Vivian's Circle Conspire and Shadows Crawl in the Dark

"What! Vivian that seem excessive!" Marissa said in shock at the revelation that her idol had hired an assassin to take out Derren. They were meeting meeting in their cheer coaches office since she offered it to them if they ever needed it,

"It might have been, but the die has been cast. That family's not going to back off once the contract is made. That's why I was told by my father to be absolutely sure what I was doing before I wielded this power. I used it to protect us, I can't have any regrets now."

"Still we could have apologized for what we all did to him. Maybe we could put everything behind us."

"Can it Marissa, Vivi's already made her choice. Besides he's a man with the power of a god. You heard what Flo said, and you saw what happened to our friends. They're over there mewling at that creeps feet, and they got probably the most mercy he's gonna dole out." Caroline pointed out.

"She's right, I don't know what Mia did to end up in the position she's in though. You'd think she'd end up like poor Chelsea. Let that be a warning to you Marissa, you could end up like Chelsea if you're not careful that's why Vivi' doing this." Kaley interjected.

"Plus he already tried to get me! I was just out for a casual date with my boyfriend, and I escaped a fate worse than **** by a hairs breath! A few second later that I don't notice him I could be a drooling cock **** for him too!" May says incredulously.

"Fact of the matter is we don't really have a better option here Rissa. He's too powerful for a bunch of bitchy high school cheerleaders to take on. However, a professional killer is another story, he'll never see it coming. That'll be that, it is really the only move we have left, and god help us if it doesn't work." Robin spoke while staring straight at Marissa.

"But still **** is..."

*SLAM*

Vivian slammed her hand down hard on the desk in front of her making Marissa, and a few others, jump.

"Enough Rissa! What about this is hard for you to understand! You saw what he did to Mimi, Flo, Jess, and worst of all Chels and Garth! Who else needs to go down before you realize that something has to be done to stop him! Our backs are to the wall here Rissa, we can't be fucking around because of your bullshit."

"Yeah I know but..."

"BUT WHAT!" Vivian hissed.

"I know we won't be pulling the trigger and you are the one bank rolling this not us, but it feels as if I'll, no, we'll have blood on our hands because of it."

"Urrg, look it's not like I don't get how you feel, and maybe I should have known better than to tell you, but we're here now. The ball is moving and you need to be ready Rissa."

"I"

"I understand"

"Good, in the meantime keep your distance talk to any of us if you feel you're in danger, and avoid being alone for longer than you have to." With that Vivian adjourned the meeting.

Rose walked through a dark and quiet corridor and was fuming. She was part of the family and she worked her ass off to prove that she was the best. Any mission she was assigned would be a sure fire success. She knew it, father knew it, and mother knew it. Her sisters couldn't compare to her brilliance, ingenuity, reflexes, decision making, accuracy, and most importantly killer instinct. If they respected her then why would they do that to her, and give her this assignment for peons. She knew the client was that Rathford brat, she'd seen her once before in passing. Rose remembered going with father to the Rathford manor to train how to show respect to a long standing client. When they were making their way into Mr. Rathford's study she couldn't believe the impertinent little princess she saw. She was whining about some such rich little girl bullshit, and her father was giving into everything. Rose always remembered that moment, and spent the few free moments she had observing Vivian as they both got older, if she was to serve at the feet of the future Rathford heir she wanted to know who her lord would be. She'd been disheartened for years now that her fate would likely be tied to that little idiot in the not to distant future, but she still clung to hope. She hoped that somewhere along the line Vivian would wisen up and be responsible. She hoped that she wouldn't be the family member assigned to their generational benefactor. She prayed that if she did get called by them she'd be called for something meaningful that would be befitting her talents. Instead she got everything she didn't want, assigned to the Rathfords, Vivian was still a spoiled idiot, and she was already misusing the family to kill some random guy from her school. Rose was pissed when father told her about it and she barked back which was a mistake and she knew it. When she got back to her quarters she was already there, mother.

"Good Afternoon Rose."

"Mother." Rose said with a nod. Mother wasted no time and soon had Rose by the throat.

"Why did you embarrass me in front of father, my dear rose? Why do you make me do this?" Mother's grip was now tighter on Rose's throat. Rose, however, knew after 18 years of life in the family to not raise a hand against mother.

"Need I remind you what your role is?" She eased up enough to allow rose to have some movement of her head. Rose used that opportunity to shake her head from left to right.

"Good then what is it my dear?" This time she came enough off her throat to allow speech.

"To bloom in crimson and wither in silence, Mother." Rose recited while looking down, not daring to make eye contact with mother.

"Then where in that sentence did it say you could talk back to father and make me look bad?"

"I have no words Mother, please forgive me."

"Haaaaa, well your young and stupid so you made a careless mistake. Plus it will be your first unsupervised mission soon, so I guess I can let you off with just 100 lashings."

"Thank you mother you are truly gracious." Rose and mother silently walked into Rose's quarters. The damp, dank air that had been present in the corridor existed here too. The room was about 8'x 8' and had walls of concrete. There were no windows, no a/c, no heater, and no personal effects. The only things that existed in this room were a bed that wouldn't look out of place in a jail cell (on second thought prisoners most likely received better beds) and one bureau in which her meager clothes reside. From that same bureau she pulled out a bullwhip. She turned to mother and bowed her head.

"Are you pruning the garden today mother?"

"The weather seems perfect for it my dear."

With out further fanfare Rose dropped to her knees her pale white skin scraped against the concrete. As soon as she settled onto the ground she removed her shirt and moved her long, straight, raven black hair to the side. She presented her back to mother, which was scared heavily by years of mothers diligent gardening.

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

The whip cracked across Rose's back as flesh separated from body. Her A cup breasts jiggled slightly from the impact. Her emerald green eyes look ahead stoically as she had no more tears to cry, and no more heart to care about this anymore. Instead her glare was that of a hungry eagle eyeing easy prey below. In other words the icy gaze of a killer. Her body was as near skin and bones as one could be without it actually being a life threatening situation.

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

Another crushing blow rang across Rose's back. This was the punishment bestowed upon unruly children in the Bloom Family. The young are either breed into this hell or **** as an infant. No one knew which they were so they were "Family". Once a child is age 5 they are given to a handler who is to be called mother. That mother raises them throughout their time in the "Budding Garden" which is a school for the Bloom Family children to bloom into crimson, or an assassin's school. They will go through hell for their mother who was a crimson flower that had success and was deemed worthy to by their father to become a mother and train the next generation. Fathers were still a bit of a mystery to Rose other than they are the one's in control of the Crimson Flowers and they give the orders. The two things she knew were the obvious that her real name wasn't Rose, and that the probability was very high that neither mother or father were her actual parents.

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"What were you plucked from the garden for?"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Because I had blossomed, mother."

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"And what are you?"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"I am a Crimson Flower."

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"And what does a Crimson Flower do?"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Bloom crimson and wither in silence."

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Again!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Bloom crimson and wither in silence!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Again!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Bloom crimson and wither in silence!!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Again!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"BLOOM CRIMSON AND WITHER IN SILENCE!!!!!!!!"

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

"Good, you are such a good girl Rose. I don't like doing this to you anymore than you like me doing this to you. But a flower should look pretty in my garden, and only look pretty."

*Whu-PSSSSSH*

Rose sat in silence as mother gave her all the lashing she had promised. Rose fell asleep that night before her first mission and dreaded having to serve under such an arrogant brat. What did she know of hardship and struggle. Soon her consciousness faded. It was going to be a big day for the budding Rose even if she did hate her client.