Scarlet (Little Red)

XVII. Unexpected Meeting

The colors of the town reminded Raoul of children's toys. Every red was the same one, a brilliant cherry scarlet. The car halted in front of a store holding a red coat, and Raoul gazed at it knowing it would he perfect for Scarlet.

The car began to move, as his eyes gazed around the streets. Suddenly, a man blasted out of a window with another climbing out of it. They began to growl at one another, and before he can blink, they shifted into their wolves form. His eyes darted everywhere seeing everyone continuing their day as if everything was normal.

The case wasn't the same in a human community. Raoul was reminded continuously by Scarlet to not shift into a wolf until their inside the forest. He had to withdraw his emotions regularly.

Randon and Quinton glanced at one another, then Randon began driving. He passed the town, and Roaul heart sank seeing a familiar white building. "Let's go," Randon said, stepping out the car.

Quinton placed on his hat, "It is best if you don't fight. You are in much too deep...and you don't want Scarlet to get hurt do you?"

He lifted his hand and opened the door, causing the handle to break. Raoul watched as the grey handle falls to the ground. He ignored it and followed them into the building.

The corridor was stuffy, and the air has an undertone of bleach. The walls were colored red, perhaps to hide the blood behind it. The beautiful pictures on the walls were cheap, distracting others momentarily from what is occuring inside.

They stopped, and Raoul stared at one of the printed photos. It was a photo of a little girl covered in a red hood and a wolf. They stood in the forest, facing one another. The wolf rested on its bottom, gazing at the hooded girl, almost as if in a trance.

Raoul wished he could see the emotions behind the hooded girl's eyes, but he couldn't.

His eyes cast away from the framed and gazed around as his past roamed around his mind. He remembered what was hidden underneath the brightly cleansed blue and white pattern floor.

Below them were many prison cells, barely six feet by four. The walls were the same thick grey with no way of escape. A man in a mask holding a firearm would pass by once in a while, the tip clinking against the metal bars.

The only sound that Raoul heard to ensure he was alive was the voices of horrific screams from hybrids who were being experimented on.

He remembered laying on cement ground in the corner, praying they wouldn't call him by his number.

Surrounded by four walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them. There was nothing to pass the time, except picking his nails on the cement slowly digging it into his flesh slowly going mad, getting the wall's blank stare in return.

Raoul theorized it was all the chemical pumping into him when he was younger, forcing him to shift at an early stage.

Perhaps, that's the reason why he never heard his wolf.

Maybe, his wolf died.

Raoul snapped back to reality as his nostrils capture a specific scent - rosemary and lemon. To inhale such a scent calmed the tension rolling all over his body. His head snapped towards the direction of the smell, seeing a double blue door. He was itching to following it.

With a calm face, he heard his name being called, and he followed them. Upon entering a nearly empty room, Raoul sat down on the dark blue chair, and the two men left him.

He sat there, staring at the picture frame containing five individuals.

He remembered seeing their pictures - The Custodes.

The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside. He rushed his fingers through his hair and sat on the black leathered chair in front of Raoul. Raoul studied him seeing his eyes dazzling in eyes as a reassuring smile crossed his lips. "You must be Raoul. I'm Daniel Saunders"

Raoul nodded, "I've heard about you" or read about you.

Daniel Saunders was the only immortal human in that world. He is also the first in command of the famous Custodes who ended Acqua Rossa Spessa.

He smiled, "So, I heard you recently shifted."

Raoul nodded, "That...I did."

Daniel cupped his hands over his desk. "Now, this is a rare case," he hummed, then released a deep breath through his nostrils. "What would you like to do?"

Now, that was a surprise.

He asked Raoul what he would like to do.

Raoul thought the moment he stepped onto this building, he might never leave. Here it is, Daniel is giving him a chance to go.

Perhaps Daniel doesn't know what is occurring beneath him?

"I want to go back to Scarlet."

Daniel nodded, "I heard she was the one who found you."

Raoul nodded, "Scarlet...is everything to me."

Daniel smiled, "Then, we will do the paperwork so you can return as soon as possible."

Raoul instantly returned his smile, "Really?" he couldn't contain the happiness in his voice.

Daniel nodded then chuckled lightly, "Really," he responded, clicking the button on the landline, "Joy?"

"Yes, Mr.Saunders," a woman replied, and Raoul's heart leaped at her voice.

He placed a hand on his chest, wondering why he suddenly felt...nervous.

"Can you bring me the transfer paperwork...and two cups of water?" he asked.

"Yes sir," she responded, and he removed his finger.

Not too long after, the door creaked open, and the similar scent invaded his senses. Raoul stood up and turned his body. The woman's eyes met his, and she dropped the cups of water, shattering the glass into a million pieces...reflecting Raoul's heart.

"Mate."