Beginnings

Dragging herself over to where Adair was discarded proved to be the hardest thing Rosalind ever had to do.

“I’m so sorry, Rosa.”

“Shhh...don’t speak Adair. I-It’s okay.” Rosalind’s voice was thick with tears. Blood soaked the few scraps of what had been her dress. Her hands and legs had been painted red, both her and her twin brother’s blood staining her skin.

It hurt. Everywhere hurt. Her back felt as if it were on fire, emptiness where beautiful iridescent wings had once been. Rosalind could see them, lying tattered off in the distance. Adair followed her gaze and let out a choked sob.

“Oh, Rosalind what did they--”

“Don’t, Adair. Please.” She responded in a broken whisper. He’d been unconscious, thankfully, unable to hear her screams as the three teenagers had taken turns on her tiny body. It was getting too dark now for him to see the bruises littering her thighs, wrists and throat.

God why did everything hurt?

His own wings lay not far away, and Rosalind could only imagine the pain her brother was in. No, she didn’t have to imagine. She realized, as Adair coughed and pain shot through her own chest, that she was feeling the pain he was in. That coupled with her own, she was somehow feeling his hurts as well. And his was far worse than hers.

“Adair.” Rosie sobbed as she realized the presence she’d been feeling from him was growing weaker. She held his body close, using one hand to stroke through his hair. His pain had spiked and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in order to keep from crying out along with him. “It’s okay. Just relax. It will be over soon.” She repeated those words in an almost chant, feeling the panic that had been bubbling in the both of them calm down. She knew he was dying, and only hoped that whatever it was she’d learned to do was working.

It was only a few seconds later Adair drew his last breath, and she felt his body go slack in her arms, her own body suddenly not as heavy as it’d been. She sucked in a ragged breath, letting it out with a scream.

When Rosalind came too, it was to find she was in her bed and nearly two days had passed. Pain still radiated throughout her entire body, and she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed, the memory of what had transpired hitting her all at once, and she curled in on herself, sobbing.

Her mother came into the room then, a wet towel in her hand, and she went immediately to Rosalind to take her daughter into her arms.

“Don’t!” Rosalind immediately recoiled, the action causing pain to shoot through her. She could feel the pity her mother felt, and the disappointment. It was too much.

“Linda.” Katherine said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Rosalind had curled against the wall into a ball, trying to stay as far away from her mother as possible. “Rosalind please.” What happened to my sweet girl?

“I can feel everything. It hurts.” Was Rosalind’s response, not looking at her mother. Not answering the question she knew her mother hadn't spoken out loud. Why was this happening to her? “Everything hurts.”

“Tell me what happened.” Katherine tried, but Rosalind didn’t respond.

It was almost another two days when her mother returned with her father in tow. That pitying, disappointed feeling hit Rosalind first, and then she was nearly overwhelmed by the anger coming from her father. She immediately retreated to the edge of the bed, and seconds later her parents came into the room.

“Rosalind, you will tell us what happened.” Was the first thing out of her father’s mouth.

“Lorin please, don’t do this now. She’s been through a lot. Let her rest.”

“It’s been four days. She’s been through something she wouldn’t have to deal with if they would have listened to me from the beginning. Rosalind you are the level headed one, and you let your brother talk you into doing something so stupid? And for what? Was getting your wings cut off worth it? Was losing your twin worth it?”

“That’s not fair.” Rosalind whispered. She was feeling as if she’d suffocate, the strength of the emotions around her mixing with her own becoming overbearing.

“What did they do to you Rosalind, that is so bad you won’t tell us? Huh? Will you not tell us because you know you deserve what happened to you? It was only a matter of time before you two got caught. I’ve warned you over and over to leave humans alone, knowing how they are, but neither of you listened. And now what? You’ve laid here, in my home, four days wallowing in self pity from something you did to yourselves.” Lorin continued, ignoring the fact that his daughter had tears pouring down her cheeks. He crossed his arms, his features growing dark. “Was it before or after your brother was killed that you slept with them?”

