"There's no such thing as normal… normal is nothing more than a word which is used by fools who can't understand something different than what they classify as normal"- Rosé
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"My parents and sisters- sister won't be home for the night… you can come over if you don't want to go home yet."
Azalea was quick to turn her attention back toward the burning flowers flowing down the stream of clear water.
Jason turned to her, puzzled. His voice was low. "you're serious?" He asked. Azalea picked up a rosé as she then lit the center ablaze, she ended up burning her finger and jerked her hand up, flapping it and putting the side of her index finger on her mouth…
It was after that she glanced over at Jason, and said. "Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't"… she continued, "you don't want to?"
Jason hesitated a moment, and considered what was waiting for him at home before he answered, "if it's okay with you… sure".
Azalea glanced over at Jason's tensed posture. She yawned, and stretched her arms above her head.
"Alrighty then… let's go."-Azalea
Jason stood up, and the two of them walked down the walkway in the same direction the burning flowers azalea had just put in the water went.
Jason stared off at the setting sun. his mind drifted off somewhere else… azalea glanced over at his lost eyes, but didn't say a word as the two kept walking.
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**9:00pm, Holloway street**
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The white moon had risen in the sky, covered by clouds and surrounded by stars…
A cool breeze blew through the quiet street, leaves were carried by the breeze when azalea and Jason arrived at a pretty big house.
The two walked up the long stairs, and azalea pulled her keys out of her pocket to unlock the door.
The house was big, almost like a mansion, its exterior was black and red, balconies which overlooked the pool on the backside of the home.
When they entered azalea's home, it was empty. Near the door was a waterfall fountain, colored dark blue Though the coffee table in front of the black sofa was covered with cigarette's, the flatscreen T.V. Was on, showing an old black and white crime movie, but no sound came from it…
The floor was white and shiny, a black fluffy carpet covered most of the floor. At the door, azalea took her shoes off and left them at the door, and put on her slippers. "Could'ja take your shoes off and leave'em here?"-Azalea
Jason silently nodded, and took his shoes off. Azalea handed him an extra pair of slippers, and stretched… letting out a yawn as she said, "want something ta drink?".
Jason responded, "I'm good, thanks". His voice was low and his eyes were half lidded, yet azalea still went to the tall black fridge and grabbed a soda, tossing it to him.
"T-thanks."-Jason
"Mhm"-Azalea nodded while she opened the freezer and pulled out some curly fries and chicken nuggets. She grabbed some scissors and cut open both bags, and poured them both on a rectangular pan, and put them in the oven before turning it on.
She yawned again as she walked toward the stairs, and gestured for Jason to follow her…
The two walked up the stairs and in the hallway was a long carpet, and three doors on one side of the wall, and one door on the other.
One of the doors had a piece of wood nailed on it, Jason glanced at it but didn't speak. Azalea noticed his glance and commented, "curious?"…
Jason nodded, as he figured it'd be no point in acting as if he wasn't curious in the slightest. Azalea began opening her room door and said, "that was my twin sister's room".
Her voice trembled a little, though she tried to hide it. Jason's eyes glanced at her for a second when her voice shook, but he didn't say anything, and went with her inside her room.
Jason looked up, the space of her room was wide. The walls were white, a red carpet on the ground, queen sized bed and a widescreen T.V. on the wall, above an electric fireplace…
There were a couple of bookshelves, filled with dark fantasy books. But what caught Jason's attention was a room behind an open door, which contained a space with paint all over the walls and ground, and a big paint wall in the middle of the floor.
Azalea put her keys down on the shelf, and took off her jacket tossing it in her closet room. "You can chill here or in my art room if you want… I'm gonna take a shower real quick
"Alright"-Jason nodded in a low toned yet slightly nervous voice. He went into her art room and looked around at the countless paintings made by azalea, and quickly glanced over at her while she was in her room, undressing and putting on a towel after she let her hair down.
She walked into her bathroom, and turned on the shower head behind the two sided glass walls surrounding the shower. And she took her towel off and stepped in, and underneath the shower head.
She slicked her hair down, before she grabbed her rag and washed her body…
She ran the soap covered rag over the red bruises over her body, and winced a little as thoughts about her sister and her grandfather filled her mind.
————————————————————————**Seven years ago, sunset underneath a bridge**
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The sky was cloudy and rainy on this day. a black van was parked above the short grassy hill…
A gray haired man around fifty-six years of age who wore a black wool coat over a closed suit blazer, and his white button shirt showing with his black tie…
He wore a black hat, with black shades on his face and had a scar across his mouth, and black gloves on his hands.
A seven year old azalea with her twin sister both wore black funeral hats, and black funeral dresses stood there, and looked at their grandfather.
He knelt down, took off his gloves and put them in his coat pocket, before he picked up some roses and went closer to the stream of water underneath the bridge.
He looked over his shoulder at his two granddaughters and smiled, his voice sounded a little rusty like an old pipe when he said to the two girls. "Pick up some of the roses and come over here".
The two girls picked up roses and walked toward their grandfather. They all put the roses down to the side as the man pulled out a lighter, and lit a fire in the center of one of the roses, and put it in the water as he gave it a light push down the stream.
The two girls looked in awe, the small flame reflected in their eyes. The man asked, "what do you both think?" With a small smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
Lily's eyes sparkled when she stepped forward with four roses in hand. Her voice was a little high when she looked at her grandfather and asked, "papa… can I try?".
The man smiled and nodded when his lighter clicked as he lit a small flame in the middle of each rose, and watched while Lily put them in the stream of water and gave them a light push down the stream.
