A Rose Made of Shadows

Chapter One

Why is it that so many people think everyone else hates them when it's not even true? Just because a few people hate you doesn't mean everyone else does.

I should know because I went through all of this myself not too long ago, but I managed to get ahold of myself well enough. It may seem hard at times to be happy and enjoy life but it's certainly possible, and only if you make yourself think positively and not beating yourself up all the time.

Every night I find myself thinking about these things, looking up at the ceiling, through the window and at the star-filled sky, wondering how I can make myself a better member of this world.

My house is fairly small, consisting of just two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living room, attic, and basement. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit too humble, but it still feels like a small house to me. The basement hasn't really been used much and looks more like a cave than an actual basement, if anything. There's a small garden outside surrounded by a white picket fence with a couple of flowers around it, and there's a white birdbath in the middle. A single tree stands at the back, its branches swaying like a dancer's arms in the wind, and a family of Spearow have made their nest in the sturdier area of a branch nearer to the trunk of the tree.

Despite the age of the house, it's still in pretty good condition, and although it doesn't suit my tastes quite well, I can deal with it just fine. I don't have an alarm clock but rather rely on a Hoothoot that perches on my window every morning. On special occasions, like on birthdays and holidays, the Hoothoot doesn't "hoot" but rather says, "HEHE. HEHE. HEHE." Why, I'll probably never know.

I woke up pretty tired that morning and managed to see the Hoothoot fly away from the window, having done its job. I'm quite an early bird myself, getting up around 6 in the morning while going to sleep usually around 9 or 10 at night. After trying to fall asleep again and failing a few times, I finally decided to get up and made my way downstairs.

I went into the kitchen to make myself some pancakes and grabbed some cereal. While I was waiting for the pancakes to be done, I turned on the tv and saw there was a breaking news alert on the news channel.

"For those of you who have just joined us, there was an explosion at the Vanilla Factory's south wing this morning, and 4 of the 7 generators that powered the plant are gone. This incident happened just a few hours ago as eyewitnesses saw a fireball gash through the building's side. Some of the eyewitnesses also reported a large shadow moving over the factory but the source of said shadow is unknown. There are no fatalities reported at this time. We'll continue providing more information as we obtain it."

["Huh, that's odd. 4 generators gone? Who could've done that? And for what?"]

In all honesty, I didn't really give it much thought at that time. Just a hint of curiosity that died out quickly. Maybe because I was too tired, maybe because the pancakes were finally done. I don't know, but it didn't strike me as something of high concern.

I changed to an anime channel and started eating my pancakes. But shortly afterward, someone knocked at the door.

I quickly got up and went over to open the door, and saw Raizel standing there.

"Hey Rosa!", Raizel said with a smile.

"Hey Rai! What's happening today?"

"Glad you asked. We're having a picnic down by the beach later today. Well, it's more of a party than a picnic, but you get the idea. Wanna join us?"

"A picnic? Sure!", I said with excitement. "I was going to get bored later anyways."

Raizel laughed a little and looked back towards her silver Lamborghini. She got it for her birthday last year and it's still in pretty good condition despite it being the car she used for driving practice.

And then, from the car emerged a Raichu with a rather chibi look to it. Of course, it was none other than Chibi Chu.

"Hey Rosa!", Chibi Chu said, scurrying towards where Raizel was.

"Hai Chibi!", I replied. "You're going to the picnic as well?"

"Of course! I've been dying to go to the beach again for a while now."

At that moment, Raizel's phone rang.

"Hello?... yeah, what's up?... of course they're coming, they're with me right n— what?! It's at noon?! I thought we settled on 3!... ugh, fine... ok... see ya."

"Uh, Rai... who was that?", Chibi Chu asked.

Raizel sighed. "It's Haroff. He said the picnic was rescheduled to noon..."

"Well, it's almost 11 right now, and the trip is pretty long—should we leave now?", I asked.

"Might as well," Raizel replied. "We'll wait here so you can get yourself ready."

With that, I went back inside and packed up everything I needed: food, surfboard, chairs, more food, umbrella, even more food... you get the idea. I also took the time to quickly eat the rest of my breakfast and put the dishes away, disregarding the mess I left behind. When I was finished taking out everything, Raizel and Chibi Chu helped out in putting it all in the back of the car, with the equipment barely being able to fit at all.

"Alright then, let's go", Raizel said, getting into the car.

"Beach time!", Chibi Chu said.

"Woo!", I added.

I looked out of the car window as we drove off. It was a clear and sunny day with a few clouds floating overhead, and the wind was a nice, gentle breeze. Towards the east was where the Plain Vanilla mountains resided, a mountain range that stretches for nearly a hundred miles, and west lay another forest that eventually gives way to the ocean, the direction in which we were heading.

I kept thinking about what that day would bring us, being at the beach and all. Something crazy always happens whenever everyone gets together for an event, so nothing was too farfetched.

Almost nothing...