White Rose

Fiona symphatizes

Delphine growled under her breath as her gaze wandered over the crowded school ground. It was report card day, or to put it in simpler words, the pointless day that teachers presume will pressure the students into studying harder for the following test. Delphine had just lost sight of her father. She stood on the tip of her toes, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of him. He was a tall man, but so were all the other fathers in the school compound.
She didn't find her father, but her gesture did attract the eye of the unwanted. The unwanted that went by the name of Fiona Lakes.
Fiona was the school's eccentric little daddy's girl. Her daddy wasn't with her today, but her mother was. Mrs Lakes had taken to ignoring her only daughter as she engaged herself in an animated discussion about the school's cleanliness with her childhood friend, Miss Gress. That left Fiona to search for a friend to entertain herself with.
She saw Delphine's brown head pop out of the crowd and then disappear again as she saw Fiona.
"Uh oh" Delphine said, immediately shrinking back into the crowd like a tortoise vanishing into its shell. Then she wished that she hadn't shrunk back into the crowd, for she became wedged in between the two fat aunts of one of the students. Their odor of old women and cabbages hit her hard and she longed to shove them aside roughly. However, her parents had educated her well enough for her to know her moral values. She was close enough to hear their conversation, though they were well unaware of it.
"_ died last week"
"Yes, I heard. The poor thing... Imagine having to lose her mother at such a young age"
"It wasn't a natural death, Maggie! Did you know that?"
"What do you mean?"
Delphine staggered. She glared at the woman, not caring about their odor anymore. These women dedicated their lives to gossip day and night, she thought angrily. She elbowed one of the women out of the way, much to her shock, and stomped across the school compound. This time, her pace didn't slow down. Her brisk walk immediately caused people to make way for her.
The only one who dared to step in her way was Lakes.
"Hello, Delphine" Fiona drawled. Delphine was not in the mood to homour her.
"What?"she snapped, irritably. Fiona looked taken aback.
"Um... I'm sorry if I bothered you. Were you busy?"she apologized, sheepishly. Delphine's eyes softened.
"No, not really. What did you want to tell me?"she asked. Fiona gave her a weird look. She seemed to be trying to recall something in the distant past.
"Fiona?"
She jumped. "Oh, yes sorry. Something else distracted me. What were you saying, Delphine?"
Delphine rolled her eyes exasperatedly, not trying to be polite in the least. The girl was wasting her time. "Nothing, Lakes. I'll see you around alright. I'm kinda busy now... just lost my dad... he seems to have been devoured by the crowd" she told Fiona, coldly civil. Just as she was about to turn on her heels, Fiona landed her hand on her shoulder. Her touch was gentle, but firm. Delphine was about to swirl around angrily and scold her, but the look on Fiona's face stole her words.
Fiona looked like a corpse. Her face was pale and her head was hanging limply, as if it was held up with a string like the ones that they use for puppets. Delphine could have sworn that her pale blue eyes had flashed silver for a few moments.
"Please receive my deepest condolences for the loss of your mother"she said, quietly. Delphine stared at her, stunned. Fiona snapped out of her trance in a quick second.
"Oh, and I think I saw your dad with Mrs Lian. They were by the science lab"she cried, her tone switching back to its usual cheerfulness. Delphine forced a smile and turned away, too shocked to mumble a thank you. She made her way to the science lab, all the while thinking of Fiona. It was not a wonder why the girl had been labeled as the school's unofficial loser. Delphine caught sight of her father with her english teacher, Mrs Lian. Her father was instantly distinguishable, with his trademark dark blue coat and his charming goatee. His hair, as brown as his daughter's, was slightly longer than most men and his eyes were the colour of deepest hazel. They used to be full of arrogance to the brim. Nowadays it was mixed with a foreboding hint of sorrow.
Mrs Lian shot Delphine a reproachful glare from under her eyeglass and walked away, giving a final nod to Delphine's father. Mark Renes turned to his daughter and fixed her with a grave look. He wasn't happy with her, that much was obvious.
