Demonborn - 19 XVIII

****Warning: this chapter looks onto different abusive tendencies. Please exercise caution when reading and if that stuff upsets you, please continue to the halfway point of the chapter. Thank you and please stay safe!!****

Rose started to clean up her apartment quietly. Lizzie was coming over soon and she knew that Lizzie was extremely stressed out and upset today, and Rose didn’t want to add onto that.

Rose quietly picked her laundry up off the floor and put it into the hamper. Once I shut the hamper, the door unlocked and slowly opened, then in walked Lizzie. Her hair was freshly died blue and her eyes were a bright green color with some red forming around her pupils.

“Hi, Lizzie.”

The girls quickly got across the room in about three strides and held Rose in her arms.

“I missed you, Rose,” Lizzie said, placing a small kiss on her forehead. Rose smiled and let herself be held for a minute. The comfort soon melted away as Lizzie lead them over to the couch and sat Rose next to her, picking up the remote to start a movie.

“What movie are we gonna watch?”

“Anything you want, Rose.”

Rose quickly switched on a horror movie and curled up into Lizzie’s side, watching. Rose had missed this since Lizzie left for some business a few days ago, yet she still wouldn’t tell her where she would go and why. The girls would let out small yelps and jump when the scary parts happen, the other comforting them as they watched. As it ended, Lizzie stretched and looked over at Rose who was half-asleep.

“Rose, why don’t you go to bed?”

“Can’t yet.”

“Why not?”

“Kai’s coming soon to help with the new song.”

Lizzie felt blinding rage at that statement and she didn’t know why. She grabbed Rose’s wrist and squeezed, turning the girl to her. Rose winced at the pain and looked up at Lizzie, fear and confusion clouding her mind at the red of Lizzie’s eyes.

“Why do you spend so much time alone with him, Rose?”

“Because he’s the composer! I need him.”

“All you need is me, all you will ever need is me!” Lizzie yelled, her grip on Rose tightening.

“Lizzie, you’re hurting me,” Rose said, wincing from the pain in her wrist. As the words came out, Lizzie threw her away and Rose hit the ground. Lizzie stood and her red eyes were glowing from the growth in her anger. Rose back up against a wall and watched the anger of Lizzie only grow.

“You shouldn’t need anyone but me.”

“That’s selfish, Lizzie! I am allowed to have friends, aren’t I?”

Lizzie paused at her words and took them into her mind. Part of her knew what Rose meant, the other twisted her words into something ugly and hurtful.

“No, you’ll abandon me like they did.”

“Like who did, Lizzie?” Rose asked, slowly standing and moving towards Lizzie.

“Stay away from me, Rose.”

“Lizzie, if you tell me what’s wrong, I can help.”

“I said stay away!” Lizzie screamed and a vase flew towards Rose and hit the wall behind her, causing her to let out a scream. The girl paused after hearing Rose scream and bit her lip, staring at the fear in Rose’s eyes and she stared at her, waiting for Lizzie’s next move.

“I’m sorry, Rose,” she said, running out of the apartment as Kai walked in. He took one look at Rose with the glass in her feet and hands and the forming bruise on her wrist and knew what had happened. He walked over to her and scooped her up, walking her to her bed and setting her down, grabbing the first aid kit and pulling the glass out.

“Rose, I can’t keep covering for you forever. You need to tell someone,” Kai started while cleaning the blood flowing from one of her feet.

“No, Kai. I won’t.”

“Why do you keep protecting her like this, Rose? She’s hurting you!”

“Because I love her. I won’t tell anyone because I love her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week and Rose sat up, staring out at the lake from the rock. It was the common place to meet. Levi was down in the water, searching for the shoe that Week had thrown into the water. Rose was watching and giggling as Levi would slip and fall all the way into the water, his hair slowly getting dry before getting soaked all over again.

“I wish you could come with me one day,” Week said, startling Rose a the suddenness of his words.

“Go with you where, Week?” Rose asked, turning her attention to the boy next to her.

“Back to my home. I wish I could come back and stay here forever, with you, Angelina, and Levi.”

“Why can’t you?” Rose asked, her innocence made Week pause. A soft smile graced his lips at her childlike innocence in everything she did. It only made him want to protect her from her fate even more.

“Because my family, namely my father and sister, aren’t very… accepting to what you are.”

“What am I, Week?”

“You’re perfect. The best blend of both dangerous worlds,” he said, watching as Levi started making his way towards them with the shoe he had finally found.

“I win, asshole,” Levi called, throwing his shoe to the ground and walking over to sit with the other two kids.

“Levi, what am I?” Rose asked, turning her body to him, her eyes full of curiosity.

“You’re my best friend and my sister. Why do you ask?” Levi said, sending Week a glare at the position he put them both into.

Rose shrugged and stared back over the water. Both boys stared at her as she thought, trying to figure out what she was thinking about.

“I just… feel so different from the two of you and almost everyone else in the world. I feel, so left out.”

Levi sent Week an elbow and motioned to Rose as she tried to hide small tears starting to form. Week nodded at him and walked to the opposite side from Levi, then both held been the middle of a hug and just sat there, staring out at the water.

For the first time in her life, the war in her head quieted and she was finally able to focus on the feeling of warmth in the hug that the boys had her in.