Rose Falls

Andy - 15.07.16

I pull on the dress I'd been saving for today's events. It's plain and black, ending just above my knees so my Grandma approves of it. I woke early for once to have the time to ready myself though the morning is a blur as I do so. After my Grandma's confession last night, she'd quickly rushed from my room to leave me alone with my thoughts.

I like to think of my Grandma as intelligent. In my eyes, she's always been a paragon of knowledge, never did she let me catch her to be wrong and yet now, I'm not sure what I think of it.

For two years, I've been told that Rosemarie, a troubled and yet dearly loved individual, cast herself off Clovebrook Cliff to end her life. Two whole years. I never once considered that this hadn't been the whole truth.

The only other alternative is either an accidental fall or murder and from the look on my Grandma's face when she was talking about it, it's clear she doesn't think it's any accident. I doubt she'd bring it up if she thought it was.

Last night, the idea of Rose being murderer played on my mind constantly. It's such a bizarre concept, especially for such a small and yet tight town. I try to picture a suspicious face and yet I can't envision anyone who I think could be capable of murder.

I pull my heeled shoes on and brush down my dress. Apparently this event is more formal then I'd previously imagined and my Grandma demanded I looked my best because of this.

'Andrea, please hurry up!' She calls from downstairs, 'Tyler is already waiting,'

I roll my eyes at her complaints and grab a jacket before heading out of my room. I descend the stairs, being more cautious due to my shoes since I'm known for being accident prone. Then again, surely many people must know how difficult it is to walk around in heels without tripping.

I enter the living room where, sure enough my Grandma is sat beside Ty, pointing out of the window and sighing in annoyance.

'You okay Grandma?' I ask and she shakes her head.

'Tyler here thought it would be fit to park across the driveway so I can't get out,' she complains and I sit myself down across from her as I let Ty defend himself.

'We'll be gone in a moment, miss I assure you,' he says and I note how he's putting on a more prestigious accent just for her. It makes me chuckle, knowing he's trying to make himself sound the best he can for my Grandma since everyone knows of her high expectations.

'Well get gone then!' She scowls but then fondly pats us both on the back as she stands. Ty and I exchange glances but stand up ourselves.

He waits for her to leave room before he sends me a tight smile.

'Are you ready for this?' He asks but I shake my head.

'Nope, but we need to do it,' I say and he nods in agreement. He leads the way to the car and we climb in on separate sides, him in the drivers seat.

It feels like an overly short journey on our way there, considering their house is all the way across town. Normally what would've been a longer journey has shortened and I'm not sure I like it. It's too soon for me to gather my thoughts together by the time we arrive and I'm still rehearsing the things I'm going to say in my head.

As soon as Ty parks, we wait a moment before getting out, sitting in silence as we prepare ourselves for the thing we've been avoiding for years.

Eventually he turns to look at me, sending me a loose smile.

'You ready?' He asks and I nod. We exit the car and I brush down my dress before approaching the door. One noticeable trait running through the Falls family is that they like to consider themselves as high class and possess an obvious distaste for those who they consider to be dressed shabby. An easier term to describe them by are outright snobs.