Rockstar Ghost PG-13 Version Read online

Rockstar Ghost PG-13 Version

  By KuroKoneko Kamen

  Copyright 2013 by KuroKoneko Kamen

  Cover Design by Kyoux

  Chapter 1: I Wanna Be Sedated

  "My life is cursed." Rosalie Galloway muttered softly to herself as she tried to pull her tattered jacket closer around her body. The zipper was screwed up and she couldn't even close it properly. It was freezing on the bus that she was taking to Good Samaritan Hospital. She looked out the window and saw the Autumn-colored orange, yellow, and red leaves on the trees flash by, but it was hard to enjoy the sight when she was freezing her butt off.

  She kept her head lowered and peered at the other people that were riding the bus with her through her bangs in a hesitant manner. Rosalie had social anxiety. Crowds of people she didn't know terrified her, and even though she had studied the psychology behind her condition she was still unable to overcome it. She had also tried reading several Self Help books on the subject, but nothing seemed to work.

  Rosalie was envious of the people who were riding the bus with her. Not only did they appear to have nicer jackets than hers, but also appeared to have jobs. She could tell that they were all on their way to work because they were smartly dressed and with suitcases in their hands. Rosalie hoped to be like them soon - employed.

  Unfortunately the chances of Rosalie getting a job were pretty slim. She was already on her fifteenth job interview. She just hoped that during this one she wouldn't throw up from nerves. Rosalie had miraculously managed to get a college degree from Biola University where she had been participating in their nursing program. After that she applied to the state and got her nurse's license. Now came the tricky part of getting hired as a nurse by a hospital.

  She'd applied to several hospitals already and they had seemed pretty interested in Rosalie - that is until they met the gloomy girl in person. Rosalie turned to stare at her homely reflection in the bus window. She had managed to tame her wild, curly, black hair into a tight ponytail as best she could. Rosalie had her round, nerdy glasses on her face and was wearing her usual 'job hunting outfit' which consisted of a plain, white blouse, black jacket, knee length skirt, and a pair of scuffed, low-heeled, black leather shoes.

  She supposed she might be able to look a little more presentable if she got some contact lenses, but there was a very good reason why Rosalie chose to wear glasses. Just thinking about it made Rosalie push her glasses further up her nose. From as far back as Rosalie could remember?she had the ability to see ghosts. This had been extremely hard to deal with growing up, but in middle school she discovered that the simple action of wearing a pair of glasses somehow enabled her to block out the sight of ghosts. As long as she didn't make eye contact with any ghosts they usually left her alone, so wearing glasses became her first real defense against them.

  Rosalie let out a disappointed sigh before finally shrugging. She just hoped she looked presentable. The bus conveniently stopped only a few blocks away from Good Samaritan Hospital. Rosalie got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the hospital with dragging steps. The hospital would be filled with ghosts. She dreaded going there but she had no choice. Her dream was to become a nurse, so she'd just have to deal with it. She adjusted her glasses higher up on her nose with one hand. She hoped she wouldn't be able to see any of them. She shuddered, a chill crawling up her spine. Why me?

  She was familiar with the bus route and the hospital because her father Edgar Galloway was a live-in patient there. Just before Rosalie entered high school, Edgar had been diagnosed with cancer by their family doctor, Dr. Cole. This was one of the main reasons why Rosalie had decided to become a nurse. She wanted to help take care of her father and earn enough money to provide him with better medications and chemotherapy treatments. Thus, being a nurse had become her dream.

  Rosalie stopped in front of Good Samaritan Hospital for a moment to steel her nerves. It was a modern hospital building with a large front lawn that patients could use to get some exercise or enjoy during lunch. The many flower boxes were currently empty since it was already mid-Fall. The tall trees that were on the lawn were pretty to look at since the hue of their leaves had changed to mixtures of red, yellow and orange.

  Rosalie made her way past the automatic sliding doors. Her interview was being held on the sixth floor, so Rosalie made her way to the elevator. Pressing the elevator summoning button, she tried to ignore all of the people standing around her and who were also waiting for the elevator to arrive. If she looked at them too closely she would probably discover that not all of them were alive.

  The elevator arrived and Rosalie stepped inside along with several other people. She pressed the button for the sixth floor. Rosalie kept her head down, letting her bangs shadow her eyes and expression, and tried not to make eye contact with anyone.

  The men and women - patients, doctors, nurses and visitors - were so close to her. She could feel their eyes upon her, feel their judging stares. She felt herself shrinking inside of the elevator. All the people around her seemed to be growing taller until they were towering over her like Titans. The elevator felt like it was shrinking next. Rosalie sensed herself getting claustrophobic as the walls began to close in around her. Her chest felt constricted. It was getting harder to breath?

  And then the elevator door opened upon her floor and Rosalie rushed out. She realized that on her way out she had knocked into the shoulder of the man, who had been standing next to her, and turned around to quickly apologize. "S-Sorry-" Rosalie started as she turned around to look at the man. Rosalie's voice caught in her throat. The young African American man had a purple t-shirt on that was covered in red splotches that Rosalie realized were blood. The man had been shot multiple times from the looks of it. Rosalie turned back around and ran from the elevator. She took a deep, steadying breath and put a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

  She looked up and spotted the reception desk. A pretty blonde nurse was seated behind the desk and giving Rosalie a curious look. The medium straightened her back and forced a smile on her face. Unfortunately, it was a Wednesday Adam's smile. The nurse shuddered at the creepy smile. "What a gloomy girl?" The nurse muttered to herself.

  Rosalie approached the reception desk and greeted the nurse. "Hi. I'm Rosalie Galloway. I'm here for a nursing interview with the Chief of Nursing at three o'clock."

  The nurse nodded. "You're not the only one being interviewed for the nurse's position today. Please have a seat. I'll call your name when the Chief of Nursing is ready to see you." The receptionist explained.

  Rosalie nodded and turned to face the waiting area. A series of blue vinyl couches were situated around the area and several young ladies around Rosalie's age were seated while waiting for their chance to get interviewed. Rosalie figured they were also college graduates. Because of the recession job hunting had become extremely competitive with people around Rosalie's age due to the lack of jobs available.

  Rosalie had never really been good at dealing with people her own age, and so keeping her head down, she tremulously made her way to sit down on one of the empty couches. She clasped her hands nervously in her lap as she sat down and peeked at the other girls through her bangs shyly.

  The prospective nurses were all so different from her. The other young women all had blonde or highlighted hair that had been cut into stylish and trendy haircuts, dazzling white teeth, and perfect skin that was complimented by their artfully applied makeup. They were wearing the latest in designer fashion from Prada, Armani and Dior. They had manicures and pedicures. They were also wearing three-inch or four-inch designer shoes. Rosalie recognized the distinctive red soles of a pair of Christian Louboutins. The young women also clutch
ed expensive, designer handbags from brands like: Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada in their laps.

  Rosalie became very self-conscious about her plain, job-hunting outfit - particularly her scuffed-up leather shoes. She frowned morosely; this outfit was the best one she owned. At home she usually wore a pair of comfy jeans or sweatpants, and a baggy t-shirt. Rosalie had always cut her hair herself and she'd never gotten a manicure or pedicure before either.

  The young women - typical rich Beverly Hills beauties - were chatting enthusiastically amongst themselves, already having formed little 'clicks'. They began to laugh and Rosalie flinched self-consciously, wondering if they were laughing at her.

  For some reason Rosalie was remembering a time from high school when her fellow classmates had ganged up on her and started throwing raw eggs at her. Then they had thrown a bag of flour over her head afterwards to complete their prank. Rosalie had just stood there and hadn't really done anything. She remembered them laughing at her and calling her names like 'nerd' and 'freak'. Rosalie supposed it had been better than being tarred and feathered like in medieval times.

  Because of Edgar's diagnosis he had been forced to quit his several part-time jobs just as Rosalie was entering high school. In order to still be able to handle paying the tuition Rosalie had been forced to get a secret part-time job. She also realized that because of her family's new dire financial situation that there was no way she'd be able to go to college unless she was able to get a scholarship. And in order to get a scholarship her grades would have to be exemplary.

  In order to get straight As, Rosalie concentrated all of her effort into studying giving Rosalie no time for making friends. She didn't talk to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary and her voice grew rusty with disuse. Sometimes she began to find it difficult to form even simple sentences when talking to someone and her sentences were disjointed. On paper though Rosalie was very eloquent.

  I don't have time for friends. I don't need them. I need to study. Rosalie thought constantly to herself. Because Rosalie could see ghosts it was hard for her to act 'normal'. When a ghost would suddenly pop up out of nowhere Rosalie would jump and have to stifle a scream. When the people around her noticed her odd behavior or caught her 'talking to herself' they began to treat her differently.

  Her classmates called her silly names like 'nerd', 'study bug', and 'Wednesday' after the creepy little girl from the old TV show The Adam's Family. Rosalie did her best to just ignore her cruel classmates, and to block everything out.

  That's how Rosalie discovered punk rock. One day, she found a discarded MP3 player in the trash at school and listened to the songs that were on it out of pure curiosity. They had all been punk rock songs from bands like: Television, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Green Day, Offspring, Bad Religion, and The Clash. The loud, passionate, controversial music was perfect for blocking things out and even seemed to keep the ghosts away!

  She grew used to people bullying her, talking about her behind her back, and pointing at her as she passed them by. She supposed they treated her differently because she just wasn't 'normal'.

