A Rose and A Phantom (Descendants of Classics Book 1)

Chapter 9: Isolation and Depression

Chapter 9:
Isolation and Depression

Jeanette had tried to get Rosabella to talk to her about what happened but she would not answer. In fact, she didn't even talk. This went on for a week. Rory was getting worried as well as Jeanette and Gretchen. The three adults were very concerned for the girl's well being. She kept herself locked in her room all day with the exception of school and play rehearsals. Rory had no idea why she could be so depressed while the two women knew exactly why. She was depressed because of her attack but even more so because Derik was ignoring her. She had sent him text messages, given Gretchen notes to give him, and she even resorted to trying to visit him to which she was stopped at the front of the theatre by Jeanette. Both women were more worried about her than Rory with the insight that they had over him.
Derik was beating himself up over the entire week that he shut Rose out of his life. He craved her presence, her kind words, her beautiful smile, her mahogany red hair, her laugh, her voice, and, most of all, her beautiful and kind green eyes. He felt as if they could stare right into his soul. They penetrated his walls that he had built around his heart. He felt so out of place in her presence and had no idea how to act around her. She was a mystery to him that he wanted to solve. Now he couldn't, not after he had sent her away and isolated himself again. It would be too hard for him to face her again. He didn't even want to be face to face with her. He had no idea how she could look upon the damned face of his and not run away screaming in fear. He was so horrid to look at yet she looked at him with a smile and kindness.
He did not deserve her kindness nor her beauty. He was so far out of her league, she deserved so much better. She deserved someone as handsome as she was beautiful. It wasn't fair that he couldn't be that for her. He wanted so much to be normal and to be able to go out with her like a normal man. He wanted to be able to do little things such as going to the movies with her and taking her out to a restaurant for dinner. He would never be able to do such things and all because of his cursed face. That face was the reason he couldn't do a lot of things he would have liked to have done and now it denied him his one true happiness. He would forever remain alone because of it and he hated it. He wished he could have the surgery performed but it wasn't worth his life. Nothing was worth it if it meant not being able to see or hear Rose's beautiful face and voice. Those two things are the most precious things in the world. Now he couldn't hear or see her.
During the week, Rosabella felt more lost and alone than she had ever felt before. She craved, no, needed to see Derik and yet he had shunned her. Was he mad at her for seeing his face? Did she do something wrong? She was in such an emotional turmoil yet no one knew how bad it was. She was depressed and nothing could make her happy except Derik. He was her closest friend, and now she couldn't talk to him. She was so distraught and cried herself to sleep at night. Not only was she depressed because of her isolation from Derik, she also was depressed because of what happened that night. Tears welled up in her eyes whenever she thought of what almost happened to her. Just the thought that someone could do that or attempt to do that to her made her feel disgusted.
The memory of the Baron grabbing her and hurting her made her break into a sob. If it weren't for Derik, the Baron would have beaten her senseless, taken her away, and, the most horrifying part, raped her. She owed Derik her life now for what he did for her but she couldn't even bother to repay him the favor now. Her dear friend was out of reach and it was killing her emotionally. She didn't mind looking at his, she actually liked his face. He thought of his face as hideous, she thought of it as handsome. She cared so much for him and wished he would stop hurting on the inside, that he would let someone in; maybe that someone would be her. Unbeknownst to her, she was slowly starting to love Derik as more than a friend. This would prove beneficial to her later on in life.
Clinton was enraged with himself and that girl! How dare she refuse him! How dare she try to run away! He was mostly angry with himself for cowering in fear of that monstrosity that had come to the insolent girl's rescue. How could he just run away in fear at that face when he could have just punched it to attempt making it more bearable to look at. He had been so close to having the girl when it showed up. He would place money to bet that she hadn't even seen its face before. He laughed to himself at the thought of her screaming in terror at the sight of her rescuer's face. He would rather die than have that face. She must have been so terrified, he thought to himself, and I can be the one that comforts her.
Gretchen observed all who entered the theatre and of all of the men, there was only one that resembled the man that had been lurking outside the day that the attack happened. This man looked to be very wealthy with how he was dressed. He also looked very full of himself. He might have been the one that had attacked Rosabella. At this thought, Gretchen called Jeanette to tell her this.
"Hello," Jeanette answered.
"Do you know the man that is always well dressed that comes to the theatre," Gretchen asked immediately.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"I think he may have been the one that attacked Rosabella-Luna; he had been snooping outside the day of the attack." This information shocked Jeanette.
"Are you sure?"
"I am completely sure," the German woman said firmly.
"My God, what am I to do," Jeanette asked herself.
"Why do you say that?"
"The man you speak of is the theatre's sponsor, the Baron Clinton von Lockhart. How are we to bring him to justice for his crimes when he can pay the police off?"
This question made both women uneasy. How were they to put Rosabella's mind at ease when they couldn't even get the man in question arrested? This proved to be an even harder task than they originally thought. They had the sequence of events down and the name of the assailant but now they had to figure out how to get him put in jail for the attack. Things could not get any worse than this. Jeanette decided to confirm the identity of the man by confronting Rosabella. She told Gretchen what she was going to do and hung up. She made her way to Rosabella's room and knocked. She was met with a mumbled come in and a groan. She opened the door and entered the room.
"Bella, I have a question to ask you," she said.
"Go ahead, Mrs. Pamplin," Rosabella said.
"Frau Garrett and I were talking and we made a guess of who may have attacked you. Could you tell me if we are right?"
"Sure," she said brokenly.
"Was it the Baron?" Jeanette waited nervously for her response.
"Yes," Rosabella said as a sobbing fit began.
Jeanette instantly ran to her side and hugged her. The girl needed to be comforted and she was all too happy to be the one to do so. The poor girl had almost been raped and by the man that was helping fund the theatre. This was a predicament that know one knew how to deal with appropriately.
"I just wish Derik would let me see him, I miss him so much," Rosabella sobbed.
"I'll see what I can do, little Luna," Jeanette told her as she rubbed the girl's back.  This was something that needed to be addressed and addressed properly. She had to get Gretchen to convince Derik to see her again. Only he could get Rosabella out of her depressed state of mind. This was going to be one heck of a scheme but she knew it would be worth it if the girl would smile and get out of her depressed state of being.
A woman looked through the door and saw Mrs. Pamplin comforting Rosabella. She became enraged that the girl was always receiving all of the attention while she was left to console herself all by herself. She was always left to herself. She was sick and tired of that redhead getting everything that she should be getting. This was the final straw.
No one knew the plans that were being made by others; in fact, the people making plans were just starting to make them. Derik wanted to plan a way of apologizing to Rose; the three adults were planning a way to cheer up Rosabella; Clinton was planning his next plan of attack; and Rosabella herself wanted to plan out how she would see Derik again. The evil that was running amuck was unnoticed by the others. Rosabella still hadn't even named her attacker or what he almost did. Everyone was in an emotional conflict within themselves. No one was aware of the war that would be starting, not even Clinton.