One second, in the blink of an eye. People use that expression all of the time. Most think of a second as nothing of any importance.. But sometimes one second it all it takes for your life to change. Sometimes, one second is all it takes to destroy you completely. She can remember that one second of her life better than anything else that has ever happened to her. That second before she heard the four words that would turn her existence upside down. If she had know that that second, that one second was going to be the last time that she was whole, the last time that she would ever be able to feel love, she would have held onto it a little longer. She would have soaked up all of it that she could so that it may last her a lifetime. But that is the problem with seconds, once they get here, they are gone, and you are left wondering what happened. She believed that the whole guy meets girl, they fall in love thing can be a little cliché, but maybe the reason it is, is because it is the one thing that marks us most as a person. It is the one thing that can change who we are forever. She herself did her fair share of eye rolling during the part of the movie where the guy and the girl ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. But it definitely beats the alternative. Sadly, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, or how much you sacrifice, the thing you love the most can turn around and destroy you. That, my friends, is exactly what happened to her. Her name is Rose Hathaway, and this, is her story.
Love fades; mine has… these words echo all around her. They seem to suffocate her, and press down on her with the force of the earth. These words are her burden, and her's alone. There is scarcely a night when these words don't haunt Rose's dreams, and never a waking moment when they are not bouncing around in her head. And yet, to the outside world, no one would ever suspect that she is one hard breeze away from falling apart completely. Even Lissa doesn't suspect that after this past year, that she is still, and probably always will be hurting, all from those four little words. The only people who know just how messed up she really is Christian, and Adrian. If you would have asked her, one year ago who were the people that meant the most to her in her life, she never would have thought of the two who have become my most trusted friends. But that's life for you. Just when you think you know what is going on what to expect, life throws a curve ball at you. She and Lissa are still close, but after everything that happened, their relationship has never been the same. Lissa couldn't understand why Rose was so upset when HE was so willing to see and speak to Lissa and couldn't seem to bear the sight if her. Lissa thought Rose was being immature. And she was tired of feeling like the only one in their friendship who actually cared about the others well being. Rose knew that as Lissa's guardian it was her job to put Lissa's life before her own, but they were also supposed to be each others best friends, and yet Rose felt that Lissa never paid enough attention to her to see what was going on. So she slowly began distancing herself from Lissa.
Rose and Christian's friendship began after she was assigned to be Lissa's full time guardian. With them being at the court and Christian's dislike of most of the royals, and all of the snotty bureaucrats he tended to stay back with Rose when Lissa would be out socializing or at important meetings. He knew with that crowd it was better to be seen than to be heard. And what better place to hide than with the guardian detail, whose job description entailed neither being seen nor heard. At first they hardly ever spoke, but after a while they began to chat to fill the sometimes deafening silence that seemed to come along with certain jobs. And although the two have had their differences in the past, they began to start a real rapport with each other. If anything, it was someone to complain to about the "holier than thou" attitudes of many of the members of the royal court. After about four months at court, Rose decided that it would be a wise decision to look for a change of assignment. She knew Lissa wasn't going to take it well, so Christian helped her devise a plan that would soften the blow. She then requested to be transferred to be Christians guardian, using the excuse that the princess, who everyone knew was soon to become the queen, needed a more experienced guardian to protect her, and with her and Christian being almost always together, if there was ever any problem, that Rose could sense it with her bond, and would still be close enough to advise on the situation at hand. Most people were on board, seeing as how, even though Rose had earned some people's respect, many still held onto disdain for her and her attitude. To Lissa, Rose used the excuse of needing a break from the crowd she was now required to be a part of and that there were several guardians who actually enjoy those types of things and would not bring Lissa's mood down by being miserable all the time. It took a little convincing, but with both Rose and Christian working on her, she soon agreed and the paper work was sent through.
After the assignment became official Rose moved her temporary sleeping quarters from Lissa's penthouse condo to Christian's small two bedroom apartment. Rose and Christian soon came to find out that they really didn't hate each other near as much as they thought. It turned out that they were actually alike in many ways. After a while, the pair started opening up to each other about thoughts and fears they had that they felt should be kept from Lissa. Christian was worried that his family reputation, and by extension his reputation, would keep Lissa from being able to do everything she wanted to do. Although many of the royals tolerated him, because they did not want to lose Lissa's acquaintance, most still had a very strong dislike for him, and treated him poorly when Lissa was not in close proximity to him. Likewise, Rose shared the same worries and thoughts about Lissa's relationship with her. Though Lissa couldn't see it, many people treated her differently when Rose was in her company. Not too long after Rose was Christians official guardian, they stopped attending most functions that Lissa went to unless it was something that she felt she needed a date for, in which case both Rose and Christian went and played their parts gracefully. After a few months of Rose and Christian both living together in his very small apartment, he found out about the horrible nightmares Rose was having, that usually resulted in her screaming loudly until he came and woke her up. At first she wouldn't tell him what they were about, but after a while, she finally began telling him the content of the dreams that disrupted both of their sleep most nights. They never really talked about it after Rose had reluctantly told him what was going on. The only time he brought it up again was when he was asking her to talk to Adrian about it to see if there was something he could do to help keep them away. Christian understood why Rose did not want to go to Lissa about it. Not only because she did not want to bother Lissa with her problems, but because Lissa was also part of the cause of them.
It has been a year since that day. One year since Rose's life changed completely. Things are starting to finally feel like they are returning to normal. Rose and Christian are finally in a comfortable place in their new found friendship, Adrian has been able to help her keep from having a nightmare every single night, and in one week, the four of them will be taking a short vacation away from court. One week and Rose will be able to get away and let go of the memories that haunt her. Rose thought that nothing could ruin her mood or that nothing could sour the feeling of excitement and anticipation she had for the upcoming week. Rose is suddenly pulled out of her reflections about the past year, and thoughts about the upcoming trip. She looks up and sees that Adrian is looking at her expectantly. "Shit, he must have asked me a question, and I have no clue what we were talking about." she thinks as a warm blush spreads over her face. Rose quickly asks him what they were talking about. "Rose, I just told you who was going to be Lissa's guardian next week for our vacation." Adrian replied to her, his voice both laced with genuine concern and a little annoyance. "Okay, and? I'm sure who ever they pick will be able to do the job, it not like we are going anywhere that there is likely to be an attack" she replied back to him, a little startled at how irritated she sounded. "Rose, Lissa has requested Dimitri. He will be here in two days." Adrian quickly added with a look of worry growing on his face. As his words sunk in, Rose realized that she had spoken too soon. The trip that she had been looking forward to with excitement and enthusiasm, now filled her with pain and anger. In just one week, her nightmares are going to be happening while she's awake.