  What was 'normal' though? Rosalie knew she looked different from the other girls at her high school, who all seemed to be incredibly concerned with their appearances. Rosalie's fellow classmates would spend hours on their hair and makeup. It was during high school that teenaged girls learned how to get their hair cut and dyed, how to always keep it clean and not oily, how to wear makeup in order to have flawless complexions, how to wear flattering clothes for their body types, how to get their nails done, and how to wax their eyebrows.

  Rosalie didn't really see the point of going to all that trouble, and it only seemed to prove one thing to her: beauty was an illusion.

  Most of the other teenaged girls had mothers who had helped their daughters learn all of these things, but?not Rosalie.

  The Galloways had never been a rich family, but when Edgar and Belladonna had first gotten married they had owned a small house in the better part of the ghetto of Los Angeles. At the time, Edgar owned a hardware store, and it had been successful. But six years later when the recession hit and a Wallmart opened up a just a few blocks away from Edgar's store it drove his place out of business. The recession caused many Mom and Pop stores to go out of business around the same time. The Galloways had been forced to sell their home in order to pay off their debts.

  The Galloways then moved to a small apartment, but after a while Belladonna had had enough. She abandoned her husband and six-year-old daughter, and ran off to be with her new lover, who was rumored to have a mansion in Beverly Hills and had connections to the mafia. After that Rosalie had never seen nor heard from her mother again.

  After the divorce, Edgar had done his best to raise Rosalie all on his own as a single father. But it had been hard. Edgar had taken several part-time jobs in construction so that they could get by. Rosalie ended up learning how to cook and clean in order to help support her father. But growing up without a mother had been difficult on Rosalie and she noticed her mother's absence most keenly in high school.

  Edgar wasn't home much and was always working. He got injured a lot and Rosalie often accompanied her father to Good Samaritan Hospital where Dr. Kip Cole - a friend of her family - would see to Edgar's wounds. The Galloways had gotten to know Dr. Cole when Belladonna's younger sister, Rosalie's aunt, Freya, needed heart surgery. Dr. Cole had performed the surgery that had saved Freya's life inserting an artificial heart into her body successfully. However, a few years after the surgery the heart began to fail and Dr. Cole had to perform the surgery a second time. During that particular surgery Dr. Cole failed to save Freya, but the Galloways didn't hold that against him. He had given them 'borrowed time' with Freya already.

  Dr. Cole had always been very kind to Rosalie. Anytime she had accompanied her father to get his construction related injuries checked out, Dr. Cole had given Rosalie a lollipop and a pat on her head. Dr. Cole was an exceptionally talented surgeon at such a young age. He was only ten years older than Rosalie. He was also very handsome with raven-black hair that he usually wore slicked back, deep sapphire colored eyes, very pale skin and a tall physique. He usually wore a pair of stylish, rectangular glasses on his face and his long white lab coat billowed out behind him as he walked. He could have made a living as a model instead of a doctor.

  Rosalie had a crush on Dr. Cole since she was twelve-years-old. She eve entertained herself with the daydream of growing up and becoming Dr. Cole's bride. She hoped that she'd get to run into him while she was there at Good Samaritan Hospital for her interview, but Rosalie was so shy she didn't know if she'd be able to find the courage to even say 'hello'.

  ***

  "Ahahaha!" The young women continued to laugh and Rosalie felt herself shrinking. Her chest constricted. It was getting harder to breath again. She tried to take deep, calming breaths and counted slowly in her head. One?two?three?four?five. She had read that this helped with anxiety.

  "Rosalie Galloway! Rosalie Galloway!" Came the receptionist's call.

  "Uh, yes!" Rosalie stood up awkwardly. I can do this.

  "The Chief of Nursing will see you now. Please go in through there." The nurse waved her hand towards the door of the Chief of Nursing's office.

  Rosalie nodded. "Thank you." She made her way to the door while still looking down at her scuffed shoes. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and entered the office, closing the door behind her. Seated behind a desk was a young male doctor who was currently finishing up some paper work. As Rosalie entered his office and approached his desk he didn't bother to look up from what he was doing.

  "Please take a seat Miss??" The doctor was saying in a bored tone.

  "Um, Rosalie Galloway, Sir." Rosalie said softly.

  "Rosalie?" The doctor looked up and his eyes widened behind his rectangular shaped glasses. An intrigued smile curled his lips. "Little Rosalie? Is that really you? Why, you're all grown up now, aren't you?" Dr. Cole joked, as he
looked her over with a surprised look on his face.

  Rosalie was not an ugly woman - just somewhat plain and gloomy. She had unusually beautiful eyes that she had gotten from her mother. Her irises were a rare ice-blue color with a ring of dark blue around them. Rosalie had extremely pale skin that was almost a ghostly white. She was tall at 5'6" and only weighed one hundred and ten pounds.

  Rosalie looked up and met Dr. Cole's curious and intense stare. She blinked. "Dr. Cole? You're the Chief of Nursing? But?you're so young?"

  Dr. Cole chuckled and ran a hand back through his hair in a careless gesture. "I'm actually the Chief of Medicine too. I've been working hard these past few years. It's been a while, Rosalie. I haven't seen you for four years. It was like you just disappeared?" A pensive frown formed on Dr. Cole's handsome face.

  "Ah, I went to college. Biola University." Rosalie quickly explained in her low voice. Biola University in La Mirada, Los Angeles was a private interdenominational Christian college that had offered a bachelor of science in nursing. While attending, Rosalie had taken coursework in psychology, statistics, family nursing, mental health, childbearing nursing, gerontology, critical care, community nursing, leadership and management.

  When times had gotten tough in college Rosalie had been able to block out the world with punk rock music and that's how she discovered one her now favorite bands: Erotic Corpses. She really liked the lead singer's voice. Even when he was yelling lyrics his voice had a calming effect on Rosalie. The lead singer's name was Blake White. Blake was a famous punk rockstar and there were few in America who didn't know his name. He had a unique, sexy, raspy voice.

  Dr. Cole looked down at Rosalie's resume. "I see?your father must have missed you terribly. You didn't even visit him?four years?" Dr. Cole chided her.

  Rosalie cringed, feeling guilty. "Yea?" Rosalie and her father were both very introverted people. When Rosalie had visited her father during high school they hadn't spoken very much. Rosalie would usually take Edgar outside the hospital to enjoy the front lawn so that he could gaze at the flowers there.

  Edgar had always been bad at expressing his emotions and sadly Belladonna had been unable to understand that. Belladonna assumed Edgar didn't love her because he had never expressed his feelings aloud. This was far from the truth, however. Edgar had been madly in love with Belladonna. He had wanted to give her everything, and to cherish her always. He had loved her more than his own life.

  But Belladonna had no way of knowing this, and feeling unloved she had found solace in the arms of another. This had completely broken Edgar's heart. It was one of his biggest regrets that he had been unable to tell the one he loved how much he loved her.

  "Rosalie?if you ever find someone you can't live without. Make sure you tell him. No matter how much you feel something in your heart, if you don't convey your feelings to that person it becomes meaningless." Edgar had told Rosalie with a wistful sigh. "If only I had been braver?maybe your mother would still be with us."

  Dr. Cole was looking at Rosalie intently and waved a hand at the armchair in front of his desk. "Please take a seat."

  "Um, yes, Sir." Rosalie quickly sat down and put her hands in her lap. She tried very hard not to fidget.

  "So, tell me Miss Galloway, in your own words, why you wish to be a nurse here at Good Samaritan Hospital?" Dr. Cole steepled his long fingers before him and watched Rosalie curiously.

  Rosalie realized that the interview had finally begun! She was so nervous! She gripped her trembling hands in her lap.

  Dr. Cole chuckled dryly at her obvious nervousness. "Just pretend you're talking to a friend if that makes you feel better, Miss Galloway. There's no need to be nervous?it's just me." He gave her a warm, reassuring smile.

  He has a nice smile. Rosalie took a deep breath. Easier said than done. She didn't have any friends. "I want to become a nurse because I want to help people?I've wanted to become a nurse ever since my father was diagnosed with cancer. In fact, Dr. Cole it was you who suggested I should become a nurse. To be a nurse here at Good Samaritan Hospital would be ideal because my father is also here. I want to work hard and earn money so I can provide my father with better medication and chemotherapy."

  "I see." Dr. Cole nodded, "I remember telling you that Rosalie. You listened to me. That's a very good girl. You've worked hard?I think I'll give you a chance."

  Rosalie looked at Dr. Cole wide-eyed. "R-Really?"

  Dr. Cole's deep sapphire-colored eyes sparkled. "Yes, welcome to Good Samaritan Hospital, Nurse Galloway. Congratulations." Dr. Cole stood up and offered his hand to Rosalie.

  Rosalie nervously stood up and reached out to take Dr. Cole's hand. His fingers were smooth, warm, and strong. He had a comforting handshake.

  Maybe my bad luck has finally changed. A small crooked smile formed on her lips.

  However, as she leaned forward to take Dr. Cole's hand, her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose slightly and she caught sight of a woman standing behind Dr. Cole's desk. The woman, who was standing there silently, was beautiful. She had long, black, wavy hair that reached the middle of her back, pale skin, and ice-blue eyes. She was wearing a flowing, pale-blue, silk dress that seemed to be floating around the woman eerily. The woman's form was semi-transparent.

  She was a ghost.

  The woman was dead.

