Deanna Kinney - Raven's Rose

“Shut up!” I yelled, getting to my feet only to slip again.

He laughed louder but this time he took a hold of my arm firmly and lifted me to my feet. Suddenly, he stopped short, his eyes going wide.

“What?” I asked in alarm, following his gaze to the top of my shirt. I gasped. There, dripping from my hair and covering my shirt, was pink hair dye. I glanced back to him and recognized the look in his eyes; an idea was forming. I backed away, raising both of my hands in defense. “No, no, no!” I yelled, but it was too late.

In one swift move, he took me by the waist and slung me over his shoulder as he bolted through the forest in a full run. “You little witch! All this time you had in wash-in color just to irritate me! Well, we’re gonna take care of that right now!”

“What are you gonna do?” I kicked and screamed, fighting with all my strength to break free, with no success. “Wesley, no! Let me go!”

“With pleasure.” He stopped abruptly, and before I could collect my bearings, I was dropped, and submerged, into freezing cold water. I came up quickly, gasping for air. “What are you doing?” I screamed, glancing around and realizing that we were near the bank of a lake, and I was sitting, fully clothed and submerged to my waist.

“I’m washing your hair for you,” he said, towering over me as he reached his hand to the floor, grabbing a handful of mud. He slapped it into my hair and began working it through my wet locks.

“You are crazy! Let me go!” I screamed and fought, which only seemed to encourage him to continue. He massaged the thick mud into my hair and scalp as I slapped and fought until I was exhausted. He dunked my head then. I came up gasping. “You crazy son of—” He dunked me again, and again, until finally he jerked me to my feet and ushered me to the bank.

I stood there in shock, staring at his smug face.

“Wow, now it all makes since,” he said, taking a handful of my hair and studying the flaming red locks.

I jerked to my senses, slapping his hand away and pushing passed him in a rush. “You are a crazy jerk! And you’ll be sorry for doing that to me! You just wait and see!”

“You’re welcome!” he yelled as I ran all the way back to the facility—fighting tears the whole way.

I sloshed through the greenhouse, not stopping as I passed Nana Butterfly.

“Hmm, red hair. That explains things,” she said.

I stopped and turned to face her, ready to tell her off, when she removed her big brimmed hat, revealing a head full of flaming red curly locks. My eyes went wide in total surprise.

“It seems that we have something in common,” she said, her eyes gentle as she handed me the towel she had somehow managed to be holding. I took it and went straight into the small room, shut the door, plopped onto the bed, and cried myself to sleep.

Wesley

I tossed and turned, trying to get that stupid redhead out of my mind, but it was no use. I growled, getting up from my bed and heading into my kitchenette to get a snack. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed an old piece of pizza from the box. I took a frustrated bite and chewed aggressively, not even taking the time to enjoy the flavor. I reflected back to our little confrontation in the forest. I managed to laugh when I remembered her expression as she slipped and fell in the mud, her eyes going wide with surprise. She looked so cute somehow—so vulnerable. I shook my head, trying to clear away the memories and took a more dramatic bite.

After she had stomped off and headed back to the facility, I had called Nana Butterfly and told her what had happened so she could have a towel ready for her. I probably shouldn’t have been so hard on the girl, but I had been so angry when I realized her hair color was just temporary. That whole time she had known that all she had to do was wash it out and wash it in. The thought infuriated me, knowing she was just trying to get under her father’s skin—and mine, first with the blue hair and then with the pink.

My thoughts began to drift, however, as I pictured what she must have looked like as a child, her curly, red locks long and flowing as she danced under the soft drift of the first snowfall of the season. Although in her mountainous Alaskan town of Balmy, population 4,600, she rarely saw anything but snow. I imagined her to be a very joyful child, with a big smile to add to the light dusting of freckles across her nose and the vibrant green eyes. I found myself wondering what might have happened to her to make her so angry. I suddenly jerked to my senses, throwing the remaining pizza crust across the room and hitting the trash can. “Who cares why she’s so angry!” I growled, slamming my fist into my chest. “I’m angry!” I stomped back into my bedroom and into the bathroom, thinking a cool shower might ease my tensions. I was totally wrong.

When morning arrived, with my normal morning disposition, and my lack of sleep the night before, I was sure to be lovely company. I entered the dining hall, pushing around a few of the guys, and quickly recognized Nana Butterfly picking up two trays of food. Just the woman I wanted to speak to. She had on her normal wide-brimmed hat lined with a fresh wreath of flowers. Her orange sneakers were clean and bright, as usual, but her smile was brighter, as if she knew something I didn’t . Hmm .

Before I could ask, she spoke. “Well, don’t you look well rested this morning? The dark bags under your eyes are especially becoming. Must be the meanness trying to come out.” She used to say that to all of us kids when we were young and doing stupid things, or if we didn’t feel well. She was teasing of course, but it still bugged me.

“Well, in this particular case, the meanness has red curls and a tongue sharp enough to slice the hair off a grizzly.”

She smiled an all-knowing smile. “Oh yes. You must be referring to Hope.” She sighed as she handed both trays of food to me and turned to walk. I guess that meant for me to follow. “Yes, well, I listened to that girl cry herself to sleep last night. She was still in her room when I left out this morning. I thought I’d bring her some food to help lift her spirits. You can help me.”

“Nana, I don’t—”

She spun to face me, her eyes fixed and sharp. I actually backed up, my eyes going wide in alarm. “I didn’t ask you! That girl is a guest here! Now, I know she’s a pain for you, but you better ease up on her, or I’m gonna bend you over my knee and spank you, alpha or not! Got it?” Her eyes were blazing, which wasn’t unusual when she felt strong about something.

I lowered my head in reverence, “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Now, follow me!”

Some minutes later, we strolled through the greenhouse and stopped at the door at the back of the room. Nana Butterfly knocked.

“Yes?” a soft voice answered.

“Hey, sugah. It’s Nana Butterfly. I brought you breakfast, May I come in?” Nana looked at me with a hopeful expression and winked.

“Um, I guess so,” she answered.

Nana pushed the door open and stepped inside, as did I. “What is he doing in here?” she squealed, pulling covers up to cover her barely-there P.J’s.

I quickly turned my head.

“Get out! Get out!” she yelled. Nana ushered me from the room, taking the trays from me and stepping back inside, slamming the door shut behind her with her foot.

I stood there with a mixture of shock and irritation. This girl was a total nutcase! “You’re welcome!” I barked before disappearing in a blur of motion, causing the flowers and plants to blow around like a hurricane had hit, which it had. And its name was Hope Mason.