A Single Black Rose Chapter 1

Church bells rang as I watched the only person I loved in this world get carried away in a casket. People cried all around me; scotch and whiskey lingered in the air as late night drinkers washed away their sorrows. There were pictures of my father everywhere and it made me sick. Signs that read, "Rest in peace Johnathon". I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to hurt an innocent man like my father.
I still had memories of that night, ones I knew would haunt me forever. The way my dad told me everything would be okay and that he loved me; the weight of his body pushing us towards the ground. Every night after that brought nightmares; every sound and every shadow seemed to jump out at me. I had always thought that the man who brutally killed my father would be hiding in the darkness...but he never seemed to appear.
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"Where do you think your life will be like in the next couple years?" Asked my English teacher in her typical over exaggerated voice.
Mrs. Foster always talked too much. Making every topic we wrote about seem way too happy. She was a kind, sweet woman with dark brown hair and one of my favorite teachers, but she was always too excited.
I see myself sitting on a porch with my father and mother, them married again and a happy couple like they once were. A boxer puppy sitting at my feet, overlooking the waters in my back yard. A happy family. I wrote on my paper.
I wish my life was perfect like most peoples, but I knew that was never going to happen. I couldn't seem to come to grips with the fact that my life would never be normal.
I heard my phone's ring tone (Gone, Gone, Gone- Phillip phillips) go off in my pocket and I quickly dug it out and turned it off. I looked down at the caller ID and saw that is was my fathers number. He never called me at school, which made me worry.
"Mrs. Foster, my dad keeps calling me. Can I please answer it? He never calls me unless it is an emergency." I asked as I started walking out of the room.
"You're not supposed to have your phone in class Miss Haven. Please bring it to me." She said quickly as she held out her hand for me to put my phone in.
"But Mrs. Foster, it is my DAD, he NEVER calls me unless it is an emergency!" I yelled a bit to loud, she raised her eye brows at me in disgust.
"If you walk out of this classroom you will be sent to the principals office and given detention for the remainder of the school year."
I got up slowly and grabbed my back pack. Stares from all my classmates and 'ooohs' came from everyone. I didn't care, this could be very serious.
"Detention miss Haven!" I heard Mrs. Foster yell as I shut the door behind me.
I walked down the hallway until I came to an empty spot in between two sets of lockers and dialed my fathers number.
"Daddy?" I asked into the phone when I heard someone pick up.
"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" I heard him yell.
"DAD? DAD, IS EVERYTHING OK!?" I yelled hoping that he could hear me. I heard gargling on the other end of the line. I screamed. I heard a ringing on the other side and I knew he hung up on me.
I ran. I ran as fast as I possibly could out of the school doors and down the street before my heart felt like it was going to explode along with my lungs. People out walking gave me intense stares which made me run faster. When I came to my front door I pushed it open softly, and quickly stepped inside.
"DAD?" I whispered loudly as I walked slowly into the living room.
The place was a complete mess. It looked like a tornado went through my house and destroyed everything. There was paper and books all over the floor along with a sticky substance on the floor that resembled blood and tables were turned over. My heart started pounding in my chest and I couldn't breath. I saw muddy boot prints trailing across the floor.
"DAD , where are you?!" I whispered again, this time walking up the stairs quietly following the trail of blood.
As I came to my fathers room I noticed the floor became more engulfed with blood. I didn't know what to do so I let my instinct take over. I opened the door slowly and the floor creaked as I stepped inside. There was my father, laying motionless on the floor with a knife protruding from his chest. I ran to him and knelt down, using all my strength i pulled him into my arms. He seemed so lifeless, helpless even. I couldn't help but let the tears that were forming in my eyes fall between us as I felt his warm blood run down my hand over my fingers.
I clung him tightly and sobbed into his chest, the only word escaping my mouth was "dad".
"Cree baby." He panted, "You have to leave, he could still be here!" My father gulped, as I noticed that blood was starting to drip out of the side of his mouth.
"Daddy, I don't want to leave you!" I said into his chest, "I can't leave you."
"It's going to be okay baby" he choked out. "Everything will be okay, I promise. Now get out of here!" I felt the weight of his body carry me to the floor. I knew I had to let go, but I couldn't.
