A Fresh Start

Chapter 9 • 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

❅◐𝗔𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩◑❅

"We shouldn't have binged that Netflix serie last night," Serena yawned and stretched before facing me.

"But the cliffhangers made us want to watch more." I giggled whilst rubbing my eyes slowly.

"I can't wait to watch the last 20 episodes tonight. We ended up falling asleep." She spoke before going into the bathroom.

"Are you showering first?" I called out and her loud hum confirmed it. On the ground chat, people had decided to have a treasure hunt whereby we go through the forest light with the help of a map. The first people to find whatever the treasure was would get a huge reward.

After Selena was done freshening up, I went in and started my own routine. I did it as fast as I could then changed into some shorts, a plain black t-shirt then some grey Nike sneakers.

I tied my hair up into a ponytail then applied a minimal amount of lip gloss. Serena had also worn a black t-shirt with shorts but with black Nike sneakers.

Many people were already downstairs, conversing and having breakfast at the long, rectangular table. Camille was on Zack's laps, eating her own pancakes and chatting enthusiastically to Sabrina. I couldn't see Corey anywhere.

"Good morning Aurora." Mason smiled as Serena and I descended the stairs.

"Morning." I chirped before taking my plate full of the thin, warm delicacies then drizzled some syrup over them as well as a generous spoon of whipped cream.

"Has anyone seen Corey? Can someone please go and look for him? This couch is too comfy," Isaac called out. He was one of the laziest people in the group.

"I'll go." I volunteered since no one bothered to.

"Lifesaver. Thank you Sleeping Beauty." I rolled my eyes playfully at his choice of nickname. After taking another bite of my food, I went outside since it was my first assumption of his whereabouts.

I could hear some mumbling from the backyard, awakening my curiosity instincts. I tiptoed on the ground, making sure not to step on any dry leaf.

I hid behind the wall before carefully peeking over it. My heart dropped at the scene that was unfolding in before me. It was Jenevive and Corey, locking lips without care in the world. Something about this made me want to scream my lungs out on rage but on the other hand, it gave me a wake up call. We were strictly friends.

I turned back to walk to the house, not bothering to call him as per requested by Isaac. All these thoughts made me forget that I was supposed to be as quiet as possible, resulting in me stepping on a large leaf with a loud crunch.

My body froze and my heart started racing like crazy. I heard them murmur between themselves and I seized that as the opportunity to escape as fast as possible before they saw me.

"Did you see him?" Isaac questioned once I had walked back into the house.

"Um no, I didn't see anyone. Maybe he's, I don't know. Try and call him," I felt a tad bit guilty for lying.

"It's unreachable. I'll see him when he shows up, thanks for trying." I nodded at his statement then went back to eat my food.

"Aurora, are you okay? You look a little pale," Serena whispered, her eyes watched me with concern.

"Of course I am. What makes you think I'm not?" I took a large gulp of my coffee, nearly choking on it.

"Uh-huh. You know you can talk to me right? I won't tell a single soul," she put her arm on my shoulders as I shook my head.