And Then There Were Two

6: The Black and White Rose

Amara Pierson

We had scanned the map all day, deciding to go looking for the rim of Knowhere and discover outside this wonderland. Although Sage had created Knowhere, it was a tiny bubble located inside another massive alternate universe. We are planning to leave at dawn, but Sage wouldn't stop poking and prodding me to leave right after we pack.

"You will need; a sleeping bag, water, canned food, two pairs of underwear, thr-"

"Two pairs of underwear?" I interrupted her list, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes, 'two pairs of underwear'. Trust me you're not gonna want to change. I haven't in weeks and I don't intend to." she told me, smirking and picking up her backpack that was already packed.

"Gross. And, no. We don't know how long we'll be gone, we don't even know what's out there." I told her, shoving plenty of underwear in my backpack.

"Exactly, we don't know what's out there. Do you really want to be in the middle of changing when a gigantic dodo comes running our way? No, me neither." she said and laid on my bed. I started to trust her a little more, so I decided to let her out of the grocery store. We were packing in my room.

"First of all, the dodo bird is extinct, second, I bring what I want, third, go take a fucking shower before we leave, otherwise we aren't leaving at all." I felt like a parent scolding their child. After all, Sage did have the mindset of a three-year-old.

"But then who's going to read you the list of things to bring?" she asked, trying to get herself out of taking a shower.

"Oh my god woman, go take a shower and I will read it myself. I am perfectly capable of doing so." I watched as she dragged her feet over to the washroom, and close the door. She didn't close the door entirely and left it a few inches open. I did a slow double-take when she took her shirt off and revealed her big black and white rose tattoo on the side of her stomach. It was beautiful and took up most of her stomach. She ran the water, and when she reached to unclip her bra, I looked away, suddenly feeling my cheeks becoming warmer. I froze, looking down at my bag, and started packing mechanically again.

I wonder how it felt to trail my hands along her body, or how it felt to kiss her neck. I snapped out of it, finding myself biting my lip and smiling at the thoughts. This was Sage. The one who thought it was a great idea to watch me take off my clothes at night and the one who thought it would be a good idea to get on the bad side of the one and only devil. I continued packing my stuff, trying my best to think about the trip.