ONE: The mysterious calls of nightfall.

“Jamie, would you mind helping me bake the cake for Jade’s birthday?”
My eyes drove from my computer to my closed door. I sighed but answered otherwise, “I’ll be there in a sec, auntie.”
I pulled my red velvet hair into a clean ponytail and scurried downstairs to the kitchen. I greeted uncle, who slouched on the couch watching football, and auntie, who was baking cake in a strawberry apron despite her gray hairs and wrinkles. I studied the situation of the kitchen for a minute with deep concentration and finally picked up the pink frosting when the cake was done baking itself. I quickly carried the tray to the kitchen counter and smiled at auntie. She smiled back sweetly and took out a couple more bottles of colorful frosting from the refrigerator. I decorated around the way bottom layer ( which was kind of difficult to avoid smudging the cardboard tray) of the two layered cake, while auntie stuck a number candle as the crown. That was when seven-year-old Jade came in from the back door to rest from playing with her Barbie dolls in the backyard, and auntie panicked to hide the surprise cake from her. Despite her innocent face and wordless memories, she was actually smartest girl in her class. Of course she knew what we were trying to hide. On the other hand, auntie did not have a clue of her little girl's thoughts. Aunt Hannah was the type of woman who was gentle with speech and did not have the words ‘naughty’, ‘annoying’, or ‘irritating’ in her dictionary. She never complained of how much housework and child-raising she was expected of. In fact, Uncle Dane rarely paid attention to her hard work (which really was plain suffer). It seemed as if he took all of auntie’s effort to please him for granted. Well, dinner was a whole separate story. It was as if he had woken up from a long nap. Dinner was the only time when the four of us were all settled down in one place together, and uncle actually put on a smile. Only when talking to auntie, of course. Whenever I saw the giggling pair, my own lips also curved upward, and it was not until that birthday night that I noticed I wasn’t the only one. Mature Jade was also cheering her parents on.
“Jade, we have a surprise for your birthday,” auntie said after dinner.
Jade’s face immediately grew (way too) hyper and excited, even though she didn’t have any of the sweet stuff yet. I excused myself from the dining table and brought the homemade cake from the kitchen counter to our princess. Jade jumped from her seat, wobbling the chair until uncle cautiously held it still. I turned off the lights on my way to them and set the cake down. Uncle took out a lighter from his pocket and glowed the pink and lavender monster. We sang "Happy Birthday" and watched as Jade, with dreamy eyes, gave her cake the blow of a wolf. We feasted onto the cake after that, not able to stop its delicious, mouthwatering taste, despite our full stomachs. I almost hurled that night.
“Are you okay, Jamie?” Auntie worriedly asked outside the bathroom. I rinsed my mouth and told her I was fine.
“Well then, I'll be going to sleep.”
I smiled faintly at auntie, even though she couldn't see me, and thanked her. I hiked upstairs to my room after auntie shut her bedroom door downstairs. In my room, I had to be extremely careful not to wake up Jade next door. I flopped onto my bed like an old lady would. I shoved my hand to my forehead. How troublesome. A fever.
My arm reached over to my drawers for a handkerchief. I walked-again-to the upstairs bathroom and soaked the fancy cloth in warm, gusty water. Back in the room, I slapped the handkerchief to my forehead and tried to ignore my headache.
Your Highness… Your Highness!
I jumped from my bed, so dumbfounded I didn’t notice my handkerchief fall to the bed sheets, soaking everything into a warm pool. I pounded out of bed before the water reached my clothes and glanced around. Nothing. I was sure I just heard a voice though. So sure… Your Highness! I shrieked and curled up into a ball on the floor. My brain felt like it was being squeezed and pushed by a pro-wrestler. I collapsed on my side, breathing hard on the carpet floor like I had just been poisoned. Very slowly, my eyes timed blurry. Right before I blacked out, I pictured out a tall, shadowing man. He was wrapped in a pit black silk cloak. He head was bandaged in white. The only particular fact I could note from him was a pair of silver piercings on each ear and one large hand closing in the distance between us.

