Forever for Rose

Chapter One.

"Tell me this is just an elaborate work of fiction?" I snap. "Mom? Dad? Come on, this isn't funny. Tell me you're kidding."

I slam shut the book in my lap and stare at my parents. The both of them just sitting there across from me and looking at me like they hadn't just told me that my whole life had been a lie.

"Rosie, please try to understand." My father says, reaching out for me, trying to place his cool hand on my leg, but I stand up, the book clattering to the ground. My mother's big crystal blue eyes grow wider as she looks between me and the book on the ground. I can't believe she gets off looking offended that I'm not excited about getting a bomb dropped on me like it is no biggie.

I cross my arms, shaking my head at the both of them. "This is how you chose to tell me?" I point at the book laying open by my bare feet. "I'm a-a..."

I couldn't say it out loud. When my mom gave me the book, insisting that I read it for better understanding, I had stupidly thought she'd written a book about vampires for me to better understand her and my father. I thought it was just a cool story she'd written about this girl taken to a foreign land and raised in seclusion who later falls for a prince and has a daughter she escapes with that had a little vampire twist to make it relatable for me.

Even now, thinking about it, I can't believe I'd missed all of the connections right up until the last chapter where my father dedicated the story to me and the names were all changed. The little girl in the book, Princess Daisy, instead she's not Daisy...she's Rose.

She's me.

"A princess essentially." My father nods his head once, robbing his chin with the back of his hand.

I laugh out loud. "Essentially a princess?"

Like it's so normal.

My mother, finally unable to take it, stands and grabs the book from the floor, smoothing the pages before placing it on the coffee table and then turning to me, her eyes searching mine. I hate when she does that. Like she can see what I'm feeling. It drives me nuts, just like her bright blue eyes do. Why'd I have to get father's eyes? No one ever dreams about dark blue eyes...they dream about mom's eyes. They glitter in the light even as she frowns.

"Rose," She says, using her 'mom' tone on me. "We chose to do it this way," She glances back at my dad, always seeking his approval. "Because we thought it was the best way. I know you clearly disagree but we wanted you to know the whole truth, not just bits of it." She touches the top of the book. "This is us," She whispers. "The whole story from beginning to end. It was all right here for you. We wanted to wait until an age we were sure you could handle it."

I drop back down into the chair, catching my face in my hands to hide my eyes. "All of that is true?" I whisper, unsure I want to hear the answer.

"Every word." She replies, a shake in her voice.

Split emotions of whether or not I want to cry or scream tear me apart. Not only a princess, but a princess to a vampire population that kidnaps children to keep and grow until they're old enough to be fed off of. Practically cattle. A daughter to a man and woman who defied any odd if it meant being together. I always knew mom and dad had a strong bond, and that maybe it was even something special, but the book...Their love was a once in a lifetime thing. What hope does that leave for me?

Even more concerning were the revelations about where my father came from and what he was capable of. I've never known him as more than a fun, loving, smart man. I never would have pictured him as being capable of being cold and killing people. Plus, if the whole story was true, then I was kidnapped too.