Rose's Backstory
"H-hurry-! Hurry!" A panicked man cried out to his partner, who staggered behind him. He held her hand as they desperately tried to run from something chasing them. They ran through dark alleyways, they only source of light leading their venture was the full moon, followed by stars scattered on the night sky.
The woman seemed to trip when she suddenly fell, halting their movement for a brief moment. When the man turned back to help his partner a silhouette passed over above them. The two looked up in fear. Whatever is chasing them seemed to he following them up the rooftops.
"G-go-!" The woman said, urging her partner to continue onward when she stood back up.
The sounds of metal screeching above them made them even more anxious. Their luck finally ran out when, to their dismay, hit a dead end.
"No..." The man mumbled as he pressed his hands onto the cold concrete. The pair turned behind them to run another direction only to meet their hunter. A shadow dropped down from above, cutting their only path of escape. The hood from the hunter fell and the moonlight lit up their features. The pair was met by a girl with animal-like ears and silvery-white hair that seemed to shine under the moonlight. The girl's head lifted and the pair trembled when a pair of ruby eyes stared down at them.
The woman gasped as she mumbled, "The White Rose..."
"N-no..! P-please-!" The man pleaded as it was their only option left.
The girl stood up from her crouched position. She held two knives at her sides. Her tail behind her swung slowly from side to side. Her eyes stared at them like a predator on downed prey.
Tears of hopelessness spilled from the pair's eyes as the huntress neared. The area was met with a split second of echoed screams before cut short by the edge of a blade.
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In an unknown country in the large continent a married couple dominated the underground. They were the heads of a large mafia group, to which that group controlled a vast majority of the underground; and even parts of the country itself. Successful for years they decided to settle for a bit and lay back, coming up with the idea to birth a child. Since they'll have to pass down ‘the family assets' to someone.
After a year the couple finally became parents. They had birthed a beautiful baby girl with silvery-white hair and bright, ruby colored eyes. They decided to name her 'Rose'.
A few years pass and they treated Rose with the love any good parent would give their child. But that love would not last long as desertion and betrayal started within their mafia. The love turned into stress and paranoia as even a few of their seemingly trusted and loyal assassins, hit-men, and colleagues started turning against the couple. In fear they got rid of all hit-men and assassins under them, one way or another. But this led to a problem. They needed someone who they had full control of to fill in the void of security and symbol of fear.
During a conversation the two had for this missing spot, as well as something to suppress or lessen the problems in their mafia, little 10-year-old Rose entered the room. She held the stuffed bunny her parents gave her in her arms.
"Mommy..? Daddy..? Can I sleep with you tonight..? I had a bad dream..." she said with a yawn.
The sight of their daughter clicked a twisted idea. She was someone they had full control of.. Now it was only a matter of turning her into their symbol of fear.
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A year passes and they had dropped the child from her middle school to be home schooled, as well as forced to her to start attending classes underground to turn her into an assassin.
On the first day in a sealed off area she meets with her mentor. A trusted family friend and right hand man if the mafia. He was a big man with scars and large muscles. His look alone made Rose shiver in intimidation and fear. But the man gave a hearty laugh, along with a friendly smile.
"He was not kidding when I got that email!" The man said. The man slowly approached the girl, yet Rose was too afraid to move. He crouched low to her height, putting one knee on the ground. He had a calming smile on his face as he studied her. The man slowly extended a hand to Rose, "Hey there Rose. Starting today I'll be your teacher. My name is Kobra." He introduced himself.
Rose looked at his hand and hesitantly put her own over it. The size difference is huge when kobra gently moved his own hand as if to shake hers.
That was the start of her training and a new relationship.
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After 3 years of training she was finally turned into a cold hearted assassin where she would take orders from her parents with no question. Though during her.. ‘Career’, 2 years after training to be exact, she had met a boy the same age as her. He was the only one to ever approach her and talk to her, introducing himself as ‘Cody’ and a boy who was new to the neighborhood. Rose did not know how to react to this so she just let the boy in her presence, though not before warning him to not be involved with her; yet he insisted on staying. But this encounter, coupled with the boy’s persistence to be Rose’s friend, started to melt her icy heart and slowly make her… well.. Her again.
2 years pass, for that time Rose and Cody would almost always meet up and play, talk, and just generally hang out. He had even given her a cute nickname, “Rosie”. All seemed well, but soon enough, her parents finally caught wind of her relationship with the boy and ordered her to dispose of him. She had just turned 18 when they discovered this and when they ordered her to kill him, for the first time ever she shook her head and said ‘No.’ Her parents were outraged and ordered a bunch of goons to beat up their own daughter as punishment. Rose, wounded and bruised cried herself to sleep in her room as she shivered from the cold touching her wounds. Her ears perked when she overheard her parents ordering the men to find and kill Cody. Rose would never let that happen and escaped from her home to warn him.
