𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐑 ⁻ ᶠᵉᵃʳ ˢᵗʳᵉᵉᵗ ᵗʳⁱˡᵒᵍʸ

9 - of course it was a man

"Well now you can be afraid of me!" I cut him off, sick of his poor excuse for a monologue. "You killed my little sister and have made me pay for it ever since!"

Before I was able to completely register what was happening, Solomon had his hands wrapped tightly around my throat. I was finding it much more difficult to breathe; everything hurt and my vision began to blur. But despite all of that, I didn't stop fighting.

"We could've had it all, Rose!" Solomon shouted directly into my face. "You would've been known as my wife! Nothing bad would have ever happened to you! You did this to yourself! You did this to yourself! This is all your fault!"

Just before the last of my strength was sapped away by the man who was an echo of Solomon, I was able to kick him off of me. Like a fish out of water, I gasped for air before stopping myself. I could never multitask, and catching my breath while trying to take down Solomon Goode for an extended period of time proved to be quite the difficult task. With all of that in mind, I punched the Goode man in the throat before darting away, slipping and tripping my way out of the cavern and back to the entrance.

Catching my breath was a lost dream by the time I made it to the front entrance of Solomon's cabin, yet I was still able to let out a scream of fright at the sight that was sprawled out in front of me. It was Father, his eyes gouged out and his very own blood pooling around his head. Despite my gags, I wasn't able to throw up anything. Of course, that would mean having to had eaten something in the last twenty four hours, which I hadn't done.

"My God..." I mumbled in horror, dropping to my knees for just a second as I realized another thing: my father's shallow breathing. "Father? Are you-"

"Kill...me..."

Two words was all he said. Two words was all I could hear. Why did I care? He wasn't a good man, so why don't I want his blood on my hands? After all the times of warning that I would kill him, why was I so hesitant to now? Was it because he was consenting to death, or was it a more deep-seated reason than what I found fathomable at this moment in time?

"I'm so sorry, Father," I whispered, taking a buck knife from his belt and slowly slashing his throat.

The blood bespattered onto my face and the wedding gown I wore, which had reached it's peak griminess at this point in time. Blood from my father, dirt from the Devil's caverns, blood from the children the Devil had scored-what was on the late Goode's gown sounded like a ritual all by itself. As disgusting as I felt, now wasn't the time to ponder over such insignificant things. It didn't matter why my dress was so dirty, it only mattered that I get away from Solomon Goode. That I get away from Union.

~~~~~~

I haven't a single clue as to how much time had passed since I ran from his cabin, as I'd spent most of it hiding in my old dresser-which of course was in my old house, where Mother and Josephine still stayed. What I did know was that there was a manhunt raging through Union like a great fire for me, since Union does indeed believe every word that comes from Solomon Goode's mouth. I knew they'd never believe me, not at this day and age. I'd heard people searching through the house, but nobody came into this room. That didn't sit right with me, not in the least bit.

"Rosette?" Josephine's voice sounded most distinct out of the echoes of my name coming from around town.

Of course, Josephine wasn't just around the town, no, she was in the room. She was looking for me. Despite our earlier dispute, I knew I could trust her, even if I held my breath for a couple of seconds before stepping out of the closet. She was my older sister, after all. The day it comes to be that I can't trust Josephine is the day that I will die.

"Jo!" I whispered, stumbling towards her with my arms wide open.

But she stepped back, hands clasped in front of her. She was standing there as still as a statue, an un-discernible emotion shown across her fragile features. I set my arms limply at my sides, confused and concerned by her silence. Was she still upset about our argument?

"Tell me the truth at this moment in time, Rosette. Do not hesitate about this: are the charges Solomon has brought against you true?" She asked, her voice only slightly shaky. "He says you've murdered Father, that you've committed witchcraft-"

"Hold on, please, Josie-Josephine, hold on." I scoffed, shaking my head and taking a half step closer. "You don't actually believe him, do you?"

"Answer my question, Rosette." She'd never been so stern before.

"What-I can't-" I scoffed once more in disbelief. "No-no, no, the charges aren't true! How on earth would you believe him for even a second?"

"You hesitated, Rose." Her voice was blossoming with a false sense of confidence. "Did you plan all of this out? To make yourself have all the attention-even after what I told you?"

"You can't be serious," I shook my head, the razor-butterflies making an appearance once again.

"Who you slept with: Thomas. Meredith. You knew somehow, somebody would find out. Once they discovered the truth about you again, all of the attention would be focused on you as it always has been."

It seemed as though she's thought about this an awful lot.

"What happens in this room-in my love life-is my business alone!" I fought back, crossing to the wall opposite the door before turning around. "Not yours, not the church's, not Sol-"

"It's never made sense. How did you know that one must summon the Devil by choice?" Her voice was raised, and I was terrified to give her the real answer.

It was because of Meredith. Meredith had explained to me everything, from all of the Devil's names to how to summon all sorts of monsters. But it was just some fun, it never meant anything. Josephine wouldn't think of it as just some fun, which is why I couldn't tell the truth.

"N-no, I-" I didn't know what to say.

"You're lying." Regardless of what I said, it seemed as though her mind was well made up about this matter at hand. "You're lying, you've been lying for who knows how long, and now you're facing the consequences for it!"

"No, it wasn't-I didn't-" My words were running a race with no rules. "It was Solo-"

"You chose this for yourself. You chose all of this for yourself!" She pointed her finger in my face, and I swallowed back my desired reaction. "You chose to lie! You chose to lie, and now you have your way-"

"You are not my judge!" I shouted; we were barely a foot away now.

"You knew that becoming a mother was all I wanted, so you took it from me. You knew that all I've ever wanted to be was a mother, and to have a family, and you had no interest in-"

"You can't do that." Tears were flooding my eyes like how the stream floods during spring showers. "You cannot blame me for your misfortune!"

The screaming and shouting of the townspeople desperate to find me grew overwhelmingly loud. It sent chills down my spine, and those chills spread throughout my body. This wasn't right.

"No, you're right, I can't. But I can do this."

She stormed to the window and opened it wide. 

"She's here! She's in here!"

~~~~~~

the dramaaaaa