The Empire Of The Rose

A Second Chance [I]

"Do you really believe that I didn't think everything through?" Andrew said as he pulled out one of the bags he had carried from the castle.

I gave a sigh.

"Alright, let's get over with it." I finally said.

To my surprise Andrew pulled out the clothes that were about my size along with some makeup.

"I never took you as the type of man that would carry makeup." I told Andrew with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes at me.

"They are from my sister; she bought them given the fact that I didn't know the first thing about it." Andrew admitted.

I looked at the scissors that were next to the makeup.

"Give me the scissors so I can cut my hair." I told them.

I cut my hair that fell over to my butt until it reached below my ribs.

"From now on you're going to be a punk rock girl." Andrew said as he held up black jeans and rocker tee.

"Amazing, just lovely Andrew this is my dream come true." I said sarcastically as I looked at myself in the mirror.

I kept on changing the channels of the television over and over again not being able to settle down on anything.

"You should probably rest Alice." Andrew said besides me in the bed.

Riley and Eleanor were sharing a bed meanwhile Andrew was with me although he was just laying on top of the bed and not under the sheets like I was.

"I can't, I'm no longer tired." I whispered as I kept staring at the television.

"That's the blood speaking but tomorrow you won't be saying the same thing." Andrew told me.

I gave a sigh and once again lowered the volume of the television.

"I'm afraid." I admitted in a small voice.

"Afraid of what exactly Alice, what are you afraid of?" Andrew asked me.

"That as soon as I close my eyes William will get inside of my head, that he will find us and kill all of you." I said in a low voice.

"Alice, you just fed, you are stronger now especially because William would be a fool to try something on you again tonight." Andrew told me.

Without even thinking I gave a small smile for a few seconds.

"Hearing it from you, that makes me realize how silly it sounds." I admitted with a small laugh, like always I was over thinking everything.

"Alice?" Andrew said quietly.

I looked at Andrew and found him staring at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Why did you ask me to come with you?" Andrew asked me as he frowned, it didn't make sense to him or at least that was what it seemed to be.

"What do you mean?" I asked him confused.

"You asked me to leave the castle with you when you could have left me behind given the fact that I have crossed you before." Andrew told me.

I nodded finally seeing where all of this was headed.

"That's a lie Andrew because I simply couldn't just leave you behind, not after everything you did for me." I told him.

"What about the things I did to you?" Andrew told me.

I gave a sigh.

"Andy, can't we look pass that?" I asked him.

Andrew shook his head.

"I can't, at least not after I attacked you." Andrew told me.

"You attacked me and I may have killed you before but things are different now." I told him.

"How are they different now?" Andre asked me.

I met his gaze and smiled.

"Honestly Andy you have nothing to worry about, you've made mistakes just like I have but it has been proven to me that everyone deserves a second chance, especially you." I told him.

"Why?" Andrew pressed.

"Just think about it this way, this is your only chance to prove yourself worthy." I said before I settled the television on some cartoons.

Eventually Andrew fell asleep and there was no noise besides their breathings and the faint noise that came from the television. As the hours passed, I absently played with my hair until I felt a shiver run down my body followed up by a very familiar feeling.

I quickly got up, placed my converse and grabbed my daggers.

"Alice, what are you doing?" Andrew asked alarmed as he woke up and sat up.

"It's not possible, how can he be here?" I said as I started to head to the door stuck in some sick haze.

"Alice, wait up!" Andrew yelled as I went through the door.

I got to the balcony and looked around as the fresh air hit my face but I didn't see anything yet it had felt so real to the point that even now my heart was racing as the adrenaline pumped through my veins making me more awake than ever.

"Alice, what do you think you're doing? Get back into the room!" Andrew said as he caught up with me.

I looked at him and then back at the edge of the balcony.

"Can you hear it?" I asked Andrew as I looked around.

"Hear what? I can't hear anything." Andrew told me.

I looked at him meeting his gaze.

"Exactly, there is complete silence, there are no animals heard at the distance Andy, not even the bloody crickets are singing." I told him as I looked around hoping to find the answer for this unusual behavior.

"Alice, come on we need to get back into the bedroom." Andrew told me.

I shook my head.

"I can't, Andy there's something wrong." I told him.

I was more than sure that this was really happening, and it wasn't some sort of hallucination William had previously created, for some odd reason I felt that it was real. My gut told me that this wasn't part of that fantasy world; that it wasn't fake anymore as impossible as it sounded.

Andrew grabbed my arm and started to pull me towards the room so I could follow him, but I stayed put.

"Come on Alice, you need to rest." Andrew told me in a tired tone and I almost caved in but then it happened.

A loud baby cry pierced the cold night followed by a gunshot making my heart stop.

"Kyle." I whispered his name escaped nearly dead from my lips.

"What are you going on about Alice?" Andrew said confused as he looked at me.

I didn't waste any time and immediately started to run, my heart pounding harder and faster with each step I took; there was no going back now, at least not after this.

Andrew caught up to me by the stairs; he handcuffed my wrists pushing me against the wall.

"Get the bloody hell off of me Andrew, let me go!" I yelled at Andrew as I struggled to free myself.

Damn red gem that cut off my power to a significant point, I was currently powerless against Andrew.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Alice you can't just run off like that, honestly, you're acting like a mad woman and nothing less. Can you explain the reason for this unusual behavior that is by far off even compared to your mad moments?" Andrew told me.

I pushed Andrew away and yanked off my gem dropping it to the ground so I wouldn't be so powerless anymore.

"I have to get to Kyle; I need to save my baby." I said before I continued to run.