Chapter 38: Manhattan

Rose’s dreamless sleep was disturbed by the sound of her phone ringing. She slowly turned over and answered it with a mumbled “hello.” The voice that responded to her was an English accent. She pulled the phone back and looked at the screen. It contained the name William and had a heart beside it.

“I miss being able to see you,” he said, but shock was beginning to take hold of Rose.

She sat the phone on the bed and stared at the modern bedroom she was in. It was her bedroom, placed high up in some fancy, expensive condo in the heart of Manhattan. She quickly scrambled from the bed and backed against the wall as if she were someplace she wasn’t supposed to be. Even as William continued to speak, she rushed to the mirror on her dresser. Looking back at her was a fifteen-year-old girl who had never undertaken a difficult adventure in her life.

Her hair was perfect and voluminous, her skin shiny, smooth, and clean. Her breasts were small and petite, her body perfectly lithe. Her fingers were manicured, and her toes pedicured, with not a flaw in sight. She was the dollish daughter her parents loved to have.

“Rose, are you okay?” William asked, bringing her attention back to the phone.

“I’m fine,” she answered, trying to keep her voice calm.

“You’re acting strange,” he said.

“How’s London?” she asked.

“Fine. We’ll be back home soon,” he answered. “So, are we still on for Saturday?”

“I think so,” she answered.

“Alright, I’ll see you then,” he said.

“Okay,” she said, hanging up.

“This is a dream,” she told herself. “I just need to wake up. Wake up, Rose.”

She pinched her arm and slapped her cheeks, but nothing happened. The dream continued, and so did the confusion. Her mind raced with thoughts. How did she get back to New York? Was all that she had done a dream, or was this the dream?

Rose was panicking now. She couldn’t make sense of anything, and the more she tried, the less she understood. If this wasn’t a dream, then how could she have possibly gone back in time? That didn’t make sense, and yet, here she was in her old bedroom. No, but wait, she thought. Time hadn’t moved when she came back to this world last time while in Ivan’s body. Now, it seemed that only six months had passed from when Ivan was living in her body.

Suddenly, Rose felt dizzy and weak, trying to remember everything Ivan told her he had done in her body. Her heart was racing, and she was finding it hard to breath properly. The room seemed to blur before her eyes, and everything was spinning now. She stumbled forward and collapsed, falling asleep on the floor. Her mind was in turmoil, and her body ached with weakness.

Hours later, Rose opened her eyes. Everything looked the same as when she had fallen asleep. She didn’t feel dizzy anymore, but the panic and confusion remained. With no other ideas, Rose decided to follow her routine as if she had never been to Scarlaria. She ate a normal breakfast and did her normal morning chores. After that, she did her usual school work and spent the rest of the day considering ways to get back to Scarlaria. It was ironic that she had spent so long trying to get back home, here, and now that she made it, Scarlaria felt like the place she needed to be.

That night, her dreams were plagued with the images of a woman carrying a baby through some unknown wilderness. The woman had long, red hair just like her own. When morning came, Rose couldn’t remember any details about the dream, only the woman and the baby. Over the next two days, Rose found that nothing in this world could bring her joy. All of the technology and indoor plumbing couldn’t replace the sense of purpose she had while representing House Scarlet.

As Saturday approached, Rose dreaded the thought of seeing William. Ivan had bonded with this guy while in her body, and she had memories of making out with him. Even so, she had no true feelings for him, but it wasn’t his fault. She was in love with her fiance, who was back in Scarlaria. Unfortunately for William, she couldn’t see a happy ending for him in this relationship.

When the day came, Rose felt a bit better, having had time to adjust to Earth again. She put on some casual but nice clothes and went to meet William at a nearby cafe. When he spotted her, his face lit up, and he stood.

“You’re looking lovely today,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the seat across from him.

“Have you been well lately?” he asked, taking his seat.

“Yes, and you?”

“Good,” he smiled.

A waitress came and took their orders, then departed. For the next few minutes, Rose tried her best to enjoy the conversation, but she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything he had to say. Her heart ached for Elliot, and her body ached for Scarlaria. She had grown accustomed to the warmth and freedom there, and New York just felt so cold.

“William, I need to talk to you,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I know this is probably going to hurt, but I have to say it,” she began. “I can’t be in this relationship,” she continued. “I have things happening in my life that won’t allow me to focus on us.”

“I know you’re busy and that you travel a lot, but I’m willing to tough it out,” he said.

“I just can’t,” Rose said, frowning.

“I...” he started and then stopped. “I respect your decision even if it pains me,” he said, even though it looked like he wanted to say a lot more.

“Thank you,” Rose said.

“Will you at least allow me one final date? We can get dinner and then perhaps walk through the park.”

“Yeah, yes, we can,” she said.

Dinner was good but awkward. Rose could tell that William was holding back. His eyes didn’t have the spark that she remembered. After paying the check, they went for a stroll through the park, walking close together but not touching.

“You look very beautiful tonight,” he said, smiling.

“Thank you,” Rose smiled, stopping to look at him.

William was a bit taller than she, well built and handsome, probably someone she would’ve liked to date if her heart didn’t desire Scarlaria. The pain in his eyes made her sad. Even over the few short months, William knew Rose, or at least her appearance, it seemed their time together was deep and meaningful. But unless Rose knew for sure that she’d be stuck in this world permanently, she could never make any commitments here.

“You’ve been good to me,” she said. “I appreciate everything we shared together.”

“And I do, too,” he smiled. “Do you believe in destiny?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“Well, I do,” he said. “You came into my life out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Now, I find myself losing you.”