The Hauntings

Chapter 20

"Gran, how do you kill a Trickster?" Scarlett slyly asks, as the pair of them are sitting beside the crackling fire, with full stomachs.

She is aware how Christine will react but she's hoping that it will pass as an innocent question. Fat chance that would happen. Christine eyes sharply draw away from the scarf she is knitting, to her granddaughter, whom  should not have uttered those words. 

"You are doing nothing of the sort, Letty." Christine warns calmly, going back to her knitting, sheltering the irritation for her granddaughter's persistence on the subject of that cursed Trickster.   

"Why can't I know for common knowledge? I should at least know how to defend myself from some of those monsters." Scarlett demands.

She daren't mention to Christine, that she is actually planning to commit the deed without provocation. She is perfectly intune to her overprotective grandma's desires to keep her in that sterile box of innocence, which matter of fact doesn't exist. Nothing can stay clean for long. It is time now, for Scarlett to follow in her mother's footsteps. 

"Nothing is common knowledge for you. I know you, you always ask with reasons, Letty. Is this the same Trickster you mentioned a few weeks ago?" Christine acknowledges, now abandoning her knitting. She reads Scarlett's guilty expression. "Don't you dare lie to me young lady! I know it is him. You stay away from that Trickster, you hear me Scarlett?" Christine cries as she stares with a burning anger at Scarlett.  No granddaughter of her's will ever dabble in the supernatural world. 

"Gran you can't hide me away from the supernatural world forever. I'm an Orbital and I need to embrace that side of me. We are, what we are. We are part of the Other World as much as they are because we can see them, unlike like other normal people." Scarlett reasons, fruitlessly attempting to persuade her grandmother, that this was always going to happen. 

"Letty, you foolish child! Don't you dare put us together with the supernatural scum. You are not your mother, either! Whatever this Trickster has done to you and Liz, just leave it alone. He will trick and move on. That's how it goes, you don't need to go round killing them. Listen to me!" Christine snaps harshly, unsuccessfully masking the frustration for Scarlett's ignorance for the danger she will unleash is she follows this war path.  

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, Gran. Trust me. So please tell me? Please." Scarlett begs, deaf to her grandmother's warnings and requests. 

"No, I'm not going to help you. I forbid you to get involved with the paranormal world. Let me tell you, if you do you'ill end up like your mother, dead. I can't deal with that." Christine retorts with intensity.

"Well, at least she died a hero and doing what she loved, hunting." Scarlett huffs she abruptly stands up.

"How do you know she died a 'hero'? Huh. Hero" Christine sneers.

"She died fighting the parasites that suck the world dry of happiness, replacing it with fear and sadness. That's what I heard because you're so selfish and won't tell me how the heck my mother died or who the hell my dad is. In fact I just want a single snippet of detail about my mother. Do you know how it feels, not knowing where you came from? The only link I have to my heritage is from you. You Gran. And you don't tell me ANYTHING!" Scarlett violently rants, nostrils flared, glaring coldly at her grandma, in the light of the flickering flames in the fireplace. 

Christine doesn't know how to reply to her granddaughter's's snide remarks. In fact they carry more truth than childish accusations. Yes, she is being selfish. But Christine can't bare to tell Scarlett how her mother passed away and the identity of her father. One of the reasons being because she doesn't want her granddaughter's to follow in her mother's footsteps and become hunter. Another, she doesn't want Scarlett to feel ashamed and disgusted with her parents. It's much better to keep it a blank sheet of paper.