When Roses Grow Black by Lindsay (DeathAngel210@aol.com) Chapter 31 "All right, there are four directions he could have gone in and five of us," Howie attempted to take control of the situation through his shock. I could see the thoughts of what we could do racing through his mind. His eyes brighten with every quick idea and then dulled as he realized the part that wouldn't work. "Someone has to stay here in case he comes back," AJ piped in and they all turned to me. I hated it, why did they turn to me? I didn't want to be left here alone, but I was out voted four to one. There was no way I was up to arguing at that moment. I didn't like what their plan seemed to be either. No one verbalized it, but we knew it. They would each take off in one direction to look for the cabin or Kevin or both. I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. That this would somehow turn into some bad horror movie made in the seventies. Every part of me was screaming to me to stay close to someone. Before I had a chance to speak my mind, they took off in separate directions. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and I turned to face Howie who pulled me into a hug. I gave him my most pitiful look silently pleading him not to go. "We'll be all right. Everything will be." With that said he began walking away in the direction the others had ignored. They had no plan on how they wouldn't get lost. Only just walk in a straight line, and hope. So the search for Kevin began. I watched each of them walk until they were completely out of my site. While they walked I saw AJ and Nick look back at me every once in a while, although I knew they were still doing it, I couldn't see them. I was alone again. Loneliness crept into my heart which caused my chest to become heavier and my feet harder to lift up. I was once told by a dear friend that she didn't live day by day. She had to live step by step. I realized then, that that was what I had to do. Slowly but surely, I forced myself back into the bus. Slowly breathing in each unwanted lonely breath as I tried to occupy my mind to keep off what the guys may have or may have not found. I looked around inside the tour bus again and realized that Nick, AJ, and Brian had all cleaned it up rather nicely. Everything was put back in perfect order, amazingly. The accident looked as if it never happened. I began to wonder who the neat freak of the group really was if it wasn't Kevin who cleaned up. Kevin, why did I feel so fondly of him? It was only a past life, we aren't the same people we were then. We were brought up with totally different lives, different families. We aren't even the same people we were when we were younger! How could we be remotely the same as in a past life?! It's like if Charlemagne were reincarnated, he wouldn't automatically be the same person or rule all of Europe. It just didn't make any sense at all. I heaved a heavy sigh and pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I plopped down onto one of the benches to the kitchen table and listened to the deafening silence fill the bus. Who knew silence could be so loud? Then, I did something so characteristically me, I look back at this moment and laugh. I began singing. "When you feel all alone, and the world has turned it's back on you. Give me a moment please, to tame your wild wild heart. I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you. It's hard to find relief, and people can be so cold." Suddenly, the colors were there again in the blink of an eye. I didn't hear the 'Boom' this time so I looked around me strangely when I first noticed the change. Why the hell this kept happening I had no clue. I just continued to sing the verse of the song, hoping that if I ignored the colors, they'd go away. How wrong I was. By the end of the verse, I was walking around the bus. I had my back to the door and clapping came from barely outside. I jumped about a mile as I turned around. I gasped in horror at the site before me. There was Vance standing applauding me with a disgustingly evil smile on his face. The colors disappeared when I saw him. "Bravo! Bravo! That was just beautiful! A singer forever, huh, my dear Rosie?? You still have the talent too," Vance said stepping up another step into the tour bus. I felt like slapping that smile off his putrid face. Rosie, only my grandmother called me that and I wasn't very happy with him saying it! "What the hell are you doing here?" I spit with every ounce of courage, hatred, and disgust I could muster. I was ready to tear this guy's eyes out, power or not, I didn't care. "I'm a very impatient person, Rose. I just thought I might help you remember who you are and what power you posses," he said sweetly. Too sweetly. He was up to something. No one with pure, natural black eyes would ever do something so simple or kind. I automatically knew he had a little something up his sleeve. What I didn't know was what it was. I hated this man with every part of my being and he expected me to accept a favor from him??? Not to expect him of something? "Come outside and join me. It's a lovely day out, and I'm quite a pleasant person. You'll see what I mean once we begin talking," Vance took one step off the bus and held his hand out for me to join him. "Who ever said I was going to talk with you? I'm perfectly happy where I am, thank you," I hissed at him. I stood as tall and defiant as I could and glared him down. In the back of my mind I sensed something all to familiar come over me. I knew what to do, how to act to not be intimidated by my enemy.' My immortal enemy.' 'How the hell did I just end up thinking of that?' I thought as though my mind could provide my answer. I had every intention of not going near him. Vance dropped his hand and clenched his fists together until they were white. His demeanor changed from calm and peaceful to raging angry within a few seconds. I think I even saw his eyes begin to glow red. He began breathing heavily as I watched his temper take absolute control over him. I didn't understand how much power he really had. "I SAID GET OUT HERE, YOU LITTLE BITCH!!!!" as he screamed the ground shook beneath me and I fell backwards, hitting my already hurt head on a counter behind me. My eyes widened in shock. I was always the one to tempt fate. I always just took a situation and threw it up in the air and saw what happened. You would have thought that in my position I would have rather have control over what was about happen to me. Would have thought that I would have learned by now that things don't always turn into beautiful white doves. That sometimes things turn into needless tragedies. At the time I didn't care to think of things like that. I wasn't paying any heed to past experiences, only my pride. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I pulled myself up off the floor. It reminded me so much of when me and Justin used to fight. He would lose his temper, but I'd still stick up to him because I didn't care. Or was it because I knew he would never hurt me?? Some of the times I would close my eyes waiting for him to hit me, but it never happened. I took in a deep breath and tried to match his voice's coldness, "NEVER!!" I heard my voice echo through the forest and was sure one of the guys must have heard me as I felt my nervous fear of what would happen next gnaw at the base of my stomach. Vance heaved a sigh of frustration out as his shoulders slumped. As quickly as his anger was here, it was gone. He suddenly jumped up the stairs of the tour bus and into the door way. I jumped back in surprise, slamming myself into the counter again. I saw the world around me begin to spin and become dimmer. I fought the darkness I knew all too soon would inevitable take over. I watched from my sitting position on the floor as Vance began burning in the doorway. His screaming rang in my ears and hurt my head, stealing away even more of my already low amount of energy. I found myself unable to move as I kept myself conscience. Vance jumped back out of the bus and looked at me unhappily. If I hadn't seen him burning for that second I never would have known it happened. His all black futuristic looking armor wasn't even scratched, never mind burned. "Fine, have it your way, Princess," he scowled as he poured some type of pinkish red powder into his hand and blew it towards me. I felt the powder brush over my face and made me even more tired and weak. "Smart of you to hide on your Guardian's territory. You know, don't you? It doesn't matter, you'll know soon enough. Even if I can't get you here, the dreams will. I know just hate having to see all your people die over and over again. It's torture, isn't it? Nighty night, Rosie, I hope you enjoy the new set of dreams in store for you." Vance smiled deviously, knowing what was in store for me. This was only my first true stand off with him, but I already couldn't wait for the final battle. Good always wins over Evil, and I couldn't wait to kick his ass! Next: Chapter 32 -FanFics -Home