Realize

                               My eyes were stinging, but I refused to cry. I had always been strong and I wasn't about to stop now. The Kaiba brothers were silent. I couldn't bring myself to look at them. Never before had I told a human about that night. Of course, never before had a human found out what I was. Mokuba was the first to speak.

 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

 

I looked up at him in surprise. Why was he apologizing to me? I shook my head.

 

"Don't apologize. The past is the past. It can't be changed," I answered quietly, just loud enough for them to hear.

 

The room was so quiet, even a human could hear a pin drop. I sighed again.

 

"Kaiba, what you do next is up to you. However, you can't let anyone know about this," I finally said.

 

"Who would believe me," he asked and my lips curled into the smallest of smiles.

 

"I can't thank you enough for this."

 

"Seto, are you still going to let them stay here," Mokuba asked.

His brother nodded after a moment and the smile on my face grew.

"You still trust me, even after I've told you all of that," I asked.

"Now I know what to expect," Seto answered.

 

"Thank you again, Seto."

 

I stood up and excused myself, leaving him and Mokuba to fully grasp everything I'd told them. I walked down the stairs to the fifth floor and entered the apartment I shared with Darren.

 

"How'd it go," he asked and then saw the tears still lining my eyes.

 

He was immediately by my side, his arm over my shoulder. I shook my head.

 

"I'm fine. It went surprisingly well," I answered.

 

"Then why are you about to cry?"

 

"I told them about the night I was turned."

 

Darren's eyes widened in shock. He knew as well as Serephine how traumatizing that night was. He knew I wouldn't have told just anybody.

 

"Are you sure you're okay? You've never had to tell that story before. Why did you?"

 

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry so much. You'll worry yourself to life. As for why I told them, I guess it's because it's about time I trusted them."

 

Darren's eyes showed confusion.

 

"What do you mean," he asked.

 

"I've asked them to trust me so many times. I decided it was time I trusted them with something," I answered.

"But you would usually never trust anyone besides Sere and myself with that. Why them?"

 

"I don't know, to be honest with you. I'm not sure exactly why I told them."

 

I placed my hand on Darren's hoping for comfort from his thoughts. Perhaps he could help me understand my actions. What I heard had just the opposite effect.

 

'She's falling in love with him,' Darren's voice echoed in my mind.

 

I pulled away from him, my eyes wide.

 

"No. That's impossible. That can't happen. You and I both know that. It's not supposed to happen," I denied, trying not to yell.

 

"Scarlett, what else explains your irrational behavior?"

 

"But it's impossible! My heart has been dead for a hundred years."

 

"Your physical one, yes, but not your metaphysical one," Darren answered.

 

"Stop it."

 

"It's the same for him. Why else would you be able to convince him so easily? Why else would he let us stay after knowing what we are? Don't you see, Scarlett? It all makes sense now. Everything from my visions fit!"

 

"Then why don't you explain it to me Darren, because I have no clue what you're talking about," I asked, still trying not to yell at my brother.

 

"The fates decided to pull a paradox on us. I saw those first two visions, so I sent you here to protect him. I thought his possible death would affect you whether or not you knew him. Now I see I was wrong. If I hadn't sent you here to protect him, you wouldn't have fallen in love with him and his death couldn't possibly affect you."

 

"But your visions are always one hundred percent accurate, except when they overlap. Then it's one shot or the other."

 

"Exactly. If I had never seen that, none of this would have happened. Like I said, it's a paradox," Darren explained.

 

His eyes were bright and I could tell he was excited about figuring it all out. I felt as if I would be ill, if it were possible.

 

"Then I'll leave," I said.

 

Darren's expression changed to confusion again.

 

"What," he asked.

 

I started packing my bags in a hurry.

 

"I'm leaving. If I don't fall in love with him, then his death couldn't possibly hurt me. I have to get out of here, far away from Seto."

 

"Scarlett, you know you can't defy the visions."

 

I turned around, my suitcase in hand, and stared into the amethyst eyes of my brother.

 

"I can try," I answered and walked past him, out the door.