I don't know if anyone's interested in this, but I decided to post this anyway. I've already gotten the next five chapters written, so this will be updated fairly often. Probably twice a week, and my other story once a week.
Diclaimer: I own nothing except for my Oc's and the plot.
There are many things in this world that aren't fair, but anyone could tell you that. Some people turn out to be luckier than others, coming out unscathed in the game of life, but some, some are struck down as soon as it really begins, pushing and cracking their moralities and their whole world. Some could get over it, push through it, or have someone to be there for them, Rose wasn't that lucky.
There was nothing special about her or her family when it happened, her being a normal little girl who absolutely adored stuffed animals, dolls, and the color pink. Her dad was the typical father, responsible, caring, and he worked as a auto mechanic. Her mom was sweet,motherly, and not the brightest of bulbs, though sometimes she managed to surprise everyone by making an observation or remark that sounded nothing like her, to which she would just smile sweetly and ask what they were talking about, though a gleam of mischief would reside in her eyes.
Gotham city was not for the weak nor kind, as it would chew them up and spit them back out. If even a trace of innocence remained in a child, adult, or teen, it would sink it's dark claws of hatred and fear into the morsel of purity, and rip it away faster than a blink of an eye. Unfortunately , Rose was no different in this case, and a sweet child became just as corrupted and rank as the stone hearted killer that took her parents.
"Mom?" A young clear voice called out, followed by light footsteps and the squeaking of a door being pushed open. Rose frowned in confusion, her mom was standing at the phone with blank, wide eyes, her hand covering the open mouth that was dragging in small breaths of air.
"Mommy?" She tried agin, clutching the worn down cheetah stuffed animal to her chest. Walking forward, she tugged on her mom's dress, wrinkling it slightly and drawing the women out of her stupor. The women gasped shakily, holding back her tears and sobs for her children's sake.
"Mommy, Austin and Alex won't go to sleep. They both keep crying and didn't stop even when I gave them Simber." She whined, pointing to the stuffed cheetah in her small arms.
Linda didn't answer her eldest, mentally fighting for control before calming the emotions threatening to split her brain in half. Joseph had been working in the garage when a drug dealer from his past had shot him in the head, killing him right after he swore to do the same to his family. She had been cooking in the kitchen when the phone rang and she was informed of situation by a family friend.
Getting down on the same eye level as Rose, she put both hands on her daughter's shoulders and squeezed slightly. Frowning because her mom was scaring her, Rose listened as her mother started speaking.
"Rose, my sweet girl, there's something really important I need you to do for mommy," She stopped and searched Rose's eyes, continuing when she nodded uncertainly, "Go pack the warmest clothes you have along with your shoes, we need to go somewhere really quickly. Your Daddy's not going to come home." Confused by her serious and startlingly urgent tone of voice, she hurried down the hall and back into the room she shared with her brothers.
The small room had cracked paint, showing how old the room really was, but Rose considered it her home. When she finally reached for her last piece of clothing and stuffed it into the bag she was holding, a loud knocking on the front door make the apartment feel much more menacing. Her mom came running down the hall, hurriedly entering the room and unsettling the twin boys who had just gotten over being fussy.
"Rose I need you to be brave now more than ever," She whispered, helping her daughter pull on the backpack she was awkwardly trying to strap together. Grabbing the two young boys, she handed Austin to Rose who was standing silently behind her mom and kept Alex in her arms. Splintering wood and heavy boot steps filled the space towards the kitchen, Linda becoming all the more frantic to escape.
"Hurry baby!" Her mom urged her, glancing back to the door frequently while waiting for her daughter to climb out onto the rusty fire escape. The thing hadn't been used in ages and was hardly safe, but at this point she was desperate to keep her children safe. Linda paled as the door was banged on, cracks splattering the white complexion of the door. Making her grim decision, Linda handed Alex to Rose along with the bag she was holding, and closed the window along with the curtains.
"Mommy!" Rose called out, beating on the window frantically and crying. Looking through the gap in the curtains she could see over her mom's shoulder to where an scary looking angry man was standing with a gun in his hand. She stared, frozen in fear as she could hear muffled yells and arguing, Alex and Austin crying behind her to where she had left them. A loud bang silence it all, and Rose screamed.
The man sharply turned his head to look out the window but she had ducked down, holding a hand over her mouth in fear and disbelief. Her mom was dead. Never coming home, no more games or movie night. She shook her head in denial, chanting it's not true, it's not true, over and over in her mind. Grabbing her mom's purse and sling it over her shoulder, she grabbed her two little brothers and ran, barley seeing through the tears blurring her vision. She ran from the man, she ran from her fear, and she ran from her home. Everything she had was gone, and she had nowhere to go.
She tripped and almost stayed upright before gravity jerked her down onto the ground, forcing her to curl her body around her brothers and take the full force of the impact. Sniffing and gasping, she rubbed her shoulder onto her eyelids, trying to clear her vision to see where they were. Her legs were aching along with most of her muscles thanks to the wet concrete she had fallen on. Stumbling to her feet, she looked and found a old building in front of her, looming over her with malice, making her feel as if she were tiny.
Heading inside through a small boarded up window she found an old dusty room, filled with boxes and filth. Setting her brothers down onto a old pillow, she curled up next to them and stared off into the distance, the reality of what just happened crashing into her. She cried, her parents were gone, her house was gone, and she had no idea what to do. She couldn't take care of herself, much less her brothers! She sniffles and cried for what felt like hours, her tears eventually running dry. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what her mom told her to do if something ever happened.
"If anything ever happens to us, take care of your brothers. Don't trust anyone and be smart, survive and don't let the world beat you."
The words echoed around in her head as she welcomed the embrace of sleep.
