I walked down the narrow, plain halls of the facility, which only seemed to get longer and longer.

I wanted to throw up.

It felt like my brain wanted to eject everything out that it could, but my body just wouldn’t do as it was told.

I don’t know how, but I eventually made it to Luke’s room. I stumbled aside, stopped at the dresser against the wall left of the door to try to keep myself from puking, only to immediately fail, then I went over to the bed, and dropped onto it.

I didn’t exactly need to asleep, thanks to being part Grim Reaper, but it was still relaxing enough that I often used it when I felt stressed and overwhelmed.

But then I realized.

I shot up, looking around at the bed, not seeing Luke’s transparently floating body. I looked around the room, and realized everything was out of place.

Shit! I’m in the wrong room!

I started thinking of wanting to be in Luke’s room, causing red electricity to surround me. I was about to teleport away… until I saw something in a drawer in the middle of the dresser. A red color.

I tried my hardest to resist, trying to focus on teleporting away… but eventually, I have in, and stood up, walking to the drawer.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, grabbed one of the circular handles, and pulled it open.

Inside the drawer was a glass container containing a singular red rose. It was in perfect mint condition, like someone had been keeping it alive, never letting it age or wither away.

I shouldn’t… but I have to know.

Hesitantly, I searched for a way to open it, eventually finding a near the bottom. I pressed it, and the lid popped open, allowing me to reach in and grab the rose.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Just touching it sent a wave of memories crashing through, and not only that, red electricity completely engulfed my body, before I felt myself being flung back.

Then, the electricity started to disappear, and once it was completely gone and I could see again, I saw myself in… a very familiar flower bed.

I stepped back, and immediately tripped, but the only thing I felt was my rapidly beating heart.

I wanted to go back to everything. I didn’t wanna see this… but yet, I stayed.

Until I saw Steve and I, as teens, playing tag as they ran out of a forest line to the left, directly towards the field of flowers.

Bring me back. Bring me back. Bring me back.

When I closed my eyes, the electricity returned, transporting me back to my time. Back in front of what had to be Steve’s dresser.

“H-He… kept a r-rose…? Oh m-my god…”

In an instant, I instinctually teleported far, far into the sky, using my magic to keep my afloat amongst the clouds.

“N-no… he can’t. H-he can’t love me. I-I… can’t let him. I-I’m a monster…”

No, Rowan, you’re not. Everything will be okay, Pemo reassured.

Without thinking, I teleported back into the facility, into Luke’s room… in front of Luke’s coma-driven body.

I stumbled back into the door, slid my back down the cold, hard metal, before sitting down with my knees in front of my face, burying my head in them as I held my entire body and sobbed.

Rowan, I… I understand how you feel… but you can’t keep feeling bad about yourself and do nothing. You know Steve likes you now… so you might be able to reveal the truth to him, Raen reasoned.

“Oh, w-what? T-Tell him I’ve b-betrayed his trust y-yet again, secretly s-spying on him by lying? N-no. T-the only thing I d-deserve… is death.”

But… maybe that’s just how you feel.

“B-besides. Even if I tried to f-fix things… I c-can’t. The deed has a-already been d-done.”

Wanna know who’s truly at fault here? It’s your father, not you. You wanna be with Steve, right? Then stop feeling sorry for yourself and get what you want.

Sniffling, I said “B-but… I can’t d-disobey my father…”

When has he ever deserved your trust or respect?

Suddenly, a wave of positivity started coursing through my veins, giving me the strength to slowly stand up.

“Y-yeah. I s-should start fighting for what I want. Not standing idly by as everything goes to shit.”

Atta boy. Now, go get him, Raen finished.

I spun around, a smile spread across my face, and I moved a leg forward, only for a shiver to be sent straight up and down my spine.

“A-Actually… maybe I should wait till t-tomorrow. So I can t-think about w-what to say and stuff…”

Raen and Pemo both groaned audibly in perfect unison.

Change only comes when you force it to.