"Rosie Louise Chelsea-Black, get your cute backside up into the bathroom NOW!!!!!" Uh oh, Nanny is angry but I don't care. That is a lie because inside I am freaking out but there is no way I am revealing my location, my brothers will win and that is not happening... nope not today of all days. Burying myself deep within the leaves, I'm determined to stay hidden. I have been planning this for far too long, I swear today will be ruined if I allow Nanny to give away my location. Today is my thirteenth birthday, nanny is making such a big deal out of today that it has been freaking me out. She is constantly mentioning how I am 'coming of age', something about joining the fold, the community, the sisterhood, and finally the one that hurts, "Your thirteenth birthday means you will be too busy to play childish games with your brothers little lady". She has that look which while warning me also scares the crap out of me. For some reason my family wants to keep me as some sweet and innocent English Rose for the world to be proud of. All I want to do is run, chase the boys, climb trees and feel nature on my skin and under my toes. So as a way to help with my anger at the change to take place from today I begin to dig body size holes within the forest surrounding our property.
We have two homes, one in the heart of Chelsea, London, and this one deep within the Carpathian Mountains, Romania. Mum and dad are away at the moment so nanny wanted me to celebrate this birthday here where I am the happiest. With the holes dug I placed markers so I could remember where to hide. My brothers are working together like the pack of Huskies we live with, trying to hunt me down to feast upon. It's the game 'Hide and Seek' but we put a little horror into it. When they think they are close to one of my 'traps' , I climb the tree closest to me and carefully swing to another tree near a new hole to hide within. No nanny is going to mess up this win for me.
"I swear to the gods. Rosemary Louise Chelsea-Black if you do not get your backside up into the bathroom now I will cancel your party and, we will return to London where you will never see the light of day again!" Fiddlesticks, she used my full name for a third time, there is a tingle running through my body pushing me to do her bidding, it always happens if her warnings are not heeded. But then just as I decide give in to her demands I hear the boys saying I have won this game. Falling for the trap I jump out and run towards nanny with the boys running after me. Matthew and Jackson have been playing that trick on me for too long, and if I make it into the kitchen before them, I win. Nanny is standing there with her hands on her hips, her witch's outfit spick and span, and a glare on her face that scares me to death. Running past her I slap my hand on the kitchen table, Nanuq howls, which is the sign that the winner has arrived. Jumping up and down on the spot I squeal with excitement at my win, poke my tongue out at my brothers then run to the bathroom to take the bath nanny is forcing upon me.
Hours later, after the tongue lashing from Nanny, she hugs and kisses me telling me how proud she is of me. Matthew has gone back to school. He isn't really my brother, mum and dad are not his real parents, they just took him in when his parents died. So now he is kind of my brother and also Jackson's best friend. Jackson is my older brother, he is five years older than me but we are as close as twins. We both attend boarding schools in London but nanny insisted we remain living with her, so instead of sleeping in a cold dorm we are known as 'day kids', which has got to be better than sleeping in dorms with all those stuffy-nosed kids. Nanny pulls us to one side mentioning that she needs to have a family conversation with us, but first, we need to march up to our rooms and change into more comfortable clothing, code for our pj's. We are just at the top of the staircase when we hear Nanny talking with a man at the front door.
"Richard?" the confusion in her voice alarms us, nanny is never confused, she knows everything. Honestly Jackson and I always joked nanny could see the future.
"Rosemary, sorry to intrude on this important day, may I come in?" the formal tone in his voice sends a shiver through my body. Jackson must feel the shift in the air because he freezes in place, wraps his arms around me as if to protect me.
"It's happened hasn't it?" , we can hear the concern in nannies voice. Something serious has happened, this Richard sounds upset but official. Nanny sounds concerned but as if she has been waiting for this visit. Have you seen those films or TV shows where the police officer comes to the door with the sad look on their faces and you know they are about to tell that person that their loved one is dead? That is the tension and the tone in the voices that we are overhearing. Jackson and I quietly walk down the stairs and sit on the second to bottom step to better listen into the conversation;
"They were in New Orleans..."
"What the hell were they doing there Richard?, You know that is the one place they shouldn't be!" her voice is raised not with concern but anger and betrayal
"The Hunters agreed they were the only choice to head the HQ, they were setting the groundwork for you all to move into either the Garden District or the French Quarter.."
"I would never move to that cesspool and they know it". The hatred from her is rippling across my skin. Jackson and I have noticed when she is angry the Huskies form a circle around her and we get an electric shock-like feeling running across our skin. Matthew said he senses nanny is a witch but we laughed it off because he only says that when she is acting scary, unlike her usual sweet loving self.
"They knew, which is why they were trying to make amends with the community, to ensure you could live alongside each other. Are you going to let me finish?" The gasps from Jackson and I gave away our position and that we were hearing the conversation. Nanny is standing before us with fire in her eyes pointing upstairs, we run like bats out of hell and lock ourselves in the attic
"What just happened Jacky?" Unshed tears are sitting in my eyes, Jackson is rubbing the back of his neck shaking his head while avoiding looking at me
"I have no idea Rosebud, but I don't like it" By the look on his face I can tell he is trying to work out a puzzle, then try to explain it to himself but this doesn't feel like something he can find the answer to. Nanny never allows unannounced visitors into our Romanian home. It is our sanctuary, the only place on earth Nanny and the rest of the elders in our family feels safe.
Not sure how long has passed but the front door is slammed, Nanny is shouting curses in Romanian then Russian, the Huskies are howling a painful cry I have never heard before but the pain in the cry is screaming out to Jackson and me. We sit huddled together crying and feeling the pain surrounding the house.
"Children, come downstairs please". We do as we are asked to find Nanny dressed in a plain white dress, her hair is unrestrained, allowing it to fall to the floor with the tips of her hair kissing the feet of Nanuq. Standing on the threshold to the living room, the vision before Jackson and I is not only shocking and beautiful but we have noticed something about the animals surrounding her - Nanuq, Draken, Nuka, Nayeli, and Angeni
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Rosie's Book
FantasyRosie Chelsea-Black lost her parents on an important day of her life, her thirteenth birthday. It was when she had moved to New Orleans the news reached her the eldest remaining family member had also died, this lead to physical and mental changes i...
