For Everything a Reason

Chapter 12: Where the Roses Never Fade

"This is bad," I say in a low voice. "No shit. Got any other profound observations, Aspen?" Holden mutters back. I shoot a glare in his direction. "Maybe it's not what it looks like," Tate bites down on his lower lip. "It's exactly what it looks like," I retort. Tate steps forward and drags his long fingers across the beam. He delicately outlines it petal by petal. "What's it mean?" Paisley inquires with a frown. "It's a rose Paisley," Holden says irritably. "I'm not inadequate! I asked what it means not what it is!" Paisley snaps. "It means we were right," I intervene. "They've left a mark, so it seems pretty safe to say that this is only the beginning," Tate shakes his head in aggravation.

We stand there in silence. Nothing anyone says can change what happened and what will most likely continue to happen. I look at Tate. He looks calm, but I can see a shadow of fear in his dark gray eyes. I have the urge to hug him and tell him everything will be alright. But I don't. It's not my place and I don't know that things are going to be okay, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that you shouldn't say things you don't mean. I settle with awkwardly patting him on the shoulder blade. I'm the inadequate one; at least when it comes to expressing concern, or any emotion other than anger.

The sharp sound of a branch snapping makes us all jerk our heads. "What was that?" Paisley whispers anxiously. Tate and Holden advance in the direction the sound came from. "I don't see anything," Holden concludes. "Me neither," Tate agrees. "We should head home," I suggest, while rocking back on my heels. "Yeah, I'll see you guys later," Tate turns to leave. "Tate!" I blurt out. He stops and looks at me. "Yeah?" he asks. It looks like his eyes had brightened, but it could just be the reflection of the moonlight. "Uhhh…I…umm…be careful," I say lamely. I shouldn't be allowed to speak. A half smile forms on his lips, "I will. You guys be careful, too." We nod.

The night is particularly cold. I can't tell if it's the breeze or the chill of being completely creeped out. The rose burned into the beam was unnerving. It did seem like a crime of passion, which meant this was far from over. I suddenly wish we would've stayed home. "Aspen, can I ask you something?" Paisley whispers in my ear. "Yeah sure," I whisper back. "Telling Tate to be careful wasn't what you actually wanted to say, was it?" Paisley nudges my shoulder. "No," I mumble, dropping my head down. I can hear her giggle softly.

We arrive at the house after what seems like the longest walk of my life. Holden grips the door knob and turns it. He furrows his brows and jerks it violently. "Did someone lock the door?" He asks. Paisley throws her palm to her face. "Whoops." "Paisley!" Holden and I whisper-yell in unison. "I'm sorry, it's a force of habit!" she defends. "How are we supposed to get in?! I'm not sleeping in the bushes!" I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, you might wake up with a rose carved into your forehead," Holden jokes. "That is not even remotely funny," I pout. "Come on," Holden starts walking.

We circle the house in search of a window left ajar. Fortunately for us, the kitchen window was left open. I must've forgotten to close it after pushing Tate out. "Alright, who's it gunna be?" Holden turns to me and Paisley. "I got this," I announce confidently. I thrust myself on to Holden's broad shoulders. He grabs onto my feet to keep me from falling off. I grab the window sill and get one leg into the house. Everything is going great, until Holden sneezes. The sneeze is so forceful that he loses his balance and sways to the left. "Holden!" I shriek as he lets go of my feet and I'm hanging halfway out the window. "What I would give to capture this moment through the art of photography or video," Holden chuckles. I'm well aware I look ridiculous.

"This is your fault!" I hiss.

"Sneezing is a bodily function that I have no control over," he insists, "Besides, I thought you 'had this'."

"You're a terrible person."

"It keeps me awake at night."

"We're all going to be kept awake tonight if we can't get into the house," Paisley whines.

