Blood on Roses [COMPLETED]

Two: Impression

"Even a flower as delicate as this has its thorns. That's what makes roses so beautiful."
~ Hazel Dawson

TWO

I'm annoyed. I am very annoyed.

My stare burned a hole through the ceiling as I'd been glaring at it intensely for the past hour or so. It drove me completely insane that I couldn't get a wink of sleep for three whole hours.

I sat up abruptly and let out a shaky breath; this wasn't going to work.

I tip-toed downstairs after I threw on a green hoodie and a pair of light gray sweatpants I found lying on the backrest of my chair. I heated up some milk, then leaned against the counter and drank it in the dark.

My eyes scanned the room in boredom as I did so, and I found, unsurprisingly, that I could see everything. I learned to cope with these small changes in my body. It was rather easy since I was already a night owl.

The bright full moon shone through the living room window, illuminating Kaydence's fast-asleep face. I gently set my glass into the sink before I reached over to pull the blanket up, preventing it from kissing the floorboard.

I glanced at the front door; it was beckoning me over to take a night stroll like I always did. I then remembered Kaydence's concerned warning yesterday.

Ultimately, I chose to embrace my love of the night.

I stuffed my hair into the back of my thick hoodie, then tossed the hood on and tightened the drawstrings. I grabbed my keys before heading outside.

I inhaled the refreshing night air and skipped along the sidewalk with an occasional car or two passing by. The night was otherwise dead silent.

I strolled half-way around the block, which was twice as long of a route as I usually took, and turned to a slightly busier street. I had no idea why some people would be driving at 5 AM on a typical Thursday dawn in the midst of March.

I observed my surroundings more than usual as I freely roamed the streets and took a shortcut through a large park. It didn't matter that there weren't any streetlights inside since it made no difference for me.

I cranked my neck upward and took the time to appreciate the moon. It always gleamed in our darkest hours when the sun wasn't around. I glanced back at my shadow that was extra dark because of the extra-bright moon, then continued wandering ahead.

As much as I enjoyed night walks, I'd much prefer better sleep so I wouldn't feel dead during class the next day.

Just the thought of it tomorrow made me sigh and kick a few pebbles along the path. There was still some snow around, but not that much.

A distant shriek froze me in my tracks, and I strained my ears.

It came from the area near the small stream in the corner of this park where no one usually went. I shouldn't have even heard that from this distance, but I did.

I stood and stared into that direction for a couple more seconds before I decided that curiosity killed the cat, and I shouldn't mingle with affairs that didn't concern me directly.

However, I only took two steps forward when I halted again; I inhaled something, and it made me shiver. It was strange to say it smelled appealing, but it did, like a blend of heavily-scented rose tea.

I breathed in again, and my throat immediately dried. Every alarm set off in my head, and I knew I had to leave, but the smell was so compelling. It was unbearable to go without knowing what it was.

My feet shifted in that direction. I followed the trail of the intoxicating smell and took rapid steps toward it.

"Right around here," I murmured to myself in a whisper as I pushed a few reeds out of the way and smiled a little when I knew that whatever that delicious scent was, it was right in front of me.