by R L Medina
Rose. The orphan. The crippled.
My eyes darted to my bandaged hands. Technically, I wasn’t crippled completely. I just couldn’t use my hands without the excruciating pain. Though Jesse swore with time, therapy, and magic I would heal and regain most of my mobility.
It was a miracle I had even survived, and I knew that I had magic to thank for that. My own affinity or power or whatever I was supposed to call it for healing had saved me.
Had I been an ordinaire, I’d probably have lost both my hands.
“So, what is this big ceremony we’re going to again?” I changed the subject.
“It’s to honor all of us who fought so bravely during the attacks,” Shiloh answered before taking a sip of her drink.
“And we have to go?”
Javi gave me a playful smack on the back. “It’s an honor, Rose.”
I bit back the tart reply on my tongue. Honor. Right. Not wanting to bring the others down with my complaining, I finished my food and stood to get ready.
“I’ll be up in a sec,” Shiloh called after me.
I waved to her in acknowledgment and headed for the dorms.
Hor-ri-fic. I looked in the mirror and stared hard at myself in the formal jacket and slacks. It was the same as our uniform only in white. Who chose that color? My eyes drifted to my hands. Even with the best of healing magic, I couldn’t erase the scars. A lump grew in my throat. The GRIMMs offered me a lifetime supply of glamour if I wanted. I could cover the gruesome lines, but they’d still be there.
A snort escaped me. Glamour. As if that were equal payment to everything I’d lost.
Fuck their glamour.
This scarred, hardened girl was who I was now, and I’d gone through a lot to become her. There was no hiding that. I wasn’t ashamed of it.
I’d survived.
Maybe I was broken and jaded as result, but I was still alive and that wasn’t something I’d ever take for granted.
Shiloh came up behind me, somehow looking beautiful in her matching white suit. Her eyes met mine in the mirror, kindness shining in their blue depths.
“Ready?”
No. I wasn’t. I nodded and followed her out.
Javi was called up first. I smiled as I watched him saunter across the stage, a giant grin on his face. He threw Professor Johnson a wink as she handed him a gold medal. Everyone cheered. No one louder than Shiloh, who was positively glowing with pride and admiration.
A lump grew in my throat at the picture before me. We’d been through Hell and there had been a time—many times—where I’d wondered if we would survive. Yet here we were, all of us. It was a freaking miracle, and I would never take it for granted.
Grayson slid an arm around me and leaned into me. “You okay?”
His voice sent a shiver of awareness through me and a tear slipped down my face. “Yeah. I’m just enjoying the moment.”
His blue-gray eyes met mine knowingly as he squeezed my hand. “You’ve earned it. You’ve earned all the happy moments you can get after what you’ve been through.”
“We. What we’ve all been through,” I corrected him.
My heart ached at the thought of how differently things could have turned out. There was still a lot of work to be done and a shit ton of cleaning up to do in the aftermath, and I was thankful for each day that awaited us. I didn’t have all the answers from the past, and Hell, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted for my future, but I was lucky—beyond lucky for what I did have.
Afterwards, we drove to Tío’s and Tía’s house for the party they were throwing. A party to celebrate not only Javi’s and my accomplishments, but also the fact that Tío had been given his spot back on school council.
Their mansion was filled with people I didn’t know. Strangers, really. The GRIMMs and students who weren’t even our friends were there. It was an odd mix.
Brady sniffed his glass of wine before downing it. “So, anyone else want to ditch and have our own little party?”
Shiloh frowned at him. “What’s wrong with this party? I helped Mrs. Vasquez plan it.”
Brady’s gaze darted to Javi. “You should have had me plan it.”
Shiloh gave Brady a playful shove, making his wine slosh over the brim.
“We just got honored for helping win a war. And Christmas is coming. I’m going to be partying all week.”
Grayson’s eyebrow rose. “We have mid-term exams in three days.”
“So that means we got time.”
Shiloh and I exchanged glances and burst out laughing. It was the most normal thing we’d done in forever. We weren’t GRIMMs right now, we were just… us.
I sobered. “Not to get all sappy, but can I just say that I love you guys. I don’t know what I would have done without you. Any of you.”
Shiloh grabbed my hands. “Stop. Before you make me cry too.”
Brady snorted. “What are you two blubbering about? This is supposed to be a party.”
Javi stood and pulled us into a giant hug. “He’s right. None of this shit at my party now.”
I met Grayson’s eyes. There was an unspoken weight of the moment. We’d all been through Hell and back and had gotten through it together. That kind of bond would never be broken. No matter where life took all of us—we’d always be there for each other. I was sure of it.
Christmas was right around the corner. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Malibu Christmas, and though Tía thought she was being helpful suggesting we return to La Vina Rosa Oscura to celebrate, I couldn’t stomach the thought of returning there. Not with Papi gone.
There were too many memories there. The truth was even though it had been a happy time, it was a part of my past I didn’t want to revisit. Not anytime soon.
“Rose!” Shiloh flagged me down.
I smiled as I saw her, Javi, and Brady walking toward me. We were finally on break from school, and everyone was in good spirits.
