BLACK ROSE (COMPLETED)

17 -

I shook my arm free, but Kerem wouldn't let go. "Would you please let me go?"

"Ece, look... Let's sit and talk for a bit."

"I don't want to talk to you!" I shrieked.

At that moment, Sinem entered the room with a drink in hand. Seeing us, she shouted, "Hey! Let go of her!"

Kerem snapped, "Stay out of this, Sinem."

Sinem, stammering slightly, replied, "I won't get involved, but my friends will." I didn't understand what she meant.

Suddenly, Kerem screamed in pain and began shaking his leg. I looked down in curiosity. To my astonishment, the tallest of the cacti standing on the coffee table had leaned over and pressed its spines into Kerem's leg. And it didn't stop there. The cactus pulled back and then struck his leg again with its spiny body.

The smaller cacti in the decorative pots on the table seemed to cheer their larger sibling on, swaying their bodies from side to side as if in a dance. The most charming of them all was a tiny purple cactus, no bigger than my thumb, with a red flower atop it resembling a little hat.

Kerem, in his agony, released his grip on my arm. Taking advantage of this, I stepped away from him, eyes wide as I continued to watch the cacti's attack. I wondered if I was dreaming and pinched my arm to check. The pain confirmed it was no dream.

After Kerem backed away from the table, he bent down and started to pluck the cactus spines from his leg one by one. "Sinem, tell your friends to stop attacking me. I've let Ece go, okay!"

Sinem raised her hand towards the three cacti on the table as if signaling 'enough'. She then approached the plants. "Thank you, Lora," she said to the largest cactus. That must have been its name.

Lora slowly straightened back to its original position.

Kerem grumbled as he left the room, while Sinem casually sat on the long couch.

"Can you talk to cacti?" I asked, standing by the table.

"Yes," Sinem replied. "Not just with them, but with all plants. I help them, and they help me. It's a gift I've had since birth."

"Wow... They said everyone in our class has a superpower. So this is yours, Sinem. It's quite impressive. You're like a real-life version of Ivy from the Batman movies!"

"Thank you, Ece. But I have one crucial difference from Ivy."

"What's that?"

"Ivy doesn't have a sweet friend like you," Sinem said, smiling at me.

"My dear!" I sat down next to Sinem and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're here." I held her tightly for a few seconds, squeezing the life out of her before letting go, to ensure she could breathe.

Truth be told, I was fascinated by Sinem's cacti. I stood up and leaned closer to examine the cactus family on the table. Since they had scared off Kerem, they hadn't moved. They stood there as if the earlier events had never happened. "Please thank Lora for me. She's my hero. But I especially love this little one with the red flower that looks like a hat," I said, pointing to the smallest cactus.

"Lina," Sinem called to the hatted cactus. "Ece really likes you."

To my amazement, Lina gently tilted her spines aside in a small section of her body.

"Is she waving at me?" I asked excitedly.

"No. She wants you to pet her."

"Oh, you sweet thing!" I hesitated a moment before slowly moving my hand towards Lina's de-spined area. I gently ran my index finger over the soft part of the tiny purple cactus, and she didn't budge. "If you keep being so adorable, giving me these cute poses, I might just have to take you home with me! I think I'll ask Derin if I can take this plant tonight."