Phantom of the Rose
Prologue: She Left, He Came
Ten years ago…
We were about to move, I was getting into the car when I heard Mother crying. I slipped out of the car to go see her in the back garden crying and with red gooey liquid all over her. I was only five when this was happening so I was too young and confused to understand what was going on. I looked down to see Mother holding a large object rapped in Mother's black coat. It was a person, I knew that. The legs and hair was escaping the top and bottom of the coat. The hair was drenched in blood but I knew it was blond. I put my hand out and took the hood of the coat (which was covering the head) and pulled it entirely off to see my older sister of 14 years old who has been missing for six months.
Her eyes flicked open slowly and she gestured me to kneel down. She whispered something I couldn't hear then it was like all time had stopped. I looked at Mother and she was stopped in mid-sob. Then I looked up and a bird was caught in the air not flapping his wings but he was still there. I looked over to the side of the large house to see father coming but stopped, caught on one leg.
She finally spoke up. "Trandafir, I have found things out that I must not tell you. But what I can tell you is," she coughed and spit up some blood, then gestured to Mother and Father "do not trust these people."
I nodded. "And here, I sacrificed my life to find him. He will help you, protect you, he will anything for you. But this cost me my life so be careful." She lifted her thumb and drew something on my forehead with it. I was going to touch it but grabbed my hand and said, "No, now say the words Urmează-mă şi apără-mă, demonul de Raven. Tu vei fi a mea. Say it now."
"Urmează-mă şi apără-mă, demonul de Raven. Tu vei fi a mea!" I yelled and then a black gust filled with feathers surrounded me and then a man came next to me. He had long black hair, it fell to his lower back. And he had burning red eyes. He was quite scary but beautiful at the same time.
"You called, Master." He asked bowing and looking me directly in the eyes. He was naked, which would've freaked me out but I was too transfixed on his eyes.
"Who are you?" I whimpered.
"I am who you want me to be. A baker, a brother, a butler, a detective, a lover, a servant, a killer, anyone you want. I will do whatever you want. For you have paid your dues to me." He gestured to my sister, my almost dead sister.
"Fine, then I want you to HEAL MY SISTER!" I yelled.
"That is the one thing I can't do. For if I am to protect you I need something in return, and your sister offered up her soul in exchange for your protection. And I can't follow your orders until we perform the ritual." He said. I started to tear up when my sister pulled me close to her.
"Trandafir! I am doing this to protect you. You should not cry. Now when the ritual is done I will be gone but I will always be with you." She pointed to my heart and then she smiled. "Now go and do me right."
I nodded and stood up to face the man, then he spoke. "Okay, now what is your name?"
"Rose!"
"Your real name." he spoke.
"Trandafir." I sighed.
"What does it mean?" he asked as he gestured for me to take his hands.
"It means 'rose' in Romanian." I took his hands and then the same slack gust filled with black feathers that brought this man here surrounded us again.
"Now ask me the same things."
"What is your name?" I quietly asked.
"Corb!" He said loudly.
"What does it mean?" I loudly asked.
"'Raven' in Romanian." He said. That's odd… both of your names are Romanian. He talked again. "Now for our marks."
He bit his finger and it gushed with blood. He touched the mark Ceruri gave me and traced whatever she did. Then he took my hand and bit my thumb and it filled with blood. "Now touch anywhere you want with your blood."
I thought about it then I knew. I touched his neck with the blood then something like a collar tattooed to his skin wrapped around his neck. Then he spoke. "Now tell me what you are giving up."
"I am giving up my beloved sister Ceruri." I cried. I was about to fall to the ground when Corb caught me and held me.
"Trandafir, daughter of the Rose, who is giving her beloved sister Ceruri, waitress of heaven, to me is now my master. I am yours!" he yelled.
"Corb, commander of Ravens, you are now my servant. You will be mine!" I yelled. He leaned down and kissed me on my lips. I was too shocked to push him away.
He let go. "The ritual is now over."
I was put on the ground and I fell on my knees to see my sister was dead. I took her hand and then something dropped. It was her necklace. It had a simple Rose on it and sliver chain. I looped it around my neck. Then I stood up. "Corb, restore time. Then make sure my parents hire you to be my butler/ body guard, got it?"
"Yes, Master." He said. I was about to get in my position of when I came over here. But then I remembered.
"But before all that, put on some clothes."