Midnight Rose

by Dani Hart

“I love you, Abigail...” He paused.

  “But?” My throat dried as fear slithered up my spine.

  “I don’t know if I can be this for you. I’m afraid.”

  He caught me off guard. “Afraid?”

  “Of losing you,” he admitted.

  I took a step back and stared into his wounded eyes. “I have to go, Wes, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to lose me. Nothing they say will ever make me turn my back on you.”

  “Not because of that, Abby.” He shook his head.

  I didn’t understand at first, but then it dawned on me. My heart cracked, and my soul ripped. “Because you’re immortal and I’m not.”

  He nodded, his whole body distraught from the raw truth that he would outlive me.

  I grabbed his face hard. “You can’t do that, Wes. You can’t think like that. Not now. Not like this. All that matters is now. Do you understand?” I was half-crying and half-shouting because he was trying to pull away even though he promised he wouldn’t.

  He took me into his arms, rocking me protectively. “You’ve put me under your spell, Abigail Rose, and I never want it to be broken. Thinking about the years passing without you is maddening.”

  Everything he said were fears I had possessed, but instead of fighting the inevitable, I chose to embrace it, and I needed him to do the same.

  “I know your life is infinite, and mine is finite, but I’d rather die now than live a lifetime without you.”

  “You’re extraordinary, Abby. Everything about you.”

  The sun was falling too quickly. I wasn’t ready to let Wes go. I had been struggling to tell him the truth about my brother, about being a Chosen, but I feared what he would think of me then.

  We crossed the bridge, making our own trail into the forest beyond. Watching Wes hook his hand around tree branches and swing under was breathtaking, like watching a bird nosedive from the sky and pull up effortlessly in one fell swoop. His shirt would lift just a little each time, showing the definition of his muscles beneath.

  “Penelope mentioned immortals were marked.”

  He turned to face me, still walking backward. “We are.”

  I was expecting him to sound ashamed, but he boasted proudly.

  “Where is it?”

  He stopped abruptly under the cover of flowering vines hanging from the tall cedar above. He lifted his shirt slowly, exposing his chest and the infinity symbol. It was tattooed over his right peck. I approached him carefully, drawn to him. He stood unmoving as I reached out my hand slowly.

  “May I?” I asked permission to touch it.

  My fingertips traced it gracefully, Wes’ body twitching under my touch.

  “Are my hands cold?” I asked quietly.

  “The opposite,” he teased.

  “Right.” My hands would feel warm on his cool skin.

  I stepped away, and he released his shirt, hiding the symbol once again.

  “The sun is setting soon, and we have a long walk back.”

  “I know,” I mumbled sadly.

  “You didn’t eat. Are you hungry?” He pulled the backpack from his shoulders.

  “No.” How could I possibly eat right now?

  He slid the backpack back on. His fingers slid down to my hand and fluidly interlocked with mine. We silently walked back to the bridge, stopping in the middle again. I rubbed the railing of the bridge. Our bridge now.

  Wes pulled out a pocketknife and carved the infinity symbol into the wood, placing an A in one circle and a W in the other.

  “Forever,” I whispered as I traced the carving and then placed my hand on his shirt over his mark.

  The walk back up the waterfall was emotionally exhausting because every step brought us closer to saying goodbye. The cliff edge came into sight, and my dad was standing at the top waiting for us. Before we were in earshot of him, I turned to Wes.

  “Promise me you’ll meet me here in exactly one year. On the bridge.” My eyes searched his for the answer. “Promise me, Wes.”

  “Of course, I will, Abby. I will be counting down the days.”

  I leaned over and kissed him urgently, a tear mixing with our lips, sealing the fate of our last kiss.

  He wiped the tear from my cheek.

  “I can’t believe this is it.” I shook my head in disbelief. “We didn’t even get a chance,” I whined softly.

  “We will, ” Wes declared, confident.

  “Abigail,” my dad called down to us.

  Wes put the backpack over my shoulders. “This is where I leave you.” He brushed his thumb along my cheek.

  “I love you,” I whisper-cried, wrapping my hand tightly around his head.

  “I love you, too.”

  He pried my hand from him and kissed it, lingering for a moment, and then dropped it and climbed back down the ravine. I looked up to my dad and then back down, but Wes was already gone, leaving a gaping hole in my chest. I climbed the rest of the rocks sobbing uncontrollably. My father held me the whole way back to the car, buckling me in and reclining my seat. He blared the music, giving me as much privacy as possible while my body drained of every last shred of happiness. I didn’t know what was worse, crippling fear or debilitating sadness.

  THE THUMPING OF THE car woke me. I put my seat up and looked around. We were driving through another forest, the cedars replaced with Douglas firs.

  “Good nap?” my dad asked carefully.

  “Yeah. Where are we?”

  “Washington. Colville National Forest, to be exact.”

  “Another hiking adventure?” If only. My heart dipped in my chest thinking about Wes. I knew it was possible that I was merely infatuated with him, being so young, but it hurt just the same.

  “Afraid not, Peanut.” He looked over remorsefully.