TWO: Split Personalities

I must’ve been out for quite a long while. I was in a total different situation than I last remembered-in my room, suffering on the floor at midnight, my body killing my brain. Now I was in silver chains and wore different clothes. My legs were the same (besides the ankle chains, of course): gray lifeguard shorts (that I got as a souvenir at my lifeguard job at the city beach, and yes, I made those my summer PJs). My ‘I LOVE NY’ shirt was covered by a gigantic hoodie that seemed to only fit the huge circle of the same cloaked men. My wrists were sealed around a fat pole behind me in chains, too. I tried my best not to cry but only managed to show a pouting face. There were a bit more than ten cloaked monsters, but I tried not to glare. One man stood out from the rest, though. It was the one who captured me with silver piercings. He took off the bandages in front of me. I waited until the clacking of his shoes stopped and I was at the face of his shoes. I looked up at him. He was absolutely gorgeous. His emerald green eyes were slightly covered by a messy cut of rich golden hair. The color was absolutely enchanting on the natural-look-giving hair. He looked a lot younger than I expected. On his looks, I guessed about age seventeen or eighteen. I would really go after him, if it only wasn’t for auntie’s sake and his position in my life: the guy who was a total stranger to me, kidnapped me in the middle of the night, and dragged me to this rundown parking lot that seemed to rusty and filthy to still be used. It was smaller and more narrow than other lots, but it smelled of caramel apples for some reason. Oh, wait, it was the boy in front of me.
“You wear caramel cologne?”
The boy must’ve eaten something funny. That’s what I thought after I asked him a simple question and stared at his face for an answer. His expression was just painfully surprised, eyebrows raised in sudden interest with my question.
“Do you?”
It seemed that everyone in the lot fell into a deathly silence. I glanced around the other men, who had faces of shock and awkwardness. I looked back at the boy. He smiled.
“Is that all?” His voice had a melting deep sensation, like everything in the world had gone sweet and sour at once. “You don’t have anything else to say?”
I fell silent. I didn’t have a reaction.
“Really-you are an interesting one. What’s your name?”
“I think that would be my line.”
“Ha-you’re right. I’m Tear Kite.”
“Wow, you must cry a lot. Jamie Timer.”
“It seems you’re a small talker. Or are you just shy?”
“I don’t like wasting my voice.”
“Oh, so it isn’t terror.”
“Why am I here?”
“Hmm. Let’s see. I am a pretty high executive of this organization. The organization’s called Hide. It’s actually been active since ten years ago. Although the world doesn’t know about it, Hide has one single achievement, or reason, to make. That is to create artificial soldiers for the future war.”
“There’s going to be a war?”
“Yes. Current technologists and ancient physics have determined so. They say it won’t be like any other-it’ll be the largest in world history. We don’t know anything else about it besides that our country will be a major part of it. So for that, Hide is all about experiments. Human experiments. And so we need you to-
“No.”
`The lot fell into even more silence, if that is possible. I thought I was already in war.
I continued, “You need subjects, and I refuse to be one. Find someone else to be your guinea pig.”
“Listen, kid. I know you don’t wanna, but it’s not a choice. You seem smart so you know at least that much, right?” Tear cocked his head, mocking me. His hand shifted like lightening in his cloak, sending the silk flying everywhere. When he took his hands out, both of his palms were firmly wrapped around the hilt of twin brand daggers. They matched Tears crazy eyes with both of them sharp, fierce, blazing furious.
I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming. It wasn’t going to do any good. I constantly tried to freeze my trembling fingers behind my back, but they only got worse each time. I couldn’t tell the look on my face, but I guessed it was pretty similar to pity or so what. Tear’s evil grin suddenly turned into a scowl. He bent down to my level, and I quickly curled up my knees to my chest, careful not to let them be stepped or stomped on.
“I am not a kid.”
Tear smiled again. One that read “shut up”. “I can see that.”
I flinched when Tear’s right hand closed up on me. His blade dug under my chin and lifted it up so that our eyes could lock 100%.
He cocked his head around as our eyes met. “What beautiful eyes. A daring pair of gold hazel eyes. I could even spot unique glints of silver and blue. How amusing. I would love to have them.”
Tear’s blade retreated from my chin and was pointed directly at the tip of my right eye.
“May I?”
“Of course not.”
Tear’s grin widened as he licked the side of his left blade. What a horrible split personality. I would deny it, but it was too much of an inevitable fact. I had fallen and been dangerously caught in a spider web of fate… and fear.

THREE: The encounter with the king.

