"Maybe one day if you love me, you'll learn to hold on rather than let go," he said before walking away, making me realize that I must have said the wrong thing.

"Wait," I whispered but he didn't stop. Dimitrius continued walking with his head down. No king nor queen should ever bow their heads. Have I affected him too much?

I sprinted towards him but Dimitrius moved faster until I could only see a tiny glimpse of him. Then, I shouted,

"Show me something to hold onto."

His heavy footsteps ceased, silence fell. It was like I could hear my own heartbeat and it was beating like thunder. If there's anything else that I only have left, it's Dimitrius, my family, and Mary.

And then he stopped. He hurriedly stalked his way towards me and asked four simple words that meant everything to me. "Do you trust me?"

Trust. It's something you always have to earn, right? But for some reason, I felt safe and comfortable during that moment. Maybe I do trust him but I just don't admit it to myself.

I didn't know if I could answer him verbally so I did it with actions. My hand raised until it met his chest where his heart is supposed to be. I placed my hand firmly and closed my eyes.

Then, he held out his hand which I gratefully took. "Hold on tight," he said before I felt a huge gush of wind and strong arms holding me in a tight embrace.

When I opened my eyes, all I saw were greens, flowers, trees, and butterflies. The garden is beautiful, it's as if you've just walked in the Garden of God. The sky was blue and among it was the sun shining directly in the scenery.

"Wow," I breathed and unconsciously, I realized that I was walking and taking in everything. This was like peace in a form of a place. Happiness in the form of time. Everything seemed perfect until my eyes realized that this wasn't just any garden.

My eyes landed on names. Amara Jones. Clifford Hunter. Winter Dessin. Brad Griffith. Faith Middleton. These were some of the names I saw.

This paradise is a representation of a tranquil demise. It was a garden of death. "They were the vampires that died serving the prophecy," Dimitrius whispered.

I paid no attention to him when I saw one secluded tombstone. It had one white rose that was tainted with red liquid. On a closer look, I realized that it was blood. The name read, Rosaleen Braxton.

"Who was she?" I asked Dimitrius, pointing to her grave. When he didn't answer me, someone did. "Our sister," Katherine said out of the blue. She came from behind the tree that was beside Rosaleen's tomb.

Both of their faces held a sad and grieving expression. I'm sure that behind their looks was a deep scaring story. Seeing both of them in such a vulnerable state, I sat down on the steps where Dimitrius stood.

Katherine held the tears she was keeping and I said, "Tell me your favorite time with her." That way, I could distract them from their sorrows. I may not know their sister but she sure seemed more than important to the both of them.

No one spoke for like an eternity until Katherine let it all out. She needed someone to cry on and talk to. I may have resented her lies to me but I don't want to be ignorant towards her. After all, helping Katherine has been something that I've done since my brother had her.

"She was our baby sister. A fourteen-year-old, pure and innocent child. Rosaleen loved everyone, not caring whether they were vampires or not. She always has begged me to turn her like us but I told her that she was too young and that there was a better life for her out there," Katherine sobbed.

I sat closer to her and did what I think would calm her down, I rubbed her back and let her head lean on my shoulder before letting her continue.

"Then, one night, she went missing, no one knew where she was until-" she broke down into more tears and Dimitrius said,

"Until she turned up on our doors and said a simple message, 'Dominic sends his condolence' She was compelled to slit her throat in front of everyone."

I didn't understand. Why would Dominic hold a grudge way before I was born? Surely Dimitrius, Katherine, and their sister, Rosaleen was born at least a century before me. Who was Rosaleen to him?

"But why Rosaleen?" I asked in a soft voice. I couldn't imagine how they went through the loss of a loved one. "Because Rosaleen had a gift," Katherine answered but it still didn't make sense.

Then, Dimitrius said, "She was gifted with a vision. Rosaleen was one of the few humans that could see through the future. She saw the prophecy and when she spoke about it, Dominic didn't take it well and accused her of lying."

Rosaleen was fourteen years old when it happened. It pains and breaks my heart when I think of what she had gone through. No one ever deserves that.

"She's up there, watching you. Rosaleen loves the both of you," I comforted them. This time, I fought the tears threatening to escape as they both told me good stories about their little sister.

She was just like me, a pianist, a great cook. Rosaleen even loves to sleep while laying on the ground, watching the stars. While Dimitrius told me stories about her, that's when I saw another side of him.

A caring, loving, and protective brother. By the look of his eyes, I could see compassion right through him. Anyone could have said how much he loved her and it melts my heart how he lost Rosaleen. I saw something that I could hold onto.

Katherine managed to stop crying when she told me how much annoying and playful Rosaleen was. They would always play outside and climb trees. Rosaleen has always been the high-spirited one.

"What else did she see in her vision?" I asked them which Katherine answered, "That Dominic would lie about your mother being his mate. Your mother would find true love and bear a child named, Felicity. That girl would soon grow up and find out that the vampire king is her mate."

It all made sense now. Everything that were Rosaleen's visions weren't pleasing for Dominic. That's why he refused to believe her and killed her. Pure evil, that's who he is.

Dimitrius stood up from the stairstep, he picked another white rose and placed it on her grave. Before he left it there, he bit his wrist and let a few blood drop on the rose.

"Rosaleen has always symbolized herself as a white rose tainted with blood. A pure and innocent girl who always loved vampires," he said.

Earlier I thought that it was purity touched by evil but I was wrong. Sometimes, a simple representation holds such a deep meaning. I smiled at the thought of knowing that someone like me existed before, believing that not all vampires are harmful.

Then, a thought came to my mind, "If she had the gift, shouldn't she be able to see her death ahead of her?" Both Dimitrius and Katherine just looked at each other, waiting for who to answer.

After the moment of silence, Dimitrius finally said, "She could see through the future but not change it. When she saw how Dominic would kill her, Rosaleen gave her gift away." Why would she do that? So I asked, "To whom?"

"To you."

• • • • •

Thank you so much for 5.57K, I never expected my book to even have more than a thousand readers but it did! To everyone who always has supported me, you're my inspiration. Please don't forget to always vote, comment, and share!

1.) Did you like this chapter? I hope you did!

2.) What do you think of Rosaleen's story?

3.) Do you think that Felicity's finally having a soft spot for Dimitrius?

4.) What do you think of the white rose tainted with blood? A bit figurative?