Her eyes sparkled even more, the flames reflected in her lit eyes while she continued placing more roses in the stream…
Azalea sat against the pillar underneath the bridge, and pulled out a sketch book with a pencil…
The girls grandfather glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of azalea rubbing her bandaged arms while she drew. He walked over to her and sat down…
"What's that you got there little one?". Azalea's black, half lidded eyes glanced up at his smile. Her shoulders tensed up a little, "it's a drawing of me and Lily".
She turned the sketch book toward her grandfather, the page wasn't in color but showed a pencil drawing of two girls laid down in a vast field of roses.
The man spoke in a softer voice as he ruffled azalea's hair. "You're very gifted azalea. it's a wonder just what goes on in that mind of yours."
Azalea continued sketching over the already drawn lines, her grandpa glanced at her for a moment… his forehead creased between his eyebrows, just as he frowned a little.
"Hey, kiddo… can I ask you a question?". Azalea stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed up at her grandfather's frown…
He went on. "How do you view the world?… I wonder, what goes on in there", he pointed at her head…
Azalea thought for a moment while she looked at her unfinished drawing. She shrugged…
The man's frown remained… his eyes kept going back and forth between azalea and lily, before looking at azalea's left hand focused on the black, vine shaped rose tattoo.
"You've had a way of seeing the world in ways most others don't."
The man had picked up a hot pink rose and put it in azalea's hair, and went on. "I believe the world we live in is strange"…
Azalea's eyes shot up at her grandpa, who had his gaze fixed on the ground as he spoke. "In this world you feel pain, suffering, unfairness… but for some reason I like to look for the beauty behind the ugliness of our world".
"Too many people scream out in a language no one even tries to understand, yet too little people hear the voice of the person screaming in silence".
Azalea gripped her sketchbook tighter, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something. Maybe ask her grandfather what he meant by those words, but she didn't…
Instead she looked up at Lily who was still putting flaming roses in the water as she gave them light pushes down the stream…
Lily's small and innocent eyes sparkled while she watched the roses. There was so much joy in her movements…
The girls grandfather had checked his wrist watch, and stood up while swiping the dust off his coat. "C'mon girls… time to go home before this rain gets worse".
The two girls stood up, and walked with their grandfather to up the small hill and climbed into the backseats of the vehicle. After strapping themselves in, azalea wiped the rain drops off her cheek.
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**present day**
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Azalea winced after the water slammed against her face.
After wiping the water from the shower head that rained down on her face, azalea turned the shower off and stepped out and put a robe on.
She wiped the foggy mirror and looked at her reflection, while she let out an exaggerated sigh…
She picked up two rubber bands and made two buns at the top of her gray colored heir, which was still colored black on the buns and around the top.
After fixing her hair up, she walked out of the bathroom and walked downstairs to the kitchen where she inhaled the smell of the chicken nuggets and fries she had put in the oven earlier…
She turned off the oven and with a towel pulled out both pans of the chicken nuggets & fries, and put them both on the counter. Taking one of the chicken nuggets and eating it, she grunted at the heat of the freshly done chicken nugget. "God damn!"
She chewed rapidly while she poured a glass of water which she took back upstairs to her room, where she would get her anxiety medication and took one of the pills while drinking the water…
She spent a few moments getting dressed in a grey wool sweater which stopped at her waist, underneath black overalls which had cut out knee parts…
She painted her finger and toenails a purple color before putting on her slippers and going into her art room with two plates of chicken nuggets and fries.
Jason jumped up when she entered, she handed him one of the plates. "You like chicken nuggets and fries?" She asked…
"Yeah, thanks."-Jason
She put her plate down on a nearby shelf before picking up a paint brush with buckets of red, black, and white paint and sat them next to the paint board at the center of the room, as she uncovered it and began painting…
Jason sat there and ate the chicken nuggets and fries… he chewed a little fast. "You can slow down a little, there's a lot more in the kitchen."
Azalea glanced over to Jason who stayed silent… his eyes were staring off into the distance.
Azalea focused back on her painting, deciding to leave Jason with his thoughts.
("Something's are better seen in the dark instead of the light… don't you think some things are more beautiful unseen?"). His mother's words replayed in his mind for a few moments before he snapped back…
He glanced at azalea who was focused on her painting… the silence in the room was heavy, so Jason attempted to break the silence. "So, you like painting?"…
"Got a problem with it?"-Azalea
Jason remained quiet, and looked down while he fiddled with his thumb. "I'm just joking… yeah, I like painting… helps me stay productive, and calm".
Jason nodded, unsure of what more to say…
Azalea glanced at his bandaged arm, then she took a Quick Look at the bruises on her own body as she sighed. "You like drawing?"
Jason shrugged. Azalea picked up a small canvas and handed it to Jason, "I wanna see what you come up with."
Jason stood up and put the plate of food down on his seat, "I can only draw stick figures."
Azalea laughed, a little too hard. "I'm sorry… but I guess there ain't anything wrong with stick figures". She ate a chicken nugget off her plate on the shelf…
Jason managed a chuckle, and watched as azalea finished her painting… he stood next to her and analyzed the painting.
A painting of two girls, lying in a field of black roses… the two girls laid with their heads against each other, one wore a white dress while the other wore a black dress…
They both looked up, with a red lotus on the black dressed girl's right eye, and a pink lotus on the white dressed girl's left eye.
Jason's lips parted, "those two girls… you and…"
Azalea had a frown on her face, with black and red paint marks on her chin and cheeks… her dark eyes analyzed the painting as her lips curved into a smile. the edges of her cheeks had a shadow on them…
"Me and my twin sister."-Azalea
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**University hospital, room 308**
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Inside the city's university hospital, there was a dark room where inside sat a seventeen year old girl, with black hair and black eyes in a hospital gown laid against the hospital bed.
Her eyes were half-lidded and her skin pale. On the wall behind her there were hundreds of black roses…
Lily didn't move, didn't speak, her dark eyes looked off into the distance.
Continued next chapter…