Blood in the rose thistles

Chapter 25

Alexina groaned and sat up from where she was laying down. She only remembers that the floor of her 3rd sister suddenly broke, causing her to fall down.

Alexina stood up and looked around and saw Cale, reading on the side. Alexina just let Cale do his thing while she walked to the Portrait of their Family. Her mother and her 7 older brothers and 4 older sisters and her. She stared at it for some minute before lifting it up and turned it backwards. There, she can see a key taped in the portrait.

"You know, there's a secret passage where we can go outside. No one knows about it besides us siblings." Airene, her sister and the 3rd born female in their family said while she's combing the hair of a 5-year-old Alexina in their bedroom. Alexina wants to play with them but it's already night so they are preparing her to sleep.

"Really? Not even our parents and our relatives? Just us?" Alexina curiously asks. And the older twin of the two, Arenie answered from her bed.

"Yes, just us siblings. Brother Eero is the one who told us about that."

"Remember, the medium size portrait in the conference room downstairs? That we took when you're still three and the only picture that Father is not included since his away for a trip? Lift it and you will see a key. Bring it with you, to the storage room, and pull the second to the last shelf and the door will reveal itself." Airene whispered and put the hair brush in her dresser.

It's a secret. Don't tell anyone." Eirene said Bam!

"Caught in the act! Sleep now, my dear sisters." Their fifth brother said, when he opened the door of her sister's room, their older sister was with him.

"Oh, come on. Brother Heinz. Look, they are already preparing to sleep. Overlook this just once." Antheia, the first born female in the family said.

"Hmmm..," Heinz thought for a second before answering. "All right then. I'll overlook this matter. Good night." Heinz bid his goodbye, and Antheia looked at them and wink before saying her good nights and closing the door.

Alexina shakes her head from the sudden memory, and brings the portrait with her and goes back to Cale's cloak to find his spatial bag. She wants to bring it with her.

"Oh, you're done reading?" Alexina asks the one and only Cale who is red and sweating.

"Yeah. Are you feeling alright?" Cale asks her, and wiping his sweat, which Alexina watches before advertising her attention to somewhere.

"Yeah. So, did you perhaps get some knowledge from those books? And did you read all of them?" Alexina pointed at the piles of books.

"Yeah, every single one of them is recorded." Cale said, and Alexina gave him a weird look.

"Let's go to mothers office. This room doesn't really have anything. This is just where those oldies talk." Alexina led them upstairs. There's a secret staircase that they use to go to the first floor.

They arrived at Alexa's office, Alexina's mother. And they were greeted with a lot of damaged offices. Everything is overturned and opened like the person who did it is finding something.

"Huh, you have the guts to loot her office after what you did? I can't believe you." Alexina spit out.

"Let's look around. Maybe we can find something. Mother loves riddles and puzzles, and mother surely is a very secretive person. I know she hides something not even her evil husband knows about." Alexina said and immediately went to the overturned office table.

Alexina meticulously looked at it, to see if she could find something like a book or a map but she failed. She goes to the shelves but she passes by the tall mirror that's stuck in the wall. Alexina stands in front of it. Alexina can see herself, hair down and there's a rose clip clipping her hair in front, and wearing her dress. Alexina remembers that if she visits her mother, her mothers always lifts her and faces the mirror.

"Look how beautiful you are. But you know, my dear Alexina. Red roses suit you more than black ones, so let's change it." Alexa whispered to her, and took out the black rose pin in Alexina's hair, and changed it into a red rose.

"That's better. You are red, as you brought me courage as I was giving to you and black as the God of Death gave you their blessing the moment you are born. Airene is yellow as she brings happiness and positivity when she laughs instead of crying the moment she was born, her twin Arenie is orange as she has a lot of enthusiasm and passion, lastly Antheia is purple as your sister shows great wisdom and dignity. Each of our roses represents something. Remember that." Alexa said while stroking the 4 year old Alexina's hair.

"Then mother, what color of roses do you have?" Alexina innocently asked, and Alexa smiled before kissing her cheeks.

"It's bloody red. The meaning is secret but let me give you two. It's loyalty and love." Alexina giggles as her mother keeps attacking her with kisses.

"You're crying." Alexina snapped back from her memory Cale appeared in front of her and wiped her tears.

"Ahh...just remember something." Alexina wiped her tears. Cale went behind her, and put his hands on her shoulder.

"You know. As I was watching you earlier. I'm not seeing you in the mirror. Instead another woman. Focus and stare at the mirror." Cale whispered in her ears, so Alexina did what Cale told her to.

As she was staring, the figure in front of the mirror started to look like a person that she's very familiar with.

"Mother." Alexina blutered out, and the figure of her mother wearing the same clothes that she's wearing when she pushed Alexina out of their house so she can survive. Her figure is bloody and she's holding her side where she looks like she's hurt but her eyes are still alive.

"At this point, I'm already dead and I know that you, my child are alive and I was able to help you escape from him. If you're watching this for the Nether gates then let me give you a clue that you and your sibling know, not even that person knows about this as he is the outsider in our family. He just bears the name Libtina because I married him. The gods are always with us, thus Labitina exists. They exist to serve under them and close the gates. Roses to tighten the chains, and the gods will close it. That's the purpose of Libitina."

"I don't know who you are out of my 12 children, but I know you're my children. At this point, I'm really hoping that you are alive and well together with your other sibling.I'm sorry if I do such things because I want you to survive. I hope you will forgive my mother. Remember that, I'm always with you and your siblings. Keep yourself strong, my love." Alexina looked at her mother who was smiling in the mirror like she's not hurt, and with the last wave, her reflection disappeared.

"Did you get the clue, mother in law is referring to?" Cale asked, and Alexina turned around to face him and wrapped her hands on his neck.

'Mother in law, huh? God, you're making me fall harder Cale Henituse.'

"I did. It's very obvious." Alexina said before closing the gap between them and crashed her lips into him. Cale kissed her back and licked her bottom lips asking for permission, Alexina slightly opened her mouth making it accessible to Cale. He deepens the kiss more deeply, the make out session starts to get rougher, Alexina can feel the sting when he bites her lips, and can taste the slight iron taste in her lips. Tongues swirled around each other, both of them fighting for dominance. They only broke apart when they slowly lost their breath. There was a string of saliva between their lips.

"Let's go to my old room. The clue will be there." Alexina said and kissed peck Cale's lips for the last time and intertwined their fingers before dragging him again. Cale looked back at the mirror and slightly bowed to show his respect.