“Look, what I have for our dorm.” Shiloh smiled proudly and held out a tiny green sprig.
“Uh… what is it?”
“A Christmas tree. Or it will be once we perform this spell.” Excitement rang in her voice.
“I still can’t believe the headmaster approved this.” Javi shook his head.
Brady smirked. “You have good old fashioned parental guilt to thank for that. That and a little help from some… magical herbs.”
I snorted. “Did you drug your dad, Brady?”
“Of course not. That would be illegal and reprehensible of me,” he replied straight faced.
“Let’s go set up the tree.” Shiloh, still fawning over the little twig, chirped happily.
And because her joy was contagious and we weren’t busy doing anything anyway, we all readily agreed and headed for the dorm. I texted Grayson to meet us and promised a surprise that would blow him away.
“I think this calls for a little celebration. Drinks?” Brady suggested.
Javi snorted. “On campus? Are you crazy?”
“We just helped save the fucking world. I think they’ll let this slide. Besides my dad is in a good mood right now, wouldn’t want to waste it. I’ll meet you in a few.” He sauntered away with all the air of a prince.
“Okay, but hurry up, Brady. I want to get the tree up,” Shiloh called after him.
He threw an arm up in response. We made it to our house and took the elevator up. Once inside our room, I shut the door and sat on my bed as Shiloh and Javi prepped for the spell. Their excited voices drifted through the room. Pain shot through my hands as I watched. I looked down at my scarred skin and frowned. Every day it was a reminder of what we’d been through.
A knock sounded, snapping me out of my dark thoughts. I opened the door to find Brady and Grayson outside. Butterflies fluttered in my belly as Grayson’s eyes met mine. Brady pushed past, carrying an armload of expensive looking liquor.
“Please tell me the surprise isn’t watching Brady get shit faced. I’ve seen that already.” Grayson’s brow furrowed.
Brady shot him a flat look before shoving my books off my desk to make room for his mini bar. I turned to face Grayson and pulled him into a hug. The smell of his cologne mixed with sweat washed over me. He returned the embrace, his arms encircling me. Warmth spread through me at the touch.
“Okay, you two. Come on,” Javi complained.
Grayson released me and followed me to join the others.
I stuck my tongue out at my cousin. “Like I haven’t caught you and Shiloh doing worse.”
He grinned. Shiloh’s face reddened as she finished setting up her spell. Grayson watched her curiously, arm snaking around my waist.
“Is that a… Christmas tree?” He asked with a puzzled look.
She smiled up at him. “It will be.”
“But we don’t have any decorations,” I pointed out.
“I borrowed some from my house.” Javi nodded to a box sitting on Shiloh’s bed.
The room grew quiet as Shiloh began chanting, her eyes lighting up as she cast her magic over the little twig. It floated into the air and shook under her power.
“We should have music or something. This is boring,” Brady muttered.
He snapped his fingers and Christmas music poured out of an invisible speaker.
Grayson glanced at him. “We’re just casting any kind of spell today, aren’t we. Protocol be damned?”
Brady shrugged. “Don’t be a scrooge, Gray. It’s the Christmas season,” he drawled.
I leaned into Grayson and watched, spellbound, as Shiloh’s little twig grew before us. I’d seen magic do incredible things. Destructive and deadly things. It was nice seeing it bring life and joy for a change.
The smell of pine filled the room as the beautiful tree emerged.
Already downing his first drink, Brady poured more for the rest of us while Javi brought over the ornaments.
He lifted his arm to cast, but I stopped him.
“No. We should do this the old-fashioned way. No magic.”
He and Brady groaned, but Shiloh nodded excitedly.
“No magic it is then.” Grayson smiled at me.
He stepped forward to grab an ornament to hook. I stood watching for a minute as the others joined in. Even Brady set down his cup to help. A sigh escaped me and there was a sense of… fullness inside me that I hadn’t felt in some time.
Happiness. And it wasn’t just because of the holidays. Grayson met my gaze and smiled. My heart filled with warmth. I returned his smile and joined them.
There were still so many unknowns about my future and questions about my past that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to answer, but for the first time, in a really long time, I was okay with that.
I was where I was supposed to be, and no matter what I chose, or who I chose to be, I knew my friends would always have my back. There was no going back to the girl I’d been before. That part of my life was over, but the life that awaited me was exciting—exciting and terrifying.
Though I’d struggled to accept it at first, I was a GRIMM, but I was also more than that. We had a lot of changes to make before I could tout the title proudly and I knew it was doable with the help of my friends and family. We would make things better.
The world was bigger and much more dangerous than I had ever imagined, but I was ready for it.
I was ready for anything.
The End
Epilogue
“Enjoy your holiday break, but don’t enjoy it too much. Exams start the day you return,” Professor Johnson called after us as we hurried out of class.
Javi scrunched his nose. “You’d think after helping to win a war, we’d be exempt from exams.”
