A Bloodie Rose Chapter Thirteen

I grabbed the rope and climbed up into the attic. Zero appeared in front of me when I stood up.
"Do you just do that to get everywhere?"
"I don’t use it to go to stores and school..." he said.
The walls were painted dark red and were covered with dust and cobwebs. There was a dresser at the foot of the queen-sized mattress.
"How did I never know this was up here before?" I asked.
He looked at me, confused. "Huh? You don’t remember this…? Oh, right your mom didn’t want you coming up here anymore…"
"What are you talking about? I never knew this was up here."
"Are you kidding? It was your idea to build this room," he said.
"When?"

"Back when you guys were still building the house. It was your idea to make this room up here for a safe hideout against a burglary or… An attack of C.I.D victims."
"I don’t remember any of that…"
"That’s something else Juliette never told you," he said.
"What happened to saying my mom instead of her name?"
He shrugged and sat down on the bed.
"How did I do… Whatever I did at your house with the water…?" I asked.
"I thought you remembered that much when you did it…"
"Nope."
"Oh… Don’t you think you should ask Juliette these questions about when you used to live there with her?"
"Why?"
"Because there might be a reason I wasn’t allowed to tell you certain things—maybe she wanted to tell you herself," he said.

"But…"
"No, ask her, not me. You already got me in trouble for telling you stuff I wasn’t supposed to," he said.
"Gr." I said.
He coughed to hide a laugh.
"What’s so funny?"
"You’re so cute when you’re mad," he said.
"Ugh," I said as a deep blush heated my face.
He chuckled as he stood and wrapped his arms around me. I just stood there. "You’ve grown even more stubborn than before."
I pushed him away as I heard the door bell ring downstairs.
"Stubborn."
"Shhh," I said as I put my index finger to my lips.

"What?" he whispered.
"Who’s at the door?" I whispered back as I pressed my ear to the floor to hear the talking. I heard muffled voices. One belonging to my mother, another to Leon, and another man, whose voice seemed familiar, yet strange.
He looked surprised. "U-uh… I don’t know."
"I know that voice from somewhere…"
"I doubt it—it’s probably just a salesperson."
"No. My mother and Leon don’t answer the door for sales people," I said.
"Well, maybe it’s too dark to see who it was."
"Why are you trying to convince me it’s no one important? Is this another thing my mom didn’t want me to know about?"
He didn’t answer.

"I’m taking that as a yes," I said and before he could stop me, I slid back down the rope and half tip-toed, half-ran down the stairs and before I could see who was there, the door shut and Leon was standing in the Foyer looking at me with a confused look on his face.
"Who was here?"
"No one," he said.
"Where’s Mom?"
"She went to the store to get groceries," he replied.
I ran to the window in the living room and looked out into a drive way. I saw a blue Porsche pulling out.
"Who’s Porsche is that?"
But Leon was gone. I ran outside and to my punch buggy. I put my keys in the ignition.
"Rosetta, where are you going?" I heard a voice say behind me.

I looked in the mirror and sitting in the back seats was Lukas and Zero. Zero was leaning back against the seat with his head laid back facing the ceiling and his eyes were closed. Lukas was leaning forward, almost in my face.
"Nowhere," I replied as I pulled out of the driveway, quietly as I drove in shadows, following the Porsche.
"Rose, just quit it. It’s none of your business," Zero said with his eyes still closed.
"What’s none of my business? My mom going to the store—unless that’s not where she’s going…?" I said.
He sighed.
The Porsche stopped in front of a fancy-looking restaurant. I pulled over farther behind them. My mother stepped out of the passenger seat and then a snow white skinned man came out of the driver’s seat. He looked as if he was my age and they walked into the restaurant together.

