33"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil"
- Hamlet
Chapter 3
-Dream Sequence-
Rose woke up that morning after All Hallows's Eve with a rash on her left wrist.
"Must be some bedbugs of some sort or something," She mumbled, absently scratching it as she got out of bed to prepare for school, making sure that she applied some cream before she left, muttering darkly under her breath.
Unfortunately for her, as the day wore on, the rash on her left wrist became worse.
"Aurgh!" She cried out in exasperation during lunch.
Her friends gave her pitying glances and uttered words of sympathy.
"It'll go away soon. You're probably allergic to something or something," said one.
"I've got some cream that I can lend you, don't worry, it won't kill. Chill girl!" said another.
"Maybe, you should go see a doctor, just to be safe you know," Gabriel said wisely, patting her shoulder.
Rose blushed furiously. Gabriel was her long-time crush after all. But he doesn't need to know that. She couldn't bear to risk their friendship for some silly crush. It's better for things to remain as they are; after all, what's a teen girl's life without some angst right?
Ah… Gabriel with his strawberry blonde hair, baby blue eyes, cheerful and outgoing disposition was everyone's favourite guy.
"He's an angel," his teachers and peers would say.
And he was also everything that Rose was looking for in a guy – romantic, kind and sensitive…
"So do you need me to bring you to the doctor?" Gabriel said lightly, shaking Rose out of her thoughts.
Rose shook her head, though inside she was screaming the exact opposite.
"It's alright, really, it'll get better soon. I think it may be caused by some bedbugs or dust or something… I'll just clean my bed sheets. It's no biggie really. Except for the dreadful itching being a real pain in the rear," She forced a laugh.
But it didn't get better.
Not even after the week after she cleaned her sheets the second time. In fact, it got worse.
The itching started to degenerate into pain and sometimes, it'll get so unbearable that it started to bleed. Against her better judgment, Rose never got round to taking Gabriel's advice to go see the doctor, assuring herself that it'll get better.
Until one day, a few weeks later, she woke up and found a pentagram etched amongst her rashes, hurting like a bad tattoo. A five-side, star – shape symbol, defined clearly with crude, black gashes, with the single point going down, against her flawless, fair skin. She stared at it incredulously and frightfully.
Everything started going downhill from there.
A few of her friends thought that it was indeed some tattoo and started avoiding her, saying that they do not associate with "worshippers of the devil". A few others didn't make their resentment so obvious but they too, started looking at her with nervous, furtive glances. Luckily for her, they were the only few whose attitudes towards her took an 180degrees turn.
But Rose could not deny that it still irked her to no end.
One incident particularly, disturbed her deeply. She was on the public bus one day, and she sat beside a kindly old lady. All was well until suddenly, the old lady gave a loud shriek, and stared at Rose's left wrist in horror. Then, avoiding Rose's eyes, and clutching to her necklace, she quickly shoved her way out and exited at the next bus stop without hesitation.
Rose never felt more bewildered.
She tried scrubbing the pentagram off, applying more cream, but that just seemed to make the rashes feel even worse. No matter what she did, the pentagram stubbornly stayed, unaffected.
When she finally did go to see the doctor, the doctor just dismissed her by giving her some cream for her rashes and commented that the pentagram was a "pretty cool tattoo for a young lass like you".
Frustrated that the doctor was useless and bitter that no one could help her, she trudged out of the clinic wearily.
As she passed a playground, she looked on enviously and amused at the little children giggling with joy, running, and singing nursery rhymes.
After a few rounds of 'Jack-and-Jill's, 'Humpty-Dumpty's and 'London Bridge's, the children burst out singing another rhyme, laughing and pushing each other merrily.
"Ring around the rosies,
A pocketful of posies,
Ashes, Ashes,
We all fall down.
Ring around the rosies,
A pocketful of posies,
Ashes, Ashes,
We all fall down…"
They started singing faster and faster, just like they did before for the previous rhyme. But Rose could not help but shudder at this rhyme. The children's voices echoed in her mind, getting faster and louder –
"Ashes, Ashes,
We all fall down!"
Rose backed away slowly and fearfully, shock and terror written on her face. But she could not stop the voices echoing in her head. In fact, they seemed to get louder and louder.
Convulsing with horror, she turned away and ran.
"Ring around the rosies,
A pocketful of posies-"
Her left wrist started hurting,
burning as though it was on fire. She scratched angrily at the rashes, unable to contain her terror. She continued running, until she realized she wasn't running away from anything. She slowed down to a walk, but hurriedly walked along, eager to retreat to the security of her house. Never before, has the rhyme has such effect on her.
I'm going mad, she thought bitterly.
"Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!"
"Fall down where," she couldn't resist thinking.
"Why, to hell of course," Chuckled a deep masculine voice behind her, making Rose jump.
She whirled around, shocked. But there was no one there.
Truly freaked out by now, she broke off into a run. As she turned round a corner, a cold hand suddenly grabbed her out of nowhere, covering her mouth to muffle her screams, and another snaked across her midriff, pulling her into the shadows of an alley…
Rose sat up with a start, gasping, with her hands clutching her chest.
Beads of perspiration trickled down her head as she clenched her eyes shut. Running her hands through the silk sheets, she tried to –
Wait. Pause. Rewind.
Silk sheets?!
She blinked down at the red silk sheets, baffled.
"Alas, you've awoken, ma Cherie," A deep voice murmured from the shadows.
A chill went down her spine as Rose edged slowly to the side of the bed, reading to run for her life. But before she could even get out of the bed, with the speed and agility that was most certainly inhuman, Lucifer appeared before her, pushing her back down.
"Hello again," He whispered, kissing her forehead. And then with a smirk, he added, "Did you have a good sleep?"
"I'm back in hell again, aren't I" Rose said wearily.
Lucifer's smirk grew bigger.
Eagerly, he brought his lips down to meet hers. His tongue fought for entrance and though Rose put up a great deal of commendable resistance, in the end, she had no choice but to succumb. Hungrily, he kissed her as though his immortality depended on it.
Rose fought back a sigh and forced herself to remain passive. Was this to become of her? What of her dreams and aspirations? Has she no more say in her life? Is she forever cursed to be at the mercy of a creature?
I can give you whatever you want, love, its not as bad as you think.
"Of course it isn't to you," she thought, not caring whether or not he chose to hear, "you're not the one with your freedom and life getting ripped away from you."
A/N: Ohkay, I'll admit, this chappie isn't as exciting as the previous ones but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway…
I'll explain myself here:
I've chose to use the pentagram, cause its commonly known as the sign of the devil. It serves as a foreshadow of Lucifer's appearance in her life.
The nursery rhyme, Ring Around the Rosies, was a rhyme I used, which I felt was interesting.
The rhyme was initially used to symbolise the Black Plaque where victims had rashes as symptoms first, and carrying a 'pocketful of posies' (which they thought will ward off evil) and then they die because of the Black Plaque.
Its really tragic cause many people died. ( That is what 'ashes, ashes, we all fall down' refer to by the way. Many people dying. )
:) Hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to R+R please! (: