The Story of Blood and Roses

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I wonder if I had ever noticed them.

I sincerely hope that I did, as such beauty should be displayed on the walls of the Ajanta Ellora Caves, preserved for generations to see, unmarred by nature and time—defiant of the laws of the world and of man.

Yet, the image is incomplete. As I lavish my attention on each feature, the others blur. I recreate them over and over again, only to lose them faster each time.

I give up. I slip out of bed and take to wandering around the mansion.

I see the lights in the furthest part of the corridor filter through the crack under the door. I push the door open and find the two desolate rebels sitting side by side, fuming over something.

"Why are the two of you still here?" I ask, not expecting to be acknowledged.

"Sean just received a rather indecent contribution from one deceased Mia Vincent, who loved the boy enough to leave everything that was hers to him," comes the monotonous commentary.

What did she [email protected]@