  Rosalie noticed that there was a gaping hole in the ghost lady's chest where her heart should have been. Black blood oozed out of her wound and down the front of her lovely dress. The ghost was crying black blood tears and looking at Dr. Cole forlornly. Rosalie's blood ran cold at the sight of the unusual looking ghost.

  For a moment, Rosalie didn't recognize the ghost and then her eyes widened. She had to bite down on her lower lip to keep herself from crying out: 'Aunt Freya!?'

  Was the ghost of Aunt Freya angry with Dr. Cole for having failed to save her a second time? Rosalie frowned. That didn't make any sense. What could Aunt Freya be regretting? She was sure that Dr. Cole had done his best. She remembered how much Dr. Cole had cried at Freya's funeral. Rosalie looked at Freya's face - the ghost's expression was sad, not angry. Rosalie shook her head and readjusted her glasses farther up her nose.

  Rosalie was alive. She had nothing to do with the dead. And they had nothing to do with her. She would continue to ignore them.

  "I?thank you very much, Dr. Cole. I won't let you down. I'll work my hardest not to disappoint you." Rosalie stammered.

  Dr. Cole chuckled at Rosalie's stammer. "Don't worry. I know. You've always been such a hardworking, little girl. Though I suppose you're a young lady now. How time does fly." Dr. Cole looked down at Rosalie's hands as he said this.

  Rosalie followed his gaze and looked down at her hands. Her nails were cut short and unpainted, and there were even a few scars on her hands from when she had been learning how to cook at the age of six.

  Rosalie blushed and self-consciously hid her hands behind her back. She had seen the hands of those other young women in the waiting room. They all had perfectly manicured nails with designs on them like little palm trees, hearts and even smiley faces.

  Dr. Cole chuckled. His laugh was melodic. "Don't be embarrassed about your hands. I think your hands are more appropriate for a nurse than the hands of those girls sitting in my waiting room. This is a hospital, Rosalie. Not a modeling agency. This isn't a beauty competition!"

  This isn't a beauty competition. For some reason those words stung. But Rosalie knew she was homey when compared to those pretty, fashionable blondes sitting in the waiting room. Rosalie nodded instead. "Right, Dr. Cole."

  Dr. Cole grinned charmingly revealing his pearly white teeth. "I look forward to working with you, Rosalie."

  Rosalie smiled back tremulously. "Uh, m-me too?Dr. Cole?"

  ***

  Rosalie left Good Samaritan Hospital in surprisingly high spirits. If she were any other girl and less reserved, she probably would have been skipping down the street. Rosalie deci
ded to splurge on the ingredients for lasagna. Using the last of her pocket money to buy the ingredients at a grocery store that was just a few blocks away from where she lived she purchased a half a pound of ground beef, one container of ricotta cheese, a package of fresh parsley, one jar of spaghetti sauce, one box of lasagna pasta noodles, one bottle of Kraft Parmesan cheese, one onion and one green pepper.

  After Rosalie paid for her purchases at the checkout counter, she hurried home, hoping to get back before dark since her apartment was in the hood. Rosalie safely made it to the rundown apartment building where she and her father had lived most of her life, and went inside. The elevator was 'out of order' as usual, and so she took the stairs up to her apartment on the fifth floor, apartment number 503.

  Rosalie took out her key, opened her apartment door, and balanced her grocery bags as she went inside. "Honeys, I'm home!" Rosalie called out softly.

  "Meeowwww!" Rosalie's five black cats immediately rushed out to greet the gloomy girl. Their names were: Lucky, Spottie, Luna, Dulce, and Percy. Black cats were supposed to be able to see ghosts and keep malevolent spirits at bay. That's why Edgar Galloway had gifted Rosalie with a black kitten on her second birthday and then for four more birthdays after that.

  Lucky was the smartest cat of the bunch and the 'Leader'. He would steal sandwiches off the kitchen island when Rosalie wasn't looking and usually led the general mayhem her cats caused. Percy was a grumpy cat and made funny noises when Rosalie tried to pick him up and pet him. Spottie and Luna were curious, mischievous female cats that ended up in the strangest places. Rosalie was always having to get them out of vases or out from behind the refrigerator when they seemed to get stuck back there. Dulce was a sweet, lazy female cat who would usually just find a nice place to perch and watch the other cats as they caused chaos in Rosalie's tiny apartment with a look of disbelief on her furry face which seemed to say: 'You guys are crazy'.

  Between her father's medical bills, the rent bill, utility bills, and the amount of food five black cats consumed, Rosalie didn't have much money left over for herself. She barely had the money for food, let alone the money to buy herself new clothes or makeup like the young women Rosalie had seen at the hospital.

  Lucky, Spottie and Luna greeted Rosalie while Dulce was content to watch the commotion from her perch on the arm of a gray, threadbare sofa that used to be purple. And Percy was a little more 'prickly' than the other cats and so kept his distance from his place beneath the sofa, his green eyes glowing.

  "I bet you're hungry." Rosalie declared as she bent down and scratched Lucky behind his ears. "Well, you're in for a treat tonight. I'm making lasagna." Rosalie declared happily. "Tonight we're going to celebrate that I got a job! I'm going to be working as a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital where father is. My dream has come true." Rosalie put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and went to go change out of her best outfit into some more normal 'house clothes'.

  Rosalie changed into a pair of baggy sweatpants, a clean t-shirt with the phrase: 'I (heart) cats' on it, and a pair of old tennis shoes. She went back into the living room/kitchen area only to discover that the mischievous Lucky had ripped open all of the grocery bags in search of the ground beef!

  Lucky had actually managed to find the package of ground beef and was currently pulling it out of one of the grocery bags with his teeth while Spottie and Luna watched close by. Dulce remained unmoved on her perch on the sofa and Percy was still hiding under the sofa with a hungry glint in his eyes.

  "Lucky! No!" Rosalie cried out as she ran towards Lucky. Lucky immediately pulled the package of beef all the way out of the grocery bag and took off running while dragging the package of beef with him. "Lucky! You give that beef back right now! You bad cat!" Rosalie exclaimed as she pounced on Lucky and pinned the cat to the floor. Rosalie pried the package out of Lucky's mouth and shook her head at her naughty cat. "Lucky, you're so bad. But I love you."

  Lucky blinked at Rosalie innocently as if he didn't know he had done anything wrong. A small golden halo shimmered over Lucky's head.

  "At least wait until the lasagna is finished?geez?" Rosalie complained as she got up off the floor. After Rosalie had gathered up all of the spilled and scattered ingredients, she put a pot of water to boil on the stove. She skillfully chopped an onion and green pepper into tiny cubes, got out a frying pan, and rinsed the ground beef with water before adding the ingredients together.

  She cooked the ingredients for twenty minutes and added some seasoning. Once the water in the pot had come to a boil she added her lasagna pasta and got out her casserole. Once the pasta was cooked in about fifteen minutes, she drained it. She then added the entire jar of spaghetti sauce to the beef and vegetables in the pan and stirred with her wooden spoon.

  After the ingredients were ready Rosalie put the lasagna together, alternating layers of pasta with sauce and ricotta cheese, and put it in the oven. Rosalie put the pan of lasagna into the preheated oven and let it cook for twenty minutes. She took the lasagna out to cool and then she served six plates of lasagna. She set the plates out on the small round table that was in the living room area.

  Lucky, Spottie, Luna, Percy, and Dulce all jumped up onto the table to eat the lasagna with Rosalie. The medium smiled as she watched her five cats devour the lasagna. "You guys really are worse than Garfield." She laughed softly before taking a bite of her lasagna. She grinned. She hadn't had real food in such a long time.

  Lately, Rosalie had been living off of sandwiches and instant noodle soups since those were cheap food items. But this was the beginning of a new chapter in Rosalie's life. She was about to start living her dream as a nurse and would begin to save up the money she needed to provide her father with better care so that he could fight the cancer. Things are finally looking up.

  After Rosalie and the cats finished dinner, the medium stood up and got ready to do the dishes. But first, Rosalie put a CD into her boom box and pressed the play button. The band Erotic Corpses and their lead singer Blake White began to fill her apartment with thumping punk rock music. Rosalie pulled her unruly hair into a bun on the very top of her head, and tied an apron around her waist. It was time to wash some dishes!

  Rosalie piled the six dishes on top of each other and brought them over to the sink where she began to wash them. She then began to sing along to Blake's latest song Zombie Awakening in a completely tone deaf voice. "Thank God, I'm alive! Thank Buddha, I'm alive! Thank Allah, I'm alive! Thank Satan, I'm alive! I'm alive! Oh yea! Alive! I'm back from hell!" Rosalie had no musical talent. But she had fun singing rock songs. She found the experience very de-stressing. And it was the loudest her soft voice ever got!

  Oddly enough, her father was the same way. One time when Edgar had taken Rosalie to a bar to sing karaoke Edgar had surprised her by just how loud he had been able to sing.

  Rosalie loved Blake White, er, his voice. He was her favorite punk rock artist. She loved his unique, sexy, raspy voice. She didn't even know what he looked like. Rosalie had never actually bothered to get a band poster and she didn't have Internet access to look him up online. Rosalie had no friends that she could ask to let her borrow their computer or smart phone to check out Blake White's photo either. Maybe at the hospital Rosalie would finally be able to make some friends, she hoped.

