A Thorn Amongst Roses (Rosstillo family) ●

[Alexander Rosstillo]

It had been a long, hard winter to say the least of things and it didn't seem like it was going to let up anytime soon. For someone who loved flowers and the sounds that came with spring, winter was a rather depressing time and thus Alex had taken to spending most of his free time in the Rosstillo's spacious greenhouse that could have honestly been mistaken for a large cottage due to its size. It was warmer inside for one and they had almost every kind of flower blooming as if spring had arrived early. The greenhouse was Alex's sanctuary and where he was able to do his best thinking away from the chaos of the main house.

Today however, Alex had a different plan for today however and was rather excited to see what his sisters' reactions would be when they saw the surprise he had in store for them. He was going to turn the greenhouse into the perfect place for a picnic and make all their favorite foods. Had anyone else seen how clearly excited and giddy the boy was, they would have thought that he was planning the perfect date instead of a special outing for his sisters. The preparations had already begun with the order for a feast fit for the princesses Alex insisted his sisters were and would be treated as such. With several bouquets of roses in his arms, Alex set about tossing the rose petals throughout their rooms before creating a trail that led to the hallway, down the stairs, through the parlor, and outside to the greenhouse.

There they would find a perfectly laid red checkered tablecloth on the ground complete with a candelabra in the center, perfectly matched china settings (because simple paper plates were hardly suitable for princesses), and a couple bottles of sparkling cranberry apple cider already chilling in the ice chest. Rose petals would be scattered around the tablecloth as a clear indicator that this was the surprise that they had been waiting for. The basket of food would arrive shortly as he had instructed the chefs but in the meantime he would get to work on the flower crowns for each of his siblings. Everything had to be perfect, and Alex certainly hoped that his sisters would appreciate the effort he had put into surprising all of them. It was hard to keep a secret in a house with seven other siblings after all but it had been easier considering that he had been able to do most of the planning at school in his dorm room.

