Rose runs through the woods, her bare feet touching the ground. She's in a white dress, one she'd never thought she'd wear. She prefers pants, short skirts in dark colours, not bright white dresses. But she's wearing one now. As if to signify growth and embracing the fact that she's free from the trauma she faced when she was eight years old.
She smiles while running, which means she's not running to kill a troll or a skin walker, but she's being chased by friends, family. A lover?
The wind blows right through her chocolate brown curls, and it kisses her skin as she runs.
She's out of the woods now and is in a beautiful meadow. Her feet touch the soft grass, and the sun blesses her face. Her full features are showing under the sun. She looks different, faster, lighter.
Her eyes are golden and silver at the same time.
Wait, silver?
Rose gasps, and she sits up on her bed. Everything is back to normal. She's not wearing a white dress, and she doesn't look lighter; her skin is still brown. She's in her room, not a bloody meadow. She grimaces when she sees the time. She missed training because of that dream. She never misses training. What the hell?
"Fuck!" she says under her breath, taking the duvet off her body.
She stumbles on Mr Ziggy the Zebra but finds her balance.
Even though Rosalie Lockwood acts like an adult in a seventeen-year-old body, her room still looks like that of a teenage girl.
Posters of different bands and rock stars. Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Prince, Tina Turner and Nirvana.
Her room is all messy, with most of her clothes and shoes on the floor. She cleans up once a month.
She's not the girly girl type who loves pink and makeup and bright colours. She's more into dark clothes, leather jackets, boots, crop tops and all that. She likes to look like a rockstar.
When she was fifteen, she had a red strip in her hair, but she grew out of it in less than a month.
Rose walks into the bathroom to shower. It's no point training anymore, she'll be late for school if she does that.
But how did she even wake up this late? Why didn't she wake up early, and most of all, why didn't her uncle or cousin wake her up?
While she's in the shower, she thinks about the dream she had. That was such a scary dream. Why did she look like that? She looked like a fairy when they're not in their true form. Disgusting.
That's how they lure people to their deaths.
They pretend to be super beautiful, and then they kill their victims.
She can't wait to start killing those Tinkerbell freaks.
While she scrubs herself, she looks at her mark, and she smiles. At least she passed her test. But then her smile disappears as soon as it came because the mark and the test have just reminded her of the moroi who helped her.
Daniel Ivanov. Her Aunt and Uncle know the Ivanovs. It seems like the Lockwoods have a history with them, but how?
She should have asked, but she didn't get a chance to.
She leaves the shower and takes care of herself before putting on a simple white top layered with a thick black scarf, a black cropped faux-leather jacket glossy finish, very biker-styled
A black mini shorts, fitted and high-waisted. Paired with sheer black tights to give that sultry but polished vibe.
A black belt with metal grommets, which leans into the punk aesthetic. And subtle rings.
Knee-high black boots with a shiny, almost patent look, matching the jacket perfectly.
She looks at the mirror, and while doing that, something catches her eye. A picture of her and her parents.
She picks it up and she smiles at it.
Her parents, when they were still alive. She stops smiling when she remembers that if they hadn't left their communities, they would still be alive.
Rose still cannot believe that they tried to keep something like this from her. It's whatever because she's going to be one of the best mages ever, and she's not going to fail her family. Unlike them.
She drops the picture; the picture frame is faced down.
She grabs her bag and walks out of the room. She can already smell breakfast, bacon, eggs, and sausages. A werewolf's favourite.
She goes down to meet her family, talking and talking, they never stop talking.
"Good morning, dear. Your food's right over there." Her aunt gestures to the plate with juice by the side.
"There she is, our victor." Her uncle brings out his hand, she smiles and slaps his hand with hers.
"I'm pissed off." She says.
"When are you not pissed off?" Derek asks, and Rose pinches him on the back and Derek winces. Her uncle giggles.
"He deserved that. But why are you pissed off, Rosie?"
"Yeah, Rosie, what's got your curls in a twist?" Derek asks, rubbing the place where she pinched.
Rose rolls her eyes at the nickname Rosie.
She has told them so many times to stop calling her that, but they never listen.
She sighs. "I woke up late; no one woke me up for training." Rose sits down and begins to eat her bacon and sausages.