He didn't say anything but ignored her icily and walked away, twirling his car keys in his fingers. Delphine sighed. She knew what awaited her in the car. Sulkily, she followed him out of the school, determinedly avoiding Fiona's eye. Their car was parked a mile down the street, past other luxurious, grand cars that Delphine would have ogled at if her mood had permitted it. Delphine's father pulled open the door of his second hand, run down car and got into the drivers seat. Delphine hesitated slightly before popping onto the seat next to him.
Mark didn't turn on the engine immediately. He had a few words for Delphine before he could think of anything else. She braced herself.
"Did you honestly think that you could lie to me about your test results and get away with it?"he asked, glaring at her, gritting his teeth. His eyes searched his daughter's face intently. Delphine didn't look at him.
"I told you that I received an A in the English test. Its true" she said flatly.
"How is it that Mrs Lian told me that you had the lowest grades in class? An E to be precise!"he snapped.
"You asked me my English test results, and I told you. I was the highest in the class for the last test" she said, still with that flat tone of hers. Mark's insides boiled. He looked like he was about to hit her.
"Don't lie!!! You_ wait. What do you mean, the last test?"
"I got an A on my last test" she said simply. Mark's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I did not ask for your previous test results, Delphine" he said, his voice with forced patience.
"Then you should have been more precise with your question"
Her father was so furious that he slammed his fist on the steering wheel and pressed the horn. He forcefully turned on the engine and steered the car out of the parking, all the while fuming with red cheeks. As they travelled, Delphine stole looks at her father from the corner of her eye. His face was hard and he appeared to be concentrating on his driving more carefully than usual.
"You're grounded, young lady. For a month" he said quietly without looking at her. Delphine looked disconcerted. It made next to no difference to her whether or not she was grounded. She had lost interest in sleepovers and parties ages ago.
"We are going on a road trip tomorrow"he continued. Delphine looked flabbergasted at that. She turned away from the window to look at him.
"A road trip? Why?"she asked, appalled.
"I think its high time you forgot about your problems. We can do whatever you like. I'm planning on taking you to that concert that you teenagers are dying for these days_"
"Its an One Direction perform_"
"Whatever. Then we can go fishing, and some mountain climbing if you like. Or perhaps you'd like to visit the local zoo or the Art Museum?"he suggested.
Delphine shrugged. "I'll go wherever you take me"she mumbled.
Mark scowled. After a few minutes, he sighed.
"You have always been a tough nut to crack. I have no idea how your mother handled you by herself"he stated coolly. Delphine frowned at his frank statement. He was, in a way right about her being a tough nut. However, he wasn't done there. What followed was much worse.
"You hardly speak to me since Annalise left us"he said. Delphine stared at him, feeling rather uncomfortable. He rarely mentioned her mother around her. It had often led Delphine to think that her father didn't really miss his wife.
"That's not true"she said softly. The car became silent again.
"Dad..."
"Hmmm?"
"Do you miss her?"
Mark didn't immediately answer her question, though he didn't seem to be pounding for an answer either. He seemed to be wondering whether or not to reply. Eventually, he didn't come up with a satisfactory answer.
"I understand that she has gone on to a better place. Wherever she is, she is happy"he croaked. Delphine had half a mind to ask him how he knew that, but she bit her lip to prevent herself from acting on the impulse.
"If you're not interested in the road trip... I don't see why I should waste my salary on you"he said, after a while. Delphine didn't say a word. There was an unusual distance between father and daughter that day. It had been that way since Annalise Renes had taken off. They reached their house, a yellow, rather old looking terrace with only three rooms in it. Delphine got out of the car, and made her way across the driveway. On the porch, her white kitten, Frutti, was prancing about with the distinct arrogance of a persian cat. Frutti regarded its mistress rather critically before allowing her to pat it. Mark came up behind them and opened the door, ignoring the kitten.
Delphine picked Frutti up and followed him in. Her house wasn't a very tidy one. The hall was small and consisted of a red sofa, a small television set and the only elegant object in the whole house. It was a pink vase with floral designs etched on it. Protuding from the soil in the vase, was a lovely rose tree. It had dozens of red roses and very sharp thorns that could cut your finger just by looking at it.
