The Rose Without Thorns

One~ Nathan

I'm afraid.

It's 4:06 a.m. and I'm afraid of falling asleep. Unfortunately, I'm not a pure vampire, then I wouldn't need sleep. But nope, instead I'm a mutant, an outcast, a freak. I'm a half and that's all I'll ever be. Never full, never accepted, never normal.

Falling asleep means dreaming and my dreams turn to nightmares. The same dream turns into the same nightmare, every night. I'm walking in a field of roses barefoot. The roses' thorns are cutting my skin and my feet are leaving a trail of blood when I walk. I want to stop but I can't, I'm exhausted but my body keeps moving. I'm looking for something. It always ends with me reaching for what I've found and I wake up sweating and shaking, never knowing what it was I wanted.

Maybe tonight will be different. Maybe after four straight weeks of the same nightmare it'll be different.

I was wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm tired

It's 8:13 a.m. Same dream, same nightmare. I disregard my lack of sleep and the heavy bags under my eyes. My eyes. My eyes are the deepest, yet at the same time brightest shade of blue. They're the only part of being half that I like. Every other vampire has red eyes. Damn they're creepy, but I guess that's another perk of being half. I don't have to look at anyone with creepy crimson eyes because they all consider me a mutant. I'm an outcast and I wasn't meant for this world.I have no friends, no companions, no one. I'm alone and I always will be.

I'm standing in front of my bathroom mirror, running a hand through my dusty blonde hair, taming the knots. I decide to go for a run this morning. I need a chance to clear my head. I change out of my pajamas and into a blue shirt made of a slick athletic material and a pair of black running shorts. My sneakers are on and I'm going down the stairs, desperate to get out of my apartment and start running. There's something about it, I love the way it feels having the wind blow in my face. I feel free, like I belong.

I'm just outside and that's when I see her. She's laying in front of my apartment building unconscious.

"Damnit" I say. Why did I have to be the one to find her? All I wanted to do was run. I still want to run. I want to run away from this life. I want to run so fast the vampire half of me leaves so I'm normal again. But I don't, I stay and I pick the girl up. Then I see it, a minuscule marking on the nape of her neck. It's an R written in cursive and practically unnoticeable to the human eye. Resilience. The R stands for resilience.

"No" I say, "It's not, i--it can't" I'm stuttering.

This is no girl. This is Rosalie Moreau.