Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
curled up in bed, baby splayed out beside her, ROISIN nursed a hot cup of coffee as her red-rimmed eyes watched the scene playing out before her. rapunzel and flynn had reached the floating lanterns for the hundredth time that week. it was all she could bring herself to watch, not able to force a smile at some lousy comedy film or pretend to care about a twist in a psychological horror. she acted like it wasn't because it reminded her of axel, but every time the smooth-talking thief came onto the screen, she felt her heart sink lower in the pits of her stomach.
she was so engrossed in the memories that came along with the film that she barely registered a knock on her door. and, although she was fairly certain that it was her brother, eager to scold her for all of her recent wrongdoings, roisin couldn't help but realise the irregular knocking pattern. sean always tapped a soft song on the wood - and evelien did the same. felix and marzia had their own knocks. almost like it was a distinct personality trait. but she didn't recognise this knock. so, either it was someone from the nearby church coming to tell her to find jesus, (to which she would say that she ate jesus for breakfast and she couldn't wait for hell to claim her,) or it was something important.
heaving a sigh, the girl stood from her comfortable mattress and padded barefoot over to her front door. unlocking and opening it in one swift movement, the face she saw made her wish that she had never returned to brighton in the first place. dark hair framed cat-like features, narrowed eyes and pursed lips ready to spit fire at her earliest convenience. a ring sat on her finger - but not an engagement ring. there were so many things that roisin wanted to say about that.
but all she did was swing the door closed again, letting it latch with a solemn, empty click.
she could hear olyvia speaking to her, but her words were tainted with darkness, shouted from the end of a long tunnel and warped with echoes. all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. sinking to the floor, she let her shirt ride up her back and relished in the coldness of the wood against her spine - pressed her feet flat against the floor and pushed just like she was taught. she grounded herself in the feeling of something real. because the person inches behind her, hidden by a single layer of wood? that couldn't be real. she couldn't be real.
but the devastating tones of her silky voice hurt her as much as feeling a knife buried in her back.
"rosie, please open the door. i need to talk to you." she knocked, "come on- please, ro. i need to tell you something."
