Fool For You [2]

Chapter One

Rosalie Gray stood on the stone steps of the Institute and watched as everyone departed. She was rather envious about remaining behind. It seemed unfair that she should be forced to wait for them to return. And the waiting might just kill her. Rosalie had never been very good at waiting. She could be very patient at times, but mostly only in regard to her family. She had tried to be patient with Will; she thought that if she only gave him time, then he would come to realize that he loved her too. But that had not happened. Will had not only tested her patience, but he had tested her strength as well. And Rosalie realized how weak she had been when it came to him. She would have been at his beck and call if Will had allowed her to be. She had been willing to do anything for him... to be anything for him. But how long could she have waited for him when she knew the kind of person he was? Will cared not for the feelings of others; that much had become perfectly clear the night he had come into her bedroom. Not only had he rejected Rosalie, but he had insulted Tessa most horribly. She could still hear her sister sobbing as she recanted the story of what had happened in the attic.
The door of Rosalie's bedroom burst open, and Rosalie spun around half expecting to find Will standing there. But it was not Will. It was Tessa. Her eyes were swimming with tears as she closed the door behind herself. "Tessie, what happened?" Rosalie asked quickly. She crossed the room in hurried steps and engulfed her sister in a hug.
"I went to see W-Will." Tessa hiccupped softly.
Rosalie's body immediately tensed, and her jaw hardened. "What happened?" she asked once more. She was surprised at how loving her voice sounded when all she felt was anger. Will could be as cruel as he desired to her. But he would suffer for upsetting Tessa. Rosalie would make sure of it.
"After my talk with Charlotte, I wanted to tell everyone that we were staying." Tessa explained tearfully. "Jem was so happy when I told him the news."
"We can talk about Jem later, Tessie. What has Will done to upset you?"
Tessa pulled back just far enough to look into her sister's face and nodded. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I went to the attic. Apparently, that's where Will goes when he needs to think. He wouldn't look at me, and I could see that something was troubling him. I-I thought the news might help cheer him up. But... he said things. Horrible things."
"What did he say? You know you can tell me anything." Rosalie spoke in a calm and reassuring tone; one that reminded Tessa very much of their mother.
"He said we should discuss our arrangements." Tessa practically choked on the words as they left her mouth. "Will thought it would be best to use my room seeing as Jem often shows up unannounced to Will's room-"
"He said what?!" Rosalie gasped in a mixture of horror and outrage. She knew enough to know exactly what it was Will had been proposing. It should have come as a shock to hear that he had said such horrible things. But Rosalie knew better than to be surprised by anything Will said or did. "You listen to me, Tessa. Will Herondale is a vile man who cares for no one but himself. You mustn't let his words hurt you. I am willing to bet he said those things to you for that very reason. He enjoys hurting people. I couldn't possibly explain why that is, but I know it to be true."
"I thought he cared for me." Tessa said, her body shuddering as she cried.
"Will cares for no one." Rosalie repeated as calmly as she could manage. "You have such a beautiful heart, Tessa. And he saw that and took advantage of it. But now that you have seen the kind of man he truly is, you can move on. The thought of Will and his cruelty needn't worry you any longer. Just remember that he does not deserve you."

The sky overhead grew darker and darker as the hours dragged slowly by. Rosalie had tried everything she could imagine to keep herself occupied while the others attended the Council meeting. But with each new endeavor, she found herself growing more and more distracted. Her mind constantly dwelled on that blasted meeting and what they could possibly be discussing. The latest of her attempts at keeping herself busy was helping Sophie with chores. Although surely Sophie didn't view it as helping. If anything, Rosalie was only slowing the poor girl down. But not once did she complain. She would allow Rosalie to do a task and fix it whenever required. Which was most of the time. "You really don't need to be doing this, Miss Gray." Sophie said when they entered the kitchen.
"Nonsense." Rosalie said with a wave of her hand. "You work so tirelessly all the time. This is the least I can do."
Sophie offered her a smile as she began pulling various ingredients from the shelves. The Council meeting should be ending soon- if it hadn't already- and she wanted to have dinner ready for the residents of the Institute when they returned. "Well, I can manage dinner on my own, but I would be glad to have some company."
Now it was Rosalie's turn to smile. She quite enjoyed Sophie's company now. It had taken her a bit of time to adjust to the scar on the girl's face. It had frightened her for a time. But now she hardly noticed it. "That's probably for the best. I was never a very good cook. Nate used to complain all the time about how burnt everything was..." the smile on her face faltered at the mention of Nate.
"There is no shame in talking about your brother, miss." Sophie said sweetly. "He betrayed you, but that will never erase the memories you share with one another."
Rosalie nodded but said nothing. She knew she would never be faulted for continuing to love her brother. They had so many good years together; had made so many happy memories as a family. None of that would disappear solely because of his wrongdoings. Yes, it most certainly fractured their relationship... but it would never be enough for her to lose the love she held for Nate. He had been manipulated by Mortmain. The idea of power had corrupted him. The Nate she knew and loved was gone, but she would always have the memories of who he used to be. And that would be enough. It had to be. "You are very wise, Sophie." Rosalie said softly.
"I would hardly say that." Sophie scoffed.
There was something about the way Sophie's nose scrunched up that gave Rosalie the impression that there was something else she wanted to say. But it was clearly something Sophie would prefer to keep to herself, so she didn't pry. Instead, she helped Sophie peel potatoes. This was something she had done on multiple occasions, and since she wouldn't be the one cooking them... they would turn out fine. Merely peeling them wouldn't ruin the end product.