❝I need to put me first❞ | Being back home isn't as good as Rose thought it would be, living surrounded by a family she doesn't know is taking a toll on her. As Rose tries to deal with her amnesia while she also comes to terms with trying to find ou...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I stood facing my grave, sniffing as I heard the telltale signs of my brother's car but also another one pulling up behind it.
I turned to see my brother getting out of the car with Letty following him, trying to grab onto the arm holding the sledgehammer. "Dom, stop, this isn't the way."
Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the granite, feeling numb. I heard their footsteps get closer as my eyes scanned the words engraved. "First time I saw this...I thought it was kind of funny. I guess now, the joke's on me, huh".
Once again, I turned after hearing a scuffle. My eyes widened as the two struggled over the sledgehammer, "What the hell are you doing?".
My brother gained control of the heavy weapon before glancing at me "What I should've done a long time ago."
Letty jumped in front of my grave when I flinched away. "Stop!" she called out, holding her arms in front of her casting me a quick look as tears began to fall down my face. "You can't take this away from her. Look at her!".
I sniffed and motioned to the stone. "It's the truth, Dom. That's the date that I lost my memory, that's the date that your Rosalie died and I was born," I cried, trying to get him to believe my words, but he shook his head.
"No," He grunted, lowering the hammer to look at me again. "You never died," he shouted adamantly as Letty began to cry too.
I scoffed as my body began to tremble. "Do you know how hard it is for me when you all look at me?" Dom and Letty's eyes soften at my tone.
"You see me through all of my years? Every moment up until you lost her. I see it in your eyes, you're disappointed when I can't connect to stories. I got no memories of you, of them! I got nothing".
"You got us," My older brother objected as I shook my head.
"you've got only a piece of me," I scoffed as I looked down at my shoes, "I have to find myself. For me," I admitted looking into his eyes, "I want to remember you, and that's why I need to go find myself. I need to be myself before I can be your Rosalie again".
Letty sobbed as she pulled out something from her back pocket. It was the diary she had given me before. I guess this was her blessing. Pulling me into her chest, she kissed my head, telling me how much she loved both Rosalie and me the same.
She loved the girl I was and the woman I am now.
Dom watched the two of us silently before I turned to him. "It feels like I'm losing you all over again," he explains as I see his eyes begin to water. He holds his arms out as I walk into them and, for a moment, let myself breathe before letting go of him.
"Come on, let's go tell Mia and pack you some things," The older woman sniffed as she put her arm around my shoulder, steering me towards her car. Throwing one last glance over my shoulder, I smiled at my gravestone.
:::
Packing a bag, I could hear Mia and Letty arguing from downstairs. My sister wasn't taking the news of my departure as well as I thought she would. For the same reason as Dom, she was worried that something would happen to me again, but I wasn't worried I knew where I was going.
Zipping up my bag and smoothing out the clothes I had put on, I was disturbed by a knock on the door. It opened to reveal Brian and Jack. I smiled, seeing both of them, and quickly took the small boy into my arms.
"Auntie Rose is really going to miss you," I cried as a tear ran down my nose, as I cuddled the boy as tightly but gently as I could. I really would miss seeing his beautiful smile every day.
"You sure about this?" Brian questions as I nod confidently.
"I'm sure. You can't change my mind, Brian," I argued, ready to plead my case to the older man with the baby blue eyes as they watched me in uncertainty.
"I wasn't going to. I understand why you're doing it. I may not totally like it. You're my little sister too now," I grinned at his words as I squashed Jack and me into a cuddle with him before passing the boy back.
Grabbing my things, I made my way back downstairs, where everything had mysteriously gone quiet. Had Mia killed everyone in a rage?
"Rose," the brunette gasped as I placed my bag by the door, her eyes were red from crying, and she sounded hoarse, probably from the shouting, "Are you really going to do this? Are you leaving us again?".
"Mia, you need to understand, you had your closure, I'm alive, but now I need my closure too," I explained as I tried not to cry at the expression on her face as it fell in realization.
I think they were all finally understanding.
I saw Dom nod out of the corner of my eye as Mia wrapped her arms around my neck, sobbing, "You make sure to call whenever you can. And don't forget to eat! And sleep! And..."
Holding onto her arms, I let out a sad laugh. "Don't worry, Mi, I'll be okay" she nodded, sniffling as she took her arms away and went over to Brian, who wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her head.
I breathed as I turned to face Letty and Dom, giving each of them a hug. I held onto Dom a little longer than the rest wanting nothing more to stay, but I knew it was time for me to leave.
Nodding, I grabbed my keys as I made my way out to my car. Getting in, I started it up and turned on the lights as I gave my house one last look. "Goodbye, 1327".