When it came closer to time, Alex lit the candles in the center of the tablecloth along with the trail of white candles that lined the rose petal path to the picnic area. With this done, all he had to do was wait for his sisters to find the rather obvious clues he left for them while he finished making the crowns. This final piece of the puzzle was finished in record time and each crown and garland was placed in the appropriate place before Alex found a good hiding place where he could watch his siblings' reactions to the scene he had so painstakingly created.

~~~

Avery Rosstillo
Jacqueline Rosstillo
Angelique Rosstillo

[Angelique Rosstillo]

It wasn't long before Angelique Claire Rosstillo stirred in her bed. She was a light sleeper and she'd been vaguely aware that someone was in her room not too long ago. She'd thought nothing of it at first. Her twin and younger sisters always ended up in each other's bed at some point at least once a week. Or she herself would end up with one of them. It was usually Jackie, her twin in her room, or vice versa. Even their older brother Alex was not safe. Though their parents frowned on that practice with the older girls nowadays. So knowing that, she simply rolled over to make room for whomever was needing to snuggle that morning. She'd drifted off again, but something wasn't right. No one had snuggled, yet she could smell the faint scent of roses, so someone was there. Maybe someone didn't want to wake her and was simply sleeping on the other side of the bed? A queen bed had lots of room, after all, and the latest technology of memory foam and gel made it so one could be undisturbed even if another person climbed in. She wondered which one of her sisters had gotten the wonderful rose shampoo or body wash. She so had to borrow it for her bath later. She reached out under the covers with her arm and still, there was no one there.

She scent of roses tickled her nose, and she knew someone had been there. Had they left because she fell back asleep? Problem was, she was expecting a snuggle, so now she wanted one. She sighed, her eyes still closed. 'So unfair. Why leave?' She thought to herself. There was nothing to be done but to seek out someone to snuggle now. There was Avery across the hall, but her twin Jacqueline was right next door through the shared bathroom that had the two entrances.

"MmmmMMMmmmph" She moaned softly as she threw off her down comforter and rolled to the edge of her bed. She swung her legs over and sat up. A yawn escaped her as she stretched her arms up into the air. It was too damn early, as far as she was concerned. Getting up at ungodly hours during the school week was bad enough. On the weekend she, and the most of the rest of her siblings, slept in till almost noon. She brushed stray hair our of her face and behind her ear and rubbed her eyes. She kept them closed though. She didn't want to wake up too much. There was more sleeping to do, she was sure of it.

Angie stood, wobbling slightly. She tugged at her pink nighty to straighten it, and her bare feet felt something unusual, but she kept her eyes closed as she stepped forward. The Rosstillos had a rather unique heating system. Unlike conventional forced air or radiator heat, It was the floor that was heated, so no slippers were needed anywhere in the mansion. She'd made the trip to her twin's room from her own in pitch darkness and her eyes closed dozens of times. She put one wobbly foot in front of the other and walked straight through the open bathroom doors and into Jackie's room.

She didn't ask for permission, that would be silly to wake Jackie. Angie just lifted the covers and slipped into Jackie's bed and snuggled her twin by snaking her arms around her and pulling her close.

But something was still amiss. With her face in her sleeping twin's hair, she smelled the raspberry shampoo they shared. But that rose scent was still in the air. How curious. "J-Lynn... I keep smelling roses" She whined softly and rolled over, pulling the covers with her by mistake. Her violet orbs opened to glance off the side off the bed and at the floor. Angie had to rub her eyes again. For a second there she thought she saw red rose petals all over the floor. When she glanced at the floor again the petals were still there. She tried to sit up, but was too close to the edge of the bed and ended up gasping a "MEEP!" as she fell to the floor with a thump. "Owwwwww!" she moaned. She sat up and scooped up some petals in her hand. She took one and softly rubbed the red petal between her fingers. They were real. She was obviously not dreaming. Not after having fallen out of the bed. One did not feel pain in dreams.

"J-lynn?" She mumbled a call for her sister now. "There are rose petals in your room" She said more clearly and she didn't wait for a response. Angie leaned forward onto all fours and slowly crawled forward and slowly followed the petals into the hall. She giggled at what she saw outside the door. She saw the trail of petals went into every room and down the hall. A smile on her lips, she scurried on all fours back into Jackie's room before putting her feet under her and rushed into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, put her hair into a ponytail and rushed into her twin's room to see if she'd woken. "Jackie!" She shouted out loud and jumped on the bed to wake her. Angie straddled her twin "Jackie!, wake up! Its wonderfull!. Hurry!!" She said excitedly and bounced off the bed and rushed out into the hallway. She knocked on all her siblings door on her way down the hall and down the stairs.

Angie slowed when she got to the bottom of the grand staircase. "Curious indeed" She whispered. The petal and candle trail did not lead into the family room, living room, dinning room, or even the study. It went left instead in the direction of the back yard and as she followed she stopped and.. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. The greenhouse was in that direction. She squealed and jumped around excitedly knowing that her dear older brother Alexander had a hand in this.

She loved her brother. He'd always gone out of his way to keep her and her sisters happy. She could always count on him for help with whatever she ever needed. As a child, he'd been an indispensable playmate and guardian. She even enjoyed competing with him in pageants, even though he'd outstaged her in a few. It was all in fun, after all.

Stepping out into the moist tropical air within the greenhouse in her night clothes was a bit weird at first. There was a fleeting thought of going back and dressing properly, but it was short lived as she continued forward regardless. A gasp would escape her as she came into view, of not only her brother, but what he'd prepared for her. Her hands covered her mouth as she walked forward into the prepared picnic area.

"Alex...." She called out to him. "Oh my god.... This is so amazing!" She exclaimed as she marveled at the decor.

[Jacqueline Rosstillo]

Jacqueline was a heavier sleeper than her twin sister, and therefore she hadn’t noticed when the door to her room had been opened. The smell of roses was vague in her sleep-laden mind, but if anything they would simply cause her to have dreams about roses rather than wake up. It was a pleasant scent, so it wasn’t one that she felt the need to stir for. Typically even if one of her sisters crawled into her bed in the middle of the night, which seemed to be happening right now, the brunette didn’t really stir. She simply pressed back into the figure that she instinctively knew as her twin’s. The very slight upset in her breathing would be righted almost immediately as the girl fell back into unconsciousness.