Shiloh’s eyes darted to him. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it winning a war. We halted an uprising, but the GRIMM still have a lot of work to do—”
“But we can all agree that we totally kicked their asses, right?” My cousin grinned and gave me a pointed look.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The general consensus was that the GRIMM were heroes and the extraordinaires needed more restrictions despite the fact that the harsh policies and strict rules enforced on them had played a part in initiating the uprising.
I was saved from having to answer him when Grayson and Brady joined us at the end of the hall. My gaze shot to Grayson. His eyes met mine and his smile widened, making me flush. We’d spent every minute we could together since he’d returned.
Unlike the others, we had both lost something during the battle. Resurrecting from the dead and losing his chip had forced Grayson to work even harder at his casting, and despite my best efforts, my hands were still too damaged to attempt spells.
Both being orphaned and both struggling to regain our magic brought us closer together and without death looming over us, we actually had time to get to know each other.
“So, did you tell them yet?” Brady smirked, catching my attention.
“Tell us what?” Javi jumped in.
Grayson glanced from him to me. “They voted me as president of House Dragon.”
Javi frowned. “Who’s ‘they’? I don’t remember voting.”
Judging his stony look, he was having a hard time with the revelation. He’d been competing with Grayson for the title in the past, but what did it matter now? We were seniors and graduation was right around the corner.
“What about Tyler?” Shiloh asked, reaching for my cousin’s arm.
I shuddered at the mention of him. The memory of him trying to kill me not once, but twice flashed in my mind. I hadn’t told the others what happened, but I’d been watchful for him.
Brady scoffed. “He was transferred to a different academy last week. How do you not know that? Everyone has been gossiping about it.”
Transferred? Is that why I hadn’t seen him? A sigh of relief escaped me. At least that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about anymore.
“Who the hell transfers their senior year?” Javi asked.
Brady shrugged. “My dad said it was a ‘personal matter’ and wouldn’t tell me any more, and the only thing I got from his file is a charge for misconduct.”
“Why? What did he do?” I asked.
Javi snorted. “Are you kidding? What didn’t he do? He was always breaking the rules.”
“So, have we. Numerous times,” Shiloh added.
“Who knows what he did. But Grayson is the new president, and his induction ceremony will be held when we get back from break.” Brady glanced at Javi for his reaction.
My cousin’s lip curled, but he didn’t say anything. Though I felt a little sorry for him losing out, I also wanted to show my support for Grayson.
I turned to him and smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
He returned the smile, his eyes snagging on my lips. My face warmed. Though it was still weird to show affection around the others, we had no problem finding time to sneak off by ourselves. It was becoming a bigger and bigger habit.
I’d never felt anything as strong as what I felt for him. Grayson was a million times better than any other guy I’d ever been with. Papi would have approved of him.
Pain flared in my chest. The pain of his death was something I would carry the rest of my life, but remembering him was starting to bring more joy than sorrow. I liked to think that he was watching over me and I knew seeing me happy would make him happy too.
“Rose, what time did you want to head to LA?” Shiloh’s question snapped me out of my thoughts.
“You’re going to the city? Can we come?” Javi interrupted.
“No,” Shiloh and I answered in unison.
He frowned.
Shiloh giggled and kissed his cheek. “We have to buy Christmas gifts.”
His eyes lit up on her. “For me?”
“For everyone.” I made a face at him.
He turned to me. “Then you should definitely let me come too. I can help you pick out gifts for my parents.”
“I’m sure we can manage on our own. Don’t you hav
e your own shopping to do?”
“I already got my gifts.”
“You’re done with your Christmas shopping already?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
Brady snorted. “You don’t exactly have a track record of planning ahead.”
Javi scowled. “I can plan things.”
Even Shiloh smiled in amusement.
I turned to her. “Can we go tomorrow? I was going to see Michael today.”
She nodded, a questioning look on her face. The others stared at me too.
“Why?” Brady voiced the question I was sure they were all asking.
“To check on them. They’ve done a lot. The least I can do is make sure everyone is okay.”
“You’re not going by yourself, are you?” Javi glanced at me.
“I’ll be fine.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Shiloh’s not so subtle shake of her head.
Grayson’s eyes found mine and he nodded in understanding. He was the only one who knew the truth about my relationship with Rafael. Now that the fighting was over, I could start piecing together the puzzle of my mom’s past with his father.
“At least take your sword,” my cousin muttered.
I shot him a dark look. “Los Reyes are our friends, Javi.”
His lips pursed. “They’re criminals. Just because they helped us fight Luna Negra doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.”
“Technically their charges were cleared after the battle,” Shiloh said.
“There, see. Not criminals.”
Javi ran his fingers through his hair, “Rose—”
“They would never hurt me. I’m going and I’ll be fine.”
I started walking faster before he could argue with me. Grayson matched my stride, leaving the others to catch up.
“Maybe you should tell him.”
My head whipped toward him. “What? You’re the one who told me not to tell anyone.”
He sighed. “I know, but your cousin is just as persistent as you are. It’s only a matter of time before it comes out and it’s probably better, he hears it from you than anyone else.”
I frowned at him. “Who’s going to tell him? Are you?”
