Scarlet Angel

Chapter 2: Awakening

Chapter 2: AwakeningHuman memory is a fickle thing. Some people believe our memories make up who we are. But they don't. The truth is, our actions are the building blocks of our true selves.

* * *

Scarlett lay on the wood floor. A dozen pairs of eyes stared at her. Her heart pounded and her chest heaved from the terror of her “vision.”

Ruby lifted Scarlett's wrist and held it between her fingers. “Her heart rate is elevated, but otherwise she's fine.”

The last thing Scarlett remembered was the candles on her birthday cake lighting from little Ethan's magic trick. There was a flash and a strange, terrifying vision. When she awoke, she found herself on the floor, surrounded by partygoers.

Cash kneeled on the floor, opposite of his mother. His head bobbed forward slightly and his eyebrows arched for a second. “Well? What did you remember? Must've been a hell of a doozy to knock you back like that.”

She wasn't sure what the vision meant. Scarlett knew it was some kind of memory from before her accident but had no sense of time or place. Scarlett rose up into a sitting position. “I'm… not sure. There was some kind of control room. Then there was this explosion. Whatever it was, it was terrifying.”

No one spoke. The crowd stared at her but avoided her gaze. Someone awkwardly cleared their throat.

Ethan's tiny voice broke the silence. “Aunt Scarlett?”

The crowd parted and the small boy stepped forward. His feet shuffled along the floor and his head was down. Tears streamed down the child's cheeks. His voice quivered when he spoke. “Are you okay? I'm sorry my trick scared you.”

Scarlett's hand flew to her chest. “Oh… sweetheart!”

She gasped and held her arms open. Ethan rushed over and flung his arms around her neck. Scarlett held him tight as he sobbed into her shoulder. “I'm so sorry, Aunt Scarlett. I won't do any more scary tricks, I promise!”

Her heart sank. From the moment she'd made a quarter appear from behind his ear, he'd been in love with magic. The boy spent every waking moment studying simple tricks and always carried a magic book with him. He had found a purpose and a passion in magic.

She ran her hand over his head, feeling his soft hair. “It's okay… It's not your fault. You didn't do anything. I was just really surprised, not scared. Your trick was cool! Don't ever stop doing magic tricks. You promise me that.”

Scarlett took the boy by his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. Hot tears ran down her face. “Promise me you'll never stop!”

“Okay,” Ethan sniffled. “I promise.”

“Good. Now, as I understand it, we have some cake to get to.”

The boy sniffled again and nodded.

Scarlett smiled. She stood and took the boy's hand. “Well then. Let's get to it!”

* * *

The next morning, Scarlett arrived at the dojo, early for work. The classroom was mostly a bright space with hardwood flooring and a half-wall sectioning off the back room. A few benches for parents sat against one wall. The opposite wall was completely covered in one massive mirror.

A fitful night of sleep had left her groggy. She trudged across the room and dropped her bag into the back room. Her first class was in a couple hours but she wanted to warm up with some sparring time first.

After a few minutes of simple kata moves, she pulled out the sparring mannequin. She took her stance in front of the dummy and huffed. Her first few jabs came tentatively, but each additional punch and kick roiled her blood. She lost herself in the mindless beating she gave her plastic partner. By the time Cash walked in, her brow dripped with sweat and she could barely lift her arms. Her ponytail hung loose and threatened to come completely undone.

Cash stepped into the dojo with his duffle over his shoulder and stopped when he saw her. “Wow. You look like hell. How long have you been here?”

She let her arms fall to her side and huffed with exhaustion. “What time is it?”

“Ten to nine.”

Scarlett stepped over to the half-wall and grabbed her towel to dab her forehead. “Wow. Um, almost two hours.” She felt her knees weaken and leaned against the wall to steady herself.

Cash walked over and dropped his bag on the other side of the divider. “You've been at that for nearly two hours? I'm amazed you can still stand.”

She took a swig from her bottle of water. The icy liquid made the muscles in her throat tense up. Cold sank its way down into her chest and she gasped. “Yeah… Me too.”

Scarlett moved behind the wall to hide her shaking knees, but from the look on her brother's face, he knew. “Scar, why don't you take off. You're not really in any shape to teach, and it's a slow day anyway.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Okay”

Scarlett retrieved her own duffle from the other side of the half-wall and headed for the door. “Thanks Cash. I'll, uh… I'll call ya later.”

“Get some rest, sis.”

She plodded to the door and stopped when her hand touched the metal grip. “Cash… I think I need to go up to the city.”

“What for?”

Scarlett turned around and leaned against the door jam. “I, um… My thing yesterday, at the party. I need to see what it means. What I saw… It had something to do with Universal Dynamics.”

Cash stepped over to the mannequin and took up a stance. “What, the defense contractor?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, alright. But be careful. Just… Take a shower first, k?”

Scarlett gave a weak laugh. “Ha, ha. Last I checked, you were the one who produced a foul odor.” She turned and shoved open the door. As the door swung closed behind her, Cash shouted, “That's only from your cooking!”

* * *

Cash laughed to himself as his sister disappeared around the corner. He glanced at his watch. The first of the children would arrive in about five minutes. This won't take long. It better not.

He retrieved his cellphone from the duffle. It took a moment to remember the number he wanted to call. After seven years, he was surprised it came so quickly.

The voice that answered on the other end was deep and smooth. “Cash. It's been a while. Looking to get back into the business?”

Cash's voice was hard and serious. “No. I need you to look something up for me. I know you've got the contacts.”

“Please. After all this time, you think you can just ask for a favor?”

A car pulled up to the curb in front of the dojo. Danny Green, one of Cash's students, started to climb out of the shiny silver minivan.

“You're damn right.”

The voice on the other end sighed. “Fine. What'cha need?”

Cash moved around behind the half-wall. “Universal Dynamics. I need to know if there's been any kind of explosions or fires related to them. Would have been at least five years ago.”

“Alright. Want me to call you back with that?”

Little Danny bounded in through the door and waved. Cash waved back with a smile. “No. I'll call you.”