Page 124 of Roses and Skulls

A knock on our door pulls our attention away from the letters sprawled over my bed.

“Girls, you ran off before I had a chance to give you Kelsie’s mail.” Lou, the receptionist, lays a stack of envelopes on the dresser beside the door. “See you gals, tomorrow.” She gives us a small wave and closes the door behind her.

“My letters?” Kelsie’s nose wrinkles up in confusion.

I think I know where they came from. My family is the best. Hands down.

The smile on my face widens as I watch Kelsie approach them slowly as if they might disappear before her eyes.

Kelsie is a tiny, little, bob haired blond, with huge green eyes. She’s here for the same reason I am, except her story is much worse than mine. The scars littering her body are not all from her own hand.

My vision blurs as I watch her clutch them to her chest. She wipes her eyes as she joins me on the bed again. When she sets them down, I see they are indeed from my family… soon to be hers too.

She runs her finger over one that says mom and dad in the return address. “Is this real?”

I grab her hand. “It’s real. Trust it, Kelsie. My aunt and uncle don’t do anything half assed.”

She runs her finger along the seam and begins to pull out her first letter. And I don’t mean the first from Dan and Lily, I mean the first one ever.

Leaning back against the headboard, I grab my letter from Elijah, my heart beating faster as I anticipate his words.

“Billie Rose.”

I glance up. Kelsie’s hands are shaking. “I think that everything you went through was for me. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” And then she shyly goes back to reading her letter, taking it over to her own bed and turning her back to me. Her shoulders shake as she reads what I’m assuming are kind and reassuring words.

My mind replays similar words said to me by mother.“Dan is the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

I guess we never know just how much of an impact we can make on someone.

Making a new friend was something I didn’t think would happen when I came here. Not after the deep betrayal I felt from Lanie. But Kelsie and I were drawn to each other. She’s helped me more than she’ll ever know. I know my family is going to love her as much as I do.

I focus back on the paper in my hand. It smells of him. Pulling it to my nose, I close my eyes and envision his warm brown eyes. We haven’t seen each other since I left. I’ve only allowed Dan and Lily to visit. I knew someone from the club had to come and see me with their own two eyes, to ensure for themselves that I was well. But I needed to do this alone.

It was terrifying. My first night here, I spent crying in a little ball on my bed. Kelsie came to me, running her fingers through my long, dark hair. “It will be okay,” she had whispered. “They don’t hurt us here.” Her words made me turn to her. The thought had never occurred to me. Again, the naïve little MC princess.

When she hugged me, my loneliness receded. I might not have my family here, but I had someone, and I had found her all on my own. A friend that no one had thrust in front of me with intentions of their own.

Elijah’s letter puts a smile on my face but a nervousness in my gut. In my last letter to him, I asked if he would come pick me up. I knew my parents would be disappointed but there was no other way. I want nothing more than to ride on the back of his bike, wrap my arms around his waist and feel the wind against my skin. Even if it might be the last time.

“You okay over there?” I ask.

Kelsie sniffles and rolls over to face me. “I am fine. What about you?” she asks.

“I’m good. Really good.”

She makes her way back to my bed and runs her fingers over the other letters. “How many people are in your…” I raise an eyebrow her direction and she corrects herself, “ourfamily?”

I throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, Kels, this is going to take a while.” I proceed to tell her who all the letters are from.

“And this one is from my cousin Jackson. His mom and my dad are brother and sister. He’s adopted too.”

Her green eyes are wide. “So many people. I would have been happy with one person.” She takes Jackson’s letter from my fingers. “Are they all kind like you?” she asks nervously.

I shake my head. “No, some of them are real assholes.” I instantly regret my words at her frightened expression. “But they are all kind, kind assholes,” I tease, and she relaxes. “Seriously, Kelsie, we are like any other family. Sometimes, we get angry at each other, but at the end of the day, they will always have your back.” I pull her hand to my lap, running my fingers over the burn on the palm of her hand. “And you will never be alone again. They would give up everything for you.”

“How do you know this?” She watches my hand run over her scars.

“Because they’ve done it for me.”

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