Roses and Thorns ~ The Tale of Roses and Thorns 1.

20 minutes later they were walking on London’s streets like every normal Londoner. For Ivelle it was the most normal thing in the world... however, Adrastos was more distracted. He always scanned their surroundings and looked so nervous like the police were after him.

“Don’t do this.” she said finally.

“Do what?”

“You look too nervous. People are watching us.” she said in a low voice. Adrastos stopped, took a step closer to her and started speaking in a very low voice.

“Do I have to remind you, that Dark Soldiers are after us? Or that I’m not only wanted by my brother but literally by everyone else in Sanctuary?” he took a step closer to her “So forgive me if I’m trying to be careful.” his eyes were filled with anger and he looked somewhat taller now. Ivelle took a step backwards. For the very first time, Adrastos freaked her out. Maybe this whole thing wasn’t a good idea after all. She looked away and saw that many people were watching them.

“Still try to be less... conspicuous.” her voice was so weak and shaky it even surprised her “People are watching.” Adrastos opened his mouth, but at that very moment, someone called Ivelle’s name.

“Ivelle!” she looked around to see Allan, waving and standing on the other side of the road.

“Shit...” she waved back.

“You know him?”

“He’s a friend...” she said in an uncertain voice.

“Sure a friend...” he looked Allan up and down dangerously.

“Yes, a friend. Not like it’s any of your business.” Adrastos gave her a side look and reached under his coat, where Ivelle could see a dagger “Please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Wasn’t planning to.” he said turning back to her “Get rid of him.” Ivelle nodded.

Allan quickly came up to them with his usual bright smile.

“Hello Ivelle.” he said “Haven’t seen you for ages. Where’ve you been?”

“Abroad.” she lied quickly, maybe too quickly. “You know university stuff.”

“Scholarship?”

“Something like that.”

“Your friend?” he turned to Adrastos.

“Well not really, we’re just working on a project together...”

“And we really have to hurry up, or the library will close. Right Ivelle?” said Adrastos with an unfriendly tone.

“Yeah, right.” she forced a smile on her face.

“It’s only 3 p.m., you have plenty of time.” smiled Allan.

“No, actually we have to...um...go to the University library and it closes at 4.”

“Okay...” Allan was looking them up and down “See you later?”

“Yeah, later.”

Adrastos grabbed her arm and dragged her after him.

“What was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t ask you to chitchat with him.” he hissed.

“Sorry, but I’m not used to getting rid of people.”

“Well, you better be.” he gave her an angry look.

They stood in front of the old brick-building Ivelle knew so well. Apparently, nothing has changed during her absence, which gave her mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was happy, that she hadn’t scared her grandmother to death, but was a bit disappointed that no one had missed her. With clearing his throat Adrastos interrupted her train of thoughts. She looked up at him. He was still scanning their surroundings, looking for any sign of trouble or danger. She opened the front door of the stairwell and stepped in.

“Elevator or stairs?” she asked turning to him.

“What’s an elevator?” he asked confusedly. Ivelle just smiled to herself went to the elevator and pushed the button. Within a few minutes, the doors of the elevator opened and they stepped in. Ivelle pushed the button with the number 4 on it. The door closed behind Adrastos and the elevator started moving slowly.

They reached the 4th floor. She led Adrastos to the door of her apartment and knocked in. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing.

“Where are we exactly?”

“I used to live here for a few months before leaving with...Cirillo...” she suddenly felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice on her. Cirillo was the one who took her to Sanctuary, who pretended to be her friend...and then abandoned her.

“Ivelle?” asked a familiar voice. She turned around to see a stocky-built old man “Is that really you?”

“In the flesh, Mr Smith.” she smiled. Mr Smith was an 80-year-old Scotsman, with a moustache and a bowler, which he wore to cover up his balding head.

“You came to gather your grandmother’s things?” he asked with sadness in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” she asked with a very-very bad feeling.

“They haven’t told you?”

“Told me what?”

“Your grandmother died a few weeks ago.” Ivelle was certainly shocked. Her Gran couldn’t be dead. She was the only one left for her. She was alone now. She forced back her tears and asked what she wasn’t certain she wanted to know. “How?”

“Robbery.” he shook his head disapprovingly “Someone broke into the apartment during the night. Your grandmother woke up, thinking it was you, that you finally came home, I suppose, but instead of you, she met a robber. He stabbed her with a knife.”

Ivelle just stood there silently and felt Adrastos standing closer to her -maybe a bit too close, but at that moment she didn’t care.

“I...I don’t have my keys.” she said finally “Left them in the apartment, when...” she choked up. Mr Smith gave her a sympathetic smile. “I still have the ones she gave me. Come I’ll give them to you.” she nodded and turned to Adrastos.

“I’ll be back in a minute.”

She followed the old man into his apartment. He started looking for the keys and murmuring to himself.

“No, not here...where did I put them...?” Ivelle waited silently “And how was Spain?” asked Mr Smith.

“Spain?”

“Yes, Spain. Martha told me that you got a scholarship in Spain.”

“Oh that, yes, it was amazing,” she said quickly.

“Well there you are, the keys.” he smiled.

“Thank you.” she walked back to her Gran’s apartment. she opened the door and walked in. She went to the living room and sat on the sofa. She buried her face in her palms and closed her eyes. Her mother, then her grandmother within a year, with the same method. She was sure it wasn’t a coincidence, she just couldn’t see the whole picture. Adrastos stood in the doorway.

“I’m sorry,” he said. When Ivelle stayed silent he went on “But we have to find that blade-”

“I don’t care about that damn blade! My grandmother was killed! Murdered! Within a year I lost her and my mother! They were the only family I had left and now both of them are gone. So forgive me but I don’t care about that stupid blade.”

“Well, then I remind you, that if we don’t find that stupid blade more people will die. Your little elf friend Cirillo and his brother too.”

“How can you be so heartless?!” she stormed into her room and shut the door closed. she laid on her bed and could feel her tears springing to her eyes. She closed her eyes, letting her tears drop on her pillow and arm. She slowly fell asleep.