All Roses Have Thorns

Erin IV

She had quietly slipped down the hall and back into "the Beanbag Room." The group was talking in hushed tones amongst each other, all of them looking in Sierra's direction. Erin stepped through the doorway, "Uh, what's going on?"

Dema yelled, "Something's wrong with Erra's soulmate!" and pointed to Sierra's leg.

No, it's just a coincidence... like the marks peeking out of her sleeve. There's no wa- Erin felt her face pale, which was a great feat with her complexion, as she saw her drawing on Sierra's leg. "O-oh, that's-"

Safiya cut her off, "Write something encouraging to them!"

Erin's eye twitched as she felt the tingling sensation dance across her left thigh. Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it, grateful for the distraction. It was a message from one of her art clients, telling her how much they loved the commission. Despite their kind words, her anxiety about her current situation made sure she couldn't feel the slightest bit of gratitude or happiness. "Sorry, but my dad wants me to go home," she lied.

Safiya looked at her with concern, "Oh, alright then. See you tomorrow!"

Erin gave a slight nod and ran to the the door, grabbing her bag on the way. She quickly left, not another word spoken. Running down the street, she looked behind her to make sure none of her friends were following her. She sprinted around corners and turned the fifteen-minute walk into a seven-minute run.

She quickly punched in the code to her garage and slipped under the door. She pushed the button to close it before it even opened halfway. She entered the house and quickly shut the door behind her. Erin threw the laptop bag onto her bed so nothing would break and did what she had wanted to do since she saw the marks on Sierra's arm. She screamed.