“What are these?”

“For the gentleman,” an old woman states.

I've never seen a woman so old in Eden but as I look around multiple old women are walking up to me. Most the people in Eden are young people. We are in a field. I've never seen it before. It's nighttime but the red sky is redder than usual. All around us are these flowers. Black flowers.

She hands a flower to Justice.

Justice smiles and hands the flower to me, “This is the Black Rose Garden. I wanted to bring you here...”

“It's sad.”

The black roses gather around us. I'm not sure what is more depressing: the black roses or the old women. The old women are all around them watering the roses. The roses have five petals. The roses have thorns. They grow in batches.

“It's not. I promise,” Justice laughs, “Give it a chance.”

He grabs my hand.

I hesitate. A part of me doesn't want to be here. This place is a depressed field right outside of the city walls. I am so close to the walls of Eden that I can see the old buildings start from a few blocks away. The field is small. It's so dark that it seems like we are walking among blackness. It's so ing depressing.

“I don't understand why we're here,” I tell Justice.

The old lady next to me smiles, “A rose for the boy as well.”

“No thanks.”

She walks away at that moment with a tender smile and then leaves.

“Who are they?” I ask, “Why are they old?”

“The old women are called the Proven,” Justice explains, “The Proven are old women who were turned into vampires at a very old age. They work the black garden every year around the time that the seeds bloom. Black roses only grow once a season. It's a rare occasion.”

He says it like this is a big deal.

I shrug, “Why would someone turn an old lady into a vampire? That's depressing to live forever in that skin.”

“You think?” Justice asks.

“Hell yeah. If I'm living forever I want to be in my 20s when I change,” I explain, “Wouldn't you?”

Justice shrugs, “They're reminders.”

“Reminders of what?”

“What it's like to grow old. What it's like to be old. I think Eden doesn't remember for the most part. Everyone is young...forever.”

I shrug, “I don't want to be reminded how it is to look old.”

Justice laughs, “Look at them.”

The women are so cute. A few of them are running around the black roses. They water them and sing with one another. I haven't seen something like this before. I haven't seen this communal sense of being in a while.

“Why are they smiling so much?”

Justice laughs, “I come here every year. Every year they are like that.”

“Happy.”

“Yeah...there is happiness in Eden, you know?”

I shake my head, “And every day for eternity they have to wake up and look at their wrinkled skin and gray hair. These women are crazy...”

Justice stops talking for a while. He grabs me across my shoulder. Together we look at these women wearing crappy clothing. Their hair is undone. We sit there for a couple minutes in silence just taking in the sight. I am convinced watching them that they are crazy but there is something so interesting about all of this. No drama. There is no competition. There is no backstabbing.

This is a part of Eden that I hadn't seen before.

“I don't know. There is something...nice about growing old. These people they've lived their human lives completely. It's something that the vampires of Eden can't really say. Look around. What has changed in Eden from 100 years ago?”

“Not much.”

“Exactly. Vampires don't grow old. They don't mature. They stay the same. It's the same 100 years ago and 100 years from now. Eden doesn't change,” Justice explains, “These old women are needed. They've grown old. Sometimes the length of time you've lived isn't important. Actually becoming old is important. Could you imagine how special that is? Seeing your beauty fade and having to realize that you are this older fragile version of what you once used to be. It's beautiful.”

Justice must have been around these old ladies too long. He was sounding crazy.

“I'll pass on that,” I respond.

I stand off, “Look at me and my father. Look at you and yours. How can you really look at someone as a parent if they are the same age as you?”

I think of Jackson. The idea of him hurts. His betrayal hurts. I am not as competitive with Jackson as Justice is with JB but the relationship is still...odd...

“You think if JB would have gotten old your relationship would be better?”

Justice shrugs, “Who knows? He still has something to prove. It's been 100 years and JB still has something to prove. And in 100 years I will still have something to prove and so will you. It goes on forever. We live forever and we're forever young. I'm not wise enough. That's the thing about not growing old. You get experience if you live long. Wisdom is different. Wisdom is being able to say yes I've done those things in the past but I don't do them any longer. I can give you advice on how to be. Wisdom are these old ladies. Look at them. They come out in their rags. They don't care about looking good. They don't care about or shame. They have nothing to prove. They've proven themselves. They are the Proven.”

