I Took Rose Hathaway's Place

Love and Loss

Dimitri left my room a while later, and I got dressed. 

I didn't know what people did after they, ya'know... did it.

So I pulled out a book. 

Blood Promise.

I had left off on the chapter, where Rose says she remembers reading a quote.

"If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking."

I now understand the quote. 

If you aren't paying attention to things, you won't be able to tell the difference between whether something is true, or just a figment of imagination, or fake.

I smiled at that. 

I started thinking about my mother. I hadn't seen her in a while.

She had taken off to Europe with a Szlesky.

Just then, I got a phone call. 

"Hello?"

"Yes. Is this Alice Hathaway?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm a doctor, with the Alchemists. And we have important news regarding your mother, Julia."

"Go on..."

"She was attacked by a Strigoi. She's gone, Miss."

I dropped the phone. 

"Hello?" The voice on the phone was distant.

But I was so shocked, I didn't even begin to cry. I just sat there, staring off at nothing.

There was a pain in my chest, and I realized I had been holding my breath.

I picked up the phone and threw it across the room, and it broke into tiny pieces.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was already out the door, and on my way to the gym. 

It was empty when I entered. 

I went over to the punching bags, and let loose.

All of my pain, my tears, my loss, my love.

I let it all go into the punches I threw.

I don't know how long I was in there, but eventually, when my knuckles were more than bloody, and there were blood stains, I lied down, and passed out.