"Oh, honey, that was intentional", her aunt says.
"Yeah, you deserve the rest. Your Aunt's orders." Her uncle says, and Rose faces her.
"Don't worry, honey, you'll get back to training tomorrow," she winks at Rose while washing the dishes in the sink.
Good, so now she won't have such ridiculous dreams again.
Rose is almost done with her food when she hears a honk. That's Devon.
"Ugh, why must that boy always do that?" Uncle Chris asks.
Rose stands. "He wouldn't have to do that if you got me a car."
She doesn't understand what the hold up is, she already passed her driver's test and gotten her license, all she needs is the God damn car.
"When you're eighteen." Her aunt says, pointing at her. Rose looks away from her and faces her uncle. Her uncle raises his hands in surrender.
"She's the boss."
Rose rolls her eyes and walks away.
"Have a good first day of junior year!"
"We love you!"
"Yeah, yeah." She shuts the door and she heads toward Devon, who is outside leaning over his Blue Ford Mustang. As if to show off.
He got his car when he was sixteen last year. Why can't it be her? What is her aunt so scared of?
"Well, if it isn't the new mage."
"That's me." She reaches for the door handle, but Devon stands in her way. "Devon, what is this?"
"Wait, wait, let me look at you first."
"Devon, really? We're going to be late!" she moves her head in protest.
"Wait, wait, wait. Let me just look at you," he says, looking into her eyes, and Rose is forced to look into his.
It's so obvious that he's in love with her. But she doesn't know it.
Anyone who sees them would think they're a couple. A couple in a one-sided relationship because Rose will always see Devon as a friend, a brother.
"Are you done being dramatic?" she asks.
And Devon let's go of her face.
"I am."
"Good, now move!"
"Sorry, princess."
"Ew!" She says with full-on disgust as she opens the door. Devon laughs, and he gets into the car. The car moves, and Devon plays some rock music.
Come As You Are By Nirvana.
"Now, this is my jam," Rose says, closing her eyes, sniffing up the music like it's cocaine.
"I know it is," he bobs his head because he also likes this song.
They both begin to sing along, and this is what they do before they reach their destination.
Meanwhile. The Ivanov twins are in the backseat of their super quiet car as the driver drives them to school. The driver is a vampire, and Igor has been taking them places since they were kids. He's in his late thirties, but he looks to be in his early twenties.
Moroi genes.
"I still can't believe Mother forced us to meet all those people last night. There was even an older man who was looking at me weirdly. Like…" she scoffs. "You wish you could fuck me, you creep."
She looks at her brother, because this is where he comes in with a joke, but he doesn't make a joke; he doesn't even say anything. He just sits there looking out the window.
"Hello, earth to Daniel."
"Oh, uh, sorry, what did you say?" he looks at the girl he shared a womb with. And Cece just stares at him.
"What's going on with you?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, nothing, so your absent mind has nothing to do with the fact that you've fallen in love with not just a werewolf or a witch but a hybrid, and she's a Lockwood."
"Ssssh." Daniel shushes her, gesturing at the fact that they have company.
"What? You're worried about Igor. He's not going to say anything. Are you Igor?"
"None of my business."
"You see."
Daniel already knows this.
"Ugh, I don't know what to do. I had a dream about her last night."
"Of course you did."
"She looked so beautiful. We were in a meadow playing with each other and then- wait a minute," he snaps out of his trance and looks at his sister with panicked eyes. "What if history repeats itself. What if our love causes a war?"
"Then stay away from her to avoid it." Cece applies some lip gloss to her lips.
"No, I mean- fuck." he groans. "What do I do, Cece?"
"I really don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Look, brother. Your past lovers were humans and vampires, not a hybrid whose ancestors were the reason our ancestors left the Americas in the first place, so this is new territory for me. All you have to do is-" the car stops and Cece looks outside. They're here. "Follow your heart," she says in a dry voice.
She's still pissed they had to move from London to California. Well, at least in this school, she doesn't have to wear uniforms. The only uniform she shall be wearing is a cheerleading uniform.
And she will try out for he cheerleading team.
"Well, here we go." Daniel opens up the door, and Cece sighs before opening hers.
They stand next to their doors and then put on their sunglasses at the same time.
Here we go indeed.