Ice Cold

9: Hide and Seek

Scarlett

We all sat in a circle about half an hour later on Chris' beanbags. He was sitting to my right and I could see out of the corners of my eyes that he was sneaking glances at me. Frowning, I looked at the others in the circle and they seemed to be exchanging looks with each other. Maybe they had noticed that Chris kept staring at me.
"So, you guys won my competition. I really hope you enjoy yourselves here and I have lots in store for you over the coming week! But first...I kinda need to know your names." Harriet instantly piped up and started to introduce everyone. Chris smiled politely at her but I could tell that he was slightly irritated. As Harriet got to me, I interrupted her.
"I'm Scarlett." I said with a grin. His face lit up and I turned quickly away from him, blushing. There was no way I could let that adorable smile of his get to me. I was here to kill him, after all.
"Well, it's nice to meet you guys. Today, you're all just gonna get settled in and stuff, and we can play hide and seek. I'll get a takeaway too because I can't cook for my life." The others laughed but I just rolled my eyes and smirked. Yep, the others would have to go.
"Ooh, Pizza Hut is good." I chipped in and Harriet stared daggers at me. I smiled at her and turned to Chris, who seemed happy with the suggestion.
"Sure. But I've already had a big meal today so I won't have any." He said and I saw something flicker within his eyes, almost like fear. Frowning, I watched as he got up very suddenly and made his way upstairs. The others started to chat about respecting his privacy but I ignored them and started for the stairs, intrigued as to why he had left so suddenly.
"Hey." Chris whispered into my ear and I jumped about a foot in the air. How had he gotten there so fast? I looked into his eyes and could've sworn that they had been red for a split second but it was probably just the light. He smiled at me and I took a couple of steps back.
"You okay?" I asked and he frowned in confusion.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You looked scared when you said about not having any pizza later." His eyebrows shot up and the same scared look passed over his face. But, like earlier, it went as quickly as it had come.
"I just have an allergy to some of the ingredients. It's a bit embarrassing but I can't eat a lot of foods because of it." I examined his face closely and sighed. I had trained myself to spot the slightest signs of a person lying. But I wasn't sure about Chris because he seemed nervous, yet he had none of the signs of a liar, apart from the fearful expression that kept momentarily passing over his face. Maybe he was just really good at lying.
"Oh, okay. Well I'm sorry to hear that." He nodded and smiled at me before heading upstairs again.

Chris

Night started to draw on and I began to feel very uneasy. We were halfway through a game of hide and seek and I was constantly watching the moon rising through various windows in my house. Scarlett was the seeker and I could hear her searching for me upstairs. She'd found all of the others, but I was too good at this game.
     My initial plan had been to escape quietly through the back door so that I could succumb to the effects of the moon in peace, but Scarlett had had other ideas. She had locked all of the doors and windows so that none of us could get out, and I found it a little terrifying.
     I was hidden behind a sofa in my living room, ready to move if she started to make her way downstairs again. The only option for me was to lock myself in my room, but I couldn't as she was patrolling the corridors upstairs. I briefly thought about changing form so that I could zoom up there without her even seeing me but realised that, at this time of the month, my bloodlust would be at a maximum and I wouldn't be able to think straight.
     I had to make a move. If I didn't, I would probably kill everyone in the house. As it was, my throat was as dry as Death Valley and I needed to feed soon. But I couldn't feed on people, or I'd go against everything I stood for. And what if I killed Scarlett, the girl that I was intrigued by, who seemed to share dark secrets just like me?
     I heard her footsteps start to gradually fade away and I assumed that she had moved far enough away that it was safe for me to now go to my room. Extra cautiously, I tiptoed towards the stairs and started to make my way up them, making sure not to step on the creaky ones. Every few steps, I listened for the sound of breathing, before continuing to the top.
     She was only a few metres away with her back to me. I cursed my human ears and slowly started to make my way down the corridor in the opposite direction. One creak, and it would be too late. Every few seconds, I turned to check that her back was turned before continuing.
     I placed my hand on the handle of my door and pushed down gently. As it opened, I prayed for it not to creak like it usually did, and it didn't. Thinking I was safe, I pushed the door open a little faster.
     Boy, was I wrong.
     The door let out a screech and I froze, looking down the hallway. Scarlett froze too, before whipping round and staring me straight in the eyes. But I was already in my room, slamming the door. I heard her rushing towards me and fumbled desperately with the lock. Relief washed over me as I finally managed to lock it, and I listened as she groaned in annoyance.
     "Chris? You'd better come out right now or I'm gonna knock your door down." Wow, she was serious about this game. I backed away from the door and walked to my bathroom, going straight up to the sink. I watched as my eyes became the colour of blood and my teeth elongated, my senses dramatically enhancing. Even the tops of my ears became slightly pointier and I growled lowly under my breath. The human part of my brain was slowly disappearing and the hunter was coming to the surface. That was what I hated about the full moon. I became completely out of control.
     Just as I was about to leave the bathroom and smash one of the windows as a means of escape, I heard a noise that made my heart sink in my chest. My bedroom door slammed open and I heard the hinges give out.
     Scarlett was in my room.