Blood Rose

Chapter Five: The Disturbance

Mud ran down her fingers, as dark as her raven-black hair. Her blue eyes caught the sunrise, just as they had caught the quiet sunset twelve hours before.

She turned to face the cave, and the ones still behind. Fighting her conscience, she turned her gaze to the golden east. Her tan toes pressed into the ground as she rose herself above the river.

This was it.

The battle against the current was a battle for a new life, and a battle for freedom. Breathing in the southern air, she stuck her bare legs into the icy water, wading up to her thinly covered waist. Fighting against the water, fighting for everything, she made her way to the other side. She made her way to freedom.

☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎

It was four days since Mrs Adana's death. I dragged my mother out of bed to go to her funeral, as the whole town was paying their respects and people would notice her absence. I forced her into her black evening gown and veil, and told her to think of father and Evian. "Gone," was her first response in weeks.

"What?"

"Gone. They're...gone."

"They'll be back. But Mrs Adana won't. So we need to leave now."

With a dazed look, my mother slipped on her heels and grabbed her shawl. Sighing a breath of relief, I made my way to the front door, linking my right arm with my mother's left. I turned the brass knob, and came face-to-face with the town Sheriff. "Morning, ma'am. I'm here to ask some questions about the death of Mrs. Rosie Adana. Mind if I come in?"

"Actually, we were just on our way to pay our respects. You may walk with us, if you like," I replied in my most formal manner.

"Well, I'd say that's alright, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, sir!"

I closed the door behind me, my mother struggling to crack a smile. "Shall we?"

I helped my mother onto the ground as the sheriff started his interrogation. "My sources state that you were with Mrs Adana during the hour of her fatality. Is this true?"

I took a deep breath to pull my nerves together. "Yes, this is true. I was trying to obtain meat pies for my ill mother." I tried to sound as innocent as possible. I whispered, "you know she hasn't been feeling well since my father and Evian left for the war. I'm just trying to help her along, you know how that is."

"Why yes ma'am I do." He sighed in pity, and I knew I had cleared any accusations against me. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, my dear, thank you for your time."

"Of course, sheriff, have a good day."

He tipped his hat my way. "And you as well."

I nodded and smiled, checking to see when we were out of his sight. The second we were, I commanded my mother to lift up her skirt and keep up with me. I didn't wait for a response.

I grabbed my own skirt and raced along the street. I still don't know what motivated me to do this. I suppose I still had fear coursing through my body. All I knew was: I had to get away.

Out of breath, we reached the church no less than three minutes later. Those three minutes felt like days of cold misery, although I would learn to know much worse. My mother, I realized, had not been physically active in weeks. She hadn't even walked, regardless of anything beyond that. I suddenly felt the guilt rush to my stomach.

I clutched her lightly by the stomach, leading her inside. I rushed to the well in the back of the church to make sure she was properly hydrated. I turned the crank, turning my head to the sanctuary, making sure nobody was asking her questions.

I stuck my hand into the water, making sure it was cold enough. But I soon realized that it wasn't water. I had put my hand in blood. Warm, sticky, red blood. I shook my hand to get it out of the bucket when I felt something soft brush past.

I grabbed a hold of it, and pulled out a rose petal. I warily looked into the well, and saw hundreds of rose petals, all drenched in blood, hovering on the surface. In the midst of the petals, there was a tinted, ripped piece of paper. Somehow I knew that it was there for me to find.

I dipped the bucket back into the well, and pulled the rope until the paper was inside. I pulled the bucket towards me again, and set it on the stone ledge. I lifted the paper out, using only the tips of my pointer finger and thumb. I deciphered the smudged words the best I could.

ᎿᎻᎨᏕ ᏰᏝᎾᎾᎠ ᎨᏕ ᎾᏁ ᎽᎾᏬᏒ ᎻᎯᏁᎠᏕ
(This blood is on your hands)

At that nimble age, I could not begin to fathom who would think I had committed the crime of killing someone. I would soon be able to fit the pieces together, but we'll get there later.

In that very moment, I was nearly driven into madness. The only reason I kept what was left of my sanity was for my mother. I would go insane 1,000 times over if it meant my loved ones could live their lives to the fullest.

So I was on the brink of insanity for many more days, and only one thing could set my over the edge. This one thing would lead me to the answer of anything since Evian left. They say to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. So that's what I did.