After an hour of searching, she had found him. “R-Rosie?! What happened to you? Why are you all wounded?” He asked. Cody had never found out her secret of being a killer as she hid it very well, this was the only sign of it that he caught. But that thought had never crossed his mind as the boy helped Rose and tried to tend to her wounds.
“Cody you gotta.. Leave. They.. you. You’re going to get killed..” She tried to warn him, exhaustion seeping onto her. The moonlight was then covered by a huge, looming shadow over them. Rose gasped at the sight of the men. How did they-
“Rose- run-!” He said, lifting her up in a piggy back and attempting to run away. Though minutes later he gets caught and falls down, the two falling to the floor. Rose had hit her head and her vision was blurred. Cody helplessly tried to help his friend, but gets grabbed instead.
“Rose- get- out of here-” He said before the men surrounded him and started to beat him to death. Rose’s eyes widened as she saw this and desperately tried to get up. Tears streamed from her eyes as she screamed to the men to stop. They didn't. When Cody’s shouts of pain got cut short by the sound of a sharp wail Rose gasped. The glint of metal from the moonlight coupled with the smell of blood made her start to hyperventilate. Adrenaline rushed through her body as she screamed, running towards the men. After a bloody fight she had triumphed over them. Rose stabbed the last body before tossing the knife away and going over to Cody’s side. The boy looked up, and the sight of crimson blood on Rose, as well as observing this fight made him finally put two and two together. He did not want to believe it, but the rumors were true. A killer named The White Rose existed.. and was looking down at him. But deep down… Cody knew, yet his naiveness and kindness blinded him… but without that he would have never stuck and befriended Rose.
“Cody- Cody please speak- say something-!” Rose said desperately, trying to feel for a pulse. Coughs escaped Cody as he smiled at her, to her relief. But the large gash on the side of his head from the knife continued to seep blood. Rose looked around to try and get help, but she herself knew that no help would arrive..
“Hey.. hey Rosie..” He said, putting a hand on her cheek. “So you really are the White Rose, huh…?”
Rose cried, hugging him tightly, “I’m so sorry Cody… I.. I really did not want you to be in this… I even told you back then not to be with me- I- I’m so sorry-!” She apologized, to which his response was just a weak laughter.
“Sh sh shhhh… don’t apologize for anything… I don’t regret anything right now, Rosie…” He smiles, “From the first time I laid eyes on you…. I wanted to be by your side…” He said, in a confession; to which Rose gasped.
“Wh-what..?” She asked.
“Heh.. it’s… nothing….” Cody said, his arm going limp and his breathing slowing. “I… I had fun, Rosie…” He said. It was evident his time is almost up. Rose was crying her eyes out now, putting her head to his.
“Cody… I… I love you too…” She said in his last moments, to which a smile spread across his lips.
“I hope we’ll… see each other… again…?” He muttered before closing his eyes. In a moment of pure despair Rose let out a wail of anguish into the night sky.
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Rose returned to her room. She looked at the Rose pendant that Cody had given her for her birthday. She ran a finger across the beautifully made necklace. Upon studying it closely she sees a button to its right. Her head slightly tilted as she softly pressed it. The Rose opened up and lifted to the side, connected by a hinge. Inside the Rose was a picture of herself and Cody, both happy and together. This sight only made her cry more, burying her head onto her legs as she hugged them to her chest.
The next morning Rose woke up, only to remember the events of yesterday. Her despair turned into anger towards the people responsible for this. Her so-called ‘parents’. Rose looked to the side to see the flip knife she keeps with her. She takes it and sits up, looking up at the door. She overhears a woman half-running by her door, talking on the phone.
“Right- I’ll go get the medicine, the two heads are injured. Get more medics!” She said, to which Rose’s heart raced. She got up and opened the door. Slowly she made her way to her parent’s room, where she assumed they were resting. The door opened and to her delight she sees two injured people sitting up in bed. The two looked up to see a bloody Rose from the previous day’s fight with the men. In her hand she held a knife, and her eyes had the eyes of murderous intent. The father gave a stern look, “Rose, put the knife down and get us the doctors. They are downstairs.” He said, but Rose did not budge, instead walked closer to them.
The mother grew anxious as she nudged her husband to take care of Rose.
“R-Rose I said leave to get the doctors.” He repeated, stuttering. His breathing increased when Rose got onto the bed and neared them. The two were too injured to even resist as they watched their ‘daughter’ lick the blade of the knife, a wide, menacing smile on her face, before finally following with her intents.
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Rose had left her home. She was feeling new and fresh, and for once… free. She looked back at the city where she once lived as she got onto the plane, planning to leave for another country. The girl had completely changed her identity. She dyed her hair and tail pink and went for a completely new change in clothing; from dark and covered, to bright and styled. She also decided to go by a new name… “Rosie.”
Her decision is to start a new life in a new country, and hopefully bury the past behind her and keep it there. But inside her, Rose will never disappear.