  “I didn’t figure as much.” The road was unmarked, but looked to be heavily traveled over the years. It curved around mountains, teetering on narrow cliffs, finally dropping us off into a valley that was covered in miles of lush greenery. There was so much beauty in the world, and I had only seen a tiny fraction of it. I hoped one day to change that.

  The road ended suddenly, right in front of a lake. I looked around, confused. “I hate to break it to you, Dad, but there’s nothing here.”

  He laughed loudly. “You didn’t actually think The Order would be assessable by road, did you?”

  I sank back in my seat. “I guess not. So you lied when you said no more hiking.”

  “This is more like a short walk.” He winked and then got out of the car.

  I grabbed my duffel from the back of the car and slung it over my shoulder, grateful it wasn’t too heavy because I hadn’t planned on walking through a forest. I had to give credit to my dad, though. We weren’t even there yet, and I already felt like I was in paradise. As we followed the lake, laughter became louder. Once we got around a mountain-sized boulder, I saw a group of boys and girls that looked to be close to my age, playing a game of volleyball in the water. I stopped to watch for a moment, the carefree nature of the moment drawing me in.

  “They belong to The Order,” my dad informed me.

  I was surprised, to say the least. Again, I had imagined hard running paths and structured activities. This looked anything but rigid. They actually looked like they were having fun.

  “Starting to see why it was so hard for me to leave?”

  Yeah, I mentally replied.

  As we continued, a massive compound came into view, and it wasn’t concrete walls and barbed wire. It was a large white stucco building behind a matching white stucco wall with at least a fifteen-foot-tall, ornate black wrought iron gate. It opened automatically upon our arrival. I looked up and saw a surveillance camera pointing toward us. Two armed guards dressed in black, much like the Elite unit that came to my rescue, stood on either side of the gate. They nodded as we passed by.

  “This is the main building. There are more spread out over a hundred acres.”

  The tall stucco wall expanded out o
f sight. The grounds in front of the building were expertly manicured with flower planters and water fountains. Kids were strewn about the green lawns, reading under shade trees, while others were grouped together playing music or doing yoga.

  “Is this what college looks like?”

  My dad laughed again. “Yes, it kind of does.”

  We followed the flat rock path to a set of large, inviting glass doors to the building. Butterflies scattered throughout my stomach.

  “Ready, Peanut?”

  “No turning back now.” I giggled nervously.

  He swung open the doors, waiting for me to pass. A radiant redheaded woman, who looked to be in her sixties, popped her head up from a counter that expanded almost the whole width of the room. It was more sterile inside, but camouflaged with perfectly placed pots complete with tall ornamental trees and flowers.

  “James,” she shouted wildly as she bounced around the counter with her arms wide.

  A huge smile covered my dad’s face as he opened his arms to her. “Polly, it’s been too long.”

  She stepped away from his hug and hit him playfully on the chest. “Yes, it has.” She set her eyes on me. “And is this Abigail? Oh, my word, she has gotten so big.”

  Confused as to when we might have met, I forced a smile and replied with my hand out politely, “Hi. I am, indeed, Abigail.”

  She took my hand in both of hers and shook it as wildly as she had jumped into my dad’s arms. Her touch seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

  “It’s so good to finally meet you. Your father showed me pictures of you when you were this big.” She put an arm up to my waist. “And look at you now.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

  This woman was completely off her rocker. I wondered if she knew I was a Chosen. That title weighed on me. What if everyone knew? Would I be scrutinized like a freak by the other kids, or be put on an impossible pedestal? One that I would constantly worry about falling off of? Both sounded equally lonely.

  I rocked on my heels uncomfortably.

  “We are so happy to have you here.” She studied me for a few more moments and then perked up again. “Well then, let’s get started with the tour.”

  Her dress flats clicked on the marble floor as her long, flowy skirt wrapped around her ankles. We followed casually behind, my worn-out holey red Chucks horribly out of place. I was already feeling self-conscious, and we hadn’t even left the front office.

  “James, how is that cute little wife of yours?”

  My father fell in stride with her as I fell further behind, my feet feeling heavier as we approached another door. This was where I would be living for the next year, and soon my dad would be gone, and I would be left with Positive Polly. I guess it could be worse.

  Polly pushed through the doors, giving me my first glance at my new home. All one hundred acres of it. We were at the top, looking down into a vast valley, white stucco buildings sprinkled across the green hills, people everywhere.

  “You came at a good time. It’s leisure time,” she said cheerfully.

  I flashed an unsure sideways smile as we followed the path to another white building.

  “This is where you will be staying.”

  The building was marked with the number one.

  “All the buildings in the middle are numbered. You move through them numerically throughout your stay.”

  I looked over at my dad questioningly.

  “It’s a great system, Peanut. You learn something new in each building and move on once you’ve mastered it.”

  I looked down at all the buildings with renewed anxiety. “How many buildings are there?”

  Polly laughed. “Only twelve master buildings. The rest are for recreational purposes.”

  “Aww,” I said sarcastically under my breath. This was nuts.

  We went inside building one. It was more sterile than the main building, free of anything. There was a set of elevators in the middle of the room, which was peculiar since this was a one-story building. On either side were two doors that led somewhere else.

