prompt: Painful
On the one year anniversary of Mason Ashford's death, Rose took the day off, determined to spend it honoring his memory. She traveled back to Spokane, not with Dimitri by her side—though he wanted to—but instead accompanied by the other three survivors of the terrible incident that had claimed her friends life. Together they stood outside the abandoned house, none of them able to force themselves to take the steps that would lead them inside. Leaning on each other for support, they were each lost in their own thoughts and internal self-incriminations over what had happened in the past.
Eventually, without speaking, Christian reached down, locking his fingers through Rose's before nodding to Eddie and Mia, leading them away from the place that haunted their nightmares and back to the private plane that was waiting to carry them to their next stop—Saint Vladimir's. The Academy held none of the horror that Isaiah's house did, and they were finally able to relax a little, wandering the campus and reliving the years they had spent there. Each shared memories of the time they'd spent with Mason and the many ways he'd enriched their life, even if it was just with an occasional kind word or a friendly, cheerful smile.
As the day wore onand her friends headed for the small graveyard where Mason's body lay at rest, Rose broke away from the group, heading outside the gates—to the last place she'd seen Mason's spirit. With tears in her eyes she quietly thanked him for all the years of friendship, and for helping her by setting her feet on the path she needed to save the man she loved. She apologized for not being honest and upfront with him and for the part she played in his tragic, untimely death. She knew she couldn't change the events of the past, but she vowed that she'd spend the rest of her life making sure that his bravery and self-sacrifice were never, ever forgotten.
"You're a hero Mase—and I'll make damn sure no one forgets it."