Kiss of Darkness (Editing)

Kiss of Darkness 7

Chapter 7

Thanks everyone for reading this far! I'm actually really surprised this many people have read, it makes me smile=D! Yes, everyone around me right now thinks I'm weird but it's justified. Thank you guys so much!

The soft bumping of the road reminded me of a trip I took as a kid. I remember my brother and I fighting, yelling in the car, and being pulled over. I remember pushing him into the lake and him pulling me in. I remember the horror of sinking into the water, unable to swim, unable to fight. The dark cold water enveloping me and taking me where no one would find me.

I opened my eyes as I heard an electric hum and sat up. I rubbed my eyes, looking across from me. Rose sat, staring out the window, her hair had blue streaks in it now. Sunflower was flipping through channels on a small TV monitor in the limo. I watched the screen for a little bit, Sunflower offered me the remote.

Rose threw a water bottle at me and my fingers grazed it but it fell on the floor. The cap came unscrewed and water spilled all over the carpet.

“YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT, CAN YOU?!!!?” Rose screamed at me. I stared at her, so did Sunflower. Neither of us had ever seen Rose that upset. She continued quickly focused on something outside the window and wiped her eyes with her hand.

I composed myself again and put my hand on Sunflower’s shoulder when she tried to get up and comfort Rose. I didn’t know why she was so upset, I’d ask her later. I pointed to the TV and Sunflower returned to it distractedly.

I flipped through the channels and stopped when I reached the news channel. There was a picture of my face.

“…please contact (702) 555-2230” Then the program cut to commercial.

Sunflower looked at me with an expression of hope. The car suddenly screeched to a stop and we were back in the garage. The chauffeur quickly got out and opened the door for me. I got out and followed Sunflower who lead the way back to our room. Rose trailed quietly behind us, her hand trailing along one of the walls. She quietly slipped into an unmarked door and left us.

I stopped moving, I backed away from Sunflower and moved toward the door that Rose had used. Sunflower turned and looked at me with a quizzical expression, and then she gave me a small half-smile and continued toward the bigger room.

I watched her go, and then I turned my attention toward the task ahead. I slowly twisted the handle and pushed open the door. It was a bedroom, there was a guitar leaning against the wall and lots of picture frames, with a picture of a couple. A girl with long black hair, streaked with pink, and a guy, Dylan. Realization hit me. “…tell Rose I’ll never forget…”

Rose sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching a pillow and sobbing into it. I felt like I was intruding, but I was already this far. I moved silently over the thick carpet and sat on the bed beside Rose. She didn’t even look up but she tensed slightly as I hugged her. We sat like that for a while, until her tears stopped flowing and she finally looked up at me. I grabbed a tissue box from the nightstand and handed it to her. Her makeup was running down her face and her hair was tangled and knotted, but what struck me most, were her eyes. They shone with pain, loneliness, gut-wrenching sadness, and….fear? Even in the moonlight, I could see the torture and pain that those eyes had witnessed.

Rose grabbed the tissue box and moved away from me, facing the window. She looked at the moon and sighed, “He and I used to spend whole nights, watching the moon, watching the stars.”

Was she talking about Dylan? I looked at Rose, trying to read her. She had finally let down her guard, this was the real Rose wasn’t it?

“Who was Holly?” I asked, remembering that Dylan had mentioned her.

“Holly was one of my best friends, she and I, we were the first.”

“What happened to her?” I asked quietly.

“Dylan happened to her.”

A familiar electrical hum permeated the air, “Guys, dinner’s ready” Sunflower’s clear voice cut through the gloom.

I got up and walked toward the door, Rose remained sitting, staring out the window.

“Are you coming?”

“Later, I need some time here.” I nodded and walked over to her to give her one last reassuring hug. She dropped what she was holding in her palms when I hugged her, a pair of matching golden rings.