  After Rosalie was done with the dishes she decided to clean her whole apartment. Rosalie always kept everything in her apartment incredibly neat and tidy. She was a bit of a neat freak. Back at Biola University she had found herself cleaning up after her roommate Chastity without being asked. Rosalie swept, mopped, did her laundry, and dusted - all the while listening to Blake and singing into her mop or broom.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Rosalie heard a few gunshots go off, but this was a normal occurrence in the hood.

  She didn't even flinch.

  It wasn't that Rosalie wasn't afraid?it was more that Rosalie was very good at just blocking things out. She didn't hear what she
didn't want to hear. She didn't see what she didn't want to see. This way nothing bothered her.

  After Rosalie was done cleaning her tiny apartment, she took a shower and got ready for bed. She decided that she would read a little bit before bed since she wasn't very sleepy. Rosalie loved to read. It was her only real escape from her drab, lonely reality.

  Rosalie lay down in bed and opened the book she was currently reading: Homeland by R.A. Salvatore. This was the first book in a trilogy known as the Dark Elf Trilogy. It was the story of a dark elf named Drizzt Do'Urden, who didn't fit in with the other evil dark elves that lived in the underground city called Menzoberranzan. Drizzt possessed principles, morals and a kind heart, and this alienated him from his fellow dark elves.

  Because his way of thinking was so different from the evil, self-serving dark elves - Drizzt was alone. Always alone.

  Rosalie could relate to the heavy feeling of loneliness that Drizzt had felt during his younger days in Menzoberranzan. She tried to ignore it but her loneliness weighed down upon her shoulders like a heavy yet invisible mantle.

  She was alone and all on her own. Her father was in the hospital, hanging onto life by a single weak thread. She had no friends and no one to depend on or talk to but?

  Rosalie had always been alone. She didn't need anyone and probably never would. She'd be okay in the end. Or at least this is what Rosalie tried to tell herself.

  Even so, Rosalie couldn't help but think that it might be nice to make friends at her new job. Maybe she'd be able to make friends with her fellow nurses that would be working under Dr. Cole.

  Then, perhaps, she wouldn't be as alone as the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden.

  Friends?Rosalie mused and Dr. Cole's handsome face swam in her mind. Dr. Cole has a really nice smile. Rosalie thought to herself dreamily, bringing her covers up to her chin to hide her silly smile before she drifted off to sleep. I hope we can be friends.

  ***

  The following day, Rosalie was scheduled to start working as a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. Rosalie took the bus early that morning, arrived at the hospital and quickly made her way to the sixth floor. Once she stepped out of the elevator she was immediately greeted by a nurse with a short bob of platinum blonde hair and a nametag which read: Tiffany.

  "Hi, you must be Rosalie. I'm Tiffany. Here's your uniform." Tiffany wasted no time in handing Rosalie her new nurse's uniform. Rosalie didn't mind having to wear a uniform since it meant she wouldn't have to buy new clothes and it wasn't like she could have afforded to buy nice clothes anyways. "Follow me so I can introduce you to the other nurses that work on this floor." Without waiting for a response, Tiffany turned on her heel and led Rosalie to one of the lounge areas where some of the other nurses were taking a break.

  "Like this is Rosalie. She's like new." Tiffany introduced her to the other nurses, but?was it just her paranoid imagination or were the other nurses glaring at her and giving her antagonistic looks? Rosalie swallowed nervously.

  Rosalie went through basic nurse's training quickly since she was a fast learner. She was able to start helping out with patients right away, and it didn't take long for her to get assigned to take care of her father.

  Edgar's dull, gray eyes went wide when he saw his daughter, Rosalie, dressed as a nurse walk into his room! Surprised and proud, he smiled. Rosalie's hard work had paid off, as he knew it would. Her dream had come true.

  Her father always used to say: 'Hard work will always pay off in the end'.

  "Hey Daddy, guess what? I'm a nurse here now." Rosalie said softly as she spun around to show Edgar her white nurse's dress.

  Edgar's gray eyes sparkled. "I can see that, Rosalie. I'm so proud of you." He said in a low tone of voice.

  Rosalie smiled back, and father and daughter shared a silent happy moment just smiling at each other. With this daughter and father words weren't needed. They could silently communicate and understand one another.

  The week flew by as Rosalie took care of her father and various other patients she had been assigned to. During this time, Rosalie continued to try and approach the other nurses in order to make friends, but they seemed to be avoiding her. For example, if Rosalie spotted some of the nurses chatting by the vending machines, and scrounged up the courage to go and talk to them - they would simply walk away once she approached.

  Rosalie sadly realized she was disliked. But she didn't know why. On Saturday, Rosalie tried to sit with the other nurses during lunch at the hospital cafeteria, but the nurses ended up leaving the table she tried to join and moved to sit somewhere else. Rosalie frowned in confusion. What the hell is going on?

  "Slut." One of the nurses muttered loudly.

  Rosalie's frown deepened. They couldn't possibly mean her, could they? Rosalie had never even had a boyfriend before so how could she be considered a slut? She'd never even been kissed. It was pretty hard to get a boyfriend when ghosts were always popping up everywhere making you jump, scream or talk to yourself at odd times.

  Rosalie's social anxiety was making it difficult for her to talk to the other nurses. She just grew so nervous around them when she tired to talk to them because she sincerely wanted to be their friends. Not wanting to just give up, she doubled her efforts during her second week at the hospital. But she was shunned every single time. Rosalie was beginning to develop greater social anxiety because of this and when she saw the other nurses in the hall she felt her throat constrict and she couldn't breath.

  Despite her bad luck with the other nurses, there was one glimmer of hope and that was Dr. Cole. Dr. Cole was always so sweet and considerate towards her. He always spoke kindly to Rosalie. He would patiently explain things to her and wouldn't get mad at her even if she fumbled with something. For example, when she was learning how to give a patient an injection, she had been so nervous that her hands had been shaking and she had continued to drop the syringe. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Rosalie had apologized. But Dr. Cole had patiently walked her through the process again and again until she got it right.

  Rosalie let out a wistful little sigh. Dr. Cole was just so wonderful. He was so handsome and he was kind to everyone. He was especially nice to the nurses and they seemed to dislike the extra attention that Rosalie was getting from him. Rosalie pouted and wondered if perhaps they were jealous. But it wasn't like Rosalie was messing up on purpose!

  Dr. Cole was kind to everyone, not just her, so the nurses' behavior towards her was nonsensical. Dr. Cole was extremely intelligent, successful and rich, and yet he was so humble. He was a great guy and Rosalie considered him to be her only friend, which was why when Dr. Cole asked Rosalie to stay after work one evening to help him with some lab work she readily agreed.

  "Rosalie, would it be alright for you to stay and work overtime tonight? I'm behind on some lab work and I really need to finish it as soon as possible. I could really use your efficient assistance." Dr. Cole had said.

  Rosalie had been surprised and flattered that Dr. Cole had chosen her to ask for help. "I, um, I can stay and help you, Dr. Cole?" Rosalie stammered.

  Dr. Cole had smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Rosalie. You're a real lifesaver! Come to my office at ten o'clock tonight." He finished as he ran his hand back through his slicked back hair.

  "A-A-Alright, Dr. Cole." Rosalie nodded, distracted by his handsome gesture.

  At exactly ten o'clock, Rosalie showed up at Dr. Cole's office. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her white nurse's dress with her hands and took a deep breath. She was feeling incredibly nervous. This was going to be her first time truly alone with Dr. Cole. Maybe they would hit it off and become even closer friends? Rosalie could only hope. Rosalie knocked on the door.

  "Come in." Came Dr. Cole's confident sounding voice.

  Rosalie stepped inside of Dr. Cole's office and saw that the doctor was seated behind his desk, and doing some paperwork. He looked up from his work and gave Rosalie a warm smile. "Ah, Rosalie, I'm just finishing up here and th
en we can head on over to the lab. Why don't you take a seat?" He motioned towards one of the chairs graciously.

  "Ah, alright," Rosalie made her way to the two leather armchairs that were situated in front of Dr. Cole's desk and took a seat with her hands clenched in her lap out of nervousness. She could feel this strange tension in the air between them.

  Dr. Cole returned his attention to his paperwork and scribbled his signature on various important documents. In about fifteen minutes, he was finished. He gathered all of the documents together and set them aside in a pile. Dr. Cole cracked his neck from side-to-side and stretched his arms over his head. Rosalie blushed. He looked hot when he did that.

  Rosalie adjusted her glasses on her face. She didn't want to see the reprimanding stare of the ghost of her aunt Freya again.

  Dr. Cole looked up and met Rosalie's eyes and grinned. "Well, I'm finally finished. Let's get going. Shall we?" Dr. Cole said as he put his hands on his desk and got up from his seat.

  "Uh, yes, Dr. Cole," Rosalie stood up and began to follow Dr. Cole as he headed for the door.

  Dr. Cole reached the door first and turned the deadbolt lock with a click. He then turned around to face Rosalie, a cool expression on his handsome face. He smiled but this time his smile held no warmth or kindness to it, in fact it was more of a sneer. "My dear Rosalie, are you really that na?ve?" He questioned in a mocking tone.

  "W-What?" Rosalie stopped in her tracks a few feet away from Dr. Cole and looked at the doctor with a confused expression on her face. Why had he locked the door, essentially trapping her inside of his office? Had she done something wrong?

