the red rose

chapter 1 the rose

I was asleep when the scream tore through the silence.
At first, it felt distant. But then it came again, louder, sharper. Real.
My heart jolted awake.
For a second, I lay frozen under the blanket, trying to understand what I had just heard. And then it hit me.
It was my parents.
I threw the blanket off and rushed out of my room, my breath already unsteady, my chest tightening with a fear I couldn't explain. The hallway felt longer than ever, darker than it should have been. Each step felt heavy, as if something was trying to hold me back.
I reached their door.
My hand trembled as I pushed it open.
And the moment I did-
everything inside me shattered.
Blood.
It was everywhere.
The walls, the floor... even the air felt thick with it. And in the middle of that nightmare-my parents.
Their bodies lay there, motionless, completely drenched in blood.
For a second, I couldn't breathe.
My vision blurred as tears flooded my eyes, spilling uncontrollably down my face. My hands shook violently, but I couldn't move forward... couldn't look away either.
"No..." the word broke out of me, barely a whisper.
Then-
footsteps.
Behind me.
Slow. Deliberate.
My body went cold.
Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I couldn't. I couldn't move. It felt like my legs had disappeared, like I was trapped inside my own body.
I forced myself to turn.
And that's when I saw her.
A woman.
Or... something that looked like one.
She stood in the darkness behind me, her face hidden, swallowed by shadows. I could only see her outline and a red ring on her left hand -still, silent, watching.
Waiting.
I wanted to go closer. I don't know why. Maybe for answers. Maybe because I had nothing left to lose.
But I couldn't move.
I wasn't just scared.
I was paralyzed.
And deep down, I knew-
she was the reason this had happened.I tried to move toward her, but my legs felt like stone. My vision blurred. I fell to the floor, barely conscious.

She came closer.

"You will know me when you turn eighteen," she whispered.

Darkness swallowed me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room.

Machines beeped beside me. A young police officer stood near the bed.

"Hello, Miss Red Rose," he said gently. "Do you remember anything?"

The memory of my parents' bodies flashed before me. Tears ran down my face.

"Did you see anyone? Did your parents have enemies?"

I wanted to tell him about the woman... about the red ring. But no words came out.

"It's okay," he said. "We'll talk later."

He left the room.

I lay back, dizzy, exhausted.

The door opened again.

Someone stepped inside.

I forced my eyes open-and saw the shadow woman standing beside me. She pulled out a dagger.

Before I could scream, she stabbed me.

Pain exploded through my chest.

I screamed-

And woke up.

I was in my own bed. Crying. My parents rushed into my room.

"Rose, are you alright?" my mother asked.

"Just... a bad dream," I whispered.

But my heart was still pounding.

Because it didn't feel like a
My mom said .Come down and have breakfast."

"Okay... I'm coming."

I slipped into my slippers and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Mom looked at me. "Aren't you going out with Velvet today?"

"What?!"
I froze. I had completely forgotten.

"Oh no!" I ran upstairs to change while Mom shouted, "At least eat something first!"

"I'll eat later, I'm getting late!"

I rushed into my room and saw a message from Velvet-she was arriving in ten minutes.

I quickly changed into a black T-shirt and white trousers, brushed my hair, and smiled at the mirror. I was pretty sure my parents named me Red Rose because of my cherry-red hair. I liked my name. It made me feel... different.
But i remember the dream i had today
To be honest, it felt terrifyingly real. I was deeply frightened. And then i hear velvet voice. She is saying hi to my parents . I'm ready i said looking at the mirror
I didn't like spending hours getting ready. Three or four minutes were enough for me. I never understood how some girls took two or three hours just to dress up.

Just then, I heard Velvet's voice downstairs. I grabbed my phone and bag and rushed down.

Velvet stood there in a black dress. She looked beautiful.

"Wow, Velvet, you look amazing."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Shall we go?"

"Let's go," she said. My parents told us to be careful as we left.

Velvet had already called a taxi. We got in and sat quietly for a moment.

"You could have dressed up a little more," Velvet teased.

"You're dressed enough for both of us," I laughed.

"But we're going out together after so many days!"

"Yeah, because you're always busy with your job," I said.

"By the way... Velvet," I asked hesitantly, "Can I join the place where you do your part-time job?"

"Why? You're only seventeen."

"I know... but I want to learn how to manage my own expenses. I don't want to depend on my parents all the time. Maybe they need some rest too."

Velvet was quiet for a moment. "Okay... I'll ask there tomorrow."

I looked at her. "How do you manage to work part-time for four years straight? How do you handle everything?"

She smiled faintly. "You learn... when you know no one else is coming to help you."

I felt bad immediately. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

"Anyway," Velvet said, looking out the window, "We're almost there. I'm so excited."

"Me too."

Within minutes, the taxi stopped in front of the place we'd been waiting to visit for weeks-

the art museum.
We both loved art museums