• Roses: A Bloody Remorse
    Intro
    ‘Till my last day and forever after, she had said. She had whispered it softly, as her dying breath faded. Many crowded around her, to awaken the dead soul. But she was long gone. A far away, dazed look came into her pale blue eyes. Her features relaxed. Her body went limp. Her loved ones cried tears of bitterness and pain over the loss. All except one. Who cried tears of joy but masked them. He had wanted her dead. He was the one who killed her after all. As soon as all had left, he looked at her still body, and smiled. “Oh, lovely girl, you have been wronged haven’t you?” he said sarcastically. “I always hated you,” he scowled, “But then again, you always did steal my stage.” He bent and kissed her pale, cold cheek. “Goodbye…” he murmured and then walked off, laughing insanely.

    Chapter 1: Gardenia
    The garden was beautiful this year. A picture-perfect sample of the house that the Liands had lived in for over 100 years. Generation after generation had inherited the house and its occupants’ fortune. The house, more of a mansion, was an old Victorian style home. The Liands, a powerful family with a fortune behind them, was one of the most exclusive families in the area. In the world, maybe. You didn’t even look at the Liand house unless you wanted a lawsuit, but that was years ago. The generation that was occupying it now was sweet, and they welcomed visitors and travelers with open arms.
    As Erin walked out of the twin French doors, she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the garden. This was her retreat, her hide-away from the world. Where she could relax without anyone else interfering. She smiled and closed the door, walking around the pond that was centered in the middle of the garden. It glistened in the pale light of the early morning. She sat on the bench beside the pond, overlooking the budding rose bushes climbing up a woven-together wall.
    “Would you like me to join you, miss?” said a voice from the doors. Erin’s head snapped up and she looked over. CC, her dear friend, was standing there, an eyebrow raised coyly.
    “Of course!” she said, patting the spot beside her and smiling. He smiled back and walked over. As he sat beside her, Erin looked back at the roses. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could leave here and see the world?” she asked softly. He looked at her.
    “Well, of course it would. But you know we can’t do that. We have to stay here until we are properly educated.” CC said, quoting the snobby words of their home-school teacher, Mr. Rosner. Erin giggled at the impression of their teacher. She looked at him and saw he himself was laughing lightly. She kissed his cheek, a proper greeting as Mr. Rosner had told them. He smiled at her.
    Erin was found of CC, yes. But he was only a friend. She smiled back, and said “So, what do you want to do?” He thought over that for a few minutes. He apparently got an idea because he smirked evily.

    “Could you possibly stand closer to the pond? I thought I saw one of your koi fish reach up for food.” He said innocently.
    “Alright, but I don’t think they’re even awake yet.” She started to say as she moved closer to the pond, but she was cut off by CC pushing her in. She cried out in surprise as she hit the cold water. She surfaced to find him laughing on the ground like an insane person. She growled at him and splashed him with water.
    As she climbed out he said, “I’m sorry, Erin. I just had to.” Erin smiled and said, “Oh, it’s perfectly fine.” He steeled himself for the next blow. He knew it was coming. She dashed over and covered the few feet in between them in a second. She tackled him into a sopping wet hug. He laughed and hugged back.
    She smiled innocently and said “‘I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist.’“ She had turned his words against him. Typical Erin. Well, now that they were both drenched, they started laughing.
    “Maybe we should go clean up before they see.” By they, CC meant Erin’s parents, who had SERIOUS issues. Erin nodded and they started toward the door. CC stayed behind a little, watching Erin’s beautiful movements, her softly curling brown hair, and the way she kind of swung her arms like a child when she walked. She turned, and saw him staring. He blushed and she watched him carefully.
    He sighed, “Erin.. You know how I feel about you.” She looked down. “And I know you don’t feel the same way, but please? Just this once let me be happy with you.” He was almost ready to fall on his knees. Erin looked up at him again. She smiled softly.
    He smiled back at her. “I know how you feel. And I know that I don’t exactly love you right now. Maybe more like a….” she struggled to find the right word, “A crush.” CC’s heart sank. Well, at least she liked him…. A little. It was better than her hating him.
    He stepped forward and cupped her face gently in between his hands. She looked at him, blushing at his touch. He leaned forward and kissed her as gently as possible.
    Erin blushed deeply at this sudden change in his emotions. She pulled away from him. When she did he looked utterly hurt. She ran, the scent of her gardenia perfume lingering near him.