Dance of Roses

It was a hot summer night, with fireworks going off overhead. A woman that looked like she was roughly in her late teens, with long, flowing, red hair and bright blue eyes that seem more significant against her pale, almost translucent, skin, was seated, elegantly at her tarot table wearing a dark crimson cape with the hood pulled over her head, in front of the cathedral, where she could smell the river water on the wind while watching the other people in the square laughing and playing around as they enjoyed the celebration.“Look at them, having a marry old time, as if none of them know what had happened here all those years ago, but I remember. I remember all too well, as if it happened just yesterday, and I think they should pay,” she thought.Then she saw a mother pick up her little boy and place him on her shoulders so he could see the fireworks and the hard piercing look on her face soften, causing a soft smile to appear on her full lips as longing bloomed in her heart. “Or, ma

After getting her coffee and beignets, Claudia headed to the benches that was behind Jax Brewery, since no one ever went there, and she just wanted to be alone for a minute as she sat down thinking about everything that was going on. She was facing the river with a conflicted and absent-minded look on her face. As a matter of fact, she was so lost in her own mind that she had no idea that someone was following her until he stepped out of the shadows and cleared his throat. “Is everything alright, Claudia? You’re normal more perceptive than this. I mean, I was able to follow you this whole time, yet you didn’t realize it,” Sean commented. “I did realize it,” Claudia lied, “but I chose not to react. Maybe you should try it sometimes.” “Sure,” mumbled Sean. “What was that?” “Nothing,” Sean said before he made a rose appear seemingly from thin air, “A beautiful rose for the even more beautiful Claudia.” At those words Claudia’s expression darkened and she stood up causing her black

That afternoon, right after lunch, Claudia got a text from Sean’s number asking her to meet him on Bourbon Street, so she was waiting in front of Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo like they agreed upon over text. As she waited, she kept checking her phone because she had made it to the spot right on time and she couldn’t see him anywhere. After she waited for about one hour and decided she looked like a fool still standing there, looking around, looking like sone lost tourist, so she was going to leave, Sean came strolling up with his arm laid over the shoulder of some girl that looked like she had come from a strip club with Alex following behind with another chick dressed almost as revealing. As they walked up to her, she clenched her jaw and dropped the present she got him on the ground. “I guess I had been a fool,” she thought while Sean smirked at her as if he knew she was hurt but didn’t care or that he knew something she didn’t. “Gab and Vic, this is my uncle’s pride and joy’s

The next day, as Lex was helping Claudia set up her tarot table and chairs, Zander, with a disappointed look on his face, walked up to them with Sean, whose head was down in shame. “Sean, don’t you have something to say to Claudia after last night?” Zander asked while raising his eyebrows after a few moments of silence. “I’m sorry, Claudia. I should have come to you when Alex told me about your supposed country boyfriend instead of scheming behind your back and hurting you,” Sean said with his voice laced in remorse. Claudia shook her head and looked at Sean with empathy in her eyes, “Sean, the fact that you schemed and didn’t believe in me are both minimal compared to you cheating on me.” “Hold up, I didn’t sleep with anyone last night. I didn’t cheat,” Sean said as his face rose for the first time in this conversation. “Not true. You even told me you were flirting with another girl and somehow unintendedly stood Claudia up to be with that gi

A month later, Sean and Claudia were goofing around on the square while she took a dinner break when Claudia looked at the date on her phone then frowned. Seeing this, Sean thought he might have said something wrong, or she had a disturbing text again. She had been receiving texts from an unknown number lately that seemed to upset her, but he didn’t understand it because they always seem to just be pictures of a little boy.“What’s wrong, Claudia? Is it that number again?” he asked while looking at her worriedly.“No, I had just realized it’s your birthday tomorrow and I had already planned to meet with a client tomorrow evening and I have class at Bloody Marie’s tomorrow during the day so I won’t get a chance to see you.”Sean’s face fell for a moment but then he smiled at her, “No worries, we will just plan a birthday date for the day after.”“Why not tonight?” She asked and Sean got nervous and tried to hide it but Claudia noticed, “If you have plans I understand,” she continued co