The Poisonous Rose

Chapter Four

Lucas gave her food, though she didn't eat it. She took the basket Fay and Nissa had given her and ate a roll a day. On the third day that Lucas had been gone, Forsythia wished she could get out of this room. She wanted to know more. There were obviously so many things Lucas wasn't telling her. She wanted to find out the truth.

She looked around her room for anything that might be able to unlock the door. As she rummaged through the chest, she found a small box. She took the cover off and saw an old key inside. It didn't look like it would fit in the door, but she tried it anyway. She let out a frustrated sigh when it didn't work. She sat down on the bed and looked around, wondering what the key went to.

She looked around her room only to finish searching empty handed. There was nothing with a lock that was locked. They key wouldn't even fit in any of the boxes. She went over to the window and with a sudden jolt realized that's what the key went to. She put the key in the lock and it opened.

She bit her lip as she looked down the wall. It would be a long way down and there were no vines for her to climb down. Jumping obviously wouldn't work. She'd either be severely hurt or killed. She was just about to give up when she realized there were some stones in the castle wall that had come loose and stood out. It would be very difficult. She decided to try it anyway.

She hiked her skirt up to her thighs and swung her legs over the windowsill. Her foot searched for a stone to step on until it found one. She continued on like this, barely holding onto the wall with her hands. She nearly slipped a hundred times. She hoped she would never have to do this again.

Her hair stuck to her forehead as she climbed down. It was dreadfully hot outside. Nevertheless, Forsythia was glad to be outside, even if she was climbing down a wall. The warm air might have been hot, but it was still fresh air.

Forsythia's foot landed on a stone, but the stone cracked and fell. She slipped and nearly lost her other footing. She gasped, breathing hard. She looked down and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Lucas standing on the ground, his arms crossed, looking up at her.

Now Forsythia did fall. She lost her grip on the stones and her foot slipped. She fell backwards, screaming as she fell to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the blow, only to find herself caught by two strong arms.

She looked up in astonishment to see Lucas looking back down at her, an eyebrow raised. "Do I even want to know why you were climbing down that wall?" he inquired.

Forsythia was too shocked to answer. She had been expecting to hit the ground and break her bones. Instead she was in Lucas's arms. She realized that she was still in his arms and quickly squirmed to get out of them. Lucas set her down and she quickly took a few steps away from him. She wanted to thank him, though she was still upset about everything he'd said to her. Instead of saying anything, she walked away from him, around the castle until she was at the front.

Before Forsythia had a chance to climb the three stone steps to the door, her attention was caught by the black rosebush. She went over and knelt in front of it. It was horrifyingly beautiful. Forsythia reached out a hand to touch one of the roses when Lucas's voice yelled, "Don't touch that!" She jerked her hand back and stood up quickly. Lucas stood near her, his expression alarmed.

"Why not?" Forsythia asked. "You won't tell me anything else, but you could at least tell me that." She crossed her arms stubbornly. Her eyes dared him to tell her.

"The thorns are poisonous," Lucas said so quietly, Forsythia almost missed it.

"Why do you have this here if they're poisonous?" Forsythia wondered.