"What the fuck?" I said.
"Told you it wasn’t any of your business."
"Who was that?"
Zero sighed.
"Zero, who the hell was that?" I asked, annoyed.
"I’m not allowed to tell you."
"I don’t care, just tell me."
"You’re only torturing yourself. You shouldn’t have even followed her. You’re just going to get annoyed."
"Gr."
I turned back to look at the car. Maybe if I could sneak into the car and the I could find something in it with any hint to who it was…

I gripped the door handle with one hand and held the steering wheel with the other.
"Don’t bother trying—I’ll catch you before you even get out," Zero said.
I glanced back in the mirror and he still had his eyes closed. "How did you…?"
"I’m not stupid; I had a feeling you would try to run to their car."
"What is your problem today?"
"I’m just annoyed that you don’t listen to me," he said.
"I don’t need a bodyguard."
"Yes, you do."
"I can take care of myself," I said.
"Fine."
He disappeared along with Lukas.
"Ugh… Whatever."
I got out of the car and ran, crouched down, to the driver’s door of the Porsche. I pulled the handle, but it was locked.

"What are you doing, miss?" a man asked from behind me.
I turned around and saw the man that my mother had entered the restaurant with.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I think I should be asking that. Are you trying to break into my car?"
"N-no…"
"Listen, I’m a very understanding person, so I’ll let it slide. Just leave and if
I catch you again, we are going to have a problem. Understood?" he asked.
"Where is my mom?" I asked.
"Your mom…?" he said, looking shocked and confused.
"Juliette Reynolds. You know the woman you came here with? Where the fuck is she?" I yelled.
"Rosetta, relax," he said.
"What? How do you know who I am?"

"Because I’m… Your mother told me. If you leave now, she won’t catch you here and you can slip home without any trouble."
"Too late. My mom’s husband already knows I left."
"Shouldn’t you be calling him your dad?" he asked.
"No. My dad is in France with my brother."
"Oh. Right. Juliette told me that."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Thomas."
I froze for a second and looked up at him. No, no way that he is my dad. Dad is as old as Mom. This guy looks like he’s 18.
"Thomas? What’s your last name?" I asked.
"Thomas! Are you out here? What’s taking so long?" I heard my mother call.
"Hurry. Louis won’t tell on you—trust me. Go, leave, now."

I groaned. "Fine. But, I won’t promise I won’t do this again," I said as I turned and jumped into my car. I drove back to the house, took my keys out of the ignition and ran into the house and up to my room.
I threw myself on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"No way could it be Dad… No way…"
I stood up and looked around my room. "Zero? Where are you?"
I looked everywhere in my room and I could find neither the cat version nor my boyfriend.
"Zero?" I called again.
He was probably trying to test me and make me beg him to protect me. "Nice try, but I can handle myself, Zero."

"Oh, can you?" a voice said.
"Jason?" I asked.
I heard a chuckle. "How did you guess?"
"Are you going to attempt to kill me?" I asked, voice even.
"Attempt? What makes you think I won’t succeed? Your boyfriend will save you? I thought you got him ticked off by telling him you didn’t need him and now he’s back in France."
"What? H-he left?" I asked.
"Yeah…? He didn’t say that to you?" Jason laughed.
All of a sudden he appeared out of thin air.
"Do you think I’m honestly afraid?" I said as my voice cracked from my heart breaking at the sound of finding out that Zero left me.

"Yes. Since your voice just broke."
"Th-that’s not why it broke!"
"What are you going to do to keep away? Use your pathetic water?" he asked.
I grinded my teeth together in aggravation.
He chuckled.
I pulled the water from a glass on my desk and held it as a ball in my hand.
He smiled as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a match. "What can you do now?"
He lit the match and before he could do anything else I threw a piece of the water ball at the lit match ad threw the rest at his pockets.
"It’s not a matter of what I’m going to do, it’s a matter of what you are going to do," I said.
He chuckled. "I’m not afraid of some half-human, half-cannibal girl."
"What? I don’t even eat meat. How am I half-cannibal?"
"How do you think you can use water like that like your sister, Candace?" he asked.

"Candace? Where is she? What did you do with her?" I yelled.
He laughed. "Where do you think she is?"
"The tree house…"
"And in the woods where any C.I.D victim could walk along and take her…" he said.
"But, she has the C.I.D, too why would they hurt her?"
"Just because she’s infected too, doesn’t mean that a hungry victim wouldn’t kill her. Our flesh isn’t as… Tender as yours, but still it’s something to keep our skin from rotten from lack of life the skin holds."
"No!" I screamed.
I ran down the stairs and as I was opening the sliding door that went to the porch and down the stairs to the woods, when Louis stopped me.
"Rose, where are you going? It’s almost midnight."
"To save Candace," I replied and ran as fast as I could down into the woods and to my old tree house. I climbed up the rope and pulled myself onto the entryway of the tree house.

