A Rose with Thorns (Unfinished)

Part II

Amy POV
I hear someone. Someone, familiar.
"M-mom?"
I turn around and I'm in the field of roses. I look for my mother.
"Come here Amy..."
I turn again to the sound of her voice and see my mother sitting under the cherry blossom tree. I run towards her, hot tears running down my face.
"M-mom?! H-how are y-you still a-"
My mother giggles and motions me to sit next to her. I obey and sit next to my mother as we did when I was a child. She is wearing a light blue dress, and her pink long quills lay in a loose braid on the side of her shoulder. I look at her, tears running down my face.
"M-mom... H-how is this real?"
She looks at me and smiles warmly.
"Anything can happen my sweet Rose... You just have to have the faith in it."
She smooths the back of my head and starts to him a tune, a lullaby. I wipe the tears from my eyes and lay me head on her shoulder.
"M-mom... Why is dad forcing me to do the things I don't wish to do?"
She continues humming and then says,
"Your father is is just protecting you Amy... He loves you... But sometimes, you have to do what you heart tells you to do..."
I think.
"B-but how am I suppose to do that... Father woul-"
She cuts me off and laughs warmly.
"My sweet Amy Rose, you'll find a way, your heart will lead you there Amy."
I choke on my words.
"B-but mom I don't kno-"
Just then my mother stops humming. And then looks at me and smiles. She starts to fade away and I jerk my head up to her.
"M-mom!!"
I yell. She continues to smile at me.
"Listen to your heart Amy... Your heart will find a way."
I begin to cry again, this time harder.
"M-mom! I can't loose you again! Please come back!!"
I try to reach for her hand but it's faded away that I cannot touch her anymore. She giggles at me and says with a smile,
"I'll always be here with you Amy..."
She faded away and all I hear is my name being called over and over again.
"Amy..."
"Who's there?"
I stand up from the tree and everything around me starts to disappear like my mother just did. The voice gets louder... And louder.
"AMY!"
I stand sitting up and wake myself up to reality. I breath hard and look around, Rouge has been trying to wake me up.
"Amy? Are you okay?"
I take a deep breath to calm myself down.
"Y-yes Rouge."
She looks at me concerned.
"Did you have another nightmare?"
I think about what happened in my dream. I can hardy recall what happened. But a certain phrase replays in my head.
Listen to your heart Amy, your heart will find a way.
"Listen to my heart..."
I mutter to myself silently.
"What was that?"
I look up to the white bat, I forgot she was in the room with me.
"Ah! Nevermind... What is it that I need to be up Rouge?"
She smiles at me and holds out a little red box with white ribbon.
"Your Father got you a gift. He wanted me to give it to you as soon a you awoke."
She hands the box to me and I open it. Inside is a light blue dress, I smile.
"It's beautiful."
I get out of bed and pull the dress up close to me and see myself in the mirror. 'Wow... Why does this dress remind me of something?.... It someone?' Rouge comes up to me and admires me in the mirror.
"Would you look at that... You look just like your mother Amy."
I smile. 'I most certainly do...'
"I'll go get dressed."
I say to Rouge. Rouge nods and leaves outside my door. I head into the bathroom and begin to put on the blue dress. 'I should go see mom today...' I think to myself. 'I haven't seen her in a while now...' I brush out my quills and put my hair in a loose ponytail. I look at myself once more and head out. *Growl* I put my hand on my stomach. 'I must be starving... Ah, of course... I didn't eat much yesterday. Not even with Shadow.' I shiver. 'I don't want any interaction today with Shadow. I need to clear my mind.' I head to the kitchen and grab a strawberry muffin. I smile at the chef and they smile back at me. I take a bite of the warm muffin, savoring it. I open the door and stop to the person standing infront of me. I sigh but then fake a smile quickly. He looks at me with a grin then moves his hand down, I believe he was going to knock on the door.
"Good morning Shadow..."
'Well, it was a good morning...' I look at him confused.
"What brings you here?"
He puts his hands in his pockets.
"I was going to see if you were available today."
I look at him confused. 'He wants to go on another date? That's odd.'
"Uhm, well Shadow... I was actually going to go see my mom today..."
His ears perk up.
"Oh are you? Would it be okay if I joined you?"
I force a smile. 'Do I have to? I guess, he is my finance... And maybe the company would be nice...' I sigh.
"Y-yes. O-of course Shadow."
Shadow smiles at me and I try and smile back. I walk out the door and close it behind me. I continue to eat my muffin as we both walk down the steps. From the corner of my eye I can see that he is staring at me.
"What are you looking at Shadow?"
He turns his head the other direction, knowing that he got caught.
"N-nothing... Just I've never seen you wore that dress before Amy..."
I look down at my light blue dress.
"My father just gave it to me this morning, do you like it?"