The vase was under an open window, to provide it with unlimited sunshine. The rose tree held a special place in Delphine's heart. It was her mother's, a gift given to her by her grandmother, Delphine's great-grandmother. Her mother used to remind her daughter, that the flowers will never wilt. She was right. The rose tree was a special one. Not a soul had watered it since her great grandmother had handed it to her mother. Even Annalise didn't bother to water or fertilize it; though Mark kept insisting that there really was nothing out of the ordinary about the rose tree. Today, Delphine noticed a difference. She dropped Frutti on the floor and marched over for a closer look at the tree, wondering if she had imagined it. In the midst of all the other roses, there was a small white rose bud, hidden under the leaves of one of the red roses. Delphine looked confused. She called her father. He came out of the room, now wearing a cherry red shirt and tracks.
He was holding a peice of paper and a pen.
"Dad, come and look at this. There's a white rose bud growing amongst the red ones. Is that even possible?"she asked. Mark looked at her and shrugged absently.
"Well if there is a white rose with the red ones, then there's your answer. It is possible"he told her. He plopped onto the sofa and patted the seat next to him. Delphine joined him, eyeing the blank peice of paper that he was having.
"Since you've decided to rebel against your own father nowadays, I am forced to get you under my harsh thumb"he began, rather nastily.
Delphine interwined her fingers together in alarm.
"I am going to list down every single mistake that you've made so far and write a suitable punishment for it, should you have the nerve to do it again"he explained. Delphine nodded grimly.
"First, lying to one's own father" he said and wrote it down along with its punishment.
"Then, cheeking one's own father when he asks questions" he continued.
"Third, stealing from one's own father"
Delphine muted her ears as he went on, listing down fifty-six rules and its punishments. Finally, he was done.
"Did you get them?"he asked.
Delphine nodded wearily. He was still angry, even after that.
"I'm sorry, dad" Delphine mumbled. Mark, who had proceeded to tape the paper onto the wall for further reference, paused. He turned around and regarded his daughter. She looked genuinely upset. He sighed. Tearing down the paper, he crumpled it up and threw it into the bin. Delphine blinked.
"An apology was what I was looking for. Now get ready, we're going out for dinner today. How about pizza?"he asked, handing her a brochure.
Delphine grinned. "Pizza sounds good dad"
                                                                           *
Delphine had never been more sorry for being grounded. It had been two weeks since her father found out about her low test results and to tell the truth, he wasn't at all friendly with his daughter like he used to be. In fact, he made her life a living hell. He forbid visits from her friends, banned wechat and shut down her facebook account without her permission. He had infuriated her so much, that she literally stopped speaking to him for a week. They were at each other's throats at every chance.
"Dad, I need to buy more organic soil for mum's tree"
"It doesn't need water. Why would it need soil? Or are you finally admitting that its just like any other ordinary rose plant?"
"Its special, dad"
"Then it doesn't need soil"
"Mum told me that its special!"
"Just like all the other thousand things that she's labelled as 'special'"
Delpine had given up. In the end, she'd had to ask her friend to buy the soil for her. Delphine made it her daily chore to take care of the rose plant. She believed that it was special, despite her father's suggestions. The white rose bud had grown larger and she was convinced that it would bloom any day now.
School was not much better than home. Mrs Lian had publicized her dishonesty towards her father in a matter of hours. She had to make sure that Delphine had learnt her lesson. That day, Mrs Lian had been taken ill and could not attend class. Miss Gress, Delphine's social studies teacher was assigned to relief the lesson. Miss Gress gave them the period off and took them to the library.
"Well, I don't see why you're complaining. I mean, you did lie to him you know"one of Delphine's best friends pointed out, looking up from the book that he was reading. Xavier Andrews was a very scrawny boy, with hair that resembled a bird's nest and watery eyes that were hidden behind a pair of spectacles. Delphine sighed. Xavier wouldn't understand. He understood nothing except studies and books.
