Chapter 10 - Choosing

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Karen dangled a bottle of beer in front of Roselyn "want some?"
Roselyn rejected the offer with a movement of the hand.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Ben questioned, lighting up a cigarette and handing it to her.
"I don't even know where I'm supposed to stay for the night." Rose replied, sarcastically even if she meant it, she barely knew that place or what she was supposed to do there
"Every Enchantress, during the first days, has to stay with Andreas. You will spend all the first week working with him." Karen explained.
"I should look for him, then." Roselyn put her jacket on and Karen quickly reached her on her way out, "I'll help you."

"Ben is totally into you" Karen exclaimed, as soon as they walked outside
"Yes, like he would be into every new girl." Roselyn giggled.
"Probably." Karen assented, laughing.

They both jolt at the view of Andreas, walking out of the school building.
Karen rushed off to throw down her cigarette. She mumbled: "He hates when people smoke.".
Andreas just then lifted his face and his gaze wandered in the girls' direction.
He walked expeditiously, reaching them in a matter of a eyeblink.
"Where were you?" He frowned to Rose with a rebuking tone of voice.
"I was with Karen and her friends. We've..." Rose stuttered.
"I don't care, who you were with, you should be careful, especially after what happened to you during the examination. You shouldn't be nonchalantly wandering around the school." His voice piqued angry and concerned but Roselyn didn't seem to share his worry since she rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"You have to stay with me for one week, then you'll be allocated in a room with another student. You're under my responsibility, so make sure to let me know where you are." He continued.
"It's my fault, Andreas. I forced her to come."
Roselyn looked at her puzzled, why was Karen taking her side and lying to Andreas for her?
"All right. We have to go now, Roselyn follow me. Bye Karen, see you tomorrow in class." He said with a straight face.
Roselyn smiled to Karen before whispering, "thanks".
Andreas began to walk, heading to the exit of the yard.
He remained silent while walking and during the drive to his home.
Roselyn attempted to speak, or at least ask him if something was wrong, but he persisted in ignoring her.
She couldn't figure out what made him alter his behavior towards her that much.

He stopped in front of a huge modern mansion. He turned the key and got out of the car, Rose walked after him.
His house had white walls and grey roofs.
The door was covered in gold painting and adorned in a vintage style with engraved decoration. Four windows emerged from the walls, from where she could catch a glimpse of the inside filled with cured and refined furnishings. It was a huge mansion, but yet it was classic and modern at the same time.

"There are two guest bedrooms, you can pick one." He finally spoke, pointing at two bedrooms.
Roselyn nodded and reached the bedrooms, she gave a quick look to both of them, and once she decides which one she liked better, she turned to Andreas. "This one."
The room she picked was small, filled with some posters, a bed, and a desk.

Every other girl would probably ask Andreas the reason why he became enraged unexpectedly. But her way of thinking was different, she would rather provide herself with possible answers to her questions, rather than asking people and wondering whether to believe them or not afterward. Moreover, Andreas's sudden mood switches wasn't her main concern. She had more important matters to think of, for instance, her mother, the main reason why she was there.

The following morning, Andreas woke her up at 8 am, he prepared a quick filling breakfast with toasted bread and scrambled eggs. Later they headed to school.
Waiting for them there was Margaret. "Hi Rose, I hope you don't mind me watching you."
"It's fine." Roselyn replied.
"Whenever you are ready, press this button." Andreas showed a tissue box, which opened mechanically, revealing a black circular button.
Roselyn took a long breath, she was conscious of the difficulty of that test since she hardly managed to survive the last ones.
She pressed the button, squeezing her eyes, like if that gesture would protect her from any danger.

The sky turned an intense grey as the fog began growing from the ground. The strong wind was pushing her energetically, making her fall several times. She clung to a rock implanted on the ground.
"What should I do?" She shouted, but not a single soul was there to help her. Even Andreas and Margaret disappeared in the fog.
Rock fragments were blown off by the wind, she tried to shun them, pressing her head down the ground.
She remained in that uncomfortable position until the wind passes then she slowly tried to get up.
As the wind becomes calmer, clouds cast away, giving the sky a lighter color.

Two people appeared in front of her, while she was rubbing her eyes to wash the dust off.
As soon as her vision became clear, she recognized them.
They were her real mother, standing on the right, and her adoptive mother, on the left side.
She was taken aback in shock, she couldn't believe her real mother was there, she hasn't seen her in ages. She was also immensely happy to see her adoptive mother. She wanted to reassure her that she was fine, that she didn't need to worry about anything.
Roselyn took two steps ahead running.
She jointed in fear when the ground had creaked, provoking a fissure which grew in its length, dividing the two women.
The earthquake made them both fall on the ground. They shout as the crack became bigger. They held onto the ground "Rose help!" her adoptive mother screamed, one of her feet was stuck in the crack.

Roselyn didn't know what to do, she couldn't help them because the crack expended so much that she couldn't walk.
She could use her powers but she wasn't entirely sure to succeed.
All that she could do was pick which one to save.
"I don't know what to do" she shuttered, tears running down her face. Her voice broke and her legs trembled. She could save her adoptive mother, the one who always took care of her, giving her everything she needed. On the other side, there was her real mother, who left her when she was a child, but she needed her alive to finally ask her the questions, she's been mulling over for her entire life.
How was she supposed to choose?