2 Death and Rebirth
With her only functioning eye blurred by tears, she could not see the sign her step-mother gave the guards and she bowed in appreciation and tried to lift herself to her feet again but it was not working so, she proceeded to use her hands to pull her body towards the door as fast as she could before the queen could change her mind.
She could hear the queen chuckle behind her but she did not care since all she wanted was to leave the warehouse before anything else could happen.
Her palms were torn and wounded with every movement along with the part of her legs being dragged on the rough floor of the warehouse. She had two meters left and she was not giving up as she kept moving.
"Mother, are you letting her go?" the princess asked her mother since she was not aware of the signal her mother gave the guards who were following Rosaline closely.
"If I did not let her mother go then why should I let her go? She will meet with her mother this afternoon," the queen assured her daughter that her new rival was not going to survive to make a comeback and perhaps pose a threat to her daughter's existence as the most beautiful girl in the kingdom.
Rosaline might have a face scarred but anyone who saw only the right side of her face will simply conclude that she was the most beautiful girl and if she gets her surgery done and the scar is gone, her daughter's position will be taken.
Rosaline immediately stopped and looked back when she heard the statement the queen made. So, the queen was responsible for her mother's death. At this point, she knew she must survive at all costs and punish her mother's murderer but that was too much of a luxury for her to think of as her left hand was hit hard by a baton held by one of the royal guards.
She lost her balance, the balance she got by resting the weight of her upper body on her hands, falling face down to the dirty and dusty floor of the warehouse. She knew that a bone must have suffered from a fracture but that did not stop her from relying on her right hand as she put her weight on it trying to leave the warehouse with one word on her mind - vengeance.
She did not make through the last meter to the door when her hand was hit again leading to her body falling once again to the floor, her face now covered with dirt.
Like a caterpillar, she kept moving to the door, her clothes torn from the friction of the rough floor against it. A trail of blood along with ripped pieces of fabric was left behind her as she used all her willpower and strength to get to the door. If she should die in such a manner . . . in fact, she could not think of that happening.
Just as she got outside the door, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head as she saw twinkling stars before everything went black.
"Beat her till she is confirmed dead and bury her somewhere no one will find her," the queen ordered her minions and walked past her body crossing over her leg that obstructed her part to the door.
Rosaline could hear that order and she could not help but wonder who else in this world had such a painful end as her. Death with such psychological and physical torture, she could swear that there was no death as miserable as hers. No, she could not die in such a manner.
She could not meet her mother without making them pay for what they did to her. They stole her life, they made her live as an orphan without love in an orphanage for most of her life. They made her suffer all the bullying she had to endure in the orphanage, including a burn on her face that ruin her appearance and crushed her self-esteem.
She had suffered too much to be treated like this even at her dying point. If there was a God, she did not want to bother him with helping her revenge, since she was taught as a kid that vengeance should be left to God. She wanted Him to give her a chance to relieve him of the stress of punishing those that ruined and ended her life and that of her mother.
While she pleaded with the Almighty, she felt strong gentle hands lift her head and hug her to a warm chest making the cold she felt at ease. Was it the Almighty granting her a chance to live? But the chest was so warm it made her forget her desire to revenge as she felt peace.
"Rosy, Rose. Wake up. Don't sleep there is an ambulance on the way," a deep musical voice assured her dripping worry and concern towards her. "Don't sleep, please. Stay awake. It is all going to be alright. I will make them pay for all they did to you and your mother but you must stay awake," the voice continued soothingly.
At this point, all she felt was relief and warmth she inhaled the soothing scent that came from whoever this angel was and she suddenly felt peace as her consciousness began slipping away slowly.
If this was the compensation the Almighty prepared for her before he helps her avenge, then there was almost absolutely nothing she wanted any longer than for Him to make sure he does a thorough job of wiping out those villains.
"Rosy . . . Rose please wake up, the ambulance will arrive soon. Stay wake please," that soothing deep male voice kept on encouraging her to stay awake.
All the pain was gone, she felt weak and tired, very much in need of immediate rest, she wanted to sleep so badly in the arms of whoever this male angel was. She made a mental note to ask the Almighty to grant any poor person like her dying such warm comfortable arms to die in. It will make death easier because it made hers easier. All she could feel was peace and comfort.
As she felt her soul slip out of her body, she heard a voice amid the darkness and quietness that surrounded her. "I give you the permission to seek your vengeance," a loud gentle but powerful voice told her.
***
Was it all a dream or did she really die? Was she a princess? Was she killed by the queen, prince, and princess? And who the hell was that guy with a nice voice? After asking herself those questions over and over again, she could only conclude that it was all a dream. It felt so real but there was nothing logical about it.
She sat and stared at her hands, they were smaller and thinner. She looked around in confusion, why did it feel like she was already grown but trapped in the body of a young girl? It was both comfortable and terrifying.
She looked down from the up bunk where she slept to find the room empty. She glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall, it was simply told her that her dream, or whatever that was, had taken place four years later and she was presently fourteen years old. Her gaze moved from the calendar to the wall clock, it was 8:00 am and she was supposed to be in school. No wonder the whole room was empty.
This was the girls' dormitory for those between the ages of thirteen to seventeen. There were six bunks in the room arranged to the wall with a wide space between each bunk and a cupboard between them. The room was painted baby pink and off-white. It was neat as usual under the supervision of Sister Claire, the dormitory's supervisor.
She got down from the bed using the steps and found herself feeling dizzy as soon as her bare feet touched the cold tiles.
"Rose, you are awake," the sister in charge of her dormitory said standing at the door with a tray of medicine and water. "We were all scared that you might never wake up yet but the doctor assured us that you were not too sick to not wake up. It is very relieving to see you awake," the sister in her late thirties told Rose as she walked into the room with a sincere smile on her face.
The sister placed the tray on the well-laid bed on the lower bunk and placed her hand on Rose's forehead.
All through, Rose stood watching her as she found this scene very familiar. She immediately shook off the confusing thought and smiled. "Good morning sister," she greeted respectfully.
"Good morning Rose. The fever is gone. Take your medicine and meet me in my room for your breakfast. They have all eaten and gone to school. I kept your breakfast with me," the sister informed her patting Rose's hair.
"Okay sister," Rose agreed immediately as she could easily feel the pain her stomach felt from hunger.
The sister turned and left. She could remember clearly that this sister was nice to everyone in the dorm and she treated them all almost the same way. It was hard to see her being biased. But perhaps her equal treatment became too much because even the bullies were treated too nicely by her that she almost did not see the suffering of those being bullied.
