Page 23 of Ring Around the Rosie

What?

He looked over at me with a soft look. “My last name. Aster Sequoya. Has an odd ring to it, don’t you think?” I blinked. “Why is that?”

My shoulders shrugged. “I don’t know. The other counselors wanted to know my whole name, and I just panicked. I knew I couldn’t use my real name. For obvious reasons. Yours was the first one that popped into mind.” I picked at my shorts. “That’s all.”

Sabbath nodded gently. “You know, Sequoya is actually my mother’s maiden name.” I looked at him. “I know. But after my father left us and married your mom, she stopped using his last name in regards to both herself and me. It happened so quickly. She removed his name from my birth certificate and replaced it with her maiden name. Sequoya.”

I had no idea. “That must’ve been hard for you, to lose his name.”

Sabbath shook his head. “Not really. My parents were estranged for most of my life. A difference of opinions is what my mother called it. But it was more than that. She was very religious… Still is, actually. My father, well… According to her, he strayed from the path. And eventually found a new one altogether. So, she erased him from our lives. I went from beingSabbath Batista to Sabbath Sequoya overnight, and from that day forward, I was taught to hate him. Not because he left. But because he destroyed my family.” He got quiet. “At least, that’s what I was made to believe.”

Strayed from the path. Where had I heard that? Oh.

“Foster said something similar about you earlier today.”

Sabbath looked at me with a smug look. “Oh, did he? Well, I guess he would.” He looked off into the redwoods. “Did he tell you anything else?” I wasn’t sure if I should answer. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Sabbath sighed deeply. “My family is so much more complicated than you realize, Rosie. I wish I could tell you everything.”

I shuffled closer to him and gently touched his back. “You can. As much as I may hate it, our lives are stuck in this tangled knot. And apparently, Foster has decided we’re all family. Hell, he even called me his big sis.”

He laughed. “Oh, Foster. What a fucking mess.” Sabbath fidgeted with the chain around his neck. “When my dad left, my mother’s church took it as a sign of weakness on her behalf. Claimed she pushed him away. My parents were extremely influential in their religion and considered to be some of the highest ranking church officials. That is, until my father broke from the church and left my mother. They shunned us and said that because she couldn’t keep her husband, that she had strayed from their core values. They called her failed marriage corrupt and labeled it a failure. Fucking bastards.” I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. “So, they rejected us. My mother remained devoted to the church, despite her scarlet letter, and continued to do whatever she could to prove her loyalty. But it wasn’t enough. It never is.”

“I don’t understand. Your father left and the church just decided to blame your mother? Why? And why did they cast herout like some social pariah? I mean, it’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

Sabbath shook his head. “Our church isn’t like the others. It’s… old. And very stuck in its ways. And had it been any other person, I don’t think they would have minded so much. But my mother was different. You see, her family are descendants of the original founders of the church. Our blood stretched back centuries. The expectations and predetermined fate laid before us has been written since the seventeen hundreds, Rosie. That kind of pressure leaves little room for broken marriages and wandering eyes. There’s no room for question and hesitation, or peace, for that matter. And when my dad left, he set the whole church off balance. He broke the balance. And until that day, I was supposed to be the next head of the church.”

“What?” I couldn't imagine Sabbath as the religious type, let alone the head of any church.

He crumbled a leaf in his hand. “That all fell apart when he left us. The church went into a frenzy, and there was a war for power amongst the other head figures. Families argued and fought over positions, all while my mother tried to simply reclaim her birthright. My birthright. But it was impossible.” He took a second. “I grew up hearing stories of what a horrible man my father was from everyone. But deep down, I couldn’t accept their words. I couldn’t believe that my own father would abandon me and leave me alone to live with such a hateful and spiteful woman. And that church? It’s no wonder he left. It’s corrupt and filled with darkness.”

I tried to make light of the moment. “Aren’t all churches?” He didn’t seem to think it was funny.

“No. Not like this.” Sabbath stood and squeezed the chain around his neck. “This church is filled with nothing but evil.”

I slowly climbed to my feet. “Then why stay? Why didn’t you leave?”

He turned and looked at me. “Because of my mother. As much as I hated her, I loved her. Still do. But when I was old enough, I ran away and went looking for my father. I wanted to confront him and ask why he left us. I needed to know. Only, while I was searching, I found you.” My eyes widened. “I swear, I had no idea who you were when we first met. I just took one look at you and something in my soul snapped into place.” Sabbath turned as his body faced mine. “And in that moment, nothing else mattered. Not my parents, the church, not even my own safety. Nothing except you, Rosie.” He walked towards me as I stepped backwards. “I’d become so consumed with you. Being with you.” My back hit the tree. “It was as if you were my purpose in life.” Sabbath stopped maybe an inch away and pressed his hands against the tree on either side of me. His breath hit my face as he quietly spoke. “I wanted you more than I had ever wanted anything else. I still do.” His face leaned close, and I quickly turned away. “I know you hate me, but even now, I am absolutely fucking obsessed with you.” His mouth glided along my ear as my body shivered. “I need you, Rosie,” he whispered ever so softly.

