Devils Roses 05 - Death

tomorrow?"
    I shake my head and groan, "Yikes mom. Pool party with the mean kids? I don’t think so."
    Dad laughs, "You are so like me. I hated the mean kids too."
    I grin at him and bite into my toast. I grimace, "Is this natural peanut butter again?"
    Mom scowls, "Yes, now eat. I'm not buying that peanut icing."
    I glance at dad who shakes his head and makes a disgusted face.
    I snort.
    Abbey bounds into the room pulling her hair into a ponytail. "You coming with me tomorrow?"
    I shake my head and shiver, "Hell no."
    She rolls her eyes, "Dude, Jake asked me to ask you to come."
    I narrow my gaze, "No he didn’t."
    She nods, "For real. I swear. He did."
    "Jake? Jake Mackay?"
    She nods, "The one and only."
    Mom shrugs, "Pool party at Lance's house might not kill you, O. Hang with some seniors before grad."
    I almost snarl at her but I maintain my cool, "No. Ewww. Jake is hot but I know they got you to invite me so they can torture me when I get there."
    Abbey looks hurt, "I would never let anyone hurt you O."
    I nod, "I know. But they would. I'm cool hanging with the twins."
    I want to go. I want to hang with Jake. I want him to want me, but it isn’t going to happen. He wants to let them hurt the loser. The popular girls are evil.
    Abbey glances at me and bats her eyelashes, "You riding with me to school?"
    I shake my head, "No. I'm walking. You go ahead."
    She rolls her eyes and sighs.
    I don’t like that she is so popular and I'm not, but I also don’t like any of her friends.
    I finish getting ready and walk out the door. I feel like I'm forgetting something major. I check my bag three times, but I have everything. I shake it off and walk out of the house.
    Lost in thoughts and wishes I walk, without really paying much attention until I notice a smell. It's something I know, something I've smelled before. It's delicious and seductive. I close my eyes and inhale. Flashes fill my mind. I don’t know what they are of but I know the smell. I open my eyes and smile instantly.
    The sexiest guy I've ever seen is standing on the sidewalk looking at me. He's my age and gorgeous. His dark eyes pull me in completely. I melt looking at him.
    He smiles, "Hey O."
    My jaw drops open. He knows my name.
    "I need you to come with me."
    I nod, helplessly.
    "You need to come hold my hand."
    I walk towards him. He is intoxicating and unnervingly sexy.
    I place my hand in his and instantly I'm somewhere else. I lean forward and throw up everywhere.
    I pull my hand back and cry out, "Leave me alone."
    "That was an asshole move. You could have just waited for us." A beautiful girl with long blonde hair grabs my hand, "It's okay O. You're not in any danger. I swear on my life. You're safe."
    I shudder and throw up again.
    The gorgeous guy shakes his head, "Hey, I got her before the magic at school and all that humiliation."
    I shake my head and close my eyes. I must be dreaming.
    A man with an English accent speaks behind me. "She'll remember it all in a minute anyway." I can hear his footsteps next to me.
    I open my eyes and scream as his dark eyes fill my vision. Pain and bursts of light fill my head. I scream and pull back.
It comes in waves.
    Aimee, Dorian, Aleks, and Sam. I look at Sam and jump into his arms, "SAM!" I shout.
    I grip him and sob. I barely know why I'm sobbing but then it all hits. The change with Ari and then Dorian taking my memories. My heart is swollen and aching as tears stream down my cheeks.
    "You're alive." I whisper.
    Sam strokes my back, "It's okay O. I'm here."
    I close my eyes and am terrified of opening them and seeing it’s a dream.
    "Ophelia, love. We need to get going. We have to go to Alaska."
    I blink and look back at them all. "My birthday? My real birthday?"
    Aleks laughs.
    Dorian raises an eyebrow, "Good to see you're bouncing back so fast. I really hope Trist and Phillip are the same. It'll be annoying if they're not."
    Aimee smiles at me and pats my head, "How was it the last two years?"
    I look at her and knit my brow, "Fine. You know why we did it right? Are they all alive?"
    She nods. "Sam, my mom, my dad, Alise and Blake and all the kids. Thank you. Ari told me everything."
    I frown harder, "You don’t remember anything?"
    She shakes her head. Dorian shakes his as well, "It's better if miss thing over there doesn’t remember. Her past was a shit storm of bad things. Retraining her was fine. We had two years. You don’t have much time at all. You still remember everything right?"
    I