I look at the old ladies. They seem so carefree. They are in this field watering these flowers and they don't have a care in the world. They are talking among one another. They are laughing. They aren't giving each other the old vampire stare down I've noticed in Eden. Who their parents are don't matter. The way they smiled at me was almost like they didn't know who my mother was. They didn't care. When they look at me now and wave the smiles are...genuine.

Not a care in the world.

Not a single care.

“Flower for the boy?” one of the old lady asks.

She points at the flower. She has a toothless grin. She has gray hairs under her chin. Her hair isn't long like Nelly, her body isn't tone like JB, her skin isn't as vibrant as Bambam and her eyes aren't as bright as Justice. She is withered. She is old.

She is happy.

“Sure give me one,” I ask the Proven.

The Proven looks at me and smiles, “You have to pick it yourself. It's special.”

“Why?”

“You pick the flower. You watch it die. You're reminded.”

Her words are so simple but there is something so powerful about it. I look at the flower and wonder if there is a power in growing old really. Still I pick the flower. I might as well. I'll never grow old. I'll never look back at my reflection and see an old wrinkly figure of what I used to be. I'll be young...forever and maybe this flower would be the only thing to make me feel like I am growing old.

Maybe this is the only way that I'd truly mature.

***

The next day is work. Justice is working the team extra hard. Candy has healed relatively quickly due to the vampire blood in her system plus the fact that her blood type is O. O Blood types just happened to be stronger, faster, and quicker. Everyone here was an O Type blood except me. If they knew the kind of blood type that I had they wouldn't be wondering.

“You're a horrible shot,” Justice tells me.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I smile at him.

“Look at you. You've been smiling since yesterday,” Justice responds, “You watch your flower die or something.”

“No it's still alive and kicking...I have it in my room,” I explain.

“You see. Just the idea of the black rose is enough to keep you above the bull. Just think –black roses. Anytime you get upset---think black roses.”

It's lunch time. Jackson has surprisingly joined everyone else today at the main table. He's actually talking. I have to admit that I hate it. I hate the feeling of being alone and Jackson being the one to implement himself into the group before me makes me feel...like the outcast.

“Justice come over! Your blood is getting cold,” I hear Mark yell out.

Mark looks over at Justice and I talking. Justice has been standing at the table. Candy, Satyr, Bambam and Jackson are paying no attention to me. They are talking among themselves.

Justice must notice, “You should come over.”

“I'll pass.”

“C`mon. You've been training all day. You should hang out with your team. After our performance last time it's clear we all need to work better as a team,” Justice explains, “Please...for me. You can't say no to this face.”

I look him dead in his face, “No.”

“Fine,” Justice says sitting down at the table that I'm at.

“What are you doing?”

“Including you. Whether you like it or not. You're not alone,” Justice tells me.

“Justice don't...”

It's too late. Justice turns and waves his hands, “Hey guys why don't you come sit over here! It's kind of warm over there...”

The others seem to hesitate awhile when they see me but after getting that good thrashing from about our teamwork from JB it is clear everyone seems to be wanting to be on their good side. One at a time they make their way over to the table. Even Jackson comes. He sits far across from me. Unexpectedly the person who sits right next to me is Mark.

It's awkward for a few minutes and I could kill Justice. What is he trying to do? Why is he trying to include me in things? I'd been the loner. I'd be the outcast.

“So Candy was telling me how she was a horrible shot,” Justice tells me at that moment.

He smiles at me.

Candy shakes her head, “Only under pressure. I'm going to put in a few hours after work this weekend to practice.”

“Maybe you can join her,” Justice states.

I look at Candy. This girl and I had never been friendly in the least bit. Honestly since I came back though she'd probably been the least of a to me. Why not be friendly to her? Why try to push her away if she wanted to.

“Maybe.”

“C`mon,” Candy states, “It'll be fun. We can pretend the target is JB.”

“The rejected lovers shooting at my husband?” Mark states.

“Rejected?” I ask.

“You heard me. It's ok. I understand. If I wasn't wearing the Lucky One I would probably be taking aim at JB as well,” Mark says patting me on the back, “I feel bad for you guys honestly.”