Chapter 4

After the cafe Rose avoided people like the plague. She was convinced that one glance would reveal that she had nearly crossed the line with Fox. Lost, her thoughts swung wildly from what Fox had told her about the Night Blossom to the solid weight of his arms around her waist. The split between remembering how tight his black pants had been to the idea that her own parents may be the catalyst to the creation of their enemies made her head spin. The worst part was that she had no idea who to turn to.

All she could do was keep herself busy. If she completed her homework she could ignore the memory of Fox's forearms—tanned and flexing as he crossed them over his chest. Or if she played her music loud enough to annoy her neighbors, she could drown out the idea of her parent's potential betrayal. She could--

“Rose, you’ve rearranged your closet twice already,” Cotton commented. He sat on her bed, face pinched with concern. “Will you tell me what’s going on, or not?”

Rose twisted a lacy lilac blouse in her hands. She had been debating between keeping it or donating it. If she didn’t answer soon she knew Cotton would keep pushing. Her nerves were frayed and she didn’t know how much more she could keep silent.

“Rose,” Cotton tried again. “Are you—?”

“I met with Fox,” she blurted.

Cotton blinked his huge eyes at her, mouth open slightly.

Rose dropped onto the edge of the bed, blouse clutched close. As she stared at her knees, she unloaded the disastrous ‘date’ at the cafe. Beside her, Cotton listened in stunned silence. When she finally tapered off, all he could do was blow out a breath.

“Well, uh… So, he looked hot?” Cotton asked.

Rose spluttered, “that’s what you ask?”

“Hey, you said it yourself! Three times, might I add!”

Rose’s cheeks warmed. She clapped her hands over her face with a loud groan.

“Yes, he looked really hot but…”

“But he also told you that everything you know about your heritage was wrong.”

Rose dragged her hands down her face. She looked to Cotton, suspicious. “You’re taking that fact surprisingly well,” she said.

Cotton lifted his paws in his version of a shrug. He clearly struggled with releasing a scathing remark about Fox’s choices but he seemed to avoid it out of respect for Rose.

“I’m not saying I believe it,” he said. “What I do believe is that Nettle can be rude. Not that that’s enough of a reason to join the Night Blossom.”

“Fox didn’t join the Night Blossom because Nettle was mean,” Rose huffed.

“Nettle can be really mean,” Cotton pointed out. He kicked the blouse out of Rose’s hands and crawled onto her lap. “This is too much to take on your own. You should meet up with the girls and get their help.”

Rose wrapped her arms around Cotton. She bent forward, burying her face in his soft fur. She pulled in a soft breath. He smelt like clean laundry.

“You’re right,” she said, muffled.

“I’m always right!”

Rose managed her first chuckle in a long while. She sat up, wiping a couple stressed tears off her cheeks. She licked her lips, thinking.

“Could you… talk to Nettle about what Fox said?”

“What part of ‘Nettle is mean’ are you not understanding?” Cotton sighed.

“Cotton, please? At least ask Nettle what he said to Fox about changing his wand,” she pleaded.

“Okay, okay,” Cotton relented. With a sniff he added, “I better see you text them in the next five minutes. I can’t bare to see you rearrange your closet again.”

Rose nodded. She released her furry companion to pick her cell phone up off her nightstand. There were no messages from Fox, a fact that made her heart squeeze uncomfortably. She pulled up her messages to the others and asked to them for coffee and cake. Each of them knew that such a request was serious and meant a hard conversation was on the way. No one ever turned it down.

Less than an hour later, showered, dressed and makeup applied, Rose left her apartment. As she walked to the tea house a couple blocks over, she debated exactly what she would say to the others. Even as her stomach churned with nerves, she felt herself warming with comfort and joy as soon as she spotted her other knights.

Outside the tea house, Belle stood beside Marigold, holding her hand tight. The two of them had their heads bowed together, over Belle’s journal. Marigold’s cheeks were flushed a deep berry from whatever Belle whispered into her ear. Hydrangea stood a step away from them, poised and reading a book while she waited.

“Hey!” Rose called.

All three of them looked over at her voice. Belle and Marigold smiled and Hydrangea nodded.

“Is everything all right?” Marigold asked as soon as Rose was close enough for a hug.

“I’m all right,” Rose promised, squeezing her friend close. Marigold was the shortest of the group but her hugs always felt like a cozy blanket. “I just… have something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Is it about Snap—Foxglove? I mean, it has to be, right? We haven’t really talked about the ‘return’,” Belle babbled, tucking her journal into her bag and taking Marigold’s place for her own hug. Her bony hips dug into Rose’s stomach.

“Let’s go inside first,” she answered.

Hydrangea opened the door for her. Her eyes had narrowed at the mention of Fox, but she didn’t comment for the time being.

The cafe was small and warm. A long bar made from dark wood took up one side of the space. Plants were crammed into every possible surface. The latest Britney Spears song filtered quietly overhead. Booths lined the wall of windows looking out to the street. It was never very busy but the drinks and sweets were to die for.

After everyone had settled in with their desserts—Belle and Hydrangea on one side of the table and Marigold and Rose on the other—Rose tentatively launched into the topic of Fox. The other girls looked wary but willing, until she admitted to meeting up with him.

“Why would you even speak with him?” Hydrangea asked, her face aghast.

“It was the least I could do,” she answered.

“He’s the enemy!” Hydrangea’s hand was white-knuckled around her spoon.

“He’s our friend!” Rose snapped back.

“Not anymore,” she said, words and face cold.

Rose sank back in the booth. She rubbed her forehead.

A part of her wasn’t exactly surprised by Hydrangea’s response. She was deeply loyal to the Garden and the King and Queen. From the second she had been selected as a Knight, she had jumped in with both feet, no questions asked. If anyone dared bring up concerns, she would shout them down. There had even been a moment when everyone thought that she might have been the true princess of the Garden. Her loyalty had been so fierce, it only seemed right. When Rose had been revealed, Hydrangea only hesitated a second before she knelt and accepted Rose as her princess. Though, that hadn’t stopped her from questioning Rose’s directions or the other knight’s loyalties or abilities on occasion.

“Snapdragon betrayed us, betrayed the Garden,” Hydrangea went on, nose lifted in disdain. “As far as I am concerned, she let her own personal problems override what was really important.”

The old name, the old gender scratched Rose's skin in a painful drag. It did not surprise Hydrangea that she wouldn't bother with Fox's name. She was always a great Knight but rarely a good friend.

“He,” Rose hissed. “His name is Fox.”

“I don’t care what a betrayer calls themselves. The Garden comes first, no matter what.”

Silence fell over the table.

To Be Continued…