I hook my left leg around the faucet for stability and grip the inside of the wall. I throw all my weight to the left and grab onto the window. I lose control and fall to the kitchen floor. My arms and legs are sprawled out in a very ungraceful manner. I pull myself up and trudge to the door to let Holden and Paisley in. "Way to take one for the team!" Holden beams. I mumble something that sounds like 'muck cough'. "You okay?" Paisley asks. "Yeah, just peachy," I roll my eyes. "Well, I'll see you lovely ladies in the morning," Holden says from the stairs. "I don't think so. Since I probably have a concussion from trying to get us into the house, you're carrying me to bed," I demand. "Fair enough," he doesn't protest. I hop onto Holden's back as he gives me a piggy back ride up the stairs. "If you sneeze I will kill you in your sleep," I threaten into his shoulder. I can feel the rumble of his laughter.

Holden manages to deliver me to my beloved bed without injuring me further. I curl up in the blankets and hug my pillow tightly. My muscles relax and my breath becomes shallow. Sleep takes me almost instantly.

I blink my eyes open slowly. I squint until the disorientation is gone. I didn't dream last night. That's weird. I stretch out like a cat and yawn. I feel a dull pain in my left hip bone. I move the fabric of my pants out of the way and notice a dark purple bruise blossoming on my skin. Memories of me crash landing into the kitchen last night come rushing back. Yesterday was not my day.

Somehow I manage to drag myself out of bed and down the stairs into the living room. Declan is sitting in front of the TV engrossed in some stupid show. I clear my throat and he tears his attention from the digital screen of magic. "Good you're up. Mom wants us to stop by the flower shop in town to pick up some calla lilies," Declan explains. "Why does mom want calla lilies?" I ask. "No idea. Let's go, I don't wanna be too long," Declan starts towards the door. "Why? Are you expecting a call from Fawn?" I smirk. He doesn't say anything. I follow him out the door. "You are so whipped." I laugh as I catch up to him. The sun is shining so bright I can feel my retinas burning. I lift my hands to protect my eyes. "At least I have a girlfriend," he tries to rub in. "I'm not jealous that you have a girlfriend, I like boys," I assure. Declan gives me a side-glance. "You're romantically challenged."

"Excuse you?!" I widen my eyes.

"I'm not trying to be an asshole, but you're shit at showing affection."

"Thanks so much."

"You're just so cold on the outside."

"My body temperature is perfectly normal thank you."

"You know what I mean. It wouldn't kill you to show some kind of emotion. It's like you don't feel anything."

"You're only 15, what do you know?"

"A hell of a lot more than you do. Do you love Holden and Paisley?"

"Yeah they're like family."

"Maybe you should tell them that sometime."

I stop talking because Declan is becoming dangerously close to being smarter than me.

I feel like I'm drowning in flowers. They're everywhere, different kinds in different colors. This is overwhelming. The variety of followers was so vast that Declan and I split up. So far I had encountered tiger lilies, tulips, carnations, sunflowers, and some frightening looking wild flowers, but no calla lilies. "Ugh," I grunt in frustration. "Having some trouble?" a low voice inquires from behind me.

I turn around and almost go into cardiac arrest. The boy standing before me is tall and muscular with short black hair, tan skin, and bright amber eyes. He watches me like a predator studies its prey. "No, I'm fine," I choke out in a hoarse voice. "You sure? You look nervous," he steps closer. I nearly jump out of my skin. "Yeah, I'm sure," this time my voice doesn't falter. He slightly tilts his head and smirks. "What flower are you looking for?" he questions. "Calla Lilies," I reply. "A beautiful flower, but I myself prefer roses," he turns around and plucks a flower from a vase full of water. "For you," he says, handing me the flower. My breath catches in my throat. "I'll see you around," he reassures as he walks away with a sly smile stretching his lips. My head is spinning as I look down at the white rose resting in my hand.

A/N: Sorry It took so long to update, the amount of papers I have to write for school is ridiculous. I hope you enjoyed this long over due chapter :) Please review!

(I reread what I've written as a whole and realized that I made some factual errors because I'm an idiot. I meant to make it the 20th anniversary instead of 25th so Holden would be 19. I have no idea why I put 25th. I clearly was not thinking. Just know that Holden is indeed 19. That is all :). )