Kiss From a Rose

"A museum?" Matt asked as they pulled up. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see." Ember said getting out the car and walking towards it.

Matt got out and followed her out they entered to find it quiet with only a few people visiting.

"It's like a ghost town in here." Matt commented.

She smiled. "You might want to be quiet or you'll wake the dead."

Matt chuckled softly as she lead him down a hallway and to a glass container where a large diamond was.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked turning to face him.

"Suppose to be the Hope Diamond right?" Matt asked.

"It's a replica of it but yes that's what it is." She said. "It's kinda a fucked up name for it."

"Why's that?" He asked.

"Because the diamond is said to be cursed." She said. "Cause previous owners of it have all met with horrible gruesome deaths."

"It's probably just a coincidence." Matt said. "There's no such thing as curses."

"Why are you so sure there's not?" She asked.

"Cause the whole idea is simply outrageous and not believable." Matt said.

"What do you believe in Matt?" Ember asked.

"I believe in a lot of things but curses isn't one of them." Matt said.

"Be more specific about what you believe in." She said.

"Well I believe that in life and death, that there's only this life, and there's no way to stop death." He said.

She tilted her head. "If there was a way to stop from dying would you take it?"

"I honestly don't know." Matt said. "I suppose that would be cool to live forever but at the same time it would get dull after a while."

"Life is never dull if you have someone to spend it with." Ember said.

Matt noticed how close they were tilting her head again she leaned up. Matt didn't know how to react so he just closed his eyes waiting for the kiss.

She laughed and he opened his eyes. "Come on I want to show you something else."

Matt stood there stunned and a little annoyed. Eventually he followed her into the room she vanished into.

He found her staring at a picture of a woman dressed in Victorian clothing.

"You know who this is?" She asked.

"No idea." He said shaking his head.

"Countess Elizabeth Bathory also known as Blood Countess." Ember said. "She's one of the most prolific female serial killers in history."

"What exactly did she do?" Matt asked.

"She was said to have imprisoned and murdered over 600 young girls and women though historians believe it's higher than that." She said. "You know why she did it?"

Matt shook his head. "She did it to sustain her youth and beauty." Ember said. "She believed bathing in the blood of virgins would help her remain young and beautiful forever."

"Sounds like a total nutcase." Matt said. "Did she drink the blood too?"

"Supposedly she did that to help too." Ember said.

"Yep this woman was a complete and total lunatic." Matt said. "Who drinks blood?" "That's fucking disgusting."

"You've tasted blood before." Ember said. "When you get a tooth pulled or lose it you taste the blood in your mouth."

"Yeah but I don't go around killing people just to drink it." Matt said. "That's just sick."

"We're all sick Matt." Ember said. "Deep down we all have dark and evil hearts and minds." "As humans if we were put into circumstances where it's your life over someone else's who would you save?"

"I think I would have to be in that situation in order to decide what I would do." Matt said. "But I think I would try to save myself and the other person."

"What if you could only save just one of you?" Ember asked.

"I honestly don't know what I would do." He said.

She nodded. "What if the other person tried to kill you then?"

"I guess I would have to kill them but it would be in self defense." Matt said.

"It doesn't matter." Ember said. "Whether it's in self defense, accidentally or whatever you take another life regardless." "Would you be able to live with yourself if you did?"

"You ask strange questions." Matt said.

"I'm a strange person Matt." Ember said. "I though you knew when we met."

"I knew I just didn't know how strange." Matt said.

"Have you ever tasted blood for real?" Ember asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Matt asked. "You mean like drink it like it's a soda or something?"

She nodded. "No that's repulsive." He said.

"No it's not if you taste it every single night and get used to it." She said walking pass him and towards the exit.

Matt walked over her confused and followed her out. "Ember what did you mean by that?"

She stopped. "I mean that if you're drinking it every night it feels like the most normal thing to drink it like a drink."

"I'm confused." He said.

She sighed. "My mother died when I was three it was just me and my dad."

"Anyway my dad become a drunk after her death." Ember said. "He would be so drunk he would beat me cause I looked and reminded him so much of my mother."

"I'm so sorry you went through something like that." Matt said.

"Hey he loved me." Ember said. "He showed me how much he loved me by beating me every night." "He would beat me so hard till my nose would bleed along with my lips and sometimes my teeth would be knocked out."

"I would be lying there barely conscious and I would taste my blood going down my throat." Ember said. "Tasting my blood let me know I was still alive."

"It did?" Matt asked.

She nodded. "Blood is warm and thick Matt." "The taste is unexplainable since you need blood to live it felt like I was coming back to life in a way." "Like it was restoring my life back."

He nodded. "Whatever happened to your dad?"

Her expression changed. "He died in a house fire but I was saved from it."

"So ironic the bastard burned to death and he's going to be burning for eternity in hell." Matt said.

She laughed. "Irony that's how the world turns." She said.

He chuckled. "Guess so." He said and unlocked her door opening it.

After she got in he walked to and got in his side. They drove in silence back to the store where her car was parked. Matt got out walking her to her car.

"So thanks for today Ember it was really interesting." Matt said.

She chuckled softly. "Interesting enough you forgot about your frozen milk melting?"

He chuckled. "Yep I forgot all about it."

They laughed together before stopping. Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering...

Before he could finish Ember leaned up kissing him before Matt could respond she pulled away slipping something into his hand.

She smiled at his expression. "See you soon Matt." She said getting in her car and driving away.

Matt stood there in place though it had been brief his lips tingled from the kiss. Matt looked down and opened his hand.

In his palm was a slip of paper with a number on it and with it was a single red rose petal.