Black Roses, Silver Thorns Prologue

Epilogue- Present day July 9, 2052- 44 years later

It’s been forty-four years since I almost got married to Daniel. My hair hasn’t changed color even though I am sixty and my hair should be gray. Kataro pointed that out to me shortly after I began telling you my story. I don’t think the Princess of Hell took all of my Vampire blood. Then again my hair color and my eyes are the only things that haven’t changed. I think I’ve matured a lot since that day.

A week after the wedding I called Lily and Noah to talk to them for the first time since my first wedding with Daniel. It took a lot of convincing from Kataro, Angel, and Cameron but I did. My parents weren’t happy that I was Human at first but once they met Kataro they eased up. My mother absolutely adored Kataro. My dad thought that he was okay for a Werewolf. Family biases still exist. My mother and father are now in the grave. I visit them quite often. I like to tell my nieces and nephews stories about them and the way me and Kataro came to meet.

Jessica finally got married to Darien Thorn when she was twenty-one and had a stable job in journalism. After I had ventured out and lived among Humans everyone began getting more comfortable with the idea. They learned to control their hunger until they were only eating animals. I went to her wedding and even sat in the front row. I helped design Jessica’s dress. She didn’t want a white dress like I wore. So I designed a black dress with threaded on silver thorns. She was delighted with it. I told her that it represented a life long promise come true. When she wore it up at the altar I almost cried. Kataro, then eighteen, held my hand and told me that she was going to make a great wife. When the wedding was over Jessica came up to me and hugged me. She had news to tell me. She was moving to Japan. I screamed with her for what felt like hours. Today she is a mother of one daughter and a grandmother of two grandchildren. Her daughter Catherine Isabella Thorn married a young man by the name of Justin Lewis. She named her daughter Kairi Andromeda Lewis. She named her daughter Kairi after me. Her son’s name is Sirius Alexander Lewis. He is such a cutie. Jessica is now fifty-seven and lives with Darien in Japan.

James grew up to get a degree in psychology. One of the many reasons he fell for Katrina Evans. She was fresh out of college and was in a grade lower than him. He asked her out on a date and after that it just clicked. He was so excited two years after graduation he proposed to her. She accepted and they were married. I designed the same dress for Katrina as I did for my sister. Katrina and I became really good friends after she married my brother. My brother and I had a four way call with Jessica and Michael everyday. We were as close as we could be. Katrina gave birth to one child. His name was Caleb Evans. His dark hair was his best feature. He grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps. At college he fell in love with a girl named Alex Luminous. I really like Alex. She was a nice girl with a good background maybe even a bit wolfish you might say. I am sad to say I didn’t design Alex’s dress. Her mother did. It was a beautiful white dress covered in opals.

Michael turned out to become a very successful young man. At age twenty he developed a career in web page design. That’s right my little brother was a computer geek. He ended up falling for a girl when he was thirty years old. Her name was Melody Stone. She was like me a Hemophage. Michael weaned away from eating Human’s and discovered he could feed on animal emotions like his dad. Melody and Michael were married after a year of dating. Melody wore the dress her grandmother got married in. Melody gave birth to three children of her own but had no grandchildren to speak of. Her two boys Garrett and Ash ended up taking a trip to the Amazon rainforest and haven’t been heard of since. Her little girl Ariel to this day hasn’t gotten married. Michael doesn’t talk about his family much anymore.

Alex Riddell stayed in love with me. I invited him to the wedding only to see that he dyed his blueberry hair blonde. He tried to convince me to leave with him. He said he could turn me back into a Vampire and we would be happy together. I had to refuse. He eventually bleached his hair blonde and joined a pop band The Fangs. What was even more ironic about it is the whole band was a group of three Hemophages who ate human food. Alex Alan Riddell was the lead singer. Justin Raymond Bane was the drummer and Rosalina A. Taylor played the electric guitar. Alex ended up falling fast and hard for Rosalina and ended up marrying her. I never heard about what happened to Emily. Alex named his first daughter Rosella A. Riddell after my middle name. Alex and I to this day remain good friends. The Fangs first hit was written by Alex. It was called Violet Eyes.

Next is Daniel Andrews. I didn’t keep in touch with him. My brother told me all of this. He ended up being hired by the FBI to help them catch criminals. I thought it was a fitting job for a Vampire since we are so easily hidden. He went to Japan on his first mission and fell in love with a woman named Kagome Lee. They got married and she joined the spy business. They thankfully didn’t have any children. That would be just what this world needs a miniature Daniel.

Then there is me. My reality feeling dreams stopped after I became Human I have lived a long happy life with the man I am in love with. Kataro proposed to me on my twenty-second birthday. I was so happy I cried. That day I almost got married to Daniel again didn’t count us as officially married. So he wanted to make it official. Kataro started his own self defense studio and took in young Werewolves who didn’t have a home or a family. Cameron and Angel (whose real name is Odette) got married the month after Kataro and me. I got my teaching degree and started to school second graders. I often found students who I suspected were Werewolves or Vampires. I normally simply pulled them aside and told them my story. All of my students loved me for being straight forward and honest. Kataro and I had a total of 4 children and six grandchildren. My boys were named Mathew Jordan (now 39), David Paul (now 36) and Eric Jeremy (now 26). My daughter’s name is Belinda Jewel (now 41). My children have always been close to the rest of my family. When I found out that my three children were Werewolves I was so happy. Now there were six instead of three. I was so glad that I had ran away from my wedding because without that I wouldn’t have this.

Jessica and Cameron ended up not having any children. Jessica was fine with that but I think Cameron wanted a child and grandchildren. They currently are vacationing in Italy. They have remained close friends to our family to this day.

I have learned by being with Kataro. I have learned how to love. That is the greatest thing he has taught me. The second greatest is wishes come true. We have overcome a lot together but the greatest thing we have over come is death.

The last thing I want to say is keep your mind open. True love may be behind you or right in front of you. Take a chance and a risk. Live life to the fullest and don’t regret the things you’ve done. Kataro has taught me all of that.

The other night was our wedding anniversary. Kataro cooked a dinner of fish and French fries. He was still an amazing cook. For our anniversary I got him a new pocket watch. He handed me a long thin box. I opened it and saw a small card. It read:

To the love of my life and the highlight of my dreams, I’m not sure how we met through our dreams but I am grateful for that day. On this day I wanted you to have something special a promise that no matter how far away we are nothing will separate us. What better way to do that then how I did when I first made you a promise.

Love,

Your husband, Kataro Jeremy Ishiyama

I put down the card and examined the white box. I pushed aside the tissue paper the looked for what was inside. It was a long tissue covered flower shaped item. I slowly unwrapped the tissue paper that was around the shape. Once the tissue paper was off there was another layer. I looked at Kataro and he chuckled. He looked like he was forty instead of sixty-one. Werewolves age surprisingly well. I started unraveling the second layer of tissue paper and tore it off. Then I gasped. It was beautiful. I leaned over and kissed Kataro. Then I took my anniversary gift out of the box. It was a black rose with two silver thorns.