The Crimson Rose || Nicolae Bartholy X OC || [COMPLETE]

Chapter I.

Angel in the dark.

The wind was howling furiosly in between the trees, while cold, heavy rain poured over Mystery Spell.

Claire didn't really know how she ended up there; it had not been her choice to hop on that train to get away from what she thought it was going to be her life. Not at all.

She was not what they expected her to be. Not an attraction for people to pay to go see her. She was a human being.

And to think that she had left her home country to get here, with the promise of studying in a good college, having a roof over her head in exchange for something easy, but it was all a lie.

The people she made a deal with tricked her into traveling all the way from Romania.

She was supposed to be a medical study subject, to enlighten the characteristics of her "condition".

Too many considered her ill, weird, different.
Too different for others to see the pure, innocent soul behind her appearance.

That was why she had to flee the town of Avondale. It wasn't but two or three stops away from Mystery Spell, but that was all the Claire had left of her money.

Far enough to not be found. She couldn't even go back home, she didn't have documents and couldn't go to the authorities because she had entered the country illegally, although she didn't know it.

Homeless, with no money, no other clothes, soaking wet.

Lifting her gaze upon the train station she sat on a bench, thinking what she could do. She was hungry, she hadn't slept in days and was extremelly tired.

She was about to lay on the bench for a few minutes, just to gather some energies... when a male voice got her attention.

"What do we have here?" The voice of a young man startled her. Claire looked up as she was surrounded by a small group of people...college students peraphs.

"Oh my God, look at her." A female voice continued. A few gasps and ewwws, broke the silence of the station as Claire counted how many people she had in front of her. Three boys and a girl with blonde hair and a snobby expression.

"What is wrong with you... look how pale she is!" Somebody laughed, Claire held her arms close to her chest. "Please... l-leave me alone..."

Claire's voice was just a whisper. She was too tired to have to deal with more people. "Why would we do that? You look way too fun to play with." The boy crossed his arms, copying her.

"Loan, she looks too creepy, I don't feel safe." The blonde spoke again, clinging to the boy with the short haircut and the jersey.

The boy named Loan laughed at the same time as his other friends, while the blonde sighed in frustration. "I don't want to stare at this rat. We could be getting to the bar by now!" She seemed in a hurry and tugged at him.

Loan shrugged. "We could bring the party over here. Mm? What do you think weirdo?" He reached for Claire, trying to have her take a sip from his beer.

"Please go away..." Claire was shaking, she didn't like the look in the boys' eyes. "Oooops."

One of the others poured his beer over her, laughing right after. "Did I do that?" They all laughed and continued bullying the girl who begged them to leave her alone, to stop throwing trash at her, because they had just started emptying a trash can on top of her.

Claire started crying, hiding her face on top of her knees.

To her it felt like hours. They started calling her names, insulting her, throwing trash at her. It was her personal Hell.

It seemed to have no end, until... somebody from behind the group cleared their troath.

Loan turned around first. "Shit."

He told his friends to stop messing around but still they were laughing and bullying the girl.

Loan stood still as he fixated his eyes in the ones of the elder of the Bartholy brothers. Nicolae.
"We were about to go, right guys?" He rounded them up and finally they stopped. Claire was still crying.

"What is going on here?" Dressed in a black raincoat he watched them as they fled. He could read fear coming from the bullies' victim. She was so scared she was shaking uncontrollably.

Nicolae's gaze rested upon the pale figure on the bench, noticing right away she was clearly in distress.

"Miss?" He called her, approaching her slowly. "Are you alright?" He asked while his eyes took notice of her beautiful snow- white hair. But it was when she lifted her head and met his eyes, that Nicolae felt like everything around them had just stopped.

Right there in front of him, sat the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes upon. Her eyes were as blue as the sky at dawn, her skin was as white as a porcelain doll, and her lips, oh her lips, they were of a pale red color, like the most beautiful rose petals.

Under all the rain, the dirt, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen on earth.

Nicolae moved in closer, on his lips a gasp that turned into the most kind smile as he held his hand out for her. "Do not be afraid. I sent them away, come with me, let me help you."

And Claire simply could not not trust him. His eyes, his smile made time stop. She felt calm, she felt safe. She gave him her hand and slowly got up.

"T-thank you..."
And without another word, the man led her to his car to shelter her from the rain and the cold.