"Then don't let me go, please."
Rose's eyes snapped to the person, her blurry gaze fixed on him as if trying to analyze his signs of lying, but she was no expert, she soon feel defeated. What was he saying? Should she believe in his words?
No.
Her entire mind kept screaming at her but somewhere in the back of her mind, her gut feeling knew it was the truth.
"What?" her voice came out weak as she decided to interrogate Jake. He seemed unfazed and replied bluntly, "That's the truth."
"But...but..who could possibly search for me?" The poor girl inquired, to herself or to these people, she didn't understand.
"Who won't Rose?" Jake replied, "Why do you find this so hard to believe?"
"But-" She tried to argue but soon got cut off.
"You're no ordinary person, you should know it by now," Colton huffed, "Do you not remember killing a cougar bare-handed or the time you claimed you survived out there seven days all by yourself?"
"What does that mean?" she asked defeated as if her strong desire to stay here betrayed her, why anyone had to look for her which is not her own family? She frowned, by any chance, could this be her family looking?
She sighed, how would she know?
"That you could be a secret hunter or an...I don't know...an agent for crying out loud," Isabella pointed out.
"Huh? Rose as a hunter or agent?" Ervin started laughing but soon stopped seeing others' hard glares. Rose looked at them searching for any kind of truth in that.
"Who knows, maybe she was a hunter or an agent. Or an assassin.Or simply a fighter. Or maybe a prisoner, that's horrible. Or maybe a ninja, well, that's stupid."
But Jake seemed to have this weird expression on his face, something knowing flashed in his face, but soon he covered it with a glare.
"Shut up," he grumbled, "Rose, I suggest you better hurry before something happens to you, I need to take you to Edward in one piece."
With that, he left the place leaving her confused. She sighed, Jake Collins was more complicated to figure out than Arnold Hayes.
"I said I won't go," Rose snapped for the ninth time, currently she was sitting on her bed, crossing her legs and her hands folded on her lap. Rick and Shawn were trying to make her understand, well Rick was, and Shawn just stood there watching them.
"But we insist, we are concerned about you, Rose, that's why we're..."
"I don't wanna listen to your explanation of why you made that stupid decision," she snapped again, "I mean what were you thinking?"
"Rose," Rick sighed frustrated, "Look if these people hurt you on our watch, that's going to be my fault," he gulped, "I don't want you to get hurt, please."
"But you didn't go to visit your family on your hiatus, you rather came with me, you all did, then you didn't give up, so why now? Why now, Rick?" She exclaimed with teary eyes, she simply couldn't take it when Alex, Zarry, and the twins left for some days only or when Arnold left, then how would she picture herself leaving for her own benefit? Especially when these people did nothing but good to her.
Or simply staying without them? They were a family now, by friendship and loyalty. Living without them, the thought alone made her cry.
"Rose, I think you should go," Shawn chimed in now, but Rose could tell just by his voice, that he didn't want her to go, and neither did Rick.
"Are you all that desperate of getting rid of me?" She yelled causing them to frown.
"Rose, how did you even think of that? Do you think we are trying to get rid of you? How thoughtful," Shawn said, anger lacing his voice.
"Then what should I think? Why, Shawn? I know you two are trying to keep me safe, but how do you think Jake can keep me safe instead of you guys?" She snapped.
"Please just.. look..I...please, we don't want you to go," Shawn finally sighed, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Shawn," Rick said warningly who shrugged not caring about his effort to convince her for the past hour.
"Rick," he sighed, "We don't want her to go, don't you think we should at least try before making this decision?"
"I know, Shawn," Rick grumbled, "I know very well, do you think I want her to go?"
"But-"
"No, I don't, I don't want Rose to go with that person whom I trust least, but knowing that he knows the way back to her family, we don't have any other option," he let out a shaky breath, pausing to stop the tears that threatened to fall, "What if we stick to our try and something happens to her?"
"This her is right here, you know," Rose mumbled.
"Rose, Rose, we know something that you don't," Rick sighed again taking her hand softly.
"Wh-what?" She asked, her brown eyes flickering between them.
"Remember the blue wristband?" Rick asked causing her to nod, "Well, that band included symbols like R9 and CENFVO with your name on it, it also looked like it had something inside it, do you know what that means?"
Not getting any answer he continued, "It means, Rose, Jake's right, you're not an ordinary person, you ending up in the woods and some people searching for you in the same forest isn't a coincidence."
Shawn took her other hand, "Rose, they are searching for you, we don't know if they are even good or bad, but we need to keep you safe, we need you to take home."
"As much as it hurts for you, it hurts for us too, you know that right?" Rick continued, "We're family, Rose, you're an important person in our family, ask that to Ethan, Landon, Murphy, Zarry, the twins, or Alex, all would say the same."
Rose sniffled and surprising them, pulled them in a hug, "Then don't let me go, please," she cried holding both of them, "I...I feel safe..and wanted here...but..but not with Jake. Please, stay with me."
"Rose," a voice called causing them to break the hug, Rose stared at the black-haired boy but soon she was engulfed in another hug, "Don't go, Rose," Ethan cried, "Please, I'll fight with them, I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe, just don't go."
Rose couldn't help but smile through her tears, they really were her family, why did she even think of going somewhere else? Edward? Right. She needed to go for him, at least.
"Rose," she heard another voice before feeling herself engulfed in a group hug, which soon was joined by Rick and Shawn.
"Make some space, mate, she's probably pregnant," Murphy said causing them to laugh.
After a while, they sat on the floor discussing their new plan. Although their main topic is to keep her safe, nobody muttered a word about her going with Jake alone. Because it was settled before the words were spoken that they were going with her.
"So basically you are saying that only you are going with her?" Shawn crossed his arms over his chest, a frown on his face and his jaw clenched but the slight pout could announce only one thing.
Rose sighed, she was so not prepared for this.
"No," he whined, his pout getting bigger and the frown not anymore intimidated but sad, "Rick Parker, you listen here, I'm going with my best friend and that's final," he yelled causing them to face-palm and shake their head," I want to be the one to act the overprotective friend and give Ed a little pep talk, to tell him to treat her like the queen," he stomped his foot for an extra effect" and..and I need to know what type of guy he is, and.....if her family is a good one or not, please, don't...I said don't do this to me," his pout got even bigger and suddenly he frowned getting angry, "Why are you all looking at me like this?"
Rose was trying to stifle back her laugh but a little surprise played in her eyes but the others were only trying to hold back their laughter. Now Shawn's red face failed the attempt and they burst out laughing clutching their stomachs.
"Ed?" Rose asked although knowing who he was referring to.
"Yeah, Ed, and since you are my best friend, I can see us getting all buddy buddy," he said shrugging.
"And why the heck will you be giving him a pep talk?" Landon raised an eyebrow.
"So that," he lowered his voice to a normal tone, "he treats Rose like the queen she is."
"I think he already does," Rick smiled causing Rose to blush and look at the ground.
Murphy chuckled, "the way she's head over heels for him," her face reddened as if to announce how much she really was.
"Right," Ethan laughed earning a slight glare from her.
"Why are you laughing anyway?" She mumbled looking at her hands.
"Because," Rick began, "We are happy for you, Rose."
"Yeah, we are," Shawn offered her a bright smile but soon that smile again transferred to a pout, "But I wanna go."
A/N: Hello, beautiful readers. How are you?
I hope you find this chapter okay.
Take care.
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Love ya.