Kinda short chapter.. Not much views or votes lately on my previous chapter. But thanks for reading. ^.^

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"Valentines Day is tomorrow. We need to gift the castle roses." I hollered as Travis came downstairs with his hair ruffled and his shirt wrinkled.

It was around eight in the morning of February thirteenth and I still couldn't find any roses.

"Travis, we need to go shopping, but I am not sure if we have-..."

"Yes we do, I earn from my violin." he interrupted. "And a rose costs a dollar."

"Okay, we need red roses or white roses?" I asked calmly but my head was bemused.

"Red roses are gifted for those who are loved. White roses symbolized for pure friendship." he explained.

"So we need to gift the Queen, King, Princess, and Prince all white roses."

"Yes." he relaxed all his tense arm muscles. I had an inkling that he was worried I would give a red rose to the Prince.

"Oka-.. wait, do we need to gift each other?" I asked hestiantly.

"Mhmm, yes." he said with a small smile.

I wondered for a moment if I would get a red or white.

Suddenly, I got up and walked toward the coat rack. Might as well get the work done. Then, Travis rushed near me and pulled me by the arm.

"You cannot go anywhere alone. Stay with me." he hissed in my ear.

"Right." I mumbled. So I cannot go anywhere now. We strolled outside as the small flurries flew left to right. A crisp gust of gale pushed us further outside. I huddled in my little coat. Then, I saw a dim lighted rose stand in the middle of the blizzard.

"When you get a rose, you have to recieve a note. No note means the whole rose is useless. It is Lily's tradition." he breathed in my ear, warming my neck.

There stood a man in a huge fur coat painted bright pink. His head was covered with a brown bag with slits for the eyes, nose, and mouth. His shop had a sign called 'Love or Trust'. The man was massive and stared intently downwards at us.

"What do y'all want to buy? Eh red r a white." he asked with a high girlish voice. I resisted the urge to laugh at the tone of his voice and how his body was the complete opposite. His voice also consisted an accent I never heard before.

"Uh, four white roses with notes." Travis said politely.

"A note." the man scoffed. He widened his ice blue eyes and nodded. "A note is a precious thig, good grief, ee amost forgot."

"For dollars." he said.

Travis handed the money and the man gave his four beautiful white roses and brown pieces of paper. Then Travis turned to me and looked at me with his gentle eyes.

"Stay right here and try not to look. I am buying yours." he said.

I turned and looked at the lampost. It had snow blowing hard and no one was in town. Except the girl with red shoes. Suddenly, the lampost's dim light flickered for a second. It must be my imagination, I thought. But as the girl came closer, the lamp switched off and on. She threw blue sparks at the lampost and the lampost shattered into billions of pieces. The bulb flickered once and died. The girl stared at me with utter astonishment. I tried to remain expressionless. She threw something near me and ran away the reverse direction she was coming. I picked up the thing she threw.

It was a black rose with one note.

'You cannot escape me, Sara Roses. I will bring death to your closest ones.'

I looked up once again at the girl just to see her face. She was skipping away me with face towards me. Before I almost fled to Travis, she smiled and her eyes were jet black. They had no pupil.

"Sara! I finished, its your turn." Travis appeared giddly, walking with the rose behind his back. Slowly, I knelt down in the snow and scooped some snow and burried the black rose. Then I felt a sharp twinge in my hand. The black rose's thorn nicked me. A steady trickle of blood ran down my left palm.

"Um, Saraaa." he said in a singing voice. "Get up." He scooped me upwards and put me down. I smiled at him wearily.

"Thanks Travis, I was playing in the snow. And if you ever see the red shoed girl, please let me know." I replied.

The man was waiting in his little hut.

"Whech one?" he asked with a sly smile.

"um, I think red." I asked blankly.

"Okiee dokey, now write your love a note." he said grinning. But his expression faltered as he stared at my bleeding hand.

"Re yee alright?" he asked.

"Oh the snow, I was playing in it." I smiled.

He grunted something and handed the note.

I wrote this:

'I am very thankful for you saving me and my mom. Thanks for caring for me in my weakest. I promise I will do you a favor in the future.

I love the way you play your violin and your chocolate brown eyes. They remind me I am not alone ever.

Thanks,

Sara Roses

P.S. I am not in love with you. I trust and love you as a close friend since I just met you. :)'

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