Darkhearts: Splintered (1)

Ouch.

Scarlett snapped her finger back from the doorframe, and noticed a small red dot on her finger. Was it a bug? She reached her fingernail down and cautiouly tapped the top of the enlarging shape. It went to liquid the moment she did-it was blood. She wrapped the damaged finger in her fist, and used the other to knock twice shaply on the door. About a full minute later, she heard light footsteps on the floor and the handle turned as her latest client, Sabrina O'Karkee, pulled her head around the corner of the doorframe and welcomed Scarlett in.



There was only one word for Sabrina, and that was over. Overdramatic, overdressed, and altogether overdone. She was fifteen, only a year older than Scarlett, yet she was already hiring her. Sabrina was about the same height too, with curly blonde hair to suit her piercing blue eyes and deep dark red lipstick. Scarlett ran a business where she was the one in control of the income: if she hated someone, she could charge them more by making up problems that didn't exist.



Technically, she babysat: but for the babysitters.



See, some people don't have the effort in them to look after the kids for much more than ten minutes, so they'd send the parents off to their date night or anniversary dinner, then they'd call Scarlett to do their work for them. About five minutes later, she'd arrive, and her 'client' would have the night to themselves. Depending on how much she was paid, of course. The business was foolproop, since if anything happened to the kids-which it wouldn't-she was totally unresponsible, since she wasn't there.



Oh, and she could also throw in blackmailing the kids if they threatened to tell the real clients.