ROSEN
He was already seated when I entered.
Not seated, actually tied to the chair. He still has a composed face even after spending some hours in the cell.
I and Jackson turned out to be lucky, as he had surrendered himself. If not, then we both knew he might have done something to us, and by something corrosive. Jackson might have survived somehow, as he is the ruler of District 9, whereas I don't even want to think about what he might have done with me.
"How much does she cherish you that she did that to herself?"
Huh? Well, of course, more than you.
Strange way to start a conversation, but I'll tag along.
"It shouldn't matter to you."
"Well, it does."
He nearly shouted at me.
Should I remind him that I'm the reason he's still alive? I'm the one interrogating him, and technically, I should be the one doing the shouting.
"She loves me more than you." I paused, watching his expression. "And that scene should be proof enough. Though, honestly, I do regret that she had to do that for me."
I knew how crazy she is, but not to this extent. I have failed...as usual. But what's with this guy? That twisted face...
My legs were beginning to ache, so I sat down a few inches away from him.
His expression twisted with anger as he tried to stand, but with both his arms and legs tied, he barely managed to move. I'll thank Uncle for that later.
"That's exactly why I wanted to kill you. If my arms weren't tied, I would have strangled you myself."
"Too bad you can't."
"You don't deserve her."
"I never said I did."
That seemed to catch him off guard.
"Rose." He locked his glare onto me after letting out a deep sigh.
"She never even told me her real name, even though she knew I had already figured out that she wasn't you."
He paused, studying me.
"So tell me. What does she see in you?"
I said nothing.
Because I don't understand his personal deal.
"What could she possibly like about someone like you?"
His eyes moved toward my legs. "You can barely walk."
Then he looked back at me. "And you're a coward."
That did it. "A coward?" I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Yes."
"Then answer one question for me."
He remained silent.
"Who do you think made me like this?"
Nothing.
"Go on. You seem to know so much about me. Surely you know that too."
He looked away. And there it was. Silence. Exactly the answer I expected.
He didn't know. None of them did. Yet they were always so certain of their hatred. They could point fingers, call us monsters, call us cowards, and call us killers without ever bothering to ask what had actually happened or what they'd done.
Idiots. Every last one of them.
"If you don't know anything about us, then what is all this? What did our district ever do to you?"
He glared at me.
"You want me to remind you how you killed our..."
I didn't let him finish.
My hand connected with his face before I could stop myself. He was older than me, true, but at that moment, I couldn't have cared less.
"I asked what our district did to you."
I leaned closer.
"And please, don't say that again. Don't accuse us of something that never happened."
I pointed toward the side of his face that had just turned red.
"You should be grateful that I'm the one sitting here with you. If she were here instead, I wouldn't even want to guess what would happen."
"I want her to do whatever she wants. You can leave."
He actually said that after getting slapped. Shameless.
"You know what? She lost a lot of blood because of you." His expression changed slightly. "She has been unconscious for five hours."
"It has been that long?" For the first time, there was something other than anger in his voice. "Is her condition serious?"
"She lost an excessive amount of blood. She was already wounded by a bullet on her way back here."
I looked directly at him.
"And then there were the injuries you gave her. Her thighs. Her abdomen."
I paused.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"I told them not to shoot her." His voice became quieter.
"As for what I did... I wouldn't have done it if I'd known she was the one."
"I know."
Well, I believed that much. But it didn't change what had happened.
He could have killed her.
That fact sat between us, heavier than anything either of us could say. I remained silent because, for once, I genuinely didn't know what to say.
"If I'd had even the slightest idea that I was fighting her," he continued, "I would've let her do whatever she wanted. I wouldn't have fought back."
I looked at him.
I am not sure why I asked... But maybe this was something I had to or should have asked.
"Do you, by any chance, like her?"
His eyes lit up.
Finally. I can never be wrong. The best expression I'd seen on that face since I walked into this room.
"What isn't there to love?"
He gave a faint, almost bitter smile. "But she made it clear that there's no point in loving her. She has you."
Oh. Huh? So she had included me in her little, apparently incomplete love life. But through what catch?
He continued before I could respond.
"She told me she loves you. That you're the only one for her."
Then he spat near my shoes. I looked down at it.
Disgusting.
Does no one in District 1 understand basic hygiene?
"Why does she love you?" He looked back at me. "What is it about you?"
I stared at him. Again?
Was he seriously asking me this question?
"What exactly is wrong with you?" I sighed.
He frowned.
I sighed again, as I knew I had been close.
"Can she not love me without there being some grand explanation?"
He said nothing.
"Every few minutes, it's the same question. What does she see in you? Why does she love you? What's so special about you?"
I shook my head.
"Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe you're just having trouble accepting that she chose someone other than you."
I looked at him for a moment.
The general had some indefinable issues related to that brain of his.
"So what's your problem if she loves me?"
Is he jealous?
But I don't understand what there is to be jealous of.
Can't believe I'm doing this... I should start from the basics and make things clear for him as well as for myself.
"Who are you to her?"
What's with that look? He's staring at me as if I've just asked a question that doesn't even have an answer.
"Just answer what you know or what you think."
He let out a deep sigh before finally answering.
"Her pursuer."
That was a difficult answer...or was it really? I'm flabbergasted.
"And who am I to her?"
His tone changed with that answer.
"Her lover. Quit asking me these stupid questions. If you don't have anything else to say, let me go back to my cell. I'll wait for her."
I blinked.
"Wait. You said lover." I couldn't help the little laugh that escaped me. Heh. Well played, Rose.
Now I understood the problem. I think I understood it a bit too well.
He loves her, while she must have told him that she loves me. Only, she probably forgot to mention what kind of love she meant.
Is it a love... oh, it's a love triangle.
Actually, it isn't. I don't like this idiot sitting in front of me, for one thing. But according to his understanding...we're love rivals.
What a cute little misunderstanding. A very big misunderstanding, actually.
It was a little difficult to laugh about it after everything he had done. He had crossed far too many limits.
"Tell me something. Why can't she love her brother?"
"Because..." He stopped.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Wait. Did you just say brother"?
He paused, probably trying to process everything he had just been told.
"Are you serious? Her brother? So she's your sister?"
I nodded.
"Then what was the point of lying to me? Didn't you just say she hates lies?"
"I don't know why she lied to you. But she does hate lies when someone else is telling them. Apparently, that rule doesn't apply when she's the one doing it."
He stared at me for a moment.
"No wonder. I thought you resembled her when I was..."
"About to stab me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. But that didn't stop you, so there's no point in anything you say now. She'll be the one deciding your fate."
"Can you take me to her?"
"Not now. And besides, I'm not the one who decides that."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
It had already been more than two hours, but the truth mattered more than the time right now. I didn't care if this took the entire night. I just needed to make things clear once and for all.
Knock. Knock.
I had told everyone not to disturb me. Then who could it possibly...
Oh.
Uncle.
The door opened, and Uncle Joe stepped inside.
"She woke up," he said. "She's probably on her way here."
I immediately stood.
I needed to leave before she actually arrived. Who knows what she might do to him?
Choke him to death, perhaps. It wouldn't exactly surprise me at this point.
I had barely pushed my chair back when I realized I was already too late.
She was standing behind Uncle Joe.
"Rose, you should have stayed upstairs. You need to rest."
She didn't even look at me. Her eyes were fixed entirely on him.
And the way she was looking at him...
Yeah.
That was not okay.