I heard a loud bang come from the bottom of the stairs. Someone was still here, I laid my father softly onto the floor and got up quickly. I knew I would find out who did this.
Making sure that nobody was on the other side of the door, I slowly opened it. I made my way down stairs and there, standing in my kitchen, was a man. A tall and dark shadowy figure with his back to me. I froze with with fear.
I have to find out who did this. I thought to myself as I stood there and watched the man. He quickly held up his right hand and it was bloody, he started to turn around slowly in my direction. Quickly coming to my senses I ran for the front door and outside onto the sidewalk.
"SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!" I screamed , falling to my knees on the hard ground.
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There is nothing I want more than my father. He always knew what to say to me and he never over stepped his boundaries. There were few times we would butt heads, but I always knew that he would be there for me through everything. Even if his work caused him to be gone for weeks at a time
"Cree?" I heard someone say to me as I tried desperately to shake the memories from my head. I looked up to see a woman coming towards me, my oh so loving mother.
I never liked my mother. Ever since I was thirteen she had brought various guys home every few days, them beating on me until I couldn't take it anymore and I would try to kill myself. She never seemed to notice the effect this had on me.
Despite everything I was feeling I threw my arms around my mother's neck and hugged her. "Mom" I cried on her shoulder.
I felt another pair of hands go around me and I could feel my body tense. I loosened my grip on my mother and turned around to see Jeff, my mom's new boyfriend, staring at me.
"Hello Jeff" I said, trying to be as nice as possible. I couldn't help but feel eerie of this man.
"Cree. It's so nice to finally meet you. Your mother has told me so much about you. It's like I know you already" He smiled a sickly sweet smile.
My mother told me about Jeff a few weeks ago, she said he was sweet and sensitive and that he wasn't like any other guy she had ever dated. It always seemed to happen that way. My mother knew, but she always turned the other cheek because she didn't want to lose the precious man who paid her bills. She was lazy and she did not care about anybody but herself and her drugs.
"Let's go home" Jeff had said to me while we walked towards his beat up old dodge Omni, my mother hanging on his hip like a toy. I just nodded my head and got in the car.
As we drove to the house I grew up in I couldn't help but feel the pain I used to endure. Every hit, and the pain I felt the first time I tried to jump off the third story balcony after I had been beaten. The smell of cigarettes and beer lingered in the air in the car, I couldn't figure out where I smelled that smell before..
I got out of the car and looked around. I noticed that the house was a different color, instead of the blue it had been before it was a light shade of purple,one of my moms nut job boyfriends probably did it as a favor for her. I sighed silently as I walked up the large steps. Opening the door I smelled the sweet smell of my mothers famous apple pie. She always made me one, knowing it was my favorite and to make up for the mistakes she has done.
"Would you like something to eat baby?" Jasmine, as I like to call her, asked me in a daze.
"I'll just have some pie and go to bed." I spoke, I didn't even recognize my own voice. It was raspy and sounded very tired.
I walked to the dinning room, there were pictures of my mother and Jeff strung across the walls, I smiled and felt sad.
"So how has everything been? Do you like your school?" Jasmine asked as she walked in with my piece of pie and a cold beer.
I just sat there and looked at her, not knowing what to say to the woman that has let me down so many times.
It hasn't always been that way. Jasmine actually was a great mother until my father left us. She used to be the type of mom that would cry when I went off to school and actually interact with us when she got home from work. Now all she does is sit on her ass all day and get drunk and stoned while her "man" goes out and provides for her.
"Cree, your mother asked you a question" Jeff sighed as I came out of my trance.
"It is alright , i'm tired though. I think I am just going to go to bed."
I ran up to my bedroom. I stopped running when I got to my bedroom door, because when I got there I noticed that it had a huge red sign on it that said "keep out". I quickly tore the sign down and ran in, slamming the door behind me. Everything was the way I left it, nothing moved, it even smelled the same. I walked over and slumped down on my bed, feeling the soft pillow under my head soothing me as I thought about my father. I truly did miss him. I let tears roll down my cheeks as I slowly drifted off into sleep.
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Green eyes pierced through the darkness. I didn't recognize the stranger that appeared out of the shadows.
I love you Cree. I truly love you.