Roses for Rachel

Chapter 9.

Tonight will be different. 

Tonight will be the first time since I've been here that I have something to look forward to in that ballroom rather than the dread I'd been feeling every other time.

I woke up early just so I'd have extra time to soak in the tub and prepare. Fern's easy chattiness easing some of my nervousness. After last night's conversation with Calvin, I am going into this with a whole new mind set. I still don't want to be here, but what choice do I have? I can't leave, and if I did, then what? Humans are hunted and killed, at least here I am more or less safe. I don't want to become a vampire, or be a princess, or carry the burden of birthing the heir to vampire royalty, but there is one thing I do want to do- Get to know Prince Calvin.

Thinking back to the night we met, it makes total sense that he had been rude to me. In his mind he'd already written me off as a non-option because of my scent. The sweet part was that even though my smell makes him a little more uncomfortable than the other girls, he seems to really like me, for just being me. My real life experience is lacking, but I read more than any other girl back at Drighten, and even though I'd never have admitted it to Greer, romance was always my favorite genre. I didn't like to buy into being such a hopeless romantic before because it was too painful. I read those books as something that I would never experience in my real life, but now I had to wonder if it could really be so easy; girl likes boy, boy likes girl, happy ever after. Maybe everything doesn't have to be so black and white to me anymore.

Lately, thoughts of Calvin and my involvement with him have been very gray.

"Miss?" Fern asked sweetly and I jumped a little. I'd been off in lala land in my head again and zoned out on her. "Would you like me to add some oils to your bath tonight?"

"Do you have the one you used on me the first night?"

"Yes, miss." She blushed. "Of course."

I grinned to her and she winked as she dropped a couple of drops into the water with me. The longer and longer I've been underground, the more I've started to miss the outdoors, and so the smell of the flowery scent was intoxicating. "Fern?" I asked while she busied herself cleaning the mirrors of the fog. "You mentioned that the prince would love this scent," I reminded her. "How did you know that?"

She looked around nervously again, then came a little closer to the tub. "Well, the prince's mother used to adore flowers. Before she came here to be with the king, she was a florist. Once she moved here with us, the king gave her a special place. It was a two leveled green house." She revealed. "One level is below the earth, that way our kind can go in and enjoy the beautiful plants, and then there was an upper level. A special one just for her that opened up into a beautiful garden, or so I'm told. I've never been to the upper world, but I heard from many that it was breathtaking." Her eyes looked wistful. "The prince and his mother spent days up there sometimes. I knew he'd enjoy the smell of this because it would remind him of his happy place."

I smiled picturing a little brown haired boy with dimples running through a garden filled with roses. "That's very sweet." I smiled. "Thank you for telling me."

"Of course."

I spent an ungodly amount of time picking the perfect outfit for tonight. I finally settled on a white quarter length sleeved sweater dress and knee high brown suede boots that made my tan legs look even longer. Fern braided my locks into a fishtail braid down my back and lightly applied my makeup, making me look refined, but not overly glitzed like some of the other girls like to look. Fern understood me.