Green Eternity: With You

Scarlett’s POV

I could say that this is the last place I’d like to be on new years, because it isn’t. But I certainly do not see the purpose of me being here.
A week ago I was walking through the botanic gardens as you do, taking photos, normal day, yes?
No.
So here I was, standing in between two Morton Bay Fig trees as one does, wearing the usual outfit of jeans, shirt, cardigan, connies – nothing out of the norm. I was with my partner in crime – my camera. We were taking photos as per usual – still nothing different to any other day.
I positioned the camera so the symmetry of the two lines of trees meeting could be seen, the water fountain in the background setting it off rather nicely, I smiled at myself slightly – this was my relaxation.
I pressed down and the shutter closed, the final result sitting on the screen in front of me, something was blurred up in the right hand corner, something black and white.
My head snapped up in time to see a pair of shoes hit the ground, I frowned, stupid picture ruiner.
The shoes belonged to a pair of tight black pant wearing legs, which joined onto a loose shirt, which joined onto a neck, which joined onto a head. The picture ruiner was standing there fixing a button on his sleeve. After a few minutes he adjusted his oversized sunglasses and smiled at me.
“Don’t you ever get bored of coming here to take photos, Scarlett?” the picture ruiner took off his sunglasses to reveal a set of nearly white eyes, pupils contracting in the light.
This picture ruiner knew my name?
He pushed back his sleeves on his purple shirt and twisted his head so his black hair moved out of his eyes.
“Uh, you uh, erm, know my name?” I tried to hold my face in a respectable smile, letting my eyes do all the asking.
“Oh yes, sorry, silly little trait of mine – you just seemed to strike me as a Scarlett, so I’m correct?” he shuffled nervously in an almost rhythmic way.
I had no idea what this guy was on about or what he wanted from me, I didn’t have time to be chatted up.
“Yes, my name is Scarlett, I’m very sorry to be cutting this short but I have some important things to be doing” Turning around and wishing I actually did, I walked off.
His voice rang out across the empty square as he followed me,
“Important things? You have no important things to do Scarlett, you are a lost soul scouring the planet for a purpose –”
I stopped and closed my eyes, blocking out his voice.
Realising he had stopped talking, I opened my eyes, hoping he’d gone away.
“You can’t escape this” his eyes, only centimetres away from mine softened for a second.
“Shit, what are you, my conscience?” I narrowed my eyes and shoved my camera into my bag.
“I’m sure you would be ignoring your conscience more than you’re ignoring me, so no” he put his sunglasses back on and motioned for me to walk with him.
Before my brain could stop to think my legs had joined in walking next to this picture ruiner.
My curiosity replaced my normal sensibility and I was intrigued as to what this person is doing here.
“If you’re not my conscience, what should I call you?” I skipped to match his pace.
“Akearin” he slowed his stride down.
“Akearin?” feeling childish I settled to walking.
“Yes, does that satisfy your needs?”
“No”
“Of course not”
He stopped half way through thought and waited for me to stop.
“I don’t have much time, will you just listen to me and do as I say?”
I stopped and faced him,
“Sure, why the hell not?”
“There’s a party on new years eve – haunted house – I think you’d better come”
“That’s all?”
“That is all”
In a blink of an eye he was gone.

So that was then, this is now.
I was hiding out in the kitchen of the haunted house, waiting for someone to explain to me why I was here.
I heard the clock chime 11:30, great – half an hour to midnight and no one in sight.
I sat hunched over my cup of tea at the table, waiting for some oracle or something to appear and point me in the right direction.
Getting antsy I stood up and paced around and around. I boiled the kettle, and then paced some more. I picked up my camera took a few pictures, and then paced some more. I turned around to the kettle and saw two cups with green tea bags sitting in them, Akearin so very stylishly leaning against the sink, head leant back, sunglasses on – maybe he was on something?
I opened my mouth to say something hurtful, I wanted to get him back for making me come here – there are plenty of better things I could be doing on New Years!
He beat me to it,
“You’ll see”
He was gone.
I grumbled to myself and poured the water into both cups, picked them up and walked to the other side of the kitchen.
In a flurry of doors, music, sweat, noise and black clothes I ran into something.
“Shit”
The tea wobbled around in the cup but luckily didn’t spill.
I looked up to the tea spiller and was greeted by a pair of intense hazel eyes.
I took a step back and sat the tea down on the bench; he was just standing there, just, standing there.
I closed my eyes, opened them and then took a deep breath, where have I seen this person before?
Black hair, black clothes and tattoos – no.