1. Scarlet
1
SCARLET
H uddled behind a large tree, I stay hiding from everyone passing by. Not that there are a lot of people driving out here, but I can’t be sure Ren… no, River, isn’t looking for me yet. Even with everything he’s done, I still feel bad about leaving the way I did. I’m worried he is hurt, angry, and alone. But I know I can’t help him, at least not on my own. I don’t know much about split personality disorder. Really only from movies and TV shows and those never showed me how to treat it. All I know is that Ren turns into a different person, literally. A person who dislikes me very much.
Now that I think about it, I feel stupid for not seeing it before. The sudden mood changes, the seemingly forgotten conversations, the way I never got to meet River or even hear his voice. It all seems so obvious now. I guess I was blinded by love. I didn’t want to believe that there was something wrong with our relationship. I waited so long to be with Ren. I didn’t want to see the red flags until it was too late.
The wind blows harshly around me as the sun sets on the horizon. With my back against the rough bark of the tree, I cross my arms in front of my chest to keep warm, just as I hear the sound of car engines approaching. Carefully, I peek around the tree to the parking lot of the gas station I told my dad I would be. Only when I see the family black SVU pull up into an empty spot, do I perk up. I wait another beat before the back door opens and a large man dressed in a dark gray suit steps out. Dad .
Without another thought, I duck around the tree and run toward my father. He has his back turned to me, but as soon as he hears me approach, he spins around. His dark, wary eyes light up when he sees me. He opens his arms just as I slam into his chest, harshly. Burying my nose into his suit jacket, I let the familiar scent of his cologne calm me down. He wraps his strong arms around me, pulling me closer until I can barely breathe.
“Jesus, Scarlet, do you not have any idea how worried we were?” he murmurs into my hair before kissing the crown of my head, still not willing to let me go.
Usually, there is no show of affection in public. My dad has to uphold a certain image in front of his people and even the civilians. An image that doesn’t allow to show any kind of emotions. My father is one of the most feared men in the state, and he prides himself on keeping it that way. But today is not a normal day, and the situation is anything but usual.
“I’m so sorry I worried you, but I promise I’m fine. I’ve been fine this whole time.”
He gives me one last squeeze before releasing me reluctantly. I straighten up just to see my brother standing a few feet away from us.
“Hey, sis,” he greets me, his eyes soft, brimming with happiness.
“Quinton.” I sigh, stepping into my brother’s bear hug next. “If he hurt you, I’ll kill him,” he whispers into my ear during our embrace.
“I know, but he didn’t,” I swear, barely able to get the word out while I’m getting squeezed tightly.
My brother releases me and only now do I realize how I’m shaking.
“Let’s get you into the car.” My father ushers me to the backseat of the SUV while Quinton takes the passenger seat.
Tony, one of my father’s drivers, gives me a courtesy nod in the back mirror as I settle into the leather seat. My father slides in beside me.
“You need to tell me where he is, Scarlet. Where is Ren?” My dad questions. “I already have back up on the way to search the area.”
My heart slams against my chest, thinking about what will happen if my father’s men find him right now. I told Ren I don’t believe my dad would kill him, but the truth is, I can’t be sure what would happen, especially now. What if they find him and he is still River?
“Ren is gone,” I finally say.
“Don’t lie to me, Scarlet. You need to tell me the truth.”
“I am, Ren is gone…” A wave of emotion overcomes me, pressure building behind my eyes as the tears start to fall down my face. My Ren is gone, and I don’t know how to get him back. “We were staying together in a cabin not far from here. But when I left, he was not Ren anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?” Quinton asks from the front seat.
“I mean Ren is sick. He is not himself right now. He needs help. More help than I can give him. We need to find him and help him together.”
“Sick how?” My father looks at me in confusion. “What direction is the cabin?”
Before I can answer either of his questions, his phone rings in his pocket. He takes it out and looks at the screen. “It’s your mother. She has been beside herself, inconsolable since you’ve been gone.”
Guilt slithers up my spine like a poisonous snake. Even though I didn’t leave by my choice, I also didn’t try to get away until now.
My father hands me his phone, and I press the green button before holding the small device to my ear. “Mom?”
“Oh my god, Scarlet.” My name comes out as a sigh, and I can feel my mom’s relief through the phone as she quietly sobs into the receiver. “I was so worried about you. You have no idea how much I love you. If something would’ve happened to you…”
“Mom, it’s okay. I’m here. Nothing bad happened to me. I promise. I swear I’m on my way home, and I’ll explain everything to you when I get there.” My words only calm her down a little, but enough to tell me again how much she loves me and that she can’t wait for me to get home.
I hang up the phone as the driver starts the car and pulls out of the small and shabby parking lot. Handing his cell back to my dad, he shoves it into his pocket before bombarding me with questions once more. “What do you mean by Ren is sick? What king of sickness? Are you sure you are okay?”
“Positive. It’s not the kind of thing that is contagious.” I take a deep breath, not sure where to start. “I think Ren is mentally ill, like a split personality or something like that.”
“No shit,” Quinton grumbles from the front of the car.
“I’m serious. Ren kept talking about having a brother named River. He talked about him like he is a real person, so real that I believed him. He talked to him on the phone and on the computer, but I never saw him or heard his voice. He kept saying it wasn’t the right time to meet.” Though I met him today all right.
I continue to share about things that have happened, how Ren becomes a different person sometimes and how he is influenced by River, which I refer to as his bad side. I also tell them about Rebecca and her son, about New Haven, and how they are still taking children off the street. I skim over the part where Ren took me to kill someone and the trip to New Haven to kill Rebecca. Those fun facts I keep for another time. Right now, I need to get them on my side so I can help Ren.
“I don’t know, Scar,” my father says when I catch my breath. “I don’t know a lot about this illness, and I’ve definitely never heard about River before. Don’t you think this would have come up sooner? I can’t believe someone just gets this without any prior signs.”
“I’m not sure either, but we need to figure it out. We need to ask a psychologist and help him?—”
“We don’t have to do anything right now besides get you home to your mother,” Dad insists. “Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”
No, I can’t wait until tomorrow. “What about you, Q? Have you ever heard Ren talk about River or seen anything that was off?”
My brother stays quiet. Instead of answering my question, he silently looks out of the window. When he finally speaks, his voice is void of all emotion. “All I know is that he was my best friend my whole life before he betrayed me in the worst way possible. I’ve been trying to find an explanation, any kind of hint why he would suddenly change so much. This would explain it, but just like you two, I don’t really know much about this disorder. I don’t think we should jump to conclusions. Either way, he tried to hurt Aspen, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive him for that.”
“I really do think he’s sick,” I say. “He’s not doing this on purpose.”
“I just don’t want you to look for excuses. And even if you’re right, and he has a split personality, it would still be him, or at least part of him, doing all these things.”
My shoulders sag. Clearly, there is no reasoning with Quinton right now. I glance at my father sitting next to me. The expression on his weathered face lets me know he is deep in thought. At least he’s not dismissing me completely. All I have to do now is convince him that Ren is worth saving. I have to do it, not only to save him, but to save myself as well.