Tied up and sitting in the corner on the bean bag chair was Candace—definitely the real one.
I pulled the duct tape from her mouth as fast as I could and she bit her lip to keep from screaming from the pain.
"Are you okay?"
"Basically—except for around my mouth from the tape," she replied.
"Okay. Let me untie you and we can get out of here."
"Okay," she replied.
I untied her and then as I was about to climb back down the rope, Candace grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"What?" I asked.
"I know a faster way."
All of a sudden we were in the foyer of her house, in front of the stairs.
"That was cool," I said.
"You used to be able to do that."

"Really?"
"Yeah," she said.
"Hm…"
"Lukas? Sarah? Zero?" Candace called, "Where are you?"
"They left."
"For where?" she asked.
"France," I said, depressingly.
"No way. They didn’t."
"Yeah, they did."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I told Zero I didn’t need a bodyguard."
She sighed. "He twisted your words in his head."
"What did he twist them to?"

"I don’t need you," she said.
"But, that’s not even close to what I said or meant."
"I know."
"Then, why did he…?"
"Because he is Zero. That’s just how he is."
I sighed and blinked away the tears I felt were coming.
"You can cry, Rose, no one will see you," Candace said.
I shook my head. "No, I can’t. You’ll see and I made a promise never to cry in front of anyone ever again."
"I know you did… I’m sort of wondering why you did that… When we were younger, you never told me why you promised that," she said.
"Because I want people to think I’m strong."
"The strongest people aren’t afraid to show their emotions."

"I doubt that—have you ever seen Lukas or Zero cry?" I asked.
"Yes, I have."
"I mean, since this year."
"The answer is still yes," she said.
"No way. I don’t believe you," I said, "I could never picture that."
"Well, believe it or not, everyone has to cry once in a while."
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, debating whether or not to burst into tears or keep it held in and suck it up. Before I could even choose, my eyes gave up on holding the tears in and I began to cry. Candace wrapped her arms around me tightly, crying slightly as well.
"Why… Are… You… Crying?" I said between sniffles.
"Because Lukas left, too," she said, tears streaming down her face, now.
That night I fell asleep in Zero’s bed at his house and the dream that I had been having about Jason attacking me disappeared. I was so happy and relieved it was gone—hopefully never to return again.

I was woken up at around two in the morning by the ringing of my cell phone. I looked at the I.D—it was my mom. I flipped it open so it was on speaker.
"Hello?" I said, still half asleep.
"Rosetta? Rosetta, where are you?" my mother said, panicking.
"Sorry, Mom, I was with Candace and I crashed at her house."
"Oh…" she said, "Why didn’t you tell anyone where you where going?"
"But, I told Louis where I was going. He asked me and I said ‘I’m going to see Candace’."
"Oh… He didn’t tell me that."
"Why did it take so long for you to realize that I wasn’t home? You’re usually sleeping by now," I said.
"I couldn’t sleep. I went up stairs to make sure you were sleeping and you weren’t there and neither was Zero… Is he there with you?"
"No."
"Where is he?" she asked, confused.
"In France."
"Why? He’s supposed to be with you."

"He twisted what I said. I told him I didn’t need a bodyguard and he took it as I didn’t need him."
"Oh…" she said, not knowing what to say.
"It’s okay; last night, Candace and I decided we were going to go to France and get them."
"Rose, don’t go there—have Lukas or Sarah go."
"They’re in France with him," I replied.
"Why would they go, too?"
"I have no idea."
Then, I heard the front door open and close downstairs and soft talking. I could hear Candace and two other voices, but they were too soft to hear who it was, never mind what they were saying.
"Mom, I have to go. Someone’s here—it could be them."
"Okay, sweetie. Please, be careful and do whatever Candace thinks is best. Call me after school."