  Dr. Cole strode towards Rosalie. "A man asks you to be alone with him after work hours and you don't give it a second thought? You're much too trusting?" Dr. Cole reached out and caressed Rosalie's cheek before running his thumb over her lips. "Or maybe you're just like the other nurses. Maybe you're just a little slut too? Foolish girl." Dr. Cole backhanded Rosalie hard across the face so that she fell to the floor with a startled cry. Her glasses flew off her face and made a cracking sound as they hit the floor.

  Rosalie looked up at Dr. Cole's blurry form in a combination of pain and disbelief. She raised a hand to her red, throbbing cheek. "Dr. Cole??"

  Dr. Cole reached into his lab coat and pulled out a syringe. He tested it with his hand, causing a little bit of the clear liquid that was inside of it to leak out of the needle's tip.

  Rosalie gave the syringe a wary look.

  "Don't worry, my dear. It's just a sedative. Now, hold still." Dr. Cole knelt before Rosalie and reached out towards her neck.

  Rosalie panicked. She raised her hands, curled her fingers into fists and beat them against Dr. Cole's chest. But her punches were weak and futile. His chest felt like steel. "Get away from me! No! Stop!" Rosalie cried as Dr. Cole grabbed both of her wrists with his one hand and restrained her by yanking her hands over her head. He reached out with his right hand and injected the sedative into Rosalie's neck.

  The sedative began to work instantly - this cold feeling seeping through Rosalie's veins. Trembling with fear, she could feel the energy draining from her arms and legs.

  Dr. Cole let go of Rosalie's wrists and Rosalie fell back to the floor where she remained unmoving. She noted that she could no longer move her body. She couldn't even move a pinky finger.

  Dr. Cole looked down at Rosalie and nodded to himself. He crouched down besides her and his hands went to the top button of Rosalie's white nurse's dress. He began to unbutton her dress one button at a time in a slow fashion.

  Rosalie's eyes went wide with fear. "W-What are you doing?" Her voice quavered. Rosalie realized that she could still speak.

  Dr. Cole did not respond as he took Rosalie's nurse's dress off and tossed it aside leaving Rosalie in only a plain white bra and matching underwear. Rosalie felt?exposed. She wished she could wrap her arms around her chest but could not.

  What the hell was Dr. Cole planning on doing to her? As Rosalie inwardly panicked her breathing rate increased.

  Dr. Cole watched Rosalie's chest rise and fall with each quickened breath that she took as if fascinated by it. Dr. Cole leaned over Rosalie and put his ear to her chest. Rosalie blushed at the close physical contact. "You have a strong heartbeat, Rosalie. A strong heart. Unlike Freya?" He said forlornly.

  Rosalie gave Dr. Cole a curious look. "Aunt Freya??"

  "You look so much like Freya. Did you know that? You both have the same amazing eyes. But you sound nothing like her." Dr. Cole frowned. "Freya always sounded so?confident." Dr. Cole stood up and made his way over to a cabinet. He opened it and took out a strange looking device: a leather strap with a buckle and a ball attached to its center. He approached Rosalie with it and knelt down besides her. Dr. Cole then shoved the ball into Rosalie's mouth roughly, and strapped the gag onto her head by buckling it.

  Rosalie wanted to scream for help but it was too late. "S-mph?hemph?mppph!" 'Someone help me!'.

  "There's no use in struggling, Rosalie?your heart will be mine. But first?" Dr. Cole stood up and made his way over to a closet and pulled out a hanger with a dress bag attached to it. Dr. Cole unzipped the dress bag and took out a long white dress - a wedding dress.

  He held the dress up so that Rosalie could see it. The dress was white and strapless with a floor-length bell skirt made of white chiffon. Pearls had been sewn into the bodice of the dress. "This was the dress Freya was planning to get married in but?she died before she could get married?and that was because of me." Dr. Cole explained in a bitter tone.

  Rosalie gave Dr. Cole a confused look. Her Aunt Freya was going to get married? But to whom?

  Dr. Cole made his way back over to Rosalie and began to dress her in the wedding dress as if she were a doll. First, he began to put a pair of stockings on Rosalie. He slid the stocking over her right foot and began to raise her leg up. He slid his hands up her lower leg and over her thigh towards her crotch. Rosalie blushed and shuddered at Dr. Cole's unwanted, intimate touches. Dr. Cole did the same to her other leg and lifted her leg high. Rosalie felt extremely vulnerable, but there was nothing she could do. Dr. Cole grabbed the stocking at her waist and pulled it up the rest of the way over her crotch.

  Dr. Cole looked down at Rosalie's bra thoughtfully and shook his head at it. "That won't do - the dress is strapless." He said as he reached his hands behind Rosalie's back and undid her bra.

  "Mmph!" Rosalie objected.

  Dr. Cole ignored her as he took Rosalie's bra off and tossed it aside.

  Tears filled Rosalie's eyes. No one had ever seen her chest before. No one had seen her naked before?the only one that should have ever seen her naked body was the man she'd marry.

  Dr. Cole mechanically picked up a white strapless bra and put it on Rosalie. It was a little tight, making it hard for her to breath.

  Dr. Cole then put the wedding dress on Rosalie by pulling it down over her head. He rolled her onto her stomach and zipped the dress up before rolling her back onto her back. He put a pair of white gloves on Rosalie's hands that went up to her elbows.

  He looked down at Rosalie's face and hair. He reached out and removed Rosalie's ponytail so that her chaotic black hair was freed. Dr. Cole strolled over to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a purple makeup bag with yellow flowers on it.

  Rosalie raised an eyebrow at the very girlie item.

  "It's not mine." Dr. Cole explained as he approached Rosalie and crouched besides her. Dr. Cole unzipped the makeup bag and then turned the bag upside down so that the expensive, brand name makeup scattered onto the floor. Rosalie spotted a foundation compact, a concealer stick, a powder compact, a blush compact, lip liner, a tube of lipstick, a tube of lip gloss, an eyeshadow compact, eyeliner, mascara, and an eyelash curler.

  Dr. Cole picked up the various items and inspected them for a moment. He then began to apply Rosalie's makeup with extreme concentration. He opened the lipstick and sniffed it. "Freya?" He said befo
re temporarily taking Rosalie's gag off and applying the lipstick to her mouth. Rosalie was able to feel this.

  Dr. Cole ran his thumb over Rosalie's lips before he leaned over to smell her lips. "Freya's scent?" Dr. Cole murmured before he pressed his lips against Rosalie's.

  A chill of cold fear crawled down her spine. Dr. Cole was kissing her!

  Dr. Cole pressed his lips against Rosalie's and began to move his lips against hers. Then Dr. Cole's tongue emerged and began to lick Rosalie's lower lip. "Freya's taste?" He moaned as he hungrily and savagely began to lick the lipstick off of Rosalie's lips until there was none left.

  Dr. Cole was forced to reapply the lipstick again but then he couldn't resist licking the lipstick off again. He repeated this several times until Rosalie's lips felt chapped and burning by the rough treatment. Finally, Dr. Cole seemed to have gotten enough of Rosalie's lips and applied the lipstick one last time before putting the gag back into her mouth.

  Dr. Cole's breathing had become irregular. He was panting for breath. His skin was slightly flushed. Rosalie could see the slight bulge in his pants and the blood ran cold in her veins. Rosalie realized that Dr. Cole was aroused. Is he going to take advantage of me?!

  Tears began to stream down Rosalie's face. She was so afraid. Her vision was blurry and even blurrier without her glasses, but off to the side of the office she could see a tall, shadowy figure and knew that it was Freya's ghost.

  The fact that her aunt was watching this horrible occurrence made Rosalie feel embarrassed and guilty. She had wanted to be alone with Dr. Cole and had planned on ignoring Freya's presence. What have I done? I can't lose my virginity like this?to a man I don't love!

  Rosalie realized how na?ve and stupid she had been to allow herself to be alone with a man at this ungodly hour. But?she had trusted Dr. Cole. She had never thought he'd be capable of something atrocious like this!

  Dr. Cole walked over to a table that had several bottles of liquor and chose a bottle of expensive red wine. He uncorked the bottle and poured himself a glass. He opened a pill bottle that was on the tray and took out a Paxil pill. He crumbled the white pill into his glass of wine. He raised the glass of wine to his lips, smelled it and then took a sip. The doctor smiled to himself before putting the glass back to his lips, tilting the glass back and gulping the glass of wine down in one go. The wine burned pleasantly down his throat. After he had drained the glass he poured himself another.

  Dr. Cole walked over to his desk, set the glass of wine down, and opened another drawer. This drawer rattled with the several pill bottles that were inside. Dr. Cole had prescriptions for bi-polar disorder, and depression. Since he was a doctor he also had access to samples of new anti-depressants and got to try them out at his whim. He took out a hairbrush and made his way back over to Rosalie. The heart surgeon sat down on the floor and dragged Rosalie's body towards him. He then helped to sit Rosalie up so that her back was facing him. Once she was leaning against him properly, Dr. Cole began to brush Rosalie's hair in an attempt to tame it.

  Rosalie shuddered. What is he planning on doing to me? What kind of sick game is this? Why doesn't he just take advantage of me?or kill me and get it over with??

  After Dr. Cole finished brushing Rosalie's hair he set her back down on the floor again and picked up a wedding veil. He placed it on Rosalie's head and pulled the veil down over her face, further obscuring her vision. Rosalie panicked. She was almost blind now. Her breathing became even more irregular, coming out of her mouth in abrupt pants. The ghost?was standing closer to them now, nothing but a shadowy figure. Aunt Freya please don't watch this. Rosalie begged in her mind.