"I didn't lie because I wanted to wriggle out of trouble. I knew that he would find out eventually. I... I..."she said, trying to find an appropriate explanation. Xavier's eyebrows shot up.
"I have no idea why I did it!"she exclaimed. Xavier rolled his eyes exasperatedly and went back to his book. Delphine couldn't say another word to him after that because he had been too caught up with his history book.
"Do you think_"
"Shh.."
By the time school was over, Delphine had become so furious that she wanted to hurl a hard book at anyone who crossed her path. She sat at the bus stop, waiting for the accursed, late school bus after a day of listening to Xavier ramble on and on about history. The rest of the sudents sat far away from her, talking to their own gangs. Delphine was in a foul mood. She sat on the given bench, stretching out her legs. She thought about her father, she thought about her mother, she thought about Xavier, she thought about Fiona... Subconsciously, she clenched her hands into fists and stuffed them into her pocket.
She was so lost in thought that it took a moment or two to realize the occurance when someone tripped over her legs. She snapped out of her thoughts and stared at the boy on the ground. He had chestnut brown hair, an attractive face and very big brown eyes. Delphine got to her feet and gave him her hand.
Other students were staring at the boy as well. Delphine had never seen him around before. She wasn't very popular, but she could remember a face as well as she could remember her own house address. The boy did not have the least intention to take her hand. He got himself up and brushed the dust off him.
"Sorry, I wasn't_"
The boy waved it off, giving her an impatient look. His eyes wandered on her, as if inspecting her for signs of terrorism. Delphine caught her breath sharply. He grabbed her by the shoulder and glared at her.
"Meet me at Crascurt Alley if you want to stay alive. Tomorrow night, at ten. Don't be late. Until then, keep an eye on the white rose"he said urgently. He didn't let go. She stared at him, not really sure what to say. She wanted to punch him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, out of fear for herself of course. He looked a year older than she was and he had a rather rough hand. "Do you understand?"he demanded, shaking her.
"Leave her alone"
The both of them turned around to face the owner of the new voice. Delphine had never been more relieved to see Fiona. Delphine took a moment to marvel at Fiona's unnerving beauty. She had her auburn hair in a messy bun today and her eyes sparked a vivid blue. They were full of impertinence as they glared at the boy.
The boy released Delphine's shoulder and ran off, but not before throwing back a cold look at Fiona. Delphine hadn't realized that he'd been holding her breath until well after the boy was out of sight. She looked at Fiona, who was deliberately meddling with her backpack.
"Thank you, Fiona"Delphine said, with a shaky breath. Fiona turned away from her bag and gave Delphine one of her weird looks again.
"Are you going to meet him tomorrow?"she asked. Delphine looked around at the other kids in the bus stop. They had allowed their attention as long as the boy was there. After he was gone, not a single delinquent turned its head.
"Of course not. He was physco!"Delphine exclaimed, cringing at the thought. Fiona tilted her head.
"Why do you think that?"she asked. Delphine shrugged.
"How could he not be one?"she asked, laughing nervously. Fiona smiled.
"Maybe you should think about it. He knew something about your white rose"she advised.
"Well, that was weird. How could he have_ Wait a second. Do you know about my rose plant?"Delphine asked, her voice pitching slightly. Fiona smiled again, this time with a hint of slyness. She looked over Delphine's shoulder.
"I'll talk with you tomorrow, Delphine. My dad's here" she said cheerfully and waved to her as she walked across the road. Delphine thought she heard Fiona chuckling to herself as she went. She stared after her grey car, with a thousand thoughts running through her mind. She could hear the sound of the school bus approaching the bus stop. She bit her lip, running through the thoughts in her turbulent mind. Should she meet the boy tomorrow night, was the question that took the lions share of her mind.

Personal note from me: Thank you for taking the time to read my first chapter. I will be forever grateful to you for your support and selflessness. There is more to come, I assure you. If you would like to comment on anything, please feel free to comment on the comment section. Hope you guys like my work.
Love, Su.