“Lorin!” Katherine gasped.

“You think I can’t tell? You think I didn’t see the blood? Did you sleep with one or all? Did you try to buy your way out with that? Huh? When you weren’t enough, that’s when they decided to hurt you as well, isn’t it?”

“Lorin she is thirteen!”

“You think I don’t know what young fairies are like? Thirteen or not, fairies are mischievous creatures. And this one is no different.” He said, glaring at Rosalind.

“I hate you!” Rosalind finally screamed, the dam inside of her breaking. The intensity of emotions in the were crushing her, and she couldn’t handle it. “You have no idea what they did to me. What they did to him! Your son!”

“I no longer have a son.” The words came with an intense feeling of coldness, and Rosalind felt her breath catch in her throat as her father added, “I wish I hadn’t had a daughter.”

“Get out.” Rosalind could only manage a whisper, though when neither of her parents moved she repeated with a screech, “Get out!”

She’d ran that night, unable and unwilling to live there any longer. She didn’t know where to go, but she’d packed a small bag with only a change of clothes, some food, and what little money she had saved. Her first thought had been to go into the nearby town. Now that she no longer had wings, blending in with the humans was easier.

She stayed in that town for a little under a week. Her empathy, the power that allowed her to feel what others were feeling, had not weakened in the slightest, and it was once again becoming overwhelming. Feelings of suspicion as seeing a thirteen-year-old on her own were becoming more and more frequently, and Rosalind left the town before anything could come of it.

It was almost two weeks before she finally stopped in another town for longer than a night. Rosalind was alone, scared, and exhausted. On more than one night she found herself missing the comfort of her home, but then her father’s words flashed through her mind and she remembered why she couldn’t go back.

It was in this town, three days into her stay, where Rosalind met a scout from Otherworld Academy. At first she was apprehensive about the man, but feeling no malicious or pitying feelings from him, agreed to listen to what he had to say. Hearing about a school for beings like her, a place where she could be safe sounded too good to be true, and Rosalind almost refused. But it was better than the alternative - continuing wandering around until she ran out of money and was forced back home.

She’d just turned fourteen when she arrived at the Academy. It was a daunting place to someone like Rosalind, who was used to the green openness of Bali, and she nearly cried on the spot when she was greeted with endless snow. She spent the first week hiding in her dorm, refusing to come out and jumping at any and every sound she heard. Thankfully by this time her empathy had finally chosen to turn off, though her telepathy still lingered. It wasn’t as bad, and she found she had an easier time ignoring the voices of others that filtered uninvited to her mind.

Eventually one of the older fairies coaxed Rosalind out of the room and offered to show her around campus, making sure to stay close to the younger fairy but not too close that she’d frighten the poor girl. They walked for a little while, Rosalind saying little to nothing as Mischa rattled off about each building they passed.

Rosalind had her eyes on the ground, walking slowly as Mischa was going on about how gross cafeteria food was barely a foot away, when she met Deimos for the first time. The words he spoke to her barely registered, as she was suddenly hit with an overwhelming feeling of fear, and loneliness, two feelings she was all too familiar with. The looks he was getting from other students didn’t go unnoticed by her, and even Mischa’s own words barely phased her.

No, no, no, I’m tired of people being afraid of me. I’m sorry.

Those were the only words that echoed in her mind. The only words that matter. And they’d come from him. Sure he was scary and intimidating, and Rosie wanted to turn and run instead of what she was doing instead, but the need she felt from him overpowered the fear she felt of him. She didn’t understand why what she felt from his was so much more intense than anything she’d felt before, but it didn’t matter.

All she knew, as she rushed to catch up to him for the fourth time, was that he needed someone on his side. And that someone needed to be her.

“What?” He growled when he realized she was following him again.

Rosalind simply smiled up at him, earning a puzzled look, though he didn't seem like he was going to try and get rid of her. Everyone else was afraid of him, including himself. Rosalind wasn’t going to add to the number. She would be his friend, whether he liked it or not. For both of their sakes.