This wouldn’t last long, however, as her sister’s voice hit the air mere seconds later. Roses…? What about them? She could smell them too, but the scent didn’t awaken her curiosity in the same way that it had Angelique’s. As the covers were tugged off of her and that cool air hit her bare legs, she woke up even more. “Go ba-” her words were cut off by the sound of a small crash, and her sister’s little squeak. Her brows furrowed, her eyes cracking open just slightly. Again with the roses? Why did it matter? “Li…” She murmured, closing her eyes again as she jerked the covers back over her form and breathed out softly.

She fell back into a deep sleep within seconds, all of her sister’s movements didn’t wake her as the other girl went about getting ready. It would be the bouncing on her bed that finally pulled her from sleep again, and the excitement in her twin’s voice that caused her to open her eyes. “Ange… what are you…?” Her sister seemed to be gone before she could formulate a question, and she could hear the knocking on her siblings’ doors as the other girl made her way down the hall.

She forced herself into a sitting position with a groan, knuckling her eyes as she attempted to wake up. It was rather early, wasn’t it? She wasn’t sure, but it felt early. With a sigh, her legs were thrown over the side of the bed and she stood. She made her way into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, though she wouldn’t bother with her hair. It was short, so besides looking slightly mussed, it didn’t look too bad. She made her way across the hall, her shorts whispering against her thighs as she pushed the door to her younger sister’s bedroom open. “Ave…” She whispered, peering into the darkness. “You need to get up.” She stated, turning away from the door to follow the trail.

She was still knuckling her eyes and stifling yawns as she made her way down to the greenhouse. It hadn’t yet occurred to her that the rose trail had been laid by her older brother. She was still half asleep, and it would take hearing her twin’s excited words and her gaze falling on him before she realized. She gasped a little, her face brightening slightly as she looked from him to the picnic he’d set up. “It’s beautiful…” She murmured as she wrapped her arms around her twin’s waist and leaned forward on her. Ah well, Jackie wasn’t exactly a morning person, so it was going to take her a bit to work up excitement.

--
Avery Rosstillo

Oh yeah, since this is a family thread everything she says is in French unless otherwise specified~

[Avery Rosstillo]

Vibrant lights flashed in time with a heart thumping beat. Colors of all hues and saturations thumped with music singing in the air. People of all shapes and sizes moved and sang to the up beet tune. There she was, approaching the crowd. There she was, earning their attention as soon as she was in range. There she was accepting the hand of a tall dark and handsome who had made an elegant bow in her direction before asking for this dance. There she was, front and center catching the eyes of everyone else in the room not just because she could dance! Because she caught the man of the evening! They were all jealous, and she was relishing it! Spinning, twirling, laughing along with the music she was! Suddenly there was knocking. Her eyes gazed about the room, but everyone was watching. No one was moving anymore, but the knocking had continued. Suddenly the world was pulling away from her, and in a panic, she squeaked!

Blue eyes flickered open, and Avery stared uninterestedly at the fuzzy world before her. Light had already begun to pour into her room reflecting off the pink, white, and yellow of her foot board, dresser, and armoire respectively, but for someone who could easily sleep till noon on the weekends, it didn’t faze her much. Rolling onto her side away from the window, she shut her eyes again rolling her fingers slowly through strands of golden hair soothingly. The motion had a history attributed to her mother, and as it had when she was much smaller, it retained the effect of making her calm and allowing sleep- that was until her door opened behind her and someone spoke. Blue eyes opened again, and though they couldn’t see who had entered, Avery could tell whose voice it was. A soft groan escaped from the girl at the insistence that she needed to get up. Before she could ask why, however, footsteps had retreated, and Avery was aware she was alone again.

She contemplated attempting to sleep regardless, to continue the good dream she was having. However, some part of the girl was legitimately interested in why her sibling (s?) were up so early, and after a few seconds of mental willfulness, she slowly forced herself up. Stretching slowly and running her fingers through her hair, Avery sifted out of bed. Unlike her sisters before her, rather than go running down the hallway or whatever was going on, she perpetually ignored the flowers scattered about her room and went about a very brief but daily routine. Brushing her teeth, fixing her hair, and changing clothes, she stared in the mirror a bit longer than necessary before deeming herself decent enough to leave her room.

Just as Avery was about to walk out into the hallway, her familiar decided to make an appearance before her, flicking into existence all too normally. Watching as it shifted through three different forms before settling on a ring, she held out her hand and allowed it to float onto her finger gracefully. Glancing down at it an watching the gem take the color of fine yellow with a hint of gold, she smiled pleasantly before continuing on. It was only as she got to the hallway that Avery actually noticed the flower petals. A hint of confusion came to her features before the girl started to trail after them. Walking slowly through the manor before finally outside to the greenhouse, she stopped just short of entering, instead hesitating as she caught sight of her sisters ahead of her. Clasping the greenhouse’s archway, she leaned against it looking in inquisitively.

[Alexander Rosstillo]

It hadn't taken long for his sisters to start to arrive with Angelique running into the greenhouse first. Her excitement was so adorable that it was all Alex could do not to come out from hiding place right then and there. Next to arrive was Jackie who still seemed sleepy but she had noticed his efforts at least. Alex couldn't blame her honestly, it was rather early after all and not everyone was an early bird like he was. All the same, it was nice to see that everyone liked what they saw which made him happy to see that his efforts hadn't been in vain. The last to arrive was Avery but unlike the twins, she stayed just outside the greenhouse and merely peeked inside. Ah well, now was as good a time as any to come out from his hiding place.

Stepping out from behind the bushes he had been hiding in, Alex walked over to where Avery was first and foremost before he gently took her hand and kissed the back of it before smiling gently at her. "Welcome Princess Avery, would you care to join us~?" Alex asked after a moment as he gestured to the awaiting picnic area where Angelique and Jackie were already waiting. If permitted, he would lead her into the greenhouse thereafter but if not then he would simply let go of her hand and walk over to where his other sisters were waiting.

"Welcome, dear princesses~,"Alex said in an almost sing song voice as he bowed to his three siblings,"Come and sit, food shall be along shortly but first, princesses must have crowns,"he continued before picking up the flower crowns that he had so carefully made and placing them on each of their heads along with the garlands he had made. "There we go~, now would anyone like something to drink?"he asked, gesturing to the picnic blanket once again as he awaited his sisters' response.

