All Roses Have Thorns

Erin XV

It hadn't taken her long to unpack, and Reese had just put her whole bag in the dresser drawer, so they were done in five minutes.

She knocked on the door of room 303. "Hey, guys? We're gonna go on a walk. Do you want to join us?"

The door opened and Zach stepped out, Jake behind him. "We'll come with you. Matt and Ryan have stuff to do or something. Something probably meaning overwatch." The four walked to the elevator. "So where is the walk going?" Zach asked.

Erin didn't respond, but excitedly ran through the lobby. "It is time! Let us go forth to the forest and then to the beautiful, but cold and unforgiving sea."

"I guess that's the answer then." Zach shrugged and followed along behind her.

The walk was quiet with almost no wind. A slight breeze blew as they made their way down the dirt path.

"So Erin," Jake said, "how did you plan all of this?"

She smiled. "Well, since we're still kids, it's kind of hard to afford stuff. Sebby, he was enrolled at the same art camp as me for the past five years, and we became great friends. We started hanging out, but then I started noticing odd things. People would come up and call him by his full name and try to ask if he'd be interested in their projects and stuff. I didn't think much of it, until it started becoming more and more frequent. As it turns out, his parents own a series of hotels, so they're pretty well off. People were trying to get close to him for the money his parents had. I, however, was clueless and didn't know, but became friends with him anyway. This trip was originally supposed to last over the weekend, because Sebby said he would take care of the rooms, but I can't afford more than two days of food and activities. He asked if I would want to stay for longer, which I said yes to of course, and he said he would cover it... to repay me for our friendship I guess." Erin laughed, "I'm going to try to pay him back, of course, but I don't think I'll get very far."

"Wow," Zach sighed, "the power of friendship."

"Oh!" Erin stopped and stared. "We're here!" She ran forward to the open grass. Not too far though. It was a long way down. She plopped down on the grass. The others sat down next to her.

Reese gasped. "Wow... it's beautiful."

The waves were crashing over the rocks at the base of the cliff, white icy water spraying every few seconds. The sun was still setting, making the clouds glow a pale pink over the dark purple sky. Erin sighed and smiled. The sea, despite being as chaotic as it was, always managed to calm her nerves. There was something soothing about the never ending sound of crashing waves.

Whether it was the fact that she had heard those waves outside of her window every summer for the past five years at camp, or some of her best memories of close friends involved water, the sea always had a special place in her heart.

She didn't bother taking pictures. Reese was doing that anyway, on her heavy-duty camera no less. Erin believed it would take away the unique experience. She thought it was best to enjoy it while it lasted.

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching as the colors slowly changed. No words were exchanged until Reese broke the silence. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting kind of cold."

"I can take you back," Jake offered.

A smile graced her face. "That'd be awesome, thanks." They stood up. "We'll meet you guys back at the hotel, I guess?"

"Yeah." Erin's eyes remained on the sea. She heard their footsteps fade away, a hushed conversation already forming between them. Another few moments of silence passed as the sky continued to darken.

"You know, Rin..." Zach said as they watched the now dark sea reflect in the moonlight. "I talked to Sierra."

"About what?"

"You."

She turned to look at him, her mind suddenly frantic. "W-What did you say?"

"Nothing related to the whole fate deal, don't worry. I just asked what she thought about you."

"Oh," Erin sighed, somehow relieved and disappointed. "I bet it wasn't good."

"It wasn't too bad."

"Right..." She didn't believe him.