Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) Read Free Page A

into her pockets, she found no money whatsoever.
    Scarlet reached down and felt her silver bracelet, and more than anything she wanted to take it off and sell it to this man, to get a meal.
    But she forced herself not to. She sensed it was important, and so she used all her force of will to stop herself.
    Instead, she slowly, sadly shook her head in response. She grabbed Ruth and led her away from the man. She could hear Ruth whining and protesting, but they had no choice.
    They pressed on, and finally, the maze opened up into a bright and sunny, wide-open plaza. Scarlet was taken aback by the open sky. Coming out of all those alleyways, it felt like the most wide-open thing she’d ever seen, with thousands of people milling around inside it. In its center sat a stone fountain, and framing the plaza was an immense stone wall, rising hundreds of feet into the air. Each stone was so thick, it was ten times her size. Against this wall stood hundreds of people, wailing, praying. Scarlet had no idea why, or where she was, but she sensed that she was in the center of the city, and that this was a very holy place.
    “Hey you!” came a nasty voice.
    Scarlet felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck at the sound, and slowly turned.
    There sat a group of five boys, sitting on a crop of stone, staring down at her. They were filthy from head to toe, dressed in rags. They were teenagers, maybe 15, and she could see the meanness on their faces. She could sense that they were looking, hoping, for trouble, and that they’d just spotted their next victim. She wondered if it was obvious how alone she was.
    Among them was a wild dog, huge, rabid looking, and twice the size of Ruth.
    “What you doing out here all alone?” the lead boy asked in a mocking way, to the laughter of the other four. He was muscular and stupid-looking, with broad lips and a scar on his forehead.
    As she looked at them, Scarlet felt a new sense overcome her, one she had never experienced before: it was a heightened sense of intuition. She didn’t know what was happening, but suddenly, she was able to read their thoughts clearly, to feel their feelings, to know their intentions. She felt immediately, clear as day, that they were up to no good. She knew that they wanted to harm her.
    Ruth snarled beside her. Scarlet could sense a major confrontation coming—which was exactly what she wanted to avoid.
    She leaned down and began to lead Ruth away.
    “Come on Ruth,” Scarlet said, as she began to turn and walk away.
    “Hey, girl, I’m talking to you!” yelled the boy.
    As she walked away, Scarlet turned over her shoulder and saw the five of them jump down off the stone and begin walking after her.
    Scarlet burst into a run, back into the alleyways. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and these boys as she could. She thought of her power with the Roman soldier, and for a moment wondered if she should stop and try to defend herself.
    But she didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. Or take any chances. She just wanted to find her mommy and daddy.
    Scarlet turned down an alley empty of people. She looked back, and within moments, could see the group of boys chasing after her. They weren’t far behind, and they were gaining speed fast. Too fast. Their dog ran among them, and Scarlet could see that in moments, they’d catch up. She had to make a good turn to lose them—and fast.
    Scarlet turned another corner, hoping she’d find a way out. But as she did, her heart stopped.
    A dead-end.
    Scarlet turned slowly, Ruth by her side, and faced the boys. They were now maybe ten feet away. They slowed as they approached, taking their time, savoring the moment. They stood there laughing, cruel smiles on the faces.
    “Looks like your luck has run out, little girl,” the lead boy said.
    Scarlet was thinking the same thing. They had backed her into a corner.
    Before she could even react, their dog suddenly ran forward, leapt into the air and