Masked Roses

Chapter Five

I heard faint voices just out of earshot, but they slowly came closer as I woke up from a dreamless sleep. My eyes opened and I knew they could clearly express my grogginess as I stared up at the ceiling. Reaching up, I rubbed my eyes as I sat up slowly, looking around the dimly lit room I was in. This isn't my room...

The walls were plain, barren and had no decor of any kind. Just a dresser and mirror above it along with a bedside table next to the plush surface I laid on. Looking down at the sheets, I noticed they were a dull gray, made of a fleece material unlike the cotton sheets and blue quilt that covered my mattress. I made a move to get up when the sound of a door knob turning caught my attention, making me look up to see the door crack open slowly. A fuzzy outline entered followed by another. Their gazes both turned to me and I blinked at them as they stared.

One wore a mask, giving away no emotion while the other stared with a slack jaw as he stared at me before looking at his masked companion. The navy blue mask was my only focus. Where had I seen it before? Two depthless holes stared at me, black ink like ooze dripped down the mask, leaving a trail like a thick layer of paint drying on a wall. I narrowed my eyes a bit before realizing as I scrambled away and into the headboard of the bed.

"It's you! You...You knocked me!" I shouted and the other man finally caught my attention. He had a green outfit that resembled a video game character...Link? I think that was his name, but it had been so long since I had played those old video games. I rarely ever had the time to play video games, let alone the money to buy a console to play the hottest games. Except his eyes didn't look anything like the blue eyed elf. They were black and were half-lidded with a lazy smile on his face as he stared at me, two small red pupils staring at me.

They reminded me of the crazed eye belonging to the person in my most recent nightmares...

Swallowing, I stared at them confused and the masked man turned to the demonic looking elf. "See? I told you she's one of us. This very territory is already starting to affect her." He said in a gruff and deep voice, but the gruff tone to it didn't seem natural. I assumed it was because of the muffling the mask caused. Clenching my fists into the sheets, I just stared in confusion as I glanced between them.

"Well, you sure got yourself a pretty girl. Nice bust, a bit of a pronounced hourglass figure..." He licked his lips and I shivered as I listened to him casually talk about me in that way. Gritting my teeth, I picked up a pillow and chucked it at him, making him yelp as it connected with his face and made him fall onto the floor. "But damn is she aggressive!" He then commented and I glared at him.

Looking back at the masked man, I realized his outfit seemed all too familiar and before I could mention it, he spoke up. "Thanks for selling me those bandages and snacks. I didn't need the snacks, but it seemed everyone wanted me to go get them some when they realized that I hadn't come back looking as if I were chased or I was caught for my suspicious appearance." He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and I saw a separate figure in my peripherals.

Turning my head, I looked to see my face, but it didn't exactly look like me. My eyes...or eye...widened as I stared at my reflection. Getting up slowly, I stumbled towards the mirror, my limbs feeling numb and like they would break or collapse at any moment from under me. I put my hands on the dresser that sat below the mirror as I stared at my face. Horror creeping in as I took in every detail.

An all too similar white rose sprouted from my left eye, crimson slowly coating its petals as a few heavy drops trickled onto the pale wooden surface of the storage for clothes. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I ran my hands through my hair, gripping the pastel pink strands as I stared into my one, normal eye. Instead of the hazel and gold iris I was so used to seeing in the mirror every morning, it was scarlet red, black swirling around, devoid of a pupil that probably would've been the size of a small period on a piece of paper as I stared at my twisted reflection in growing terror.

This couldn't be real. It just couldn't. I was having another hallucination...Surely. Right?

Removing one hand from my hair, I gingerly touched the flower, a sensation of pain and dryness rushing to my head as if it were my actual eye reacting harshly to my finger touching the surface of my seeing orbs. I blinked away irritated tears from the pain of touching the flower that I suddenly blinked away, moving my hand away as I suddenly slammed my fists against the dresser, making the two males jump in surprise.

Turning on them, I snarled. "Just where am I and what did you do?!"

The masked man held up his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. We didn't do anything. It's the territory's aura that's bringing out this side of you. We never touched your eye or anything...Or well, I did carry you back here. But besides that, we never harmed you or anything like that, lady."

"Then mind telling me why that pervert elf just talked about me in a sexual way?" I growled, surely feeling my eye twitch in frustration. I just wanted to go home, or even wake up from this crazy dream. This all felt too real and unreal at the same time. I glared at the navy blue mask, but before he could respond, we all turned our attention to the door as footsteps approached. They were light and sounded like someone skipping to a happy tune, a soft hum lingering in the air.

I paused and narrowed my one eye at the door, watching a girl with dark brown hair and one green eye turn to look into the room. She was missing one eye, but it didn't bleed. It just looked like a hollow black and red socket that didn't blink with the other eye. She seemed to smile brightly when her gaze landed on me and I realized what she was about to do. I recognized that expression all too well. Just as I put my hands up in front of me and shook my head violently, she lunged forward with her arms open wide, a cheerful laugh escaping her lips.

"So you're the new girl! I'm so happy to meet you! My name's Sadie." She introduced herself and I stared at the two men behind her with a flabbergasted look on my countenance. I noticed the blonde elf holding a snicker and I held up one hand to give him the finger.

The girl known as Sadie pulled back and held her hands on my shoulders as she looked at my clothes, her green eye seeming to sparkle in awe as she stared at the floral shirt and pristine white jeans. "Such a beautiful shirt! Where did you get it?" She asked and I wasn't sure if she was serious or not. I blinked her and heard the masked man sigh in frustration as he walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Give her some space, she literally just woke up, Sadie." He said in a bored tone and the girl turned to look at him with her one pleading eye.

"Oh, please? For me, Jackie? It's just been a while since we've had a new girl, this house is full of boys!" She huffed and crossed her arms and I heard another pair of footsteps approach the door, making me raise my arms to hide my hideous face as I felt warm blood drip down my cheek.