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Rose looked back on the trail of holes marring the otherwise perfect blanket of snow. They snaked around the trees and over the hills. She imagined them in the ground, one after another, throughout the many miles back to her home.
She shook her head and kept walking, her bag of clothing and yarn in her mittened hand. The Maryam household was close now, easily recognizable despite the replacement of its usual decorative tapestries with christmas lights. A path had thoughtfully been carved into the snow, Rose walked along it, finally reaching the thick wooden door. She hesitated, her hand hovering at the door bell. As strange as it sounded after her long trek here she hadn’t truly felt she was committing to her actions until this moment. And like that she was suddenly trapped, her mittened hanging centimeters from the doorbell as she kept analyzing herself and her actions. It was a single half inch motion and yet she found herself paralyzed.
Finally the choice was taken for her, the door opened and a very worried Kanaya dragged her inside. Rose barely heard Kanaya as she rambled about how worried she had been once she had heard that Rose had run from home. Rose just let Kanaya help her out of her frozen boots and snow covered coat and diligently sat in front of the fireplace at Kanaya’s instruction.
A blanket was put over her shoulders, Rose’s eyes followed the bare tattooed arms to see the kind face of Kanaya’s older sister. “Your mother gave us quite a fright when she called,” Porrim said. Rose just nodded in comprehension. “I’ll prepare space for you in Kanaya’s room.” Another nod. “You can stay for as long as you need to.”
Porrim felt her work was done there for the moment, she walked up the stairs, squeezing past Kanaya who was walking down with a box of knitting supplies and began preparing the house for its new guest. She moved her bed out of her room and into Kanaya’s, changed the sheets, and then found a sleeping bag for herself.
With that completed she made her way to the kitchen. She left the kitchen with three mugs of hot chocolate. Porrim reentered the front room to see Rose stare silently at the fireplace and Kanaya attempt to fill the silence by rambling enough for the two of them. She handed Kanaya one mug and placed the second on in front of Rose. “Drink it dear,” she commanded, sitting on the couch behind them.
“Please Rose, drink it. You’ve done nothing but stare at those flames all day. I mean they are rather pretty but you haven’t even touched the knitting set,” Kanaya started. “Please Rose, do something to confirm to me that you’re alive without making me have to feel your pulse again.” Rose moved for the first time since she had sat down, grabbing the glass and taking a long sip. “Alright we have now confirmed the girl is alive, does she speak?”
“Kanaya...”
“And it seems she does, excellent. Now what words of wisdom does she have to give us?”
“Kanaya.”
“Yes Rose.”
“Kanaya please shut up,” Rose ordered, smiling. Porrim burst out laughing, deciding it best to leave the two of them alone. She walked out of the room, glad that the sound behind her was that of snarky horseshit. She opened up a nearby closet and grabbed an armful of old pillows well past their prime. She tossed them back into the room before retiring for the night, almost entirely certain that she’d be cleaning up feathers in the morning.
She expected that to be the end of it, what she did not expect was for her door to be opened in the middle of the night with Rose standing in her doorway wearing Kanaya’s extra set of black pajamas. “Is something wrong Rose?” Porrim asked sitting up.
Rose shook her head. She let herself into the room, closing the door behind her, leaving them in the dark. Porrim felt Rose’s weight on her lap and smelled something in her breath. “Rose did you get into the wine?” she asked. Rose answered by kissing her at where she assumed Porrims lips where. The sloppy kiss on her cheek surprised Porrim, Kanaya picking that exact moment to open the door made the whole moment much worse. Kanaya ran away from the room, dropping the flashlight she was holding. It shone directly into Porrim’s eyes, by the time she had blinked out the spots Kanaya had already made it to her room and slammed it shut.
“Rose what are you doing?” she asked, pushing Roses head away.
“I wanted to make you happy,” Rose slurred, “Isn’t this what you like?”
Porrim groaned, face hitting palm. Her promiscuity was admittedly legendary but she would never take advantage of a drunk girl. “Rose you are three years younger then me and as far as I know still a virgin despite how prolific you are as a writer of slash fic.”
“You know about those?” Rose said with something akin to panic.
“Yes, everyone does but that’s besides the point, why are you in my bedroom attempting to kiss me in some desperate plea to please me?”
“...”
“Rose answer the question.”
“Because you’ve helped me all day,” Rose replied after giving it some thought. “You gave me a blanket and hot cocoa and you’re on a sleeping bag right now instead of me. Stuff that she wouldn’t do for me.”
Oh,” Porrim said in sudden realization. “Rose I am not your mother, you cannot use me to replace her.” Rose looked away in shame. “Rose look me in the eye when I’m talking to you.” Rose obeyed the motherly voice, Porrim realized the depth of the problem. “Listen Rose... first explain to me why you went for the wine, didn’t you hate the stuff?”
“Mom wanted me to drink with her... I said yes.”
“When did this happen?”
“Last month.”
“And how often since then?”
“Every night.”
“You’re sixteen!”
“Yes.”
Porrim sighed, quite certain she was developing a migraine. At least she knew why Rose felt she had to run away. “I’m driving you to rehab in the morning, understood?” Rose nodded. “You are not going back home until your mother goes as well.” Rose nodded again, her face was starting to get a green tinge. Porrim gave her a hug, letting her head hang over her shoulder. Porrim heard a what sounded like muffled sobbing. “I’m sorry Rose but this has to happen. It really is for the best.”
“I know,” Rose said after a while. “Could I open a window?”
“Do what you need to.” Rose opened the window and stuck her head out, letting her body take care of itself. Porrim stood behind her, “Breathe Rose, you need the fresh air,” she said, utterly unconcerned about the draft despite her habit of sleeping naked. “Is your head clear?”
“As clear as its going to be,” Rose replied, letting the winter air fill her lung. “I’m sorry.”
“Its not me you need to apologize to, a girl who care about you very much just had her heart broken.”
Rose’s eyes widened, she slammed the window shut and ran out of the room. Porrim smiled, grabbed an asprin and then went back to sleep.
In the morning she put went down stairs to prepare breakfast only to find that Rose had woken up and beaten her too it. Kanaya was also there, sitting on the breakfast table with her head down, blushing spectacularly. Rose walked in with a tray of pancakes, well made ones with chocolate chips. She lay out three plates and then sat down, covering hers with whipped cream. She had a very large smile.
“What happened last night after I slept?” Porrim asked, already reaching for an aspirin. Rose opened up a box of cherries, liberally adding them to the the mess that was her breakfast. She picked one up between her thumb and forefinger, squeezing it until it burst, Porrim groaned, one aspirin would not be enough.