Beneath Scarlett Valley

CHAPTER ONE

 "Furor: an angry or maniacal fit" -MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY-

SWOLLEN GRAY CLOUDS hung low over Ashland, shrouding everything in an icy mist. Inside, the only evidence of my sister's presence was a soft glow beneath the kitchen door. I would have preferred solitude, but I pushed the door open.

Harper sat at the breakfast bar, staring down at the peach in her hands as though she had no idea why it was there. When I dropped into the chair next to her, she looked up at me in surprise.

"Why are you back from your date already?" she asked.

"It was horrible," I said. "He spent half the night trying to kiss me, and the other half, staring at his reflection."

"He's an angel," Harper said with a shrug. "What did you expect?"

"That you would set me up with a decent guy, not a narcissistic octopus."

Harper grinned. "I'll do better next time," she said. "I know this Aramithian Hunter who would be perfect for you."

I rolled my eyes and kicked off my boots. "No thank you. I'd rather sit at home and pig out in front of the TV."

"Oh, I forgot." Harper jumped to her feet. She hurried to the oven and removed a large pizza with her bare hands. "It's mushroom pizza, with onions and peppers."

I wrinkled my nose at the greasy smell as she placed it on the breakfast bar. Harper and I had been eating human food for two decades now, but our taste buds were still in shock. For some reason, everything we ate tasted like cardboard.

"What are those brown slimy things," I asked.

"Mushrooms," she said and pointed to a charred fleck. "I think that's a pepper."

"Are you sure?"

"Nope." She picked up a slice. "Ten bucks it'll taste like cardboard."

"What if we put ketchup on it?" I asked. "I hear it makes everything taste better."

Harper sniffed the pizza and then tossed it back in the box. "I'm willing to try anything. I haven't eaten in two days."

I hurried to the pantry and grabbed an unopened bottle of ketchup that had been sitting there for months. I squirted some on top of the pizza, and then picked up a slice.

It smelled good, but when I took a bite, it tasted like cardboard covered in cloyingly sweet goo.

"Cardboard?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, but the sweetness makes it easier to swal-low."

She picked up a slice and took a bite, grimacing as she chewed. "So tell me about your date."

I was in no mood to rehash the night's events, but I did as she asked. The chatter and laughter made it easier to forget the horrible taste in my mouth.

When I finished my story, Harper tossed the leftover pizza into the trash and sighed. "So, I've been thinking-"

"I'm not going back to Scarlett Valley," I said. "Quit asking."

"I already enrolled you in SVH. You start on Monday."

I stiffened against a shudder. "SVH better be health club."

"It's Scarlett Valley High," Harper said in a harsh voice. "And you're going."

I got to my feet and marched out of the room. "We're running out of time," she yelled as the door closed behind me.

I hurried down the hall to my bedroom. Before I could turn the lock, she barged into the room.

"I'm not going to Scarlett," I said. "Find the Source on your own."