Girls with red ties, white shirts and black skirts surrounded the institution. Rose was one of these girls. She stood on the campus, and with a frown, she silently stared at her red tie that was loosely hanging from her uniform. She hated this stupid outfit. In fact, she hated a lot of things. She hated the way many of the girls on campus acted as if they owned the place. She hated the way she was practically stuck in this institution with no way out. She hated her parents. Or lack off, in her case.
Rose took a deep breath as she impatiently looked through all the similar looking girls, not being able to find the one person she was looking for. To say that Rose didn't have any friends, would be an understatement. For some reason just about every girl on campus hated her, and the feeling was mutual. But she had a best friend. Cassie. And right now, Cassie was nowhere to be found.
Cassie was very similar to Rose, when it came to life and abandonment. In fact Cassie was the only girl besides her, that really had no other home. All of the other girls on campus left to visit their families during holidays and vacations or even the weekends, but Cassie and Rose had do family. Rose still remembers the day Cassie was brought to the institution. Rose was only a little kid at the time, and she and Cassie instantly hit it off.
Another thing that brought Rose and Cassie closer was that they were the only girls on campus, that accepted monsters. The institution was certainly very famous for how racist it was towards monsters, and the deep hate that boiled through Margaret when she spoke about monsters. It wasn't something Rose could ever understand.
But unlike Rose, Cassie is very innocent and naive. She's a shy, and a very typical good girl, who would always try to please Margaret although she disliked her. Rose not so much. Rose had never been afraid to show Margaret that she dislikes her, nor was Rose ever afraid to speak what was on her mind. Margaret would always say that she is not acting like a "proper lady." Proper lady my ass. Did she mention that she hates this place?
Deciding that Cassie was probably in her dorm room, she put her aside in her thoughts as she instead thought about the upcoming year. Rose was going to turn eighteen soon, and apparently Margaret wanted to meet with her in her office to talk about it. What was there to talk about? Yes, she will be turning eighteen, but there is no way Margaret can expect her to move out or something, I mean, she has no money? Rose's legs take her to Margaret's office and without knocking, she steps in.
"Oh Rose my dear! Sit down please. I have something to show you." Margaret says as enthusiastically as always.
Rose slowly sits down, confusion written all over her face. What did this have anything to do with her turning eighteen? Did Margaret buy her a birthday gift or something? Rose almost laughs out loud at the thought of Margaret ever doing something like that. She never has, why would she now?
Margaret opens a small box and pulls out a necklace. Or is that a diamond? Attached to a string?
"Oh wow. It's beautiful." Rose stands up, as she moves to touch the rose colored diamond, but Margaret pulls it away with a giggle.
"Welp, guess I told you you wouldn't die alone. I mean there's always someone who's desperate. So when is the queen getting married? What is the due date? Where will you even have the wedding because.." Rose begins but is quickly cut off by the blonde woman.
"I'm not getting married Rose."
"Oh. Oh well don't worry. You'll get your day, I suppose. So um, why are you showing this to me?" Rose asks, sitting down on Margaret's desk without a care.
"Like I once told you, the woman that brought you here left something very valuable to pay for your expenses. What I did not tell you, is that she also left this diamond, for you. And she asked me to give this to you once you turn eighteen." Margaret says with a smirk.
Rose quickly changes her tone into a serious one, as she sits back down on the chair. "Miss Margaret, I know you know more about my origin and my family. I need to know more, I need to know where I come from, where I belong! The woman that gave that to you, what was she like? Was she, was she my mother?" Rose pleads, a lump forming in her throat. Anger. Sadness. Whatever.
As always this question is the one that throws Margaret over the edge, her face turning angry and her tone changing to an annoyed one. "Oh please Rose! I already told you everything I know. Please don't make me repeat myself one and a thousand more times! Enough!"
When there is nothing but silence, Margaret sighs in annoyance as she stands up from her chair.
"When you arrived, you were such a tiny little baby. Oh, I still remember you were so pretty!" Margaret smiles at the memory. "So so curious. I even wanted to register you as my own daughter. Really! But the institutions owners at the time didn't allow me to. You know, it would have been bad for the reputation of the school and blah blah. That's why I always had to, hide you a little."
"Yes I can imagine." Rose says sarcastically. "You didn't want to take care of me either, right?"
"I did take care of you little Rose! In some ways, In some ways Rose, I am your mother." Margaret smiles.
Rose looks away, eyes squinting at her words. No. This woman was not her mother. Not in any ways.
"Well the thing is that now that you are turning eighteen, you'll have to soon leave the institution. Oh you know how I would love to take care of you for the rest of my life! But I can't. Besides the funds that were paying for your expenses are all gone. So I would suggest that you would start looking for a place to stay, and a way to maintain yourself. As soon as possible please. You can sell this diamond." Margaret hands the necklace to Rose. "It's a rose diamond, Rose. It costs a fortune."
Rose watches the small rock that rests in her hand, her world crumbling in front of her.
She really is on her own now.
