Chapter One:
"I'll steal Gloria City's most beautiful flower at dusk."
The Black Crows
That was the message sent this morning to Gloria City.
I was woken up at dawn with the newspaper in my face. My sandy eyes hardly got a chance to open before I was dragged into the bathroom and told to get dressed.
"Why?" I groan as I started to change into some clothing I was given. As I did the answer I got back was, "Just hurry up, Rose!" I mumbled incoherent words to myself about my father and washed up.
I gave a large yawn heading down the stairs to the kitchen. No breakfast. This wasn't a good day, I told myself.
I followed the noisy rushes of my father into the greenhouse. I gave him a questionable look and asked once more, "What is going on, father?" He looked at me with anger, but I knew he was not angry at me. He set down a cart of flowers and showed me the newspaper that was previously thrown at me before.
I took it from him and looked at the front cover of the daily news. I read the message about the pirates and gave it back to him.
"So?" I was sorry to disappoint the city and my father, but I wasn't devoted to the flowers as they were. I mean I knew it was very important to them and all and flowers are beautiful, but they were just flowers to me. They were important to me, yes, but just not that special enough for me to act like them.
I was more devoted to the sea, ocean, and water. I loved swimming. Feeling the salty water brush against my face was relaxation to me.
My brother was like that too. He loved the water as much as I did, or possibly more. My parents never understood why we loved water more than flowers or why my brother left. They said what's to love about a giant puddle of water compare to beautiful flowers that come in different size and colors.
I guess my brother was able to see what was special about the water and left us three years ago. He never told us where he was going, but just left a note on the kitchen table one morning with all his belongings gone. The note had said:
"I'm going to enjoy the sea as much as my heart has to desire. Please don't worry."
E.
That was the last we heard of him. My parents tried to believe that he was going to be alright, but soon the months passed and no news from my brother. Before you knew it, my parents treated as if my older brother had died on that day.
Some nights I could hear them talking about how he might of commit suicide to become one with the sea, but I knew my older brother was smarter than that. I just hope he come home one day.
My father looked at me as if I was crazy when I spoke with no care about the note. Yet I knew he knew how I felt about the flowers in this world. He looked into my eyes and they sadden. I knew when he saw my brother in them. They use to tell how our similar how green eyes were.
After that small commotion with my father he shooed me off and told me that I didn't have to help anymore. I was a bit sad about how he didn't want my help now, but I was quite fine with it as well.
I quietly walked back into my room and grabbed my gloves and hat. Today was kind of chilly. Even though we grow many types of flowers here in Gloria City, the weather can get cold as well.
Heading back down my mother saw me leaving. She gave me a sad smile and gave me a nod. I guess she must have heard my little conversation with Father, that's why she let me be.
Walking down the streets of Gloria I looked at every house and shop. They were all rushing this day to hide their most beautiful flower from The Black Crows.
Actually if I was one of them I wouldn't do anything. I just left them take the flower. They can always plant one in its place. It's just a flower. Nothing more to it. They don't have a different personally from other flowers like them.
I thought about this as I sat on the sandy sand. My scarf was covering my mouth and nose. Only my eyes were showing. I felt cold by the sea, but I was happy. The water made me feel relax.
I have a dream. My dream one day is to travel and reach every sea and ocean in the world, but I know that's never going to happen. I can't leave my parents alone. I wouldn't know how they would deal if I disappeared as well. They would break.
By the time I realized it the sky was turning pink. I must have dozed off and must have not notice how much time had gone by. I got my butt off the sandy beach and headed back home.
This time as I walked down the streets of Gloria it seemed calm. As I walking back to my house one of my friends, Jack, was coming down the opposite way on his bike.
He stopped and started to talk with me, "Hey, Rose!" He gave me a boyish grin. His cheeks were pink like the sky. His hands must of been cold holding onto those handle bars on his bike. His head with covered with a hat and scarf, but not his hands.
I decided since I had another pair at home I would give him the one I was wearing now. Since, I had been wearing them for a while now they must be warm.
I took his two hands, which he gave me, a confusing look. I just laughed at him and pulled off my gloves and placed his hands in them. Instead of taking them like I thought he refused it, "No no no, Rose! I can't take your gloves, your hand will freeze!" He started to take the gloves off, but told him not to.
"Ha, don't worrying Jack! I got another pair at home. Keep your hands warm okay?" I smiled at him and gave him a light pinch on the cheek. For a moment as I made contact with his rosy cheeks I swore they got warmer, but I didn't say anything. I bid Jack a farewell and told him to say hello the family for me as we parted our separate ways.