Shadow turns his head to me again and smiles.
"It looks lovely on you Amy."
I blush and smile back at him, accepting the compliment. As we continue walking, we pass the courtyard and head into the rose garden. Shadow looks around, like he is searching for something.
"What are you looking for Shadow?"
I stare at him and he stops. I stop with him as well and look at him oddly. He looks at the rose bush with the beautiful roses blooming on it. He picks one and examines it.
"A rose?"
I asked puzzled. 'Shadow is a pretty mysterious person... But somethings the things he does never makes sense...' He hands the rose to me.
"Here"
He says and I grab the beautiful red rose. I hold it in palm of hand and then examine its beauty.
"Wow Shadow, it's beautiful! Thank you very much."
He smiles at me.
"Of course m'lady."
I blush at his kind gesture and start to hold the rose. As I do, it pricks my finger.
"Ouch!"
I look back at the rose. 'I forgot that roses have their thorns...' I look at my finger and it did prick it, enough for it to bleed a tiny sphere on the tip of my index finger. I suck on my finger to stop the bleeding. Shadow looks at me concerned.
"Are you alright Amy?"
I look back at him still sucking my finger.
"Ah! Yes! The rose just pricked my finger."
I giggle nervously.
"I wish the roses wouldn't have thorns. It would make it so much easier to hold them..."
I sigh and continue to try and make my finger stop bleeding. Shadow laughs. I look at him confused.
"What's so funny Shadow?"
He looks off into the distance and puts his hand into his pockets and starts walking. I run to him to catch up. Then he says,
"Well, how would the rose protect itself Amy? All beauty needs to be protected."
'Protected'. I ponder on what he said.
"Well, of course... But sometimes it makes others not what to be near them..."
He continues looking into the distance but his green eyes look at me.
"Holding something as beautiful as a rose has its consequences... You cannot simply hold the rose without pricking your finger from the thorns."
He takes a deep breath and continues,
"You took the risk of holding the rose in your hand, did you not?"
I look at the rose, trying to understand what he is trying to tell me.
"Y-yes. But what are yo-"
"So you took the risk. And sometimes taking that risk, can lead you to something beautiful, or even give you happiness."
'Happiness?' I stare at the rose, looking at the thorns. 'Take a risk...' I wrap my fingers around the rose again, and prick my finger again.
"Ouch!"
I yelp. And let go of the rose, it falls to the floor. Shadow jerks his head toward me and laughs.
"You pricked your finger again?"
I suck my ring finger this time.
"Don't laugh! It was a mistake! I was lost in thought..."
My face flushed red of embarrassment. He looks at me and smiles.
"At least you took the risk."
'I did take the risk...'
~•~•~•~•~••~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
"Hi mom"
I smile as I kneel down to mom's gravestone. Shadow is a few feet away from me so that I could be able to talk to my mom privately.
"It's good to see you again... I mean, I haven't come to see you in a few months. Forgive me... I was caught up in..."
I turn to look at Shadow, who is staring off into the distance. I look back at my mom's grave, written on it, it says:
Amelia Rose
Died in Car Crash of April 20th 2016
Loving wife, mother, sister and friend.
I sigh. 'She was coming home from work... When a car hit her from the side. The man inside the car also got killed... I never knew who he was, but I guess it didn't matter... I didn't even get to say goodbye...' I tear up.
"I miss you... A lot mom..."
The wind blows on my skin and I feel goosebumps all over my arms. I rub my arm to shake it off.
"I wish you where here mom... It would mean the world to me if you could be here to talk to dad..."
I wind blows harder this time and my quills run in my face. I spit out the quills from my mouth them move my hair to the side. I look down. A small but beautiful rose lays in front of my foot, I pick it up.
'Take a risk..."
I mutter to myself. I look back at my moms grave. I hear her voice play inside my head.
"Listen to your heart..."
I hold the rose in my hand and the thorns don't seem to bother me. I stare at the rose.
"Take a risk, listen to your heart..."
I smile and stand up holding the red beauty tightly in my hand.
"That's it!!"
I start to leave but then turn around and say,
"Thanks mom..."
I turn and the wind blows lightly in my arm, sending a cool breeze though my quills. I run to Shadow. He looks at me and smiles.
"Ready to go already m'lady?"
I look at him and hand him the small rose. He holds it in his hands then looks at me confusingly.
"I know what I have to do Shadow! I have to take a risk while listening to what my heart says!!"
I smile and jump excitedly. He still looks at me with a questioning look. I turn to look at the time on my watch and yelp.
"If I must do it now, I best be going."
I start to turn away from him and run a few feet away, but then run back at him and say,
"Thank you Shadow."
I kiss him on the cheek and run off to my house, leaving Shadow confused as he could be staring at the rose in his hand.