~~~

Angelique Rosstillo
Jacqueline Rosstillo
Avery Rosstillo

[Angelique Rosstillo]

The arms that wrapped around her waist from behind were no surprise. Angie knew it was her twin Jackie, even if she'd not spoken as she did it. She wrapped her twins arms with her own and held them to her tummy as she turned her head to the left and leaned it back and kissed her twin on the cheek. "Isn't it?" Angie agreed and then her eyes caught movement and she leaned her head back over her twin's shoulder as she spied the blond girl behind them at the entrance. "Ave!" Ange called out, raising a hand behind her to wave her over.

Her younger sister Avery was being kinda shy for some reason, and was holding back and lingering at the entrance. Angie was about to go get her with Jackie, but it was not needed. She saw Alex emerge from nearby bushes and walk towards their little sister and knew that he had everything under control. Angie admired her big brother for his suave and grace. He always knew what to do and what to say, at least to his sisters, anyway. Angelique straightened her head and whispered "hang on, Jax" right before she straightened, bent her knees and leaned forward, pulling Jacqueline onto her back and then reaching her hands behind to grasp her legs and heft her into a piggyback ride. Angie giggled and took the final steps to the edge of the blanket before setting her twin down. "You've gained weight." She teased playfully. "I shant be outstaged. I'm going to eat twice as much today!" Angie declared with a laugh. She really had no clue, but she liked to tease.

Their brother approached and welcomed them all with a bow. Angie giggled and curtsied. "Why, thank you, prince charming." Angie responded in a similarly sing-song voice. "I am honored." She finished and then embraced him briefly.

The invitation to sit and promise of food were well received as she did just that, though she regretted not slipping on some shorts as her sister had done. Her siting positions were limited. Angie gasped and at the sight of crowns. She beamed up at her prince as he placed it atop her head. I was so beautiful! Better than the finest gold or most precious stones. She couldn't help herself. Angie teared up. She stared up at his green eyes. "Al...." she squeaked and then shook her head unable to form any words past the lump in her throat. She fanned herself with her hands, trying to keep tears from falling before she remembered she'd not applied any makeup. "Thank you" she whispered and took her place on the picnic blanket.

Angelique loved playing princess. Dad would do so often, but that was before the box. It had been a while, and she didn't realize how much she missed it till just now.

Jacqueline Rosstillo
Avery Rosstillo
Alexander Rosstillo

[Jacqueline Rosstillo]

A soft sigh of contentment ushered forth past the girl’s lips as her sister leaned back against her. The other girl’s weight was supported easily as she leaned forward as well, each supporting the other as was so normal both physically and emotionally with the girls. Not to say that she couldn’t find support in her other siblings, but she and Angie had an understanding of each other that simply came with being twins. The brunette couldn’t see her younger sister from the angle she was standing at, obviously, though she had assumed that Avery was behind her either way. She had woken the other girl up, after all. She was left wondering why her sister hadn’t already entered the greenhouse, but before she could vocalize anything, Alex emerged from his hiding place. A warmer smile appeared on her features as her eyes followed him, though Angie’s instructions had her distracted quickly enough.

Arms were wrapped gently around her twin’s neck as she was hoisted into a piggyback ride. A soft giggle left her lips, and her feet swung back and forth for the moments that she was lifted. It was clear that the girl was finally beginning to wake up. At the very least, she was waking up more quickly than she would have for most other occasions. Once they reached the blanket, she slid off with ease and grace, her bare feet touching the ground lightly. Her sister’s tease would receive a light elbowing to the other girl’s ribs if she didn’t move out of the way. “It’s muscle weight.” She insisted, sticking her tongue out briefly.

As Alex bowed and welcomed them, quite unlike her twin, Jackie would fall into a sweeping and over-exaggerated bow much more traditionally suited for a man than a woman. What could she say? She wasn’t exactly in the mood to give a tiny curtsy, what she had done seemed much more appropriate. “Why thank you, my gallant prince~” She responded, her features positively glowing as the flower crown was placed upon her head. Thereafter, she would fall unceremoniously backwards onto the blanket next to her sister. “They’re beautiful, Lex~” She stated, though she would become distracted as her twin started fanning at her face. A small laugh was given as she started waving her hands in front of Angie’s face as well, seemingly attempting to ‘help’ her. "And I would love something to drink~" She grinned up at her brother.

--
Avery Rosstillo