Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

and it seemed we’d finally reached the point, where we could heal together.
    I closed my door and sat at the chair looking at myself. I was pretty; this had never happened to me before. Even with the red dress, I had still somehow looked like me, but in this dress I was someone else. I liked it. My gray eyes looked nice against the teal and my light, long blonde hair made me look like a mermaid. My puffy lips weren’t chapped. They looked nice.
    I started to repeat the same thing Giselle had told me to do. I made my color choices to match the dress's accessories. I did my eyes with silver and grey. My eyes had flecks of both green and blue in them, so the silver made them sparkle. I did my lips with a soft coral, because I figured aqua and coral were both from the sea, so they must match. I pulled the top of my hair into a high, half ponytail and teased my ponytail waves into soft curls with mousse. I spritzed myself with the honey vanilla my mom had always worn.
    I stood up, adding a little gloss, and looked at the final product.
    The warm wind blew in my window and Aleks stood there smiling at me from the far side of my room. My heart leapt seeing him smile at me, but instantly I knew. The wind was the same. Exactly the same.
    “ You’re the warm wind.” It was a statement, not a question.
    He never opened his mouth to argue, but I could see the truth in his eyes.
    "How could you let me believe that?"
    He didn’t answer. He stepped toward me to explain, but I put my arms up. “No, you let me pretend you were my mom. How could you do it? I believed she was there with me. I believed all of my mom's love and intention was in that wind, and instead, it was you.”
    He shook his head, obviously ashamed. “It’s just what happens, when I move. You assumed it was your mom. You needed her still and she was gone. I should have told you and I’m sorry, but in my defense, you should never have known about me. When you were better and your family was healed, I would have left. I would have gone, taking that wind with me and you would have been at peace knowing she was in Heaven.”
    I felt betrayed and disgusted. I knew the common sense in what he was saying was there, somewhere, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. Instead I thought about the millions of private things I had told him, thinking he was my mom. I felt the intrusion into my deepest thoughts.
    I put my hands up to my lips, horrified. "Oh my God. Oh my God—I told you everything. I told you private things."
    "I just listened, you needed someone to listen."
    Tears threatened to ruin my efforts.
    He ignored my words and walked to me, pulling me into him. He held me for a moment talking, “Aimee, I'm so sorry. I wish I had more time to grovel appropriately, but I don’t. I need you to try to not focus on hating me, just yet. We need to focus on the thing we’ve both dreaded—I have to leave tonight. I can feel the pull.”
    I wanted to cry in frustration; he was like a roller coaster ride for my heart. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let my head rule in the final verdict over what my response would be.
    I shook my head. “You’re going to ruin my makeup and this is my first time doing it completely on my own, which sounds ridiculous and I know that. I need you to try to wait till the end of my night before ruining it.”
    I hated him for hurting me, but I wanted him to love me, and stay with me forever. It was too much.
    He nodded and pulled back to look at me. “You are the most beautiful girl in the world.”
    I looked at him and battled my insane urge to smash things over his head and then kiss him afterward.
    His eyes grew dangerously intense. “Are you going with him still?”
    I nodded, leaving it at that. Shane was my safe harbor. The place my heart was protected.
    His eyes narrowed again and he pressed his lips into a tight smile. “You go and have a great night. I will see you after the dance, okay?” He looked dark and serious. “Stay at his side the entire night.”
    I frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
    “ I will explain everything tonight before I leave, but promise me you'll stay by his side.”
    I agreed. “Fine. Since we are talking about the drugging rapist of doom, will you tell me one thing? Are the letters from him?”
    He frowned. “What letters?”
    I picked up the letter I had been reading, from my dressing table. “These letters.”
    He read it and shook his head. “I don’t know. It sounds pretty