  Dr. Cole stood up and made his way over to his entertainment center before putting on a classical music CD. He put Frank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon on repeat and the song began to play.

  Dr. Cole drained another glass of wine before going back over to Rosalie. Dr. Cole picked Rosalie up and placed her limp arms around his neck before putting her feet on top of his shoes. "This is our song, Freya?the one we always used to dance to. The one we were planning to dance to during our wedding. Do you remember it? The lessons we took together?" He purred huskily in Rosalie's ear.

  Dr. Cole began to waltz around his office with the limp and doll-like Rosalie in his arms. Because her feet were on top of his he was able to make her dance like a puppet.

  Rosalie's heart was hammering in her chest at this startling revelation. Freya and Dr. Cole had a song? They were going to get married? Had they been in love? Why had they kept it a secret from the rest of the Galloway family?

  Dr. Cole continued to dance rather skillfully across his office with Rosalie in his arms until the song ended and began to restart. "I love you Freya?. I promise I'll protect you?I'll save you?it's not too late!" Dr. Cole insisted as he stroked Rosalie's head.

  Aunt Freya is dead. Rosalie thought morbidly. He's crazy?!

  Dr. Cole suddenly let go of Rosalie and she fell back onto the floor. Rosalie felt pain shoot up her back.

  Dr. Cole sauntered over to a covered item in the office and pulled the sheet off of it to reveal an examination table and small table next to it. Dr. Cole wheeled the table closer to Rosalie's body before picking her body up and placing her on the examination table. He restrained Rosalie's hands by tying her wrists to the metal bars that were on the sides of the table with leather straps. He did the same to her ankles, tying them to the bed.

  Rosalie wanted to struggle but couldn't move. She wanted to scream but was gagged. "Mmph!"

  Dr. Cole removed Rosalie's veil so that he could stare down into her ice-blue eyes with this loving expression on his face. He leaned over to put his ear against Rosalie's chest. "I want your heart to be mine. Please, give me your heart."

  Dr. Cole walked over to a tall cabinet and opened the doors to reveal several shelves. On the shelves were several glass jars all about the same size. Rosalie squinted as she looked at the jars and tried to see what was inside of them. All she could make out was a dark blur.

  Dr. Cole picked up one of the jars, held it in his hands, and hugged the jar to his chest. "Freya?I'll get you a new heart soon?"

  Heart? Rosalie furrowed her brow. She paled when she realized that 'hearts' were inside of those jars?probably preserved in formaldehyde. But whose hearts were they? The hearts of other nurses that had come to work for Dr. Cole? Rosalie wondered cryptically.

  As if to answer her question several shadowy figures began to materialize around the cabinet. They were women dressed in white and they had gaping holes in their chests. Rosalie swallowed. She was glad they were just blurry images. She didn't want to see their gruesome wounds in detail or their tortured expressions.

  Dr. Cole walked over with the jar and placed it on the table that was next to the examination table and that had several shinning, surgical steel, medical instruments and tools on it. Dr. Cole picked up a special marker and began to draw a dotted line on Rosalie's chest, right where her heart was located.

  Rosalie's eyes widened in horror as she realized Dr. Cole's intentions. He planned on cutting her heart out! "Mmph?Mmph!" Rosalie cried: 'No! Stop! Let me go!'

  The overhead lights inside of Dr. Cole's office began to flicker ominously.

  Dr. Cole approached Rosalie with a scalpel. He raised the scalpel and placed it against Rosalie's chest. He began to press down on the scalpel and Rosalie cried out in fear and pain, but her scream was muffled by the gag in her mouth.

  "I will have your still beating heart?I will give it to you, Freya?I will save you Freya?my Freya?" Dr. Cole said in a manic sounding tone.

  However, the sedatives had begun to wear off. Rosalie could move again and began to twist and thrash against her bonds. "Mmpphh!"

  "Tsk." Dr. Cole made a sound of disgust and stopped the incision. "Hold still! Or else this could get really messy."

  Out of the corner of her eyes, Rosalie saw a tall shadowy figure. It got closer and abnormally closer as if it had suddenly tel
eported until Rosalie's eyes widened. It was Freya's ghost - she recognized the pale blue dress, the gaping hole in her chest that was leaking black blood. Black tears were streaming down Freya's face and her eyes were narrowed in anger. A powerful aura flared up around Freya and an unseen wind seemed to blow through the office violently disrupting the papers on top of Dr. Cole's desk and sending them flying to the floor.

  "No, my love?no more! No more killing in my name! No more killing for my sake! You made me this way! I cannot rest in peace until my bones have been buried in the ground!" Freya moaned pitifully and glared at Dr. Cole hatefully. "WHYYYY WON'T YOU LET ME REST IN PEACCEEEE?!" Freya wailed.

  The bonds on Rosalie's wrists and ankles suddenly snapped apart. Rosalie's eyes widened and she sat up quickly. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed the jar with the heart inside of it. She raised the jar and smashed it over Dr. Cole's head. The jar shattered and the heart fell to the floor with a sickening, juicy thud.

  Dr. Cole staggered backwards, dazed and with blood streaming down his pale face.

  Rosalie hopped off the examination table and fled for the door while taking the gag off.

  "No! Freya!" Dr. Cole cried out and fell to his knees on the floor next to the fallen heart. The strong scent of formaldehyde was in the air. Dr. Cole put his hands on the still heart and began to press down on the heart in time with his own heartbeat. "Come on, Freya! Don't die! You have to live!"

  Rosalie's blood ran cold at the macabre sight. Dr. Cole trying to get a preserved heart to beat again even as blood trailed down the side of his face. She shook her head. He's completely insane.

  Dr. Cole leaned down and pressed his lips frantically to the heart in a bone-chilling manner.

  All the while, the ghost of Freya stood there watching the doctor angrily. She approached Dr. Cole and stood behind him before leaning over and raking her nails down his back.

  Rosalie grabbed her purse and her broken glasses before fleeing from the office and slamming the door behind her. She heard Dr. Cole crying out in pain but she didn't look back. She ran down the hall, took the elevator to the first floor, and as soon as the elevator door opened she was running through the hospital lobby and out the front automatic doors. It was raining outside but Rosalie didn't turn back to get her umbrella from the locker room. I have to get away! Far away! Run Rosalie, run!

  Still dressed in the wedding dress, Rosalie ran out into the cold, pouring rain, and down the sidewalk. Driven by her blinding fear, she didn't have a clear destination in mind and simply kept on running. She wanted to scream but her voice was lodged in her throat. She wanted to cry out for help but who would come to her aid? She had no one special in her life.

  She ran until her legs burned and she finally collapsed to the sidewalk, falling flat on her face in a muddy puddle of water with a splash. She was a trembling, sobbing mess. Rosalie remained prone for a long moment, not able to find the motivation to move as the cold rain pounded down upon her mercilessly, soaking her to the bone.

  And then she heard a familiar sounding voice. Calling to her. She knew that voice. He was singing.

  Rosalie gathered her strength to push herself up off the sidewalk and stood up. She turned to see that she had collapsed right in front of an electronics store. In the window there was a huge HD flat screen TV being displayed for sale. The TV was showing a concert performance by the band Erotic Corpses. The owner of the electronics store had the sound blasted high, so that Rosalie was actually able to hear Blake White's singing through the glass.

  She had recognized his voice?the voice of her favorite punk rock artist, and now she got to see what he looked like for the very first time.

  Blake White was this incredible bright light during that dark moment of her life. He seemed to be shinning even brighter than the stars that were struggling to shine through the gray rain clouds that swirled overhead. He was the most handsome man Rosalie had ever laid her eyes upon. He was even handsomer than the playboy, pervert, and psychopath Dr. Cole.

  Blake White was 6' 3" with a built, muscular physique and weighed one hundred and eighty-five pounds. He had platinum blonde hair that had been cut into a stylish rockstar hairdo. His hair was spiked and gelled in places and fell to his shoulders. He was wearing a dramatic, black trench coat that had the design of crosses on both of the jacket's lapels made out of metal studs. He had on a pair of sinfully tight, black leather pants that showed just how muscular his legs were. He also had on a pair of combat boots that had several straps and buckles on them. She noticed that he was wearing an array of jewelry that seemed to be glimmering in the stage lights - a silver chain with a medieval cross on it, several hoop earrings in one ear, a black leather bracelet with silver spikes on it, and several rings were on his hands.

  But Blake's most unique feature was his eye color - his eyes were an unusual pale lavender color that seemed to gleam with energy as he sang. Blake's nickname, given to him by the band's fans that were called 'zombies' was 'The White Ghost'.

  Behind Blake stood the rest of the band. The lead electric guitarist, Devon Decayn, was strumming a dark blue Stratocaster and his fingers were sliding up and down the fret board. Devon Decayn was 6'1'' and weighed one hundred and seventy-three pounds. He was in shape but not as muscular as Blake. He was equally handsome, though more in a dark, mysterious and rugged kind of way. Devon had short, chin-length, dark blue hair that had been cut into an edgy style. The sides of his head had been cut with a razor to make intricate designs in his hair. He had brooding obsidian eyes. The guitarist was wearing a short, black leather jacket that had lots of spikes on it. Beneath the jacket he was wearing a plain white t-shirt and he had on a pair of designer jeans and boots. Devon's nickname was 'The Angel of Death'.

