Black Rose

8

   The loud sirens made my ears feel like they would explode at any minute but at the same time, I was grateful for them cause that way no one would be able to hear just how fast my heart was beating.

   Detective Orlando kept looking down on me from time to time. My hands were shaking and I was sweating a lot, what was I going to say? I don't even know exactly what happened that night! I tried rehursing what I'd say over and over again but the sudden pain in my head made it really difficult.

   It was like a hot dagger slowly passing through my brain. " Rose... ", I heard someone whisper. I had heard that voice so many times before in shadows of the darkness back at the basement. It was smooth, calm and yet very powerful. There was no ignoring it. " You, you followed me into the light? ", I whispered back. She would only visit me when I felt scared, I told momma about her when I was little and she said every little girl has those. They are called imaginary friends.

   " I'm always with you, you and I are the same. We are one. I will protect you from them the same way I protected you from Mike. He was going to kill us If i hadn't killed him first ", for a brief moment I felt a bit of gratitude towards her for saving my life but I snapped out of it. She always had a way of making me feel like there's no wrong or right, there was just Rose. And that's all that mattered.

   " You can't hurt them! ", I yelled, grabbing the attention of the officers and Detective Orlando. " Who are you talking to? ", he gave me a questioning look. " Uhh nobody ", I folded my arms and kept my head down. " If you think playing the insanity card will work on me then you're very much mistaken young lady, I've delt with much more troubled teenagers than yourself. Trust me, it never ends well for them ", he smirked as though he remembered something funny.

   We got to the prescint and I was instantly taken into a large room with only one table and two chairs beside it. All three walls were bricks and cement while the middle one had a large glass covering that you couldn't see through. Detective ORLANDO offered me a seat and I hesitantly took it. " So, miss Rose before we begin the questioning is there anything I can offer you, water or coffee maybe? Anything I can do to make you feel more comfy? ", he sounded so sarcastic it made me sick.

   I was about to respond with a simple no thank you but my lips began to move at their own accord, " I'm rather interested in getting to the point, clearing my name and leaving this damn place. The sooner I'm out of here, the comfier I'll be Nate ". The shocked look on his face mirrored my own, how was this happening? It has never happened before. I felt trapped in my own body, I tried to lift my finger but I couldn't. It's like she was completely in control now. 

   " Detective Orlando to you ", he fired at her and before she could fire back, a petite strawberry blonde woman wearing a neat grey jacket and black skinny jeans walked in. Her short hair nicely pushed back, slightly touching her shoulders. " Sorry I'm late, I'm Detective Amber Martinez ", she shook my hand as Detective Orlando offered her his seat.

   " Okay so Rose, I'm sure my partner here has informed you of why you were brought here. We're just gonna ask you a few questions and then we have about four other girls here who look like the sketch we have, the witness is going to point out which one of you she really saw. If it's not you and everything else is clear on your end then you'll be free to go ". This was clearly a game of good cop, bad cop.

   " What was your relationship with the desciest? ", Detective Orlando began. His voice cold and incriminating. " I didn't know him, only saw his picture up once on the news. Poor man, how did he die again? ", there was no sense of humanity in her tone and absolutely no remorse for what she had done. What ' WE ' had done.

   " An axe was aimed straight at his chest, puncturing most of his upper body organs and breaking almost all the bones in his ribs ", Detective Martinez said as she showed me pictures they took of him when they first arrived at the crime scene. He looked so pale, swimming in his own paddle of blood with the axe deeply burried in his chest. " It must've taken a great amount of strength to cause so much damage with just one blow ", Martinez added and looked at me questioningly. " Which as you can see, I don't have Detective. That axe seems to be twice my own body weight and besides, how can a little thing like me over power such a strong looking man? ".

   Her performance was beyond convincing and for a moment it seemed like Detective Martinez was starting to rationalize with me. " Size has nothing to do with strength ", he sneered at me. Detective Martinez gave him a disapproving look before she reached out to hold my hand, I could feel the warmth of her skin and it made me feel safe. But she pulled back my hand, as if the touch burned her. I noticed Detective Martinez was hurt by my actions but how could I explain that I wasn't in control of what I was doing at all.

   " Look, we searched through his house and found a little mattress down there, and a few things that made it appear like someone had been living down there for some time against their will ". She paused for a second then continued, " I know Mr. Parker had quite a long criminal record. Vandalism, DUI, a couple of restraining orders from several women. The list is endless ", she let out a little laugh to try brighten up the heavy atmosphere and I smiled inwardly too, sounds a lot like Mr. Parker.

   " What's your point here detective? " , the words escaped my mouth so fast. Detective Martinez cleard her throat and began to speak again, " I think Mr. Parker kept you as his prisoner down there, for reasons I can not seem to understand yet. And his murder was an act of self defense. I see you as the victim here, but you just need to be honest with me and tell me what happened, please. "

   This was it, she didn't have the story completely right but at least she was close to the truth. I am the victim in all of this, they had to know that. I needed to be in control of my body again. It was like a mental fight for power, the strong headache started again and I fell to the floor screaming in pain. I couldn't do it, she was much stronger than I was.

   " Rose are you alright? ", Detective Martinez knelt down beside me. No I wasn't okay, I wanted to yell but of course nobody would hear me, they never do. " I'm okay, please I have nothing to do with this. I just want to leave this place ", Detective Orlando rolled his eyes at me. " I think we can take her to the other four and bring in the old lady to identify the suspect ".

   They both guided me to a room full of glass walls were four girls who looked almost like me were standing while holding papers with numbers one to four on them. I was given the number five. The other girls looked frightened, and I felt guilty for putting them in such a position. " Number five step forward ", I heard Detective Orlando speak from the other side of the glass using a microphone and I obliged.

   From the look on her face, the old lady instantly recognised me. She starred at me and I starred back, but something felt off. My eyes felt like they were burning, I couldn't look away from her and it looked like she couldn't look away from me either. " Is this the girl you saw running out of Mr. Parker's house covered in blood on the night of his murder? ", Detective orlando questioned her. " I uh I, I don't know. I don't remember ". She answered as though she wasn't in control of her mouth.

   " Mrs. Jones, I need you to think harder please. This is very important, non of them can see you. You're safe. You said she looked more familiar amongst all the other girls, is she the one you saw?! ", it was evident that he was now starting to lose his temper. " No she isn't the one, non of them are! I was confused. Don't know what I was saying!! I want to go home now to my husband. He'll be worried sick about me ". She tried to leave but Detective Martinez gently pulled her back. " Mrs. Jones your husband died four years ago remember? You pushed him down the stairs, we recently ruled it an accident. Have you been seeing your doctor? ". The woman said nothing, Detective Martinez called an officer to escort her out.

   " This makes no sense damn it! No finger prints on the murder weapon or the house other than Mr. Parker's, no eye witnesses, no clues, nothing!! ", he slammed his fist on the wall. " Calm down Nate, we will get to the bottom of this. We always have, but for now I think we have to let these girls go. We have nothing on them ". Detective Orlando looked right at me and I starred back, unaware that I could clearly see and hear them.

   " There's something strange about this Rose girl, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it even if it's the last thing I do ", he said firmly and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

   " Challenge accepted Nate ". She said as I slowly felt her escape my body. I was back again.

A/N Finally updated chapter 8 😄😄really sorry for the delay. Had a serious case of writer's block but I hope the long chapter will help ease everything. Nate seems determined to uncover Rose's secrets. Can he handle what he will find out next?