4. Dark

For some reason, Rosette had never been afraid of the dark. In fact, she embraced the comfort the shadows brought, wrapping around her and shielding her away from the world of light. The comfortable darkness of an unlit room or even the darkness behind her eyelids was able to put Rosette at ease more so than any remedy or person. Even Joshua, the little brother she held above all else, could not comfort as the night could.

Because in the darkness, she could pretend everything was okay. She could close her eyes and imagine that she and her brother were not at an orphanage, but at a castle. She craned her neck to hear the footsteps of one of her maids, bustling in with a luxurious dress found only in fairy tales. A dress meant for her and only her. She could picture herself sitting at a plentiful banquet. She would be eating plenty, as Rosette was never one to skimp on a meal. Her brother would be laughing and sitting next to her while her parents, who would not be dead, sat on the other side. Princes would come for all over the countryside and she would be treated as though she was the most precious thing in the world.

And she could forget. She could forget the orphanage were there was never enough food. She didn't have to think about the fact that her parents were dead and would never be coming back. The best part of all, she wouldn't have to remember that Joshua was still sick. That Joshua could well be dying.

It wasn't fair. Why did Joshua have to be sick? Her brother could heal anything, whether it was sickness or injury, so why couldn't he heal his own disease. It pained Rosette to watch him suffer, and it hurt to know that there was nothing she could do to help. And with the order showing up, wanting to take her little brother away, she just couldn't stand it anymore. Every once in a while, she wished they would all just disappear.

Then Chrono came into her life, and with him, Aion. Suddenly it wasn't about getting Joshua better, but finding out where he may be. No longer was she comforted by the dark. Now she only felt ashamed. She had been so wrapped up in the fantasies of her make-believe world, she had forgotten Joshua, had let him slip through her fingers into the clutches of Aion. Closing her eyes couldn't help her now. The memory of Joshua, the terror she had felt as he suddenly disappeared out of her life, ran through her head repeatedly like a broken record. The darkness that she had once coveted was now filled with regret.

"Rosette? Are you in here?" Rosette, sprawled across the bed in her room, shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the figure standing in her doorway. Clear blue eyes rested on worried ruby ones. Her companion nervously stood there, a brush in one hair and a faded yellow bow in the other. Cautiously, he stepped into the room and slowly approached Rosette, ready bolt at the slightest sign of anger. Poor Chrono. Rosette smiled.

" You can walk a little faster dummy. I'm not going to bite, not to mention I don't have all day to wait for you to get over here." Rosette sat up as Chrono half-ran the reset of the way to her bed. She crossed her legs as he sat on the edge of the bed, giving her more than enough space. Rosette silently took the brush in her hand and worked out the remnants of once braided hair, running her fingers through the silky violet locks.

"What happened to the last braid I gave you? Was it too loose?" Chrono, obviously startled, stiffened.

"No, no, it was fine. I caught the bow on a tree branch and it came out. It was my entire fault." Curious at Chrono's odd behavior, Rosette inspected the old piece of cloth for signs of a snag or tear. Finding no such indication, Rosette faintly wondered why Chrono would lie to her. It wasn't like him. And yet, there was something soothing about braiding Chrono's hair. It was calming, like the dark she once loved, and Rosette couldn't help but smile, regrets and worries floating away.

Azmaria watched silently from the doorway at the scene before her. She had originally followed Chrono here, curious as to why he had pulled the yellow ribbon out of his hair. However, she couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she watched those two. Rosette had been unusually upset lately, it was good to know that she was finally relaxing. She closed the door with a soft snick, and softly walked away, not wanting to disturb their peace anymore. Danger could wait for them to heal.