Remembering Rose

Chapter Ten- Leaving Knox

Lilith's POV:
There are a lot of things I never understood. Like why do people enjoy math, or how come birds attack windows, or what makes people decide their lives are worth less than another's? How can someone come to such a conclusion? I pondered that last thought quite a bit as Galen dragged me away from Knox, my screams echoing in the alleyway and sending goosebumps up a listener's arms. Knox--my best friend's quiet and smiling big brother--looking back at me only once, with eyes so dark I hardly recognized them.
"Galen get her back to Farley," Knox growled, his voice dangerous and icy.
Fear ripped though my heart. "Don't do this for me, you twat! You bloody tosser, they will murder you," I shrieked. But I was ignored. Galen threw me over his shoulder and stumbled away from Knox's towering figure.
I beat on Galen's broad shoulders, my vicious struggles hardly even deterring him. What a sight we must've been; covered in grime and blood, hair wild and eyes barely holding back ugly tears. "Lilith, shut up," Galen hissed when we began to near the crowded city streets. He pulled me down from his tattooed shoulder and shook me softly. "We have to get back to The Base and make sure the others are alright," he reasoned.
I turned to look back the way we'd come, halfway expecting The Reds to be charging after us, their guns pointed at our shaking bodies. "Are you really asking me to abandon him," I hissed, not even bothering to turn back to Galen. My heart constricted just at the thought.
I heard Galen let out a devastated huff before he took me by the arm and begun towing me farther and farther from where we'd left Knox behind. "I'm asking you to think, Lilith," he sighed, "We are just two kids against twenty Reds. We need to get back up, weapons...our friends. Phoenix won't kill Knox, she might get him damn near dead, but she won't kill him. So we use that--get our shit together--then we save him. Understand?"
I felt my anger and frustration melt away and clarity slowly took their place. Galen was right, there was no way to save Knox unless we had the other Reaper. So I nodded and let him lead me back home.
*******
Galen and I made it back to the flat just as darkness overtook the city and plunged the world into darkness. The lamps lining the street flickered on and the sound of London's night life began to fill the air. It was the most beautiful cacophony. As the pair of us trudged up the seven flights of rickety stairs to Peony and Galen's floor a dread settled in my stomach.
Peony and Phoenix had always had a complex history, so horribly intwined that neither could ever expect to escape unscathed. They were constantly pitted against each other, fighting over Fate's latest treasure, attempting to find their own bit of happiness. They were two sides of the same coin, desperate to win a game no one else knew was being played. Their chaos had ensnared many and stolen the lives of plenty, but the one who always got hurt the most was Knox. He'd always been the witness to both of the fiery girls horrors. He'd been loved and betrayed by them both. He knew them better than anyone, and he was the eye of their hurricane.
So when Peony found out Phoenix had him in her clutches again the dark side of her usual light self would make its terrible reappearance.
Galen and I approached her yellow door and stood quietly outside it for a moment. The voices inside confirmed that Peony and Walker had made it back, they were cooing over Rose with gentle voices and quiet laughter.
Galen took a deep breath and pushed the door open. No one seemed to notice our entrance until Rose let out an excited squeal. My heart suddenly swelled with warm affection and I held out my arms needing to hug her desperately. She quickly filled them, asking no questions or demanding no explanation. She was simply glad I was there.
When Rose detached herself from my embrace she glomped onto Galen, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face into the nook of his neck. Like always Galen took a moment to react, he was constantly surprised by Rose's affection, but his arms eventually pulled her close and returned her embrace. This time though he closed his eyes and burying his face in her wild gold curls. That's when Peony noticed Knox's absence.
"Lil, where is my brother," she asked while her eyes checked the space behind me for any sign of his tall figure. "Did he go over to Vanessa's or something?"
I attempted to answer her, I really did, but the words refuse to escape my mouth. It was Galen that admitted the truth, "He was taken by the Reds."
Peony's knees buckled, forcing Walker to quickly grab a hold of her.
"What happened? I am completely out of the loop here," Farley exclaimed at the same moment.
Galen released his hold of Rose and motioned everyone to the kitchen. We sat in our usual seats, Farley and I holding hands and sitting at the left side of the table, Peony sitting across from me, Galen standing by the window, and Walker leaning on the kitchen counter. Knox's seat next to Peony remained empty. Poor Rose stood in the doorway, clutching the wooden frame, not quite sure of what was happening and yet unable to stay uninvolved.
Galen coughed once, then began explaining how the mission had been a set up the whole time. We had been lead straight into a trap, only realizing it when Dias (one of the younger gang members) had noticed a familiar Red posing as the buyer's guard. As soon as Dias warned us the facade slipped from the Reds' hold and the guns had been brought out. The warehouse was suddenly filled with the clatter of bullets, stench of gun smoke, and sticky blood. Galen recounted how everyone had split up in hopes of escape, as well as how our group had been pinpointed by Phoenix herself. Peony added at that moment that around the same time she and Walker discovered the mole who had outted the transaction and informed the Reds. Farley growled at the recognition of the mole's name, having gone on a mission with him previously.
The tale of our escape soon came to the part where we had to leave Knox and I turned away from Peony's distressed face. My eyes looked to Rose, but I found the doorway was empty. Knowing she had most likely gotten bored of the recounting of the day's events and had silently slipped away I didn't worry. Instead I turned back to my friends and listened as Galen began conducting a plan.
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Hello all you beautiful people! I am so sorry I haven't updated in like a century, I've been dealing with quite a bit of life recently. Thank you though to everyone whose stuck with this story, I'm so happy that there are people out there who are beginning to love Rose and the Gang.
Now I also want to warn you all that these characters all have very complex pasts and I want to reveal them in the right way, so please be patient with all the cryptic bits it will eventually make sense...eventually.
Also the pic is Galen!Love ya'll!!
-agirlmadeofstars :)