a fragile, sensitive daughter of the Fallen Star who watched the happy family with immense pain. There was something a little too forced in the man's emotions, they were stiff and not lively as feelings usually were. But they were still a family.

     Tear after tear streamed Scarlett's face as she listened to them chat joyfully. The father left rather abruptly when a guard said something about business, leaving Paradise and Donatella alone.

     "Thank you for making Father throw this party. It means a lot, Mother."

     "Oh, my love." Paradise wrapped Donatella into a hug. "You deserve it."

     It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair Scarlett went her whole life without a shred of love, yet this girl standing in front of her was receiving a whole life supply of it from her—their—mother. Did Paradise even know it was Scarlett's birthday? Did she even care?

     She knew Gavriel cared about her, but loving her wasn't the same.

     Besides, Scarlett had to remind herself. You're a Fate now. You don't need love.

     Scarlett repeated it until her tears stopped. You don't need love.

     The minute Paradise and Donatella left the barrel room, Scarlett darted for the door only to find it had no lock.

     No.

     Scarlett looked around the room, but there was only a door with a regular doorknob. She groaned as she gently pulled the door open, and tried to sneak about the estate. The next door she took, led her outside to a sandy beach. Scarlett felt like screaming.