VI. ROSALYNE
{!Trigger warning for SA!}
Rosalyne didn't have much.
All she had was her darling little sister, and she vowed to protect you even if she herself was compromised. You were pure, and she wanted to preserve that for as long as possible. Unfortunately, there were times when you saw how she treated others.
"I hear you've been picking on my little sister?"
"Yeah, so what!? You can't do anything about it!" The kid retorted.
Rosalyne pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."
You watched from behind the corner, where your sister was unable to see you. You peeked your head around the wall and observed them, fearful that Rosa would hurt them and get herself in trouble.
The kid's friend spoke up, "Maybe we shouldn't provoke her..."
"Seriously? We're in school, she's not gonna do anything! A teacher will see her."
"I really don't care."
Rosalyne glared down at them and they were shaking in their shoes. A small smirk presented itself on her face as she watched their fear grow. They realized she wasn't messing around. She kneeled down to their level.
"If I hear about you bullying my sister again, I'll have to come back and break your arm next time."
Suddenly, she harshly punched the boy's nose and it promptly began to bleed. You gasped. He screamed in pain as she stood up with a satisfied smile. His friend was panicking and trying to help, but he couldn't do much, so he ran to get a teacher.
"Did you just break my nose!?" He cried, holding his hands over it as the overwhelming pain forced tears from his eyes.
"Go see a doctor and find out."
She turned around and smoothly walked over to where you were. She saw that you'd been watching and frowned while she took your hand and pulled you along, out of the building. You were quiet the entire way into the car. She buckled in and drove out of the parking lot, trying to get away from the school as quick as possible. Once you were an adequate distance away, she sighed and glanced over to you.
"Tell me what you're thinking," she said, though not in a commanding tone.
"I dunno what to think about what you did..." You mumbled, looking out the passenger side window as the trees and houses on the side of the road passed by.
"I don't want people bothering you anymore, Y/n," she replied. "That's why I did that. People don't learn unless it's through violence. I hope you remember that for when you have to step into the world."
"Okay," you nodded, your voice monotonous. "...Is that why Mom is so mean?"
"...Yeah. That's why Mom is mean."
She always made sure to comfort you when you were upset, even if it was in the middle of the night and she was exhausted.
"Rosa! Rosa!" You sobbed, banging on her door with the desperation of a child afraid of the dark.
The door swung open shortly after and Rosalyne furrowed her brows, kneeling down to be eye-level with you. She cupped your face in her hands and wiped a few of your tears with her thumbs.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" She questioned.
"I-I had a nightmare," you sniffled, your lip quivering. "You were there, and some man was there, and he was hurting you, and I-"
You were interrupted by a loud sob escaping your throat and you covered your eyes, pressing your palms against them to make the tears stop. You were unsuccessful.
"It's okay, I'm right here," she said, pulling you in and hugging you, softly running her fingers through your hair. "No one's going to hurt me."
"...Promise?"
"I promise, Y/n. Do you wanna sleep with me tonight?" She offered.
"Yes, please."
"Okay, come on, let's get you back to bed."
She became distant not long after that, and she refused to tell you what was wrong. There was no way she'd be able to. You were only a kid, and it was too heavy a subject for you to understand. Besides, there was no need to scare you without a reason. She needed someone to talk to, but that someone was not you.
She couldn't tell anyone. She couldn't say that a man actually did hurt her, as if your nightmare had predicted it. Every time she looked at herself, all she could see or feel were his handprints, marking up her skin where she didn't want it to. She would cry herself to sleep until her eyes cracked from how dry they were. She heard the way he said her name and changed it, hoping to leave that weak version of her behind. Part of her considered attempting to give herself some form of amnesia so she could forget, but she knew that was an unreasonable idea. So then she thought of dying instead, but she didn't even want to think of how you'd react.
She didn't want to disappear on you.
"Mom, I need to tell you something."
"What?"
Signora sighed, "Something... something happened."
M/n was putting the dishes away into all the cupboards as she listened to Signora's voice like it was background noise, "Uh huh."
"...Are you even listening to me?"
"I'm listening, Rosa."
"I told you not to call me that," Signora stated sternly, her lips pulling into a deep frown.
