(authors note: hey guys, welcome to Osiria Rose! This is my first time really writing a story so excuse my improper grammar/language. Always accepting feedback so feel free to make suggestions! Oh and, this novel is written to someday become a comic, however I am awful at drawing so if you are interested or know anyone who is interested in doing a collab as an artist to turn Osiria Rose into a comic, please email me: kaylayh05@gmail.com One last note, remember that the story is told by 24 year old Delilah as a flashback, but later skips to the story of her present self. I'll be noting the chapters that are flashbacks so don't worry! Due to this way the story is told, it'll be very long. Expect updates 1-3 times a week though so it won't be too excruciating😂Alright, enough of me, go enjoy the novel!)

Prologue:

Why do some paths cross only to part? I’ve walked along this path for 24 years now, through all the hills, the dips, and the sudden sharp turns. I now walk along the cobblestone road of the city park, the sweet smell of fresh cakes from the nearby bakery reminds me of an earlier time on my path. The memories come to me in a soft jaded yellow hue. I can almost feel the bright sun, beads of sweat, the sharp wind whistling past our ears, racing as fast as our legs could carry us, and the sound of sneakers slapping against cobblestone. The sound comes to a sudden halt as we stand outside the bakery entrance, licking our chapped lips. Laughs of friends, some yelling “You were last! You have to pay for the cakes!”as a schoolgirl with bright red shoulder length hair arrives, out of breath. I turn around, feeling at peace surrounded with those figures of my youth, until I see his face. The face of the boy next to me would always instantly increase my heart rate tenfold. Everything about him embodies perfection. His perfectly messy hair and deep mesmerizing eyes. As always, it took my breath away as he flashed that grin that I knew all too well. I could see him mouthing something, it seemed as if he was saying

"L-”

"Li-”

"Lily!” a voice screamed, but it wasn’t his. I suddenly shook out of my reminiscing daze as I turned around. In the cold evening November breeze, I saw her, the girl with bright red hair, now faded into a light auburn, and grown to her waist. “What the hell are you doing standing in the middle of the path? It’s freezing!” And it once again hit me, it was just a memory, I’m way farther down my path now. I can’t go back there, back to him. But he’s on my mind so often, that I often think he’s still here, with me. It takes me back to that one part of my path. It all began the first year of high school, 10 years ago.

Click-click-click, went the sound of my heels as I walked away from the taxi. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on me, all I could hear were whispers in the foreign language I barely understood. My chinese drama shows on Netflix were not paying off as much as I thought they would. I couldn’t tell what they thought of me, but I knew they knew i’m different. It’s not like I’m ridiculously gorgeous or anything, nor am I especially ugly. I was relatively short, 5’3” or so, but I looked 5’7” with my heels and my hair. My hair was a whole other story! Unruly brown curly shoulder-length hair grew from my head, that is held together with a lot of Shea butter products and gel. It is extremely poofy, especially with the humidity, the locals probably think it's more like an animal than hair. My face and body were relatively pretty though. However, I think, the one thing that really stood out about me when I stood there at that stoplight was my skin. My father is of British descent while my mother was born in  west Africa. So of course, I my skin is the color of a cup of hot chocolate half full of milk. As I looked around, I was definitely the only non-fair skinned person on the whole street. “This is nothing like America” I whispered to myself. My name is Delilah Rosewood, I’m 14 years old. I lived in Kenya, Rwanda, and for the past 7 years, Maryland. However, I got recruited by one of the top modeling agencies in the world, LiWei Managment. Once I received the email, my family and I were excited of course! But then we realized, I would have to live in China in order to really make my career bloom. So, my mother enrolled me into Zhihui international academy, one of the top Chinese international boarding schools. Speaking of which, I soon saw the golden plated sign, next to the grand gate. As soon as I walked through the entrance, I was mezmerized. The campus was gorgeous! There were 7 modern style glass buildings I could decipher from the virtual tour I had taken a couple months prior. 3 on each side, and the largest one was in the middle. I walked down the driveway towards the academic building. My heart beat faster with every click of my heel. I knew I had arrived late, and everyone was in class, as I walked into the lobby of the academic office . I scanned aroun the room for the secretaries but only spotted a girl in the back corner instead. She had short bright red hair, matching her short red school skirt and blazer. I noticed she was anxiously scribbling something on a crumpled loose leaf in her lap. It seemed as if she was writing numbers. I watched as she wrote "$-15,000" in frustration. "This girl...is she in debt? Maybe I should-" I accidentally whispered. But before I could finish my thought she peered I noticed she peered up at me. Her big green eyes holding my gaze. Instantly her eyes flickered from anxiousness to joy. But if you looked closely you could see it was a mask, much like a crack in a building, a sliver of despair was peeking through.

"You must be Delilah Rosewood! Pleasure to meet you in jasmine, but all my best friends call me Jazzy so you can too!!!" She stood up shouting. Jeez this girl is loud. How annoying.

"Nice to meet you" I muttered shaking her hand.

"I'm your tour guide today, and your new bestfriend at Zihui! Feel free to ask me anything okay Lilly?"

Hah, Lilly? That's a new one. This girl really has no boundaries! Whatever let's get rid of her ASAP "of course!" I responded in attempt to feign joy. Oh lord this is gonna be a long year...

(Authors note: please give me feedback I don't really know how to write too well or anything😅 And I promise it will get interesting, but it's mostly introductions until chapter 5!)