Unknown date
Unknown days until the wedding
"How could you possibly know whose fault it was?" I snapped back at Esme, but stopped short.
Whose voice was coming out of my mouth?
It sounded like mine, but somehow not; smoother and more melodic, despite the burning that concentrated there.
My hand flew to my throat before I'd meant for it to. "What…?"
There it was again.
Esme smiled sadly. "There are many things that will be different now, Rosalie."
I took my hand away from my neck and held it out to examine. Immediately, the sparkle of the diamond on my engagement ring became the center of my attention. I yanked it off my finger and hurled it across the room.
It stuck into the wall band-first.
I looked at my hand again, amazed by the strength and accuracy I'd just demonstrated with it. It was absolutely flawless – not a freckle or crack to be found – with clean cuticles and rounded nails that extended just past my fingertips.
And it was white as bone.
I realized simultaneously that I was wearing clothes as I caught sight of a beige sleeve on my wrist. I hadn't been… when…
I was looking at Esme again before I realized I'd wanted to, feeling fully out of control. She just gazed back at me sympathetically.
"Take your time, darling," she murmured.
I tried not to panic and returned to my assessment. The other hand matched the first one in color, texture, and… general immaculateness. My skin remained smooth as marble as my wrist disappeared into the sleeve of a sweater. I pushed it up to my elbow just to confirm – yes, my entire arm was like that, too.
I looked down. I was wearing pants. High waisted trousers. All beige. No shoes.
"They're likely underwhelming compared to the garments you're accustomed to, but those clothes are mine," Esme murmured. "You can have anything of mine that you like."
I doubted I'd take her up on that offer. The sweater was cotton.
My hands flashed to my head. I was relieved to feel that my silky blonde locks were still intact – familiar, but also different.
My fingers traveled down my face. Nothing felt broken. Everything felt symmetrical.
I should've been missing chunks of hair and beaten beyond recognition.
It didn't make sense.
I needed to see for myself.
Behind Esme, a full-length mirror was propped up against the far wall. I scrambled to my feet – scrambled is the wrong word. I floated over to the mirror, shocked by the ease of my movement.
Everything was happening too quickly and too slowly, but I didn't feel any sense of disorientation as my body and brain skipped circles around my perception of reality.
That said, nothing could've prepared me for the sight of myself.
Brilliant red eyes stared back at me, set in the most beautiful face I'd ever seen. My lips, though they lacked much color, were proportionally full. My cheekbones had sharpened, along with my jaw. Somehow, my hair had grown a few inches longer, falling just below my ribs. It was shinier, too. Still golden-blonde, but with a pearly sheen.
My neck was long. My collarbones jutted out just enough. My shoulders were narrow. My breasts were full. My waist was tiny. My hips were wide. My buttocks were round. My legs were sculpted. My feet were dainty.
I beheld myself.
I felt a thrill of fear as ruby eyes stared back at me. But, even so, I was… perfect.
"The eyes will fade," Esme said quietly, like she was reading my mind. "After a year or so."
I looked at her with alarm. I hadn't even considered tomorrow, much less a year.
Everything Carlisle had told me as I'd burned rushed to the forefront of my mind. I wouldn't age. I would be strong and fast. I would heal completely. I would no longer sleep.
I would crave human blood.
The ache in my throat flared at the thought, and I finally believed him.
Ridiculously, the first thing I said was: "He didn't tell me I'd be so… pretty."
But pretty wasn't the right word to describe me, either. Just like it wasn't right for Esme.
She smiled ruefully. "It does take the sting out a bit, doesn't it?"
I turned back to the mirror, enchanted, and got lost in the glory of my reflection for a long while.
I was thinking about how every man in the world would surely fall to their knees for the chance to kiss my feet when an uneasy feeling started to settle over me.
A question wormed its way into my head.
…Who was this beauty for?
I couldn't be seen by the people of Rochester at all, much less as a creature like this. I'd gathered enough information to know that I had to disappear. Not to mention that the mere thought of being close to a human being set my throat ablaze.
…Did my beauty have a purpose at all if it was impossible to perceive?
I assessed the facts. The only men I knew of who could see me were Dr. Cullen and Edward. Neither of them had ever shown any kind of interest in me. Edward had still never even looked me in the eye, even though I was now more than pretty. And Carlisle was married to his lovely —
My stomach dropped when I remembered the tragedy of more-than-pretty Esme Cullen, who couldn't have children.
Dread began a slow drip within me.
I was beautiful, and beautiful women attracted husbands. I, a beautiful woman, would attract a husband and have his babies. My beauty would attract a husband who would protect me and keep our family safe. My beauty made me valuable. My beauty gave me security. The world only spun in one direction.
But the beautiful Esme Cullen had been in an "accident" that rendered her womb useless.
And the more-than-pretty Rosalie Hale would be declared missing.
My beauty had led to my violation. That violation had occurred at the hands of the man who was supposed to be my husband. My husband was supposed to give me everything. But my husband-to-be had taken everything from me.
My violation had resulted in… this.
Frozen.
Beautiful beyond belief, but frozen like this forever.
Was this my accident?
My hands clutched my flat stomach.
"Esme," I breathed, still facing the mirror.
"What is it, sweetheart?" She sounded so calm.
Breathless, I offered: "I heard… a rumor."
"About me?" She didn't sound surprised.
I stared at my scarlet irises as I asked her.
"Did you have an accident?"
She was silent for a few moments that would've once been measured in heartbeats.
Then, she spoke softly. "I suppose that's… one way to put it."
I looked away from my reflection, and two pairs of blood-red eyes met in the mirror. A sadness that transcended time ghosted across her flawless face, and I understood.
This supernatural beauty was a curse. The cruelest kind of karmic fate imaginable.
What I'd envied the Cullens for all this time had been nothing more than an anathema from humankind itself. My beautiful body was supposed to grant me a perfect life; instead, it had been the very thing that ended it.
I'd never imagined that my destiny involved anything other than luxuriating in domestic bliss. I'd never even considered the possibility that I lived in a world cruel enough to even think about thinking about a world where I wouldn't have a perfect family.
It was all I'd ever wanted. All I'd ever been good for. I'd been perfect for it.
And now, I was… this.
I didn't see the point. I didn't see the purpose of my beauty at all. I didn't see the point of my existence at all.
I disappeared into my devastation.
/
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My own wedding is around the corner (I'm literally marrying an Emmett, fear not! But it has been a trip to write this story at This Particular Time In My Life...) so I don't have tons of free time to update, but I've written a decent amount ahead and will try to post a new chapter at the start of every week! Getting an email notif that RORH has a new review makes my heart skip a beat. This is me asking you to quicken my pulse. Til next time!
