It has been days since I have talked to Bryce or went outside. I stay in my room for most of my time and Charlie would bring food. "Scarlett? Can you please come out?" Charlie asks outside my door.

"I'm fine, Charlie. Just...leave me alone." I call out sitting on the window sill.

"No, I think you need some fresh air."

"What's the point? There are vampires chasing after me and that involves me talking to Bryce." I say sorrowful.

"I've already talked to him, he will linger in the back. He understands your reason for not talking to him. Just please, come out." I look down and sigh knowing that he is right.

"One minute." I say and go to the bathroom changing my clothes and putting my winter gear on. I open the door and Charlie smiles, reassuringly. We go downstairs where Bryce is at the door putting his jacket on. I walk out the door, without looking at him, and then he follows behind Charlie. 

The cold air hits me and I give a slight shudder but continue to walk. I am starting to fill with anxiety, fear that someone is watching us, other than Bryce. I walk past the bridge, where I found Charlie before, and go further where the sun is setting. I look at it for a moment and then continue to walk, looking down at the ground and playing with the snow with my feet. I turn around and see that Bryce has his eyes fixated on me; I then swiftly turn back around. 

I begin to hear sounds coming from behind us and Bryce pushes Charlie next to me and stands in front of us both in a protective stance. Audrey and the rest then appear from the corner and stop suddenly as they see us. Bryce eases up and lets out a relieved sigh. "Oh, ew, it's you."

"Shut up, Audrey. I am not in the mood right now to deal with you." I say, turning around.

"Well, if we are being honest right now, we should play the honest game. Who was your first kiss?" Audrey asks walking beside me and smirking.

"I don't think that is any of your business."

"It was Will, wasn't it? I mean who else would want to kiss that?"

"What is your problem?"

"My problem is that you are always the smarty pants in the class and make me look bad in front of my parents. Your parents tell mine how good their child is going and then they cuss me out for getting C's and D's." She puts her hands on her hips.

"I think everybody has heard that you have been getting too many 'D's'." I say using air quotes. She looks at me full of disgust and then hits my shoulder as she walks away.

Will stops by my side and looks me in the eye, "Was I? Your first kiss?"

"You didn't care before, so why care now." I squint my eyes and he also walks away.

I walk in the opposite direction of them, quickly. I put my hands in my coat pocket but I am suddenly tackled to the ground. Charlie and Bryce run towards me but I am then raised up with a hand around my throat and they then stop. "Stop right there or I will snap her neck." A raspy voice calls out and it is the same man from before.

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, you won't kill her you need her." Bryce tries to reason but the man tightens his grip around my throat and I cannot breathe. Bryce notices my struggle to breathe and tenses up with his face full of worry.

"We don't need her alive, she is going to turn anyway." I tense up and try to force myself out of his grip. "Sorry sweetheart, but you're not getting away this time." He then puts his hand against my shoulder and presses down, causing me to close my eyes and I am knocked out, falling into his arm; my head is close to his neck.

I begin to wake up in a warm bed but it is dark except for one candle lingering in a corner, illuminating a fence. I sit up and look around, still nothing. "Oh, you're up." The man says entering the cage.

"Did you hurt them?" I ask strongly, backing away from him as he comes to the side of the bed.

"Sweet and no I didn't. They are still there, worrying about where you are. There is no need of being afraid of me, Scarlett." He says, crawling on the bed. "I mean you are meant to be my wife, after all."

"What?! No way. Listen, I don't care who you are, I am not going to be somebody's wife, especially if that person kills others and I barely know you."

"Let me introduce myself then. I am Jarsen. I am needing you because you show bravery and you are actually stronger than you think. My kind is running out of time, my queen had died years ago and we need another one to keep us afloat. This time my queen won't die, you will live forever. My kind before me made an agreement to never turn their queen but I actually think you're special and want to be with you forever." Jarsen says, grabbing my hand.

"I have no say?" 

"You will have a say in everything except this. I will respect you, treat you like the person you want to be treated. Isn't that what you want?" He asks leaning in. I look into his dark eyes and almost want to stay with him but I shake my head and pull back. "Hmm, well I'll leave you alone for a bit." He says, frowning and then walks out the room. I lay back down and put my head in the pillow.