Thanatos : The Red Dawn

(15)A Quaking Scarlet

"I don't think I consider myself sane anymore, at least not around him..."

A Quaking Scarlet

Sonya's pink and white speaker blared out a classic.

It was my second-last night here and I was sick; sick of lying to them and sick of looking in the mirror. My reflection was pained and I could see the dark bags under my eyes have grown.

So much for a vacation.

Who am I kidding?

The god of death is after me, for - well, reasons unknown to the universe and every sane person in this room; which makes two people. I don't think I consider myself sane anymore, at least not around him.

He had power over me. That's what really left me shaken.

Trita's head bobbed up and down as she moved to the rhythm of the upbeat song while trying to French-plait her hair. From the looks of it, she was getting more done dancing than styling her hair, considering it was starting to look more like a tangled fish net than a braid.

I'd made up my mind a few hours ago; I was going home.

After Sonya and Theodor returned from their surfing lesson, I subtly tried to get us out of there. Chris had figured then would be a good time to bust out the alcohol and loud house beats, but with a lot of persistence and constantly nagging, we eventually called it a day and decided it was time to head home; but Chris- the surfer with a raging, horny dictatorship disorder- had a hard time understanding the concept 'no'.

Luckily, Celine and Mellissa calmly walked through the front door just in time before I lost my cool. Celine was wearing sandals, not boots. I felt some silly pride at having been observant enough to put two-and-two together. I don't think Thanatos would be caught dead in sandals.

Celine greeted us with a warm smile and her brown eyes widened with pleasant surprise. Somehow I remember Death's version of Celine to have foggy brown eyes, something I'm surprised hadn't noticed immediately considering the shinning jewels that were staring at me with great kindness.

"What a lovely surprise! Theo, you should've texted me. I'd hate to leave you guys alone in this big house. Sorry for being away for so long."

I had a feeling the 'big house' wasn't what she was worried about leaving us alone with.

"No, no!" I interjected, "We were just at the beach and the guys were kind enough to let us come visit. It's kind of chilly outside."

"Besides, you think we can't be pleasant hosts?" Chris spoke up from the kitchen, slowly carrying three fizzy blue drinks in his large hands. Celine made a face; if I hadn't been looking, I wouldn't have caught it. I had the feeling she didn't care much for Chris.

And from Mellissa's face, it looked like she didn't care much for anything.

I wondered if that was because of the whole Phillip thing or if it was just how she was. She was glaring at Trita quite murderously.