  Holding a yellow and black zebra-striped bass guitar was Joey Bones. Joey was 5' 11" and weighed one hundred and sixty-five pounds. He was less pale than Blake and Devon, and had a healthy, peachy glow to his complexion. The bass guitarist had short, spiked-up blonde hair with black tips, and shinning blue eyes. Joey had on a black t-shirt with the words 'Last Tango' on it spelled out with white bones, a pair of slashed blue jeans and a pair of VANS on his feet. Joey was the least serious looking of the band and was always smiling. Joey's nickname was 'The Dancing Skeleton' and was known for his break dancing skills.

  Behind Blake, Joey and Devon was the drum set and seated behind the drums was Vincent Sangre. Vincent was 6' 2" and weighed one hundred and seventy pounds. He had olive-toned skin due to being half Mexican. He had long, thick, straight hair that he had dyed a blood red color. Hidden behind a pair of round, yellow sunglasses his eyes were naturally red due to a rare genetic trait in his DNA. He was wearing a black, Victorian-style jacket with tails, a red cravat, black silk pants, and a top hat that had a red ribbon around its crown. Vincent Sangre's nickname was 'The Vampire Prince'.

  Rosalie watched Blake White sing, mesmerized by his passionate performance. She recognized the song Zombie Awakening and her mouth slowly opened as she began to sing along with Blake. "Thank God, I'm alive! Thank the Buddha, I'm alive! Thank Allah, I'm alive! Thank Satan, I'm alive! I'm alive! Yea! I'm back from hell!"

  ***

  Meanwhile, at exactly the same time, but in a very different world - one filled with celebrities, socialites, millionaires and bottles of sparkling Dom P?rignon - Blake White and his band mates were inside of a limo cruising down a street in the hood that a limo filled with celebrities really had no business going down. Blake's girlfriend and fellow singer, Sadie Skellington, was sitting next to him with her arms tightly wrapped around his arm in a possessive gesture.

  Sadie Skellington was 5'3" and weighed one hundred and five pounds. She had chin-length, blonde and pink highlighted hair that flipped out at the ends in a punky style. She had large, wide, angelic blue eyes. She was wearing a black and pink tube top, a fluffy, short, black skirt, fishnet stockings and high-heeled shoes. The female singer was wearing a necklace with a skull on it th
at had a princess crown on its head, and matching earrings.

  Blake sighed as he looked over at his best friend, Devon Decayn, who had a Victoria's Secret model clinging to his arm, on the limo seat. Blake wracked his brain for the name of the model but couldn't remember it. He shrugged. It wasn't like he really gave a crap what the bimbo's name was anyways.

  A few minutes earlier, the four celebrities had been drinking champagne, and enjoying themselves as Blake's private chauffeur Harper drove them through Rodeo Drive. But Blake quickly grew bored of the familiar sights, and ordered his chauffeur to take them through the hood, so that maybe they'd stumble upon some action. Blake was a thrill seeker. He loved looking for trouble and getting into fights. He considered it 'having an adventure'. Since he was a millionaire he could get into a fight with someone, get arrested, go to the police station, and his millions would make any subsequent problems simply disappear.

  "Maybe we'll get to see some hoodlum get shot." Sadie said with an excited smile as she lit up a cigarette with her Zippo.

  The model seemed less enthused by the prospect and frowned. "I hope not?that would be gross."

  Devon put his arm around his date in a comforting gesture as he gave Blake a reproachful look. "Don't worry, babe, something like that won't happen."

  Blake gave Devon a shrug. He didn't give a crap what his uptight friend thought of his thrill seeking. Sometimes Blake just needed to beat the crap out of some punks in order to feel better about the skeletons rattling in his closet.

  The hood was surprisingly quiet that night and the gaudy limo wasn't attracting as much attention as it probably should have been in such a poor neighborhood. And then just as the limo was passing by an electronics store Blake caught sight of the strangest thing:

  A bride had apparently been caught outside in the rain - the white dress clinging to her body had become slightly see-through and Blake could see her long legs that were clinging to the chiffon. The bride didn't seem to mind that she had been completely drenched. Her eyes were glued to the window in front of her. Blake looked past the bride to see a large flat screen TV that was airing Erotic Corpses' latest concert. Blake smirked. So that was why the girl's eyes were riveted to that window - it had been because of him. He should have known.

  "Hey, stop the limo, Henry." Blake ordered firmly.

  "Yes, Sir. And it's Harper, Sir." Harper replied in a droning tone as he stopped the limo about a block away from the electronics store.

  Blake looked at the TV screen curiously and saw that it was playing a rerun of the live concert performance he had just given mere hours ago. The bride was looking at the image of the band on screen intently before she opened her mouth and began to sing. Blake's eyes widened as he watched the crazy bride start to belt out punk rock lyrics at the top of her lungs. Blake's expression turned smug.

  Sadie noticed that Blake's attention had been stolen from her and pouting she looked out of the window to see just what Blake was looking at so intently. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a drenched bride singing a rock song in the middle of a rainstorm. Sadie began to cackle, and took a long drag from her cigarette, the tip glowing. "What does that crazy bride think she's doing? Is she on crack?"

  Devon peered over his date's shoulder to watch the bride and shrugged a moment later. "Looks like she's having fun. That's what our music is supposed to do, Sadie, make people feel something. Give people dreams, even if it's crazy ones."

  "Dreams?" Sadie snorted. Sadie was the lead singer of a rival band called The Necromancers - it was a heavy metal band that sung songs with a lot of dark macabre themes. "You don't know what you're talking about, Devon. My music is about making people become my worshippers and for them to obey me!" Sadie flipped her hair.

  Devon shook his head at the heavy metal singer.

  Sadie put her cigarette out by crushing the still burning tip on her tongue before she began to sing the lyrics to one of her more popular songs. "I'm a witch! I'm a sadist! I'm a freakin princess! Now bow before me and submit! Obey me! Obey me! Get on your knees dog and obey me! YEAAA!"

  The model began to giggle. "That girl is totally crazy! Who would do that? Singing outside in the rain? Isn't she worried that her mascara is going to run?" The model joined in with Sadie and the two girls continued to fling insults at the bride maliciously.

  Rosalie had put her glasses inside of her purse since because of the rain she couldn't see anything with them on anyways. Her black hair was cascading loose around her shoulders in chaotic waves. So when Blake saw her singing in the rain in her clinging, see-through wedding dress with her black hair loose about her shoulders in ringlets, he thought one thing, secretly to himself: she's beautiful.

  Blake frowned suddenly as if surprised by his own thought and tired of his temporary amusement. "Henry, let's get the hell out of here already. That runaway bride has nothing to do with us?"

  "Yes, Sir." Harper agreed petulantly and the limo drove past the electronics store. "And it's Harper?"

  Blake looked out the window and watched the bride intently as they sped by. There was something about that crazy girl that piqued Blake's interest. It made him want to ask Henry to stop the limo but Blake resisted this strange urge. This unsettled Blake, because Blake White wasn't interested in anyone but himself.

  ***

  Slowly, Rosalie's voice grew louder and louder until she was belting out the rock lyrics. Her singing was completely out of tune. There were tears streaming down her face, but they could have been raindrops as the rain continued to fall down all around her.

  She suddenly felt stronger, freer. Why couldn't her voice always be this loud? Why was she soft-spoken by nature?

  Blake White's song, his music, and his presence had managed to calm Rosalie down and she began to feel a little better. His voice comforted her and made her feel warm and safe.

  She couldn't give up. Blake White wouldn't just give up. Blake really was amazing. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Blake was America's number one punk rockstar, and was already a millionaire at the young age of twenty-five. He was a celebrity and someone from another world. A world that Rosalie knew she'd never be a part of.

  Rosalie knew deep in her heart that she'd never ever get to meet Blake White in person, but?that was okay. She was content with just being his fan and getting to listen to his music. His songs gave her the will to keep moving forward.

  Rosalie walked the rest of the way to her apartment building without taking the bus. She went up to her apartment, opened the door, and was instantly greeted by her five black cats. She entered her apartment and closed the door behind her.

  "Honeys, I'm home." Her voice cracked as Rosalie knelt down and picked up Lucky, squeezing him tightly to her chest. "Oh Lucky?! Why did something like that have to happen to me? What did I do to deserve that? My life really is cursed."

  "Merrrow!" Lucky protested and struggled in Rosalie's fierce grip. Finally, Lucky managed to escape and Rosalie was left with her arms empty.

  Sometimes pets were a poor substitute for human company. But only because they couldn't talk and couldn't hug you. Rosalie let out a heavy sigh. She really wished her father could hold her close right then. She really needed a hug.

  "Daddy?" Rosalie moaned. Soaking wet, Rosalie made her way to the bathroom. She stripped off the tattered wedding gown and stepped into the shower. She turned on the hot water and let the water cascade down over her head.

  Rosalie rubbed her hand over her sore mouth. Her lips were still tingling from the several kisses Dr. Cole had forced upon her.

  She stood under the spray until her hands began to prune but no matter how hard she scrubbed her skin, she didn't feel clean.

  Rosalie stepped out of the shower forty-five minutes later and turned the water off. Rosalie brushed her teeth and tongue for twenty minutes, and rinsed her mouth with Cool Mint Listerine for another ten minutes.

