A man stood in an alley, clutching a suitcase to his chest. His fear was shining in his eyes, the dim light illuminating the sweat on his brow. He glanced behind his shoulder nervously. "H-hello?" He called to the darkness. A young girl emerged from the shadows. Shadows seemed to drip off her clothes and face like water. The girl had short blond hair, and she wore a long black dress tied with a pink sash. She carried what looked like very large knitting needles. Her bangs covered her eyes, and she mumbled in a strange language. The man stared at the girl and shrank back in an attempt to make himself smaller. "W-who are you?" The man trembled. The girl muttered in the strange language again. She raised her left arm and flicked her wrist. A shadow leapt from a wall and crept across the floor, towards the man. The man turned and his eyes widened, but before he could say anything, the shadow pierced his chest. He fell to the ground, crimson blood spurting everywhere. The girl laughed dryly, and said in English, "It gets worse every time." She flicked her wrist again, and the black shadow grew. It swallowed the man's body, and then disappeared, leaving nothing remaining but his briefcase. The girl picked up the bloodstained briefcase.
"Good job, Rose." A voice called.
Rose grimaced. "What do you want?"
The voice laughed. "To congratulate you on a job well done, what else? "
Rose sighed, "I don't have time for this, I have school tomorrow." The voice said nothing, and Rose walked out of the alley, briefcase in hand.
Rose opened her violet eyes, to see her cat licking her hand. The blond groaned, and lifted her aching bones out of bed. She hadn't changed her clothes last night, and there was a small bloodstain on her shirtsleeve. "Great." She mumbled. Her cat purred and rubbed its black head against her legs. Rose looked down and picked the small cat up. She chuckled, "Mutti, are you trying to tell me that you want food?" Mutti meowed. Rose stepped over her various knitting projects and journals. She opened her door, and peeked out to see if her mother was anywhere in sight. When she saw that the coast was clear, she held Mutti in one arm, and lifted her floor length skirt in the other. Her bare feet cold against the marble floor, she descended the stairs leading into the kitchen. She set Mutti down next to her food bowl. She grabbed the cat food out of the pantry and filled the small bowl. The silence throughout the mansion was filled with the clanking of the food hitting the metal bowl. Rose glanced at the clock and gasped, "Oh dear, I'll be late if I don't hurry!" It was her first day of school since she moved back to Washington. She had lived here before, but due to family matters, her mother packed up all their belongings, and took off to New York with her only daughter. Her half-son being left behind. Rose raced up the stairs into her room. She changed into a long white skirt, and a white long sleeved shirt with purple highlights. She quickly brushed her teeth, skipping breakfast, and smoothed her hair down with a black headband. She grabbed one of her current knitting projects, a green scarf. She then shouldered her school bag and raced back down the stairs. "Bye Mutti!" She called, as she ran out the door. She shivered as the cold morning air nipped at her bare arms. She began walking to the bus stop, pulling out her phone to check the time. She arrived just as the school bus pulled up to the curb. She joined the crowd of students and climbed the steps gracefully, as always. She nodded to the bus driver, a short woman with a short temper. Rose's eyes scanned the faded seats for somewhere to sit. Her eyes locked on a girl with very pale skin, paler than her own, at the back of the bus. The girl wore a long red skirt and a black and green shirt. Her short black hair was spiked a bit at the ends, and she was reading a novel. Rose thought the girl looked intriguing, and made her way to the girl's seat. The girl looked up and Rose smiled. "May I sit with you?" she asked. The girl nodded and slid closer to the window to make room for her. Rose sat down.
"I must say that I have not seen you before." The girl said. Rose held her hand out. "I am Rose Lalonde. I lived here a few years ago, I just recently moved back." The girl took Rose's hand.
"I am Kanaya Maryam. It's a pleasure Ms. Lalonde." Both girls smiled, and Rose pulled out her knitting. Kanaya continued reading her book, but the girls continued to have a conversation. They talked about their interests, and before they knew it, you school bus came to a stop. As Rose stepped off the bus, Kanaya tapped her shoulder.
"Are you able to find your first class Rose?" Rose nodded.
"I'm sure I'll be fine Kanaya." Kanaya laughed and said goodbye, heading to her first class. Rose smiled at the thought of a new friend, but she knew she couldn't get too close. They would surely find out, and once they did, they would give her twice the work she had now. Her Grimdark powers couldn't handle that many kills. If she wasn't careful, her powers would take over her body. Her smile faded as she walked to class, a map in her hand. She stopped at the door and the teacher was waiting for her.
"So you're our new student? Wonderful!" The woman had a bubbly, bright feel. Her brown hair danced on her shoulders, and her floral printed clothes fit her personality to a tee. Rose nodded and let the teacher lead her into the classroom. The woman clapped her hands. "Alright! We have a new student today!" She looked at Rose. "Her name is-"
"Rose?" A raven-haired boy wearing a blue hoodie stood from his seat in the back of the class. Rose looked at him and smiled. "Hello again, John." John beamed at her and ran forward. He threw his arms around her.
"Where have you been? You left us without saying anything!" Rose laughed. "I'll explain later. Right now, you'll have to let go of me." John blushed and let go. He went back to his seat, but continued to smile at Rose. The teacher cleared her throat.
"Well… that was… a lovely display of affection Mr. Egbert." John blushed even more, and shrank back into his seat. The entire class laughed. "Well Rose, you can take your seat back there." She pointed to an empty desk next to John. Rose took her seat and the teacher began class.
