Rose knew she was lucky to get her job at the local flower shop, but she preferred to just blame it on fate. Her name, after all, was Rose. Where better for her to work than in a place filled with her namesake? The fact that she absolutely adored tending to plants and the meticulous work of creating arrangements was only a happy coincidence. Getting the job right out of high school was a miracle, honestly, and with her amazing boyfriend ready to be at her side when she went off to college in the fall, it seemed like everything was going right for her.
After a long -- but very enjoyable -- day at work, she was walking home down a different path than usual. Normally she’d go along the main roads and maybe even stop in the ice cream shop if she felt like it, but there was construction and everything was a bit crazy. Luckily, she’d lived in that town for her whole life, so she knew the path she needed to take to get home without running into any grumpy tourists upset that the road upkeep was stopping them from getting to the tacky music festival in the next town over. Sure, she passed through a more dilapidated section of town, but it was a good place and she wasn’t afraid.
About ten minutes into her walk, the sound of a car coming caught her attention and her attention only grew more intense when it slowed to a stop right beside her. It didn’t look like one she was familiar with, but she’d never been any good with cars anyway. As the window rolled down, her eyebrows rose but she gave a polite smile regardless. “Lost, sir?” That was the easiest explanation, especially in a tourist town like the one they were in.