The sun slowly falls down, giving its final light to my hazel eyes. My eyes catch a bundle of auburn hair laying at the tip of my shoulder. I screamed and fell to my knees. Blood.
I felt tears at the blade of my eyes. I rubbed them hard, unaware of Tear’s presence next to me. I was sleeping on a stranger’s bed, next to a boy I met only three hours ago, and the room we were in was like that of an prison cell.
I felt Tear’s eyes follow my own lost pair, but my mind didn’t seem to mind. I was more dumfounded about the dream a second ago. No, it wasn’t a dream. It felt too real. It must have been a vision. Surely it must have been from the past. But I couldn’t remember an incident where I actually feared my red hair. If I had to compare it, it would’ve been to a velvet red cupcake or a sea of pepperoni. I couldn’t ever think of it as… blood.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Tear’s voice woke my pondering to reality, and for some reason, I felt relieved.
“Nothing. How did I get here?” I asked with a lazy expression on my face.
“You don’t remember? I threatened you so you could come with me.”
I unconsciously looked down to the sheets covering my laps.
Tear smiled. I thought it would be one of his sly, dangerous grins, but it was a gentle, friendly version. “Don’t worry about the experiments you’ll be taking. They don’t hurt as much as you imagine, and besides, you’re kind of a special case.”
“What do you mean?”
His smile turned a bit different. It turned… sympathetic. “Nothing. You’ll know about it later. Come-we need to visit the boss now that you’ve been fully rested.”
I followed Tear out the door, knowing I had no choice, and across the stretching hallway until we met a grand door that reached up to three grown men stacked over each other. It was decorated in shimmering beauties of rare gems and jewels of different kinds. It was soaked in ripe peach and white strawberries. I flinched at the strange and lovely sound of pure bells that rung peacefully when the door creaked open. It was definitely an enchanting melody, harmonizing the beauty of this universe. In front of my eyes was something so beautiful and breathtaking, it was a sin. It was so dashing, my eyes felt blinded-the light jingling of gold and silver treasures that have been displayed, bright colors of sunset and midnight, flower decorations of all colors and shapes, the sweet aura of apples and caramel and cherry blooms.
I scrambled behind Tear’s broad shoulders until he stopped and kneeled so formally I thought he was a knight. I looked up at a man with such a strong aura my stomach fell. I stood frozen at the man on the throne. I bowed my head, not so sure how else to react. His brows were drawn in a straight line above his dark chestnut eyes.
“Is this the girl?” The respected man’s voice echoed across the room.
“Yes, sir,” Tear said.
“Come, young girl.” The man motioned with his fingers for me to come forth, and so I did. His eyes were draw to my furious hair. He gently waved his hand down my soft hair. A maid next to him handed him some kind of amulet in a cautious manner. The man retrieved it and hung it around my neck. The maid walked behind me, fluffed my hair out of the chains, and returned to her master’s side. I looked down at the silver stoned necklace. It was in the shape of a royal crown, belonging to a queen. I embraced it carefully into my fingers, enjoying the gems and cold, yet precious shiver on it. I looked up, clueless. The man smiled faintly and said, “It is a mark. A mark of your powers.”
“Sir, I’m afraid the girl is not informed yet.”
The man’s brows twitched in surprise. “Oh-that is not expected. Well, taking things slow is not bad.”
“Who are you?” I asked to the man, surprising him even more to the point where he seemed intrigued to experiment me himself.
Tear’s left eye twitched, probably irritated at me for being so blunt, especially to the person who he calls “sir”.
But the man just laughed. “Tear was right. You are the most interesting out of all our candidates for the J-Project. I am Tylrine Will Hedrianne: the grandson of Hide’s finder and its current leader. And you?”
I wasn’t expecting that. He looked younger than I imagined Hide’s boss as. His hair was long and jet black. His forehead was neatly hidden with side bangs, and his skin was fairly peach. Besides his outstanding clothes, he looked pretty next to the dazzling light of the room. He was probably in his early thirties. I stopped myself before staring any longer and replied, “Jamie Timer: sixteen. And I came here to see why I am needed for your experiments. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind being called Will.”
I could see Tear’s temper growing. But Will just smiled. “Jamie, I do hope you can reason with Hide. Because you are a Rose.”

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 16.01.2012

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