When I entered my warm house, I wonder where everyone was. I took off my cozy boots and placed them properly away. I headed to the kitchen to see my mother preparing dinner. She saw me and this time she greeted me with a warm smile, "Ah, there you are Rose. We were starting to worry if you were the flower they were after." My mother gave a small chuckle. I gave a sigh at her little joke and told her that I was going to change for dinner.
I was a bit chilly from the outside weather tonight so I wore a long dress with an over coat to keep my arms warm. I looked into the mirror to see how I looked. I wasn't sure if the coat was going match my dress. It was the first time I wore it. It was a gift from my aunt from a few towns away.
I made my way to the kitchen table. I didn't see Father. I asked Mother where he was and she told me, "Your father is out like everyone else is tonight watching for the pirates. I brought him some food already so he should be good."
Tonight's dinner was just some plain soup. I was fine with it. I love soup. I believe soup warmed up the heart when you ate it. I smiled as I ate my soup.
I was in the middle of eating my soup when I decided to stretch. My hands brushed against my neck when I realized I wasn't wearing my necklace. I quickly excused myself and ran upstairs. I hope I didn't lose it.
I barged into my room and looked on the dress table to see it laying there perfectly fine. I sighed in relief. This locket was very precious to me. More precious than the sea and ocean. I could never lose it. I don't know where I be in life without it.
It was given to a boy I once met. A boy with bright blond hair. He given to me the day he was leaving many years ago. I can hardly remember his face, but I remember that ugly scar he had on his back. It was very ugly, but I remember I was fascinated by it and always forced him to take off his shirt so I should look at it. He had gotten it one day when we walking on the rocks on the beach. I had slipped, but he covered for me and got that wounded in return.
Then after a few weeks when it healed and became an ugly scar he left, just like that. He just came up to me one day and said, "Rosie," my nicknamed he used, "I promise that when I'm older I'll come back and take you as my beautiful bride." That was the last day I saw him and the same day he gave him that necklace. I kept it for so many years thinking he would return, but he's probably long gone now.
After I placed the necklace back on I decided to go back down and finished my soup. After helping my mother with the dishes she stayed with my father as I retired early to my room. I snuggled into my thick blankets with my necklace still on. I held onto it like every other night and drifted off to sleep.
I didn't know how much time had gone by, but not much for I was only half asleep when I felt like I was being picked up. I was being bought into someone's warm embrace and I wondered who it was. All remember was snuggling closer into that person's warmth and hearing them chuckling a bit. When I heard their chuckle my eyes widen. I tried to break free of their hold, but they were too strong. I tried screaming for help, but instead found a pair of warm lips on my cold ones and felt that person slip something into my mouth.
A pill? I wondered as I soon felt dizzy and soon faded into darkness.
[X]
I wasn't sure if this was all real when I awoke, but I was quite comfy. I felt someone's arms around my waist and I came closer to them, before I remember what happened to me. I quickly broke free and opened up my bright green eyes to meet and blond hair and blue eyed man lying next to me.
"Well hello, Rose." The man knew my name as he came and kissed my cheek. Thus, leading me to scream. The man quickly took cover and block out my scream with his fluffy white pillow. He looked at me when I was done screaming for help now. I huddled up in to the corner of the bed and started to stutter.
"W-w-where a-am I-I?" I tried to sound demanding, but that fail terribly.
"Geez, Rose. You sure can scream." The blond hair man said to me as he got closer when he removed the pillow away from his ears. He moved closer to me making me very uncomfortable. His face got closer to mine. I didn't know what he was planning and the next I knew he said, "Hm, if you can scream that loud I wonder how loud you can scream my name?" I knew he was smirking as he said that.
I wasn't sure what had gotten into me, but the next thing I knew was he was down on the hard wooden floor with a large bump on his head. He was holding his head in pain while my fist was a bit numb. I didn't remember the last time I had hit someone on the head like that.
Again I tried getting answers from him, "W-where am I!" This time I sounded a bit more firm than the last. He got up holding his head with one hand. I knew he was in pain, but I didn't care. I just wanted out. Once he was able to bare the pain without him holding it, he shook his head to clear his mind and opened the door saying, "Welcome abroad to The Black Crows!"
I gave a small, nervous, chuckle once he said that. Mentally I thought to myself, Dear Mother, can this really be? Was the flower that was to be taken by these pirates possibly be me?