She spoke the words, but then to drive them home, she reluctantly removed her hand from him and signed the words over again. Then she stuck to him again, afraid to let go. Her fear was palpable.
You have to tell me why, he signed. This time Elliott took his sister by the shoulder and moved her so he could look her in the eye.
She sniffled, looking away from him. “I…can’t.” Fat tears streamed down her face. An insane urge to wipe them before they could freeze to her skin took over. She almost seemed too delicate for the weather. I tamed the urge down, keeping my hands solid in the pockets of the leather jacket.
Elliott pulled Scarlett in and hugged her hard. He kissed the top of her head. He said something in her ear. Then he released her before rushing into his car and locking the doors.
Scarlett seemed dazed, a bit confused as she stood there, eyes fixed on his car. The music bumped even harder. The tailpipe sent out streams of smoke.
She blinked a few times and I felt the air around us shift.
“No!” she screeched, torn from the shock. She looked from left to right, searching for what seemed like salvation, and took off after the car, pounding on the windows, screaming her brother’s name.
Elliott’s taillights glowed crimson before he took off, ignoring the frantic pleas of his sister. She scooped up a mound of dirt and rocks and snow and hurled it at his retreating vehicle, hitting the back windows in a cracking spray of debris.
For such a graceful being, she had a hell of a good aim.
She stood close to the street for a moment before she shook her head and came to stand on the sidewalk, staring down the street, probably hoping he’d come back. She kept whispering “no,” over and over.
I removed my jacket, holding it out to her. “Scarlett.”
She didn’t jump or flinch or even acknowledge me.
I took a step closer but kept in the shadows. For some reason, I didn’t want her to see me, only to know I was there.
“Scarlett,” I said a bit louder.
This time her eyes flew in my direction. She put her right hand over her heart, her entire body shaking with cold and what I assumed to be adrenaline. “He’s gone,” she whispered.
“Here.” I pushed the jacket closer to her. “Your lips are almost the same color as your—” I motioned to her outfit, not knowing what to call it. Somehow “frilly clothes” seemed fucking stupid to say aloud.
“Who are you?” she asked in a small voice.
“A friend of Elliott’s.”
“A good friend?”
“Yeah, since we were kids. He’s like my brother.”
Her eyes narrowed, making her fragile stature seem fierce. Her eyebrows, those eyes, were more intense than I was prepared for. “Then you should’ve stopped him!”
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to stop him from, but judging by the way her body shook, and the color of her skin, she seemed to be experiencing hypothermia. “Take my jacket and then I’ll tell you why I didn’t stop him.”
She snatched my jacket, angrily shoving her arms through the holes, zipping it up to her neck with frustration. The black leather swallowed her fluff. “There.” She stuck her chin up. The blue piece of silk tied around her bun flittered in the wind, almost coming loose and taking flight.
A smile almost came to my lips, but given the circumstances, I kept my features hard.
“Lisette.” I lifted my hands, even though I knew she couldn’t see me. It didn’t seem to make a difference to her. “Tonight’s important to him.”
“Can Lisette save him?”
It was my turn to narrow my eyes. “Tell me.”
The tone of my voice made her pause. As subtle as she could, she shook her head. It took her a moment to answer. “Never mind,” she said, resigned. The fire in her voice seemed to cool with the dropping temperature. “It doesn’t m-matter.” She began to sob even harder than she had before. She looked away and put both of her hands up, covering her face with the sleeves of my jacket.
“Tell me what’s going on, Scarlett.” My voice came out hoarse from the impossibly tough situation I found myself in, or from exposure to the cold air. I wasn’t sure which.
“God!” She sobbed and then started to laugh.
Accustomed to the emotional rollercoaster a woman could bring me on, I decided to wait her out.
“You must think I’m insane!” She used my sleeves to wipe her eyes,