  We went to the left.

  “Girl dorms are on the left, and boys are on the right.” She smiled. “Everything else is co-ed.”

  Fabulous. I thought it curious how nothing was locked. “Everything seems very open.”

  “The facility is highly secure on the outside, and we would never let anyone in that we felt would compromise the safety of the facility or its guests.”

  She made it sound like a resort, which I guess from an outsider looking in it could very well be one. A very exclusive one. We passed many doors, all painted red, and stopped at the last one.

  “You’re very lucky, my dear. The corner room has windows on both sides.”

  Lucky is not the word I would have used to describe my current situation.

  She drew open the door and stepped aside. “I’ll wait out here.” She waved us in.

  My dad walked around the barren room, smiling like a fraternity boy.

  “What?” I tossed my duffel onto the twin bed covered in white sheets.

  “This was my room in this building.”

  “Fitting since I’m following in your footsteps, after all.”

  He walked over to the corner windows. “You have a perfect view of the sunset from here. This was always my favorite building. Being on top of the hill, looking down on everything.”

  I dropped onto the bed. “You think it would be the opposite.”

  “What?”

  “Most climb up the ladder to success.”

  He nodded. “Good point.”

  I stared down at my fingers, picking at them obsessively. My dad sat next to me.

  “This isn’t a bad thing. I know I made it sound like it at first, but at least here you’ll learn how to defend yourself from the Penelopes of the world.”

  “And the Wes’,” I said what he wouldn’t.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” I stood up. “Do you think I’ll run into my brother here?”

  “Doubtful. He would have gone through the program when he was nine.”

  “That’s pretty young. I mean, where would he go after that?”

  “I’m not sure. They didn’t want me to maintain a connection with him, fearing it would cloud my judgment. I have to assume they had an Order family foster him.”

  Things were just not adding up. If they knew I was a Chosen, why would they just trade me for my brother? Unless…

  “They thought he was a Chosen, didn’t they?”

  My dad stood still and seemingly unaffected. “Yes. There’s never been a female Chosen, so when it was predicted that your generation of Roses would be the next, they naturally assumed it was your brother.”

  “Predicted by whom?”

  “A Special. Her family has been locating Chosens for over two hundred years. We should get back to Polly.”

  I could hear the guilt in his voice. Would he have made the same choice had he known I was the Chosen? Handed me over instead of my brother? My life could have been so different.

  As we left my new sleeping quarters, I was grateful to see a lock on the doorknob. It was keyless, so I couldn’t lock it when I wasn’t here, but knowing I could have some sense of privacy in my own space was comforting. We walked back down the hallway, a door swinging open just as we passed. A girl much younger than me with jet-black hair and stark green eyes peered at us shyly, tucking her head down. She was wearing a white terry cloth robe and white flip-flops.

  “Jasmine,” Polly exclaimed, surprised. “Shouldn’t you be at the pool?”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot s—something,” she stuttered.

  “Well, since you’re here. This is Abigail Rose. She just arrived.”

  Jasmine’s eyes widened admiringly at the mention of my name, sinking my heart into my stomach. Everyone did know.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled, trying to disguise my own discomfort.

  She smiled back and the
n raced passed us out the door.

  “Jasmine just joined us last week. She’s the youngest recruit we have had in a long time.” She looked to my dad.

  Was she referring to my brother or Elijah? “How old is she?” I inquired.

  “Thirteen,” Polly said proudly.

  “She’s just a little girl.” I shook my head.

  “Yes, well, circumstances aren’t always as ideal as yours, Miss Rose. You’ll need to remember to mind your manners if you want to make friends.”

  Polly packed a punch, after all. Ideal? I’d hate to find out what she considered to be not ideal, because my circumstances were less than stellar.

  “We have a few more stops before we say goodbye to your father.”

  We pressed on, passing by buildings two, three, and four, and entering an unmarked one off to the right, several eyes outside watching us curiously. One pair belonging to Jasmine who was entering a smaller building that must have been the pool.

  “That was strange.”

  “What, my dear?” Polly looked back at me.

  “Nothing,” I mumbled, afraid of another verbal lashing.

  My dad leaned down and whispered, “This is a forbidden building. That’s what elicited all the stares. No one goes in here.”

  “Then why are we?”

  “I’m not sure,” he replied honestly, which only made me more nervous.

  The only thing in the forbidden building was a large elevator, which meant we were going underground since all the buildings were one story.

  Polly pressed the only unmarked button, and the doors opened immediately. “After you,” she said, holding open the doors.

  I stepped inside, but she put her hand out, stopping my dad.

  “Not us. We aren’t permitted.”

  I opened my mouth to come to my dad’s defense, but he shook his head and winked.

  “It’s okay, Peanut. I’ll see you later.”

  Polly let the doors close, my whole body losing weightlessness within the lonely confines of the four steel walls around me. There were no buttons to press, but the elevator started descending anyhow. I held onto my dad’s reassuring wink. He knew what was down here and would never let me be put in danger’s way. I closed my eyes and counted down slowly from ten, concentrating on steadying my breaths. I was beginning to calm down when the elevator stopped and the doors opened.