ROSE: FEAR YOUR WORLD

Chapter 2: GEGA

Rachel lounged on Finn's couch, idly flipping through channels while propping her feet up on his small coffee table. Despite the distraction, boredom gnawed at her insides. "Ugh! There's absolutely nothing worth watching these days!" she groaned in frustration.

"Sorry about that. The TV reception out here is pretty awful," Finn apologized, shuffling into the living room, still visibly recovering from the stab wound inflicted by the mysterious figure in the cloak.

Turning her head, Rachel greeted him with a warm smile. "How're ya feeling, dude?" she inquired, genuine concern evident in her voice.

Finn returned her smile, albeit with a hint of discomfort. "Could be better. Can't wait for this hole in my side to heal," he remarked wryly.

Sympathy flashed across Rachel's face. "Yeah, getting stabbed is no picnic, believe me," she empathized, her own experiences likely coloring her words.

As Finn settled beside her, he couldn't help but notice a subtle greenish hue to Rachel's complexion, a detail he hadn't observed the night before. Nevertheless, he chose to focus on their conversation. "TV's pretty dull out here, most of the good shows never make it to our neck of the woods," he remarked, hoping to steer the discussion away from darker topics.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Rachel replied, "Eh, it's not the end of the world. Besides, I won't be sticking around for long, so don't worry about me trying to annex your place or anything."

Intrigued by her impending departure, Finn probed further. "Oh? Where to next?" he inquired, genuinely curious about her plans.

"Bay City," Rachel disclosed, her tone hinting at a mixture of determination and reluctance.

"Why Bay City?" Finn pressed, his curiosity piqued by her choice of destination, which lay on the opposite coast of the country.

Rachel met his gaze steadily. "It's a long story," she replied cryptically, leaving Finn to wonder about the mysteries lurking behind her enigmatic journey.

Finn's shoulders lifted in a casual shrug. "I've got time, besides, it's not every day some girl who can control vines and has a very... unique look, saves my ass from some figure who can control Gaunts," he admitted, his voice tinged with a mix of gratitude and curiosity. "Which is one of the reasons I want to know what the hell that was about last night and what you are because your appearance and what you were able to do spell it out clearly... you're not exactly human," Finn observed, his tone laden with intrigue.

Rachel's lips curled into a smug smirk. "You've got a sharp mind there, Finn. Usually, people would be freaking the fuck out after what happened last night," she remarked, admiration evident in her voice.

Finn's shrug was accompanied by a rueful smile. "Trust me, I'm still trying to process it and still freaking out a little, but I've seen a lot of crazy stuff as a Gaunt Hunter," he confessed, his tone carrying a hint of resignation mixed with determination.

"Fair enough, but don't tell me I didn't warn you when I said it was a shit long story," Rachel warned him, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and seriousness.

Finn simply shrugged in response, signaling his readiness to hear her out.

Rachel nodded, steeling herself to recount her tale. "Well, first of all, the real story starts back on January 3rd of 2000, My father, Dr. William Gaster, and a few other scientists around the world were awarded for perfecting genetic engineering," she began, her voice taking on a somber tone as she delved into her past.

Finn's surprise was palpable. Dr. Gaster was a name known far and wide in the scientific community, revered for his groundbreaking work in genetic manipulation. "I remember hearing about him. He was a genius," Finn interjected, his tone filled with respect.