JustAnotherFanGirl2004: This definitely isn't Rose's last fight. Although, one the adults find out about what happened they'll probably be more protective.

Green Meadow1870: Rose definitely had humility. One of the reasons she responded the way she did was because she wasn't used to being treated so kindly when someone told her to do something.

This chapter starts with a flashback that should give you more information on Rose's past.

Chapter Six

Eight-year-old Rose walked down the streets. It had been a few days since the orphanage she'd lived in had burned down, and she was starving. She saw a slice of bread by a trash can and ran over, hoping to get food.

Just as she was about to grab the bread, another hand snatched it from in front of her.

She turned to see a boy. He was clearly much older than her and looked like the exact opposite of her - clean and well-groomed.

"Please," she begged. "I'm so hungry."

"Hmm, I think you'll survive," he said, and threw the bread into a puddle. He stepped on it, completely destroying Rose's only chance of food. She stared at it with hollow eyes, her stomach rumbling. She felt a few tears prick her eyes. She was so hungry.

"Why would you do that?" she asked softly. To her surprise, she felt a sharp kick to her leg. She didn't even flinch. Punches, kicks, slaps...they were nothing new to her.

"To get you to go back to where you came from, witch!"

Rose blinked in surprise. Witch? Suddenly, she realized what he was talking about. Her violet eyes. Well, that was a new name. But she figured it was better than monster.

"Timothy!" a voice called.

"Coming!" the boy responded. Shoving Rose one last time, he moved away. Infuriated and starving, Rose walked forward and punched him in the back...just as his father came around the corner.

The father grabbed Rose and threw the starving child against the wall, hurting her. He tried to hurt her by twisting her leg, but Rose just smiled tauntingly. She was a contortionist. To her, this was a stretch.

But when he saw that it wasn't hurting her, Timothy's father pulled Rose's hair. Hard. Rose screamed out in pain a bit.

"This'll teach you not to hurt my precious angle, you little freak," he snarled as he moved away and left with her son.

Rose crumbled to the floor, her eyes and emotions hollow. She realized something. Things like this were sure to happen often. To survive, she would have to change. She would have to put a shell around herself - inside and out.

She would have to fight.

"I wish you guys would stop fussing over me," Rose complained at Lettie, Anne, Phillip, Phin, Charity, Caroline, and Helen started patching her up. "If I just let them heal the worse I'll get in an infection."

The others stopped and stared at Rose, shocked by the young girl's careless attitude to her injuries.

"Rose, how often does this happen?" Lettie asked slowly.

Rose shrugged. "At least once a week. Why?"

They all stared at her. All of them were furious and heartbroken. Rose was so young. How had she made it through all of this on a weekly basis?

"It's really not that big of a deal. Worse has happened," Rose said, not realizing that her words were only making the others more certain to take care of her than calming them.

"We need to make safety precautions to keep you from getting hurt again," Phin decided.

"No!" Rose shouted, getting up. "I survived for three years. At first it happened more often. Really, I'll be fine. You need to trust me!"

"Rose, you need to be safe," Lettie said.

"You have no control over me!" Rose said. "I'm not a slave anymore, and I've never belonged to anyone. I doubt I ever will!"

As she got up and stormed away, planning on doing some tricks to calm down, the others were all struck silent by her statement. "I'm not a slave anymore..." But slavery ended years ago...how could Rose have ever been a slave?

Rose walked into the performing area. She took a deep breath and planted her hands on the floor. Slowly and carefully, she lifted her feet off the ground and brought them up over her head. Rose took her mind off the recent argument and just focused on her contortion.

Once she was calm, she came back down. To some people, contortion seemed like it would be scary. But to Rose, it was her escape from reality. It was when she became one with her body.

If only it didn't brand her a freak.

The others watched Rose perform. It was surprising how easily she moved when she was bending her body - it seemed as though it were more normal for her than walking.

"Why was Rose a slave?" Charity asked.

"Maybe she misspoke? She could have just felt like a slave," Helen suggested in her innocent way. The others all frowned. Rose wasn't the kind of person to say she was something if she only felt like it.

So, what had happened to her?

That night, once Rose was asleep, Lettie stayed awake.

Something about Rose felt different than the other performers. And it wasn't just her age, since she had proved that she was just as mature as all of them.

Suddenly, she realized what it was. She was silent. When she performed, she was completely silent. The others all sang, not just because it worked better for show-biz, but also because it was fun. Phillip and Anne sang Rewrite the Stars, the performers all sang This is Me, the Barnums sang A Million Dreams...but Rose was silent.

"Anne," Lettie said softly. She knew her best friend well enough to know when she was awake.

"Yes?" her friend responded, both of them speaking as quietly as possible to not wake Rose.

"Why do you think Rose never sings when she performs?"

"Maybe she just has a bad voice?"

"Maybe."

They were silent after that, but neither of them knew that Rose was really awake. When she heard the conversation, she smiled sadly. If only they knew the real reason.

I hope this chapter clears up a bit about Rose's past, but at the same time raises more questions. Tell me in a review why you think Rose doesn't sing, even though she has a beautiful voice.

Thanks for reading and please review!

-Creator of Magic