Death's Shattered Crown

Chapter 13

Rose's eyes opened to light shining directly in them from the window. She must have left the blinds open last night. She groaned to herself as her sore body and groggy mind made her feel like she'd closed her eyes ten minutes ago rather than the hours it must have been. Every day she spent here her body seemed to ache more.

As if the physical pain wasn't enough, she was still in shock over what happened last night. She'd somehow astral projected again to Frederick who'd been waiting for her. Now her head was pounding with all the things he'd said. She was still certain most, if not all, of it was lies, but it was impossible to differentiate the two. She simply didn't have enough information. Her mind could spin all day trying to figure out the truth and she wouldn't get anywhere. Groaning again, she realized she'd have to get Samael to tell her more. That task was easily one of the most impossible things in this impossible situation. All she'd wanted since she got here was the truth and all he'd given her were pieces. But she couldn't let Frederick win by confusing her anymore. Hopefully Samael would understand that and quit being so stubborn.

At that thought, she decided it was time to get up and ready for the long, uncompromising day in front of her. She stood slowly, trying to stretch out all the aches in her tired body. When her muscles were finally warm enough that she could move without creaking, she walked into the bathroom connected to her room. She flipped the lights on and the clean, huge mirror, granite sink top, stainless steel faucet and impressive glass shower with flat black tile and an impressive rainfall showerhead overwhelmed her. She believed to her core that she could never get used to living like this, even in the best circumstances.

As she undressed and hopped in the warm water of the shower, she wondered what her sisters were doing. They must have been in school, going about their lives. She hoped Jaz was finally starting to get along with people. She'd always been so shy that talking to her was impossible until you knew her really well.

The concern that Jaz might have remembered too much of their homelessness had plagued Rose as she grew up. She had always done her best to make sure Jaz had enough of everything, even at her own expense. She'd been so young when their parents had found steady work and a place to live that she certainly didn't remember much of their life before, but Rose's worry was eternal. At least Lily had certainly been too young to remember anything from living on the streets. She'd been about two when they'd found a place to live. And so far, Lily had seemed unaffected by the hardships Rose had gone through.

That had always been her primary goal. She never wanted those she loved to go through what she had. But she had to admit that she hadn't spent enough time with them lately. As much as she loved them, she'd relished the breathing room once she moved out. She'd successfully kept what happened to her secret for so long that nobody pressed her for it anymore, but there were times she could still feel their curious glances when she changed clothes. Moving out had finally given her what she'd always wanted: the privacy to keep her secret under control. She'd finally stopped having to dodge questions constantly about it from everyone. It felt like she could breathe again. And that feeling brought guilt with it. She should have spent more time with her family, should have forced her parents to take more money. But now she was stuck here with a bunch of people who wouldn't tell her anything.

That thought pushed her to get ready faster as she hopped out of the shower and toweled off. Maybe today was the day that all would change. Maybe she would finally get some answers out of Samael. All she wanted was to get out of this awful situation and back to her life. Maybe she could pretend someday that this had all been a bad dream.

After her skin had dried a bit, she walked back into her room where she'd seen a grand armoire similar to the one she'd seen in the village. Opening it, she smiled when she realized she was right. This was another enchanted closet. She rummaged through the clothes, finally grabbing a durable-feeling blue t-shirt and black pants. If the past couple of days had taught her anything, it was to be ready for a fight anytime and these clothes would probably last her better than anything else she'd seen. She got dressed quickly, then ran a hand through her still-wet hair. It would dry quickly, and she had more pressing things to do than make herself look presentable anyway. After putting on a pair of black sneakers that fit snugly, she left the room to search for Samael and Katya.