I slithered away from him and stopped a few feet from the tree. Sabbath groaned as he remained still. I had to force my voice to not waver as I spoke to him. “If you love me so damn much, why did you burn my house down? Why did you do all the awful things you did? Huh? Why did you scar me?”

Sabbath punched the tree and whirled around. “Because it was the only way to save you!” I gasped. “I spent so much time with you that I became reckless. I let my guard down to let you in, and they took advantage of it. I was a fool to think I could outrun any of them! The church? My mother? It didn’t take long before they all found me. It wasn’t until my mother and I saw your family that we realized who your stepfather was.” Tears filled my eyes as they did his. “I didn’t know! But when shefound out—when she saw him so happily married and moved on in life… When she saw Ozzy.” My heart ached as he said his name. “Fuck, something changed in her, Rosie. She—she fell into that darkness and never came back. And when I saw my father with your mom, so happy and smiling, it fucking broke me. Every lie and rumor I’d ever heard about him fell into my heart, and I believed it. All of it.” He wiped his eyes. “That same day, the church dragged me back and threatened to punish my mother for my behavior. For running away. They declared my father a traitor to the religion and sentenced him to death. My mother and I were also labeled traitors and would’ve died had I not told them it was my fault. All of it. I took the blame and told them my father left because of me. Because I was weak. Because I made him question everything and lacked the faith my mother was born with. You should’ve seen their faces. I was always a disappointment to them, to my mother. But that day… That day I was branded a mistake. Especially to my mother. The church wanted to kill me, but my mother wouldn’t allow them. She said it would be a waste of pure blood and the very thing we worshiped.” Sabbath scoffed and shook his head. “To think my blood is the reason I’m still breathing. After that, the church gathered and presented me with a choice.” He wiped his face. “A choice I didn’t want to make. But I had to.”

“What choice?” I asked. Sabbath stood tall and looked at me with dead eyes. “What choice?” My voice cracked and mixed with tears.

“Save my father and his son from their new, wicked family, force them back into the clutches of the church, and kill the others. Or, cleanse the Batista family name altogether. Burn it down until there was nothing left.” He tightened his jaw. “As much as I hated him, I couldn’t bring him back there to that evil. Either of them. I may not have known him, but Ozzy was my brother too, Rosie. And I couldn’t imagine him living a life likemine. I couldn’t. And I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. So, I chose you, Rosie.”

I shook my head and tears flowed down my cheeks. “Why?” He slowly walked in my direction. “No. You shouldn’t have. You should’ve saved them! You should’ve saved our brother! Say what you want about our parents, but Ozzy didn’t deserve that!” Sabbath stopped directly in front of me. “He was just a kid! He was innocent!”

He grabbed my face. “No one is innocent in this damn world. And if I didn’t do what I did, they would’ve done a whole lot worse.” He pulled me to my toes as I gasped. “I did them all a favor and ended their lives quickly. They didn’t suffer. And I burned that house so the church could never touch him. Any of them. I did what I could to protect you. All of you.” My hands scratched his arm as he held me. “And that scar on your back, as painful as it may be for you to face, it’s the only thing keeping them from touching you.” My eyes widened. “I didn’t just bind our souls that night in the basement, Rosie. I made you mine, body and soul. That scar is proof of our blood oath. It’s how I can find you, how I can slip into your dreams and whisper into your mind. How I keep the church from ever coming for you. We share the same darkness, Rosie.” His words were scaring me. “And because of our blood oath, they cannevertouch you.” He leaned in close and licked my tears. “Only me.”

Sabbath slammed his mouth against mine and he kissed me with such raw force. I tried to push him off, but I could barely stand. So, I clenched my teeth and bit him. His blood seeped into my mouth, and he growled before he reluctantly pulled away and dropped me. I coughed on his bitter blood and crawled backwards.

Sabbath wiped his mouth and smiled, exposing his blood stained teeth. “There’s my spitfire.” He licked the blood from his hand and stared at me. “God, I fucking missed this.”

Not me.

I shot to my feet and began to run away. Sabbath laughed loudly behind me. “You can’t hide from me, Rosie.” I sprinted through the trees while branches scratched my face and limbs. I could hear Sabbath singing in the distance. His voice overshadowed my rapid breathing and danced through the woods as it surrounded me. The wind picked up and those same whispered chants returned. They intertwined with Sabbath's song and wrapped around me like a snake. I tried to shake the strange sensation off, but I couldn’t. It was as if the words and whispers were piercing my flesh and crawling beneath my skin. I couldn’t outrun them and felt them all over me. They were so intense that I had lost track of where I was even running to and found myself lost in the woods.

“Shit.” I had to stop. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, it beat so fast. I slunk forward and placed my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. “Fuck,” I groaned. “Where am I?” At that moment, I noticed Sabbath had stopped singing.

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