Roses for Rachel

Chapter 22.

I reached up, turning the lock, then scooted away from the door, letting Pedro squeeze through the crack. He looked down at me, a mess in the floor in a formal gown. "Sweetheart, what happened?" He asked as he sat cross legged in front of me on the bathroom tiles.

I hid my face with my hands. "We had a fight." I muttered.

"About what?" He asked. "You didn't tell him about the whispers, did you?"

I peeked up over my hands so he could see my exaggerated eye roll. "No, I didn't." I said. "I asked him to get Regina and Frankie back, but he said he couldn't, and then he started yelling at me about how vampires drink blood and that I pretty much just need to get over it."

Pedro reached over to prop a hand on my knee. "Rachel, why did you ask him to do that?"

"I don't want some sick pervert to have them, to own them like they aren't real people."

Pedro nodded. "I understand, but..."

"But that's just the way it goes?" I filled in his sentence. "Yeah, that's what Calvin said."

"And what did you say to that?" He inquired.

I huffed. "I said I didn't like it, and that there should be some other way that doesn't kill innocent people."

"But there isn't." He said regretfully.

"I know." I snapped.

Pedro sighed. "Rachel, you know that man loves you, right?" He asked. "He can't help that he's what he is. He made his choice, if you can call it that, a long time ago. I can say for sure though, if he'd known you then, he never would have let himself be changed. He is who he is now though." He told me, looking at me hard. "How do you think it makes him feel when you so openly say you wish that vampires didn't drink blood? Something he has no control over. He wants to make you happy, and he wants to be what you want, whether you can see that or not. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you, just like I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt him."

I didn't want to hear it, but I felt in my bones that Master Pedro was right. As bad as I feel that Calvin snapped at me, I bet he is feeling bad too. I don't want to make him feel like he isn't good enough for me, I just don't know how to process all of this. "You're very wise." I grinned lightly, and Pedro rolled his eyes. "Ok, wise tutor of mine, will you please tell me why I wasn't warned about there being a double elimination?"

"I didn't find out until moments before you girls arrived." He explained. "Apparently Calvin was able to talk the king into shortening the completion to 3 months instead of 6." That only made me feel worse about our argument, and it must have showed. "Don't fret over it." Pedro laughed, then he leaned closer to me, pushing the door shut. "Back to the whispers?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." I said quickly, my heart rate picking up. "Tell me."

"Ok, so supposedly, there is some kind of underground rebellion going on. They're whispering about revolution." He informed me. "It's very dangerous though, and it's only worse because I have no idea who is in on it. I have to be careful who I speak to about it, I don't want someone to think I'm a part of it, or I'll be in the dungeon." He shivered.

I drew my brows together. "What are they rebelling against?" I asked.

Pedro looked nervous again, like he didn't want to say but I nodded for him to tell. He sighed loudly. "The king." He whispered.

I widened my eyes. "Why?" I asked surprised. "I thought everyone loves the king?"

Pedro narrowed his eyes and puckered his lips, making a sound. "Not exactly, but no one goes against him either. People have been disinterested in him for a long time, but he's got the power and the army, so..."