"It's the name I gave you. You're really expecting me not to use it all of a sudden?"
"Yes, actually."
"Fine, whatever. What happened?"
"...Nevermind. It doesn't matter anyway."
She didn't want to be distant from you, but she couldn't help it. She wished for isolation, yet she also wanted everyone to be there for her and to care. It was a confusing brew of emotions, and she had no control over it.
"Signora...?" You called quietly, peeking through the crack in the doorway as you held a tray of food. "Um, dinner's ready, I thought you might want some..."
"Leave it by the door," she ordered. All of the lights in her room were turned off, so you could barely see her, but you could tell she was sitting on her bed with her back facing you. You placed the tray on the floor beside the door and opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"Close my door on your way out," she said.
"A-Are you okay?" You stammered, nervous for her reaction. "You've been acting weird, and I-"
"I'm fine, Y/n," she snapped before taking a deep breath, correcting her tone. "I'll be fine in a while. Just give me time."
"O-Okay..."
She was barely out of highschool when she passed away. She didn't have the chance to live a life past 18, and you were always scared your life would be cut short the same way. It wasn't fair that someone's soul could be taken from them so early on. But sometimes, life can be a cruel, motherfucking bitch.
Snow drifted down to the ground all around. Rosalyne always liked the look of untouched snow, like a giant white blanket coating the world. She was driving you home from your newest school. When you were young, you had to change schools a few times due to bullying and other issues. Rosalyne was always the one who dealt with transferring you.
"How did school go?" She asked.
You grinned as you watched the snow, "It went good! Bennett taught me how to tie my shoes!"
"Oh, really? Even when I tried to show you, it didn't work," she pointed out. She'd been trying to rectify her relationship with you and act the way she did before, even though something inside her was not the same as before.
"Well, he brought this wooden shoe model thing to school and took me through each step!" You explained.
"Couldn't you have just used a regular shoe?" She chuckled.
"No, they move around too much and neither of us wear shoes with laces! He wears sandals and I wear velcro," you huffed.
"Well at least now you can wear shoes with laces now," she stated. "I'll have to thank your friend later."
"Yeah, he's really nice. He's not very lucky, though... He said he got struck by lightning two times before."
She was shocked and slightly concerned to hear about that, but she didn't question it, "...Wow..."
Afterward, the car was tranquil and quiet, with both of you looking to the outside world and admiring the snowfall. Signora enjoyed the peace, but she didn't mind when you spoke up. She enjoyed conversating with you, too.
"Signora, can we play in the snow later?"
"...Maybe."
"Pleeeeeeeeease?" You pleaded, to which she replied with a sigh. The thought of playing in the snow wasn't very appealing to her since it would be cold and she'd have to wear a bunch of layers, but she gave in.
"Fine. But I'm not laying in the cold for too long."
"Thank you!"
Suddenly, her control of the car was taken away and she gasped, immediately entering a panicked state. As the vehicle slid across the road, Signora desperately tried stabilizing it, but her efforts were futile. Still, she needed to find any way to keep you safe.
"Y/n, make sure your seatbelt's on tight!" She hastily ordered.
She saw you tug on your seatbelt and felt a bit of relief, but not enough, she stuck one of her arms out in front of you as some sort of pathetic shield. She yelped and you took hold of her arm, startling her. She wanted to hug you, but with your positions, she couldn't. All she could do was hope she'd be able to embrace you afterward.
She screamed, fearful for your life, until the car abruptly stopped. Signora let out a strangled gasp as she felt something impale her neck. She wanted to look over and tell you that she loved you, so the last thing she said to you would be nice, but she couldn't muster the strength to look over. She was alive, but barely there. She felt you dig into her pocket to find her phone and her lips twitched upward. She was the one who first told you who you needed to call whenever there was an emergency.
"M-Me and my sister got into an accident, I-I think she's dead! Please help! I don't know where we are, just please come save her! Please!"
Signora was glad you spoke before she lost consciousness; she didn't want the last thing she heard to be the crash of ice and metal. She knew you would be alright, and that was enough to help her let go. Her vision began fading as her brain slowly lost function.
She tried to say "I love you".
But instead, she disappeared.