The Wilting Rose

Chapter 1- The Beginning

        Chapter 1- The Beginning 

The day it happened was a day so sweet, so peaceful, like a chocolate candy filled with caramel and wrapped in the shiniest wrapper you ever did see. But, even candy, I suppose, you can choke on sometimes.

        Let’s start with hi. Hi. My name is Rose. People call me Rosy, and my stuffy parents call me Roselyn, which, hideous as it is, is my full name. Before I tell my story, you have to know three important things about me. Please, don’t close the book, I promise; it’s worth the wait….

 Well, if you slammed the book shut, I’ll never know, but if you are still reading, then great. Here are the three things. 1. I have a brother named James, and a friend named Connor. We have known each other for a very, very, very long time. 2. I like Connor. A lot. Like really like him. Like, like-like him. 3. He doesn’t know.

So, now you’re probably wondering why you are still reading if I am going on, and on. Here’s why. You want to know about me storming the government, watching my brother die, come back, and finding out my puppy is a spy. Right? Well, duh you do, you’re still reading, right? So I’ll cut to the chase.

It all started with a BBQ chip. Yup, a chip. James, Connor and I were sitting around my room, watching, Champcess, our new puppy, run around the lawn, chasing squirrels. Champsess is a cross between the names Champion (James’s idea) and princess (my idea). Well, even though his name is officially Champcess, I call him Princess, James calls him Champ. Conner? He was wise enough to stay out of it.

 Anyway, there we were, staring out the window when James flops back on my babyish polka dotted bedspread and announces, “I’m bored!” We, (me and Connor) stared at him. “No duh,” Connor rolled his eyes, and I stifled a fit of giggles, “C’mon there’s got to be something we can do!” I thought. “Babysit the Auggs?”

“Too much work. Plus, they don’t need a sitter today!” James was in a foul mood, and I could tell. His mouth got little and mean, his eyes narrowed, and his nose was flared. “It’s hot, I’m sweaty, and nobody can think of anything to do?” When he got like this we normally left him alone, but seeing as that wasn’t an option, I tried again.

“We could, um, oh, we could try out that new camera you got for your birthday!” I exclaimed, and I knew right away I said the right thing because his eyes returned to normal, and he grinned a grin with his eyes and mouth. “Yeah, a new camera! Somebody’s been taking my potato chips! We could put the kitchen under surveillance, and stake out until we find the culprit!” oops. I forgot I had taken some of James’s potato chips. Oh, well, maybe mom or dad would take one and I’d be off the hook!

“No, no, no! The manual says put the wire in this!” Double oops. When the package said some assembly required I thought it meant pressing a couple buttons, or inserting a lens.  Not this. First we had to change night and day vision lenses, and then we had to attach it to a wall, 5 feet away from blah, blah, and blah. I knew how to do it, but James wanted to, and, well, it really was his camera. I guess we’ll see.

20 minutes later, we got the stupid thing hooked up. We’ve been waiting in my room to see what would happen. Nothing so far. “James?” I asked, and he looked at me. “Mom is at the hospital and daddy is off programming” See, at the time my mom was a nurse, who worked long hours at the hospital. My dad was, and nobody could deny it, the smartest person around for miles and miles! He worked at a programming company, doing who knows what. It wasn’t like we would understand if he told us. No matter where they were, the point was, nobody was home. Maybe we could check footage later, when there was stuff actually happening.