"Okay, bye," I said and hung up. I slipped my phone into my pocket and silently crept downstairs.
I looked down the stairs and saw no one. So, I walked, silently, down to the living room. I saw Candace talking to Zero and Lukas.
I took a breath in, sharply, out of surprise. They all turned to look at me.
"Rose, I thought you were asleep," Candace said.
"Mom called and woke me up… I’m confused…"
"We’re just here to tell Candace everything that we know about Jason and then we’re going back to France," Zero said.
"I’m not going back," Lukas said.
"Luke…"
"No, Zero. I’m not leaving Candace here all by herself. We didn’t leave you all by yourself when you had to protect Rose, so I won’t leave her," Luke replied.

"Fine. I’ll leave," Zero said.
"Fine, I’ll go jump out a window," I said, quietly, but knowing he could hear me.
He looked at me with a pained face. "Like you’d really do that."
"I would. Just wait. You leave me—I jump."
He groaned. "Don’t do that."
"Will you stay?"
"No."
"Then, I…" I started.
"Don’t finish that sentence. I don’t need to see that image in my head again," he snapped.
"Then stay here!"
He sighed, annoyed.
"Don’t you care about me anymore?" I asked.
"Of course I do."

"Then, why won’t you stay?"
"Because, you don’t need me apparently."
"That’s not what I said though!" I said, annoyed.
"No, but it’s what you meant."
"No its not."
"You and I both know that it is what you meant."
"Zero, no I…" I began, my voice cracking and tears swelled up from behind my eyelids.
"Bye, Rose. You won’t have to see me again."
"Zero, wait!" I said.
"What?"

"I-I don’t want you to leave," I said, as If fought back the tears.
He sighed.
Then, I remembered Candace telling me that everyone cried and I needed to just let it out instead of holding it in. Maybe if Zero saw me cry, he might stay. He knew my promise not to cry in front of anyone. He would stay… Wouldn’t he? It wouldn’t hurt to try. Then, I let go of all of my strength I was using to keep the tears behind my lids and tears streamed down my face and I cried.
I saw his eyes widen by my shedding of tears. Then, they became filled with sadness. He quickly wrapped his arms around me. He was so warm and I could smell his wonderful cologne that I loved so much.

"I. Love. You," I managed to say through my tears.
"I know."
He broke our embrace and took my face in his hands and passionately pressed his lips against mine. I became slightly dizzy from it.
He pulled back and stared into my eyes. "Lukas, when was the time again?"
"In ten minutes now. You better hurry," he replied.
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"Candace, bring her upstairs. Hurry!" Zero yelled, angrily.
I flinched slightly from his tone, but just as Candace was about to grab my hand, I wrapped my arms around Zero. "No!" I yelled, "Zero, I don’t want you to leave!"

"I’m not leaving," he replied, "Please, just do this for me. Go with Candace! You’re in terrible danger!"
"Danger of what?" I asked.
"Candace will explain as soon as she gets you upstairs," he replied.
"No! I want you to come with me," I said, still clinging to him.
He sighed.
"Zero, stop being so stubborn! Bring her upstairs! Whatever it takes to keep her safe!" Candace said.
"Just go. It shouldn’t be that tough for the two of us to handle down here," Lukas said.
Zero panicked slightly.
"Bro, you can protect her the best. If you’re the strongest and if you’re with her, there is no chance anyone or anything can get to her! Now go before they get here!" Lukas yelled.

He hesitated. Then, he surprised me by lifting me up into his arms and running up the stairs and down the opposite side of the hall from his room.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The attic," he replied.
"Why? What’s going on!?" I said.
"Shush. They can hear you," he said.
He entered a room at the end of the hall. There was a wood floor and cream-colored walls. There were book shelves lined up like in a library and a cherry oak desk was to the left of us that had a computer on top of it.
Zero shut the door behind him and locked it, still holding me in his arms. He pulled a cord and a staircase came sliding down from the opening.
He climbed the staircase, somehow managing to hold me with one arm and climb up with the other. He sat me down on the brittle-feeling wood floor and pulled the staircase back up and shut the door.