  It was probably just her imagination but she could have sworn she c
ould taste formaldehyde in her mouth. She shuddered. The taste of Death.

  Rosalie got changed into her light blue, fleece pajamas that had the pattern of white cat heads and white fish bones on them, before climbing into bed. She fell into a fitful sleep. She woke up a few hours later, screaming and drenched in sweat. "No!" She cried out in a choked voice. Rosalie put a hand over her frantically beating heart. At least her heart was still inside of her chest.

  Rosalie tried to go back to sleep and when she awoke next it was to hear music playing from her alarm clock. Ironically, one of Blake White's songs was playing. She had been considering just staying home and sleeping all day, but upon hearing Blake's voice she changed her mind. For some reason she felt like he was saying 'get your butt out of bed, pathetic girl!'. She smiled, ruefully at the thought.

  Rosalie sighed and looked over at the alarm clock. It read: 7:15. If she put off getting out of bed any longer she was going to be late for work. Late for work? She pondered. Did she even still have a job? Was Dr. Cole alright? She had hit him pretty hard over the head with that jar and there had been a lot of blood. Would he sue her? She had to go to the hospital and find out. But how could she face Dr. Cole alone? He was a total psychopath. Rosalie shrugged at the thought. What did it really matter? She was always alone anyways.

  If only she had some way to better defend herself. Dr. Cole was just too strong to fight against on her own, his muscles were like steel. A sudden idea came to Rosalie as she thought about a book she'd recently finished: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In the book a girl had been taken advantage of by her legal guardian and she had gone out and purchased a taser. The next time she encountered the man she had tasered him unexpectedly and then given him a little taste of his own medicine.

  Rosalie decided she'd go out and buy a taser too. After all she lived in the hood. How hard could it be to find some hoodlums selling dangerous weapons on the street? The only problem was?money. She had no more loose cash?but she did have her father's Rolex.

  The watch had been a wedding present from Rosalie's mother Belladonna to Edgar. It was an AirKing Rolex and worth at least three grand.

  Rosalie leaned over her bed, opened the drawer of her nightstand, and took out the Rolex. She nodded to herself. She could do this. She tried very hard not to start hyperventilating.

  Rosalie dragged herself out of bed, and made her way to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Afterwards she got dressed in a simple Garfield t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. She tried to comb her unruly locks of black hair but soon gave up, tying her hair back into a tight ponytail. Lastly, she put her round glasses on her face. She frowned as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror - her glasses had been cracked. The right lens had a crack running through it now. But Rosalie couldn't afford to get a new pair of glasses at the moment so the glasses would have to do for now.

  Rosalie made herself two pieces of toast for her breakfast, but Lucky ended up stealing her second piece of toast when she wasn't looking. After she fed her cats she left her stifling apartment.

  She tiptoed past her landlady's door since the rent was due soon before making her way down the stairs and then out of the apartment building. Rolex in her jeans' pocket, Rosalie took a deep breath to steel her nerves. She crossed the street and began to walk down the sidewalk deeper into the hood.

  African-American and Mexican men and women peered at her from inside their rundown homes and apartment buildings curiously as she passed. A girl as white as her in a neighborhood like this stuck out like a sore thumb.

  Rosalie reached a particularly bad part of town and spotted a group of four teenaged African-Americans sitting on some front steps. Rosalie thought they looked dangerous enough and so decided to approach them. Her body was slightly trembling. But she had to do this!

  The African-American teens looked at Rosalie curiously as she approached them. They were pretty normal looking teenagers, but as Rosalie took in their hoodies, the fake gold chains around their necks, the fake diamond earrings in their ears, the t-shirts with Satanic images and that had rhinestones on them, and the baseball caps and beanies that were shadowing their eyes and expressions - she thought they looked extremely scary.

  Rosalie grew paler as she approached. They're all male?

  Rosalie stopped a few feet away from the teens and tried to speak. "I?um?I?" Rosalie started, her voice lodged in her throat. Why couldn't she just spit it out? Why couldn't she just speak normally? Why was interacting with people always so hard for her?

  "Yea, what is it, white girl?" "You have a problem with us?" "Spit it out, white girl." "Think she's some kind of cop?" "Naw, she looks terrified?like she's about to piss in her expensive silk panties." "Hahahaha!" "Are you lost little red riding hood? You should be careful walking around here?there are wolves in the hood, you know."

  "There are wolves in Beverly Hills too." Rosalie said softly.

  "Say what? That was kind of funny, white girl." One of the teens chuckled. This one had on some frayed jeans and dirty sneakers. "What do you want anyways?"

  "I?um?" Rosalie tried again.

  The teens were quickly loosing their patience with Rosalie. "Shit?should we call the cops to pick the little lost lamb up?" The boys broke out laughing again.

  "Not lost?" Rosalie muttered softly.

  And then, the already bored teens turned the knob of their boom box up to blast the rock music they were listening to and Rosalie's eyes widened in surprise. "That's?Erotic Corpses. Their new song: Zombie Awakening from their Album: Buried Alive."

  The teens were bowled over by her statement. "You listen to punk rock, white girl?"

  Rosalie nodded and next when she opened her mouth she began to sing along with Blake's song until her voice grew louder and louder. She was completely out of tune but the teens didn't seem to mind. They whistled enthusiastically and cheered Rosalie's impromptu karaoke performance on.

  "Whoo, go white girl! Sing it!" "You got it going on!" "Yo, white girl is rockin' the house!" "Go white girl, go white girl, it's your birthday!"

  A few seconds later, Rosalie was sitting on the steps with the teens and singing Erotic Corpses' songs with them as if that were the most normal and natural thing in the world. Rosalie smiled. Music really was amazing. It could bring people from completely different walk of life together. Music had the power to change the world. Rosalie had already discovered that music had the power to motivate and comfort someone who was down in the dumps, and give a person a reason to keep moving forward. Rosalie figured music could be used to bring peace and understanding among people who were in disagreement.

  A world without music would be a world not worth living in. Without music, there would be no dreams.

  "CJ! Will you boys turn that crap down!?" Came a harsh male voice as the father of one of the boys exited the apartment building to yell at the teens. He stopped up short when he caught sight of Rosalie however.

  "Nurse Galloway? What are you doing here?" The black man looked nervous suddenly. "I don't owe the hospital any more money do I?"

  "Nurse?" CJ echoed in amazement as he looked back and forth between the young woman and his father.

  Rosalie looked up the steps behind her and recognized Mr. Brown standing in the doorway. Mr. Brown had been rushed into the emergency room a week ago because he had been shot. Apparently, he had been caught in the crossfire of a gang war. Or so he claimed. Rosalie had assisted Dr. Cole during the operation to remove the bullet. Afterwards, when she had brought Mr. Brown his meals she had snuck him some Kentucky friend chicken when he had complained about the hospital food being tasteless.

  "Mr. Brown?" Rosalie looked up at her patient, wide-eyed.

  "What are you doing here, Miss Galloway? It's dangerous for a girl like you to be alone in a place like this." Mr. Brown warned. "You boys haven't been disrespecting Nurse Galloway have you, now?" Mr. Brown questioned sternly as he wagged his finger at the boys.

 
; "No sir!" The teens replied.

  "You best be going Miss Galloway. It's not safe." Mr. Brown reiterated.

  Rosalie nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry to have troubled you?"

  Mr. Brown nodded and went back inside the building. Rosalie stood up to leave but CJ reached his hand out and grabbed Rosalie's arm.

  Rosalie flinched out of reflex and slapped his hand away.

  "Er, sorry about that." CJ stumbled with his words. "But didn't you need something from us?"

  Rosalie nodded. She took out the Rolex and handed it to the teen. "I want a taser."

  CJ gave his friends a questioning look, but they all shrugged and put their hands out in a helpless gesture before them. CJ shook his head. "I ain't got no taser but dang girl?is this real?" CJ asked as he inspected the watch. "Hey, I'll give you something better than a stinkin taser." CJ looked around cautiously before reaching inside his hoodie and pulling out a gun. "This is a .45. You know what that is right? This one is model 1911-A1 by Taurus." CJ stroked the gun in an admiring way. "Comes with an eight round magazine."

  Rosalie's eyes went wide and she had to control herself from fainting right there on the spot.

  CJ handed Rosalie the heavy gun. "It's loaded so be careful. You have only eight shots. Right now the safety is on. You know how to take the safety off?"

  Rosalie shook her head.

  CJ sighed and showed Rosalie how to take the safety off and how to put it back on again. As a sort of special service, he even showed Rosalie how to properly aim the gun.

  "Think you got it, white girl, er, Nurse Galloway?" CJ asked as he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

  Rosalie nodded. "Yes, thank you." She said softly before putting the gun behind her back, using her tight jeans to keep the gun pressed against her lower back. She pulled her t-shirt down low to cover it up.

  The teens exchanged worried looks as Rosalie turned to go.

  CJ called out to her. "If a nice girl like you decides to buy a gun?the guy's a jerk. Don't hesitate when you pull the trigger, white girl. Blow his freakin brains out." CJ grinned, revealing startling white teeth.

  Rosalie gave CJ a tremulous smile and a slight nod before walking away. Blow his freakin brains out. Rosalie wished she could do something like that but?Rosalie didn't think she'd be capable of killing someone. She was a nurse after all. The most important thing to her was - life.

  Rosalie let out a heavy sigh. What the hell was she going to do with a .45 anyways? All she had wanted was a taser.

  My life really is cursed.