TAINTED ROSE

Chapter 22

“Rose!” Adolpha yelled, grimacing as she woke up in a dark room.

“Adolpha!” Ally rasped, crawling over to her side. They were the only ones in the room.

  A draft blew and it chilled Adolpha's bare shoulders, who was clad only in her shorts and a bandage. “Huh? What happened to my uniform? And my jacket?” She wrapped her arms around her chest and blushed.

“I bandaged you. Rose shot you remember? Does it still hurt? I dug it out with Crystal's knife.” Ally looked pale with shock and fatigue.

 “Nah thanks. Where's Rose, Sherry? Pearlyn?” She grabbed Ally, shaking her by the shoulders, grimacing as the action sent a wave of agony up her arm.

  “Gone. Don't strain your shoulder! You were shot!” Ally protested weakly but Adolpha rounded on her heavily.

“I don't care! Where are they? Answer me!” Adolpha gripped her collar with one hand and with immerse strength hurled the heavier girl up, shoving her roughly against the wall.

  “With Rose… She left me here to bandage you up…” Ally gasped, struggling against the other girl's rough grip. “Wants to have the last battle she says.”

  Her friends at the mercy of Rose, Adolpha released her grip and slumped down on the ground, Ally scrambling after her. Tears streaked her cheeks as she thought of how her friends could be at the mercy of the ruthless Rose. No doubt they would be hurt.

  “Why didn't she just go after me? Why the others? I'm the one she's after.” Adolpha shook her head sadly. “Adolpha, she just wants to break you into submission. Stay strong. You're the man, remember?” A smile twisted on Ally's lips, Adolpha looking up from grief.

“Huh? A day's break?” Adolpha cracked her neck, soothing the ache in her neck. “Yeah. Would you quit that?” Pearlyn looked freaked out, her hands pulling on her collar, a grimace on her mouth. “Sherry! Doesn't that freak you out?” Pearlyn shook Sherry's shoulder.

  “Nah got used to it.” Sherry smiled, affectionately punching Adolpha on the shoulder. “Ow, and stop whacking people!” Pearlyn whined. Adolpha raised her eyebrows and twirled her index finger anti-clockwise, her gesture for ‘Rewind’ as Sherry liked to put it.

  “They get a day off, those smarties.” Pearlyn shook her head. “Lucky pigs,” Helen whined. “Sherry missed the mark by one.” Natasha looked up from her math practice. “Really?” Adolpha got excited. “Sherry, you're The Man!” Pumping her fist in the air, her unfinished knots hanging. Everyone looked in shock at the usually stone faced was not so expressive.

   Laughing, Rose grinned and pumped her fist too, a girly way, “You're the man!” She mimicked Adolpha's accent and low tones. “Oh Rose!” That set off a round of bawdy laughter.

“Yeah, I'm the man.” Sherry grinned, fist bumping Adolpha. She could always count on her friends to cheer her up…

“I'm the man…” Sherry mumbled to herself, wincing at the large gash that was inflicted on her head. She was tied to a netball pole, and opposite on the little island was Pearlyn, tied to another netball pole. She was terrified.

  “Pearlyn?” She called out. “Yeah?” A stutter came across the acid pool, with metal crocodiles swimming in it. “I read about this kind of stuff in books, but why are they in the Indoor Sports Hall? And the water turned to acid?” Sherry tried to give a snarky laugh but it was shaky and she wept bitterly at the rawness of betrayal.

  “Aw, Sherry? You are sad? Don't cry, it's not you I'm after.” Ensconced on the grandstand chair where the principal usually sat, was Rose, delicately pulling the petal off a rose.

The one she had picked before she had betrayed them. All of them.

  “Who then? Adol?” Pearlyn looked up, her long hair dishevelled from captivity.

“Yes, she is indeed my target. She is a piece on my chessboard. You are just pawns in my game, this Game of Life.” Scattering the petals, its deadly scent surrounded the area, her friends filled with nausea.

  “I played a part in the death of that maid of yours, Pearlyn. And your parents too Sherry. Do you both not recall the crystal vase and the roses? Well, it just so happens that one of the pieces was called ‘Crystal’ and I used a crystal vase to avoid detection.”

  “Why are you doing this? What is this ‘Game of Life’ about?” Sherry demanded her fear for her friend over ruling her own concerns of herself.

“Oh shut it. I'll tell you in time to come. It's not the my turn to move. I'm waiting for the Wolf to make her move.” Rose smiled as she moved a chess piece of a unique compass set forward.

Rose explained “You see, the first time Adolpha and I met, sparks flew between us. And no, Katy, it’s not the kind of love sparks.” Rose turned to the group of girls, bound tightly with a thick rope in the corner.

Only Pearlyn, Sherry, Nat and Helen found themselves tied to the netball posts. Those nearest and dearest to “The Wolf”.

“The kind of rival spark. They say rivalry is like true love. You only get one good one in your life. Adolpha is my match. The moment we met, we knew that one day, we’d have to battle each other.” Rose threw back her head and laughed.

“What? All this so that you could play a game?” Sherry cried in horror. She was indeed Ruthless Rose.

“Yes, dahling, isn’t it just fun?” Rose said with a flourish.