Cassie stood in the giant lobby, eyes focused on a group of girls who were giggling and whispering things to each other. The girls had changed their long black school uniform skirts, to dark miniskirts and their faces were coated with makeup. She quickly did a double check on her own outfit and couldn't help but to feel a slight bit of jealousy when looking at the girls that managed to look that good. Here she stood with her boring blonde hair and her perfectly covering school uniform. Her eyes soon focus on Rose, as she spots her best friend across the hall. She was holding something and her eyes were strictly focused on whatever it was. Cassie pretty much ran towards her friend who was still starring at the unknown object.
"Rose, where were you! I've been looking for you all morning. Did you talk to Miss Margaret?" She asks her blonde curls brushing against her shoulder.
"Yes. And she gave me this." Rose says with a frown, now holding a necklace in the air.
"That snake bought you a gift?" Cassie asks surprised as she walks closer towards her friend, eyes scanning the jewelry.
"Of course not. No, apparently the woman that abandoned me here asked her to give it to me when I turned eighteen." Cassie reaches out and gently takes the jewelry in her own hand, now examining it further.
"Wait is this real? This is a rose diamond. Wow!" she quickly hands the necklace back to Rose, who takes it but with another frown.
"She also told me that I soon have to leave the institution."
"Oh, don't worry about it Rose. You can live with me. I think we could get a job in my grandfather's company. You know with him owning the most important company of the country, I think we'll be okay. At least we have him." Cassie sighs, her eyes twinkling with the thought of leaving this place for once and for all. Her grandfather was the only person she had besides Rose.
Rose laughs, holding the diamond in her hands as she thinks about it. "You know, I'm kinda starting to like the idea."
It never made much sense, why this so called 'fancy school for lady's' was located in such a quiet place in town. Rose wished she could live in the city of Mount. Ebott. With the high buildings, the people, the fashion and not to mention. Monsters. The barrier had fallen about five or six years ago, and Rose had never gotten to meet a monster in her life. She has heard that they are sweet, and kind but she has always been trapped in this shitty town in a even shittier institution. She couldn't wait to meet the real world. But she was scared. Terrified even. She's never really been free before. All she knew were the boring streets of her home town. And not only that but the institution had a curfew. A curfew, as if they were still just a bunch of kids!
"Cassie, darling, could I have a word with you?" Margaret's voice snapped Rose back to reality. Today the girls were not supposed to go out anymore, due to upcoming exams they were expected to stay in and study. But Rose took the opportunity to take a break from everyone when Cassie walked away with Margaret. She needed some fresh air anyway, and no one could keep her locked up here dammit!
As Rose was enjoying a little walk in town, it was peacefully quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the church bell in the distance. The sky was a beautiful shade of orange and red, as the sun was setting. The wonders of actually going outside. Rose couldn't help but to think that she should do this more often. Not to mention how peaceful it was out here, without the sound of a thousand schoolgirls giggling with their friends. It was just really nice to be left alone for a while. She took a deep rich breath, savoring the smell of flowers and she closed her eyes contently. It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flower's were blooming. On days like these, girls like her should be outside actually enjoying summer. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to hear the voice behind her the first time.
"Heh heh. What's on yer mind girly?"
Her eyes snapped open, as a rich baritone voice rang through her ears and holy fuck, she just felt that voice? And hold on a second did this creep just call her girly? As she quickly turned around to pretty much tell whoever this was to fuck off and let her enjoy her one peaceful moment, she stopped right on her tracks when she locked eyes? Eyesockets? With an actual smirking skeleton.
Oh this is the last thing she was expecting from her relaxing walk.
"I knew I'd find ya." The skeleton said as he slowly approached Rose, who was still standing still, watching the skeleton man with a puzzled expression. She didn't move an inch, she wasn't even blinking. The skeleton kept walking towards her, until he was standing very close to the young woman's face. This is where Rose snapped out of her trance.
"Uh sorry what?" She blurted out, suddenly noticing just how close the skeleton had gotten.
"Geez girly, didn't know I could have such an effect on ya. I said, I knew I'd find ya." The skeleton said, and did he just wink? He just winked at her, and he just called her girly, and nobody calls her girly.
"Don't call me that." Rose rolled her eyes, as she took a couple of steps back, to gain back her personal space. This was a skeleton, a monster was standing in front of her, and he was kinda pissing her off a little. "Uh, and what do you mean, you'd find me? You don't know me?"
The skeleton took Rose's hand in his, witch immediately resulted in Rose quickly pulling her hand away. The monster just chuckled at her, as he pulled out a ring.
"As a monster, I have many friends that know magic and just today, a good ol' friend of mine told me that I was gonna meet my future wifey tonight at five in the afternoon." The skeleton chuckled again as he took Rose's hand and quickly placed a ring in her finger.
Wait hold on. This guy, this skeleton just fucking told her the most cheesiest stupidest pick up line, she has ever heard in her life. Right? There's no way he's serious. Right? But monsters do have magic. He had to be doing this for laughs. Right!? Rose quickly got herself together and with a quick glance at her new ring, she decided to say something stupid and just make a run for it.
"Uh, looks like your lady's gone dude. It's six in the afternoon, so you're about an hour late." Rose pulled her hand back again. "But anyways I love your ring, I'm keeping this shit." She gave him a sweet smile and walked away.
This time it was the skeleton's turn to stand there speechlessly.