Poisoned Rose

Chapter 4: Life is fragile and absurd

Chapter 4

The next few weeks that folded out held a turning point in my stay so far in Ridge Black Valley.

For better or for worse, my meeting with Derek Mace was expected no matter if I had tried to postpone it for as long as I could have done.

It was the whole purpose, the reason to why I was here in the first place.

It had been raining the night before turning everything outside cold, wet and gray. My lectures at RBVU had started off the days usually. Karlie Camlin would make me join her for lunch in the Dining Hall and she even took me for a walk around the campus grounds. I was grateful for a friend and she was more than willing to be it ever since I had made an impressive first impression on her. It made things a little more easier knowing that I knew at least one person in this new town whereas it seemed that everyone else had turned a blind eye on me, no one would dare look my way and seemed awfully afraid if I approached them.

Everyone continued to ignore me like an invisible ghost. No one dared to talk to me or even smile at me with their eyes, the lack of contact made me feel claustrophobic and a little homesick for New York. I knew that I wasn't being completely ignored when one morning I had overheard a conversation between Callie Gilmer and Saline Benny talking to another girl with white blonde hair. Her name - I think was - Donna, Donna Higgs. I hadn't seen much of these girls since the Dining Hall incident a few weeks ago. Along with everyone else, they chose to disregard my presence. Karlie was the only one that stepped forward to know me.

"A thousand bucks says she is going to get kicked out for being human," Saline told them. "And doesn't she look fvcked? I think she's been thoroughly fvcked. Maybe she had some sort of prostitution ring going on up there in New York. The Merry Madam of NYU," she added, laughing at her own stupid joke.

"I think she looks kind of spaced out, too," Callie said. "Maybe she's on heroin."

"Or some prescription drug," Donna Higgs said further. "You know, like, Valium or Prozac. Maybe she's gone totally nuts."

"She could've been making her own E," Callie agreed. "She seems to be really good at science."

"I heard she joined some kind of cult back in New York," Saline offered. "Like, she's been brainwashed and now all she thinks about is sex and she like, has to do it all the time - hold onto your mates, girls. It would explain why she was drawn to this place thinking that she can get off on freaky voodoo magic that Annie claims to practice on the web."

I had raised an eyebrow up. That was so untrue.

The fact that hardly anyone one had spoken to me besides from Karlie proved that it was more than an untruthful rumor. I was sure that Saline only wanted to fuel the fire of my current presence in Ridge Black Valley. Everyone seemed to know each other. I was a blank note. Girls like Saline and Callie wanted to fill that blank note.

I had quickly tuned out their ridiculous speculations.

I felt as if I was avoiding confronting Derek's presence since the Dining Hall incident. I was afraid of what might occur in our prolonged encounter with each other. How would he react to me? Each morning I dreaded meeting him, fearing his reaction towards me. Part of me wanted to confront him about me, but my sister's warnings about his hate towards his mate made the problem even worse.

And, I didn't want to disrespect the love that she had for him.

I was conflicted and yet I had a yearning desire to meet him.

When I was done with all my classes my exhausted body usually made me walk to a flower vendor across the road. I would unfold the dollar bills from my wallet and handed it over to the old man selling flowers as he returned in exchange with black orchids, Bacardi's favourite flower. I usually made my way to her grave again, in hope that she could aid me in my journey here at Ridge Black Valley.