WHEN SOULS COLLIDE [ONGOING..]

CHAPTER 1: Goodbye Mother..

It was early Saturday morning. Birds could be heard chirping as they flew about. As the sun rose, its rays reflected through Aurora's bedroom window making it impossible for her to stay asleep. She stirred in her bed, facing away from the window as her eyes fluttered open.

She lay in bed looking around the expanse of her room. A room she shared with her little sister, Anastasia. It was her silly attempt at trying to memorize her room before she had to gather everything she owned.

She sat up rubbing her eyes as she tried to estimate how long it would take her to get everything packed and ready before she had to head out. "Good morning, Rora," her sister called to her as she got out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom.

Aurora stood up following her but she stopped by the threshold and leaned on the door with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her wash her face before reaching out for her toothbrush. "You are up early," Aurora stated eyeing her sister through the mirror.

Anastasia proceeded to put toothpaste on her brush before turning around to meet her sister's gaze. "I thought it would be nice if I got up early to help you pack," she said, her eyes flickering with excitement.

Aurora scoffed as she moved towards the sink to wash her face. "What happened to not wanting me to leave?" she asked as she dried her face with a towel.

Anastasia rinsed her mouth and toothbrush then turned to her sister who was already staring at her expectantly. "Well, I figured I could either stay mad at you for wanting to leave us or I could make the most of the time we have left," she said shrugging her shoulders. "I hate that you are leaving, but I don't hate you," she wrapped her tiny arms around her older sister, hugging her as tightly as she could.

Aurora chuckled as she tried to pry her off of her. "Well, I'm not leaving for another five hours. " She held her at arm's length and leaned in assessing her eyes for any trace of sadness. "It's not easy for me either but I have to work to earn a living."

"Why can't you find work here? Mom said you haven't tried finding work in Iowa. I heard her tell dad that you want to live in Los Angeles and forget about us," Anastasia said, her voice breaking.

Aurora raised her eyebrow, moving away from her sister to brush her teeth. "Did she now?" she asked before popping her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Yes. But I asked Chris why he thinks you want to go to work in Los Angeles. He said it was because you've always wanted to go and it will make you happy," Anastasia said looking down at her hands. " But I know that no matter where you go, you will always be my big sister," she added before walking back to their shared bedroom.

"That's true, Ana. Thank you for understanding," Aurora said smiling to herself at her sister's maturity. After she finished brushing her teeth, Aurora walked back into their room where her sister had just finished changing out of her pajamas and was now making her bed. She walked towards the window and drew back the curtains allowing the morning sun to illuminate every corner of the room. She stood there for a minute closing her eyes as she felt the warmth radiating from the rising sun.

"When did you become so responsible?" Aurora asked her sister as she opened the window.

"You say that like you are talking to a baby. I'm twelve years old and you know damn well mom likes it when everyone cleans up after themselves," Anastasia retorted.

"Language!" Aurora scolded as she walked up to her sister, swatting her at the back of her head. "We don't curse in this house."

"But you do it all the time," Anastasia complained, rubbing the back of her head.

"That's one of the reasons why I'm moving out," she stated curtly. "Now go and eat your breakfast, tell mom I'll be down after I'm done packing."

Without any hesitation, Anastasia walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She had learned not to argue with her sister when she was using her serious voice.

Aurora opened her wardrobe, pulling out her suitcases. She had managed to pack all her clothes and shoes last night before she went to bed. She had purposely left a few things on her dresser and in their shared bathroom to try and hide how eager she was to leave. But deep down, she knew that she wasn't fooling anyone.

She shrieked thinking of all the things she would see and the places she'd go. She was beside herself with joy and she wanted nothing more than her family to be happy for her. Her parents on the other hand, were mostly disappointed in her for leaving. They believed that her obsession with moving to the Los Angeles was nothing more than a lust for shiny things.

The morning she read her letter to the family was still fresh in her mind. "Must you go all the way Aurora? We understand that you don't want to be a farmer like your mother and I but you should at least be proud of how hard we work to provide for you and your siblings," her father had stated angrily.

"It's not about being embarrassed by you or mom and you both know that. Why can't you just be happy that my dreams are coming true? I'm going to be a doctor in one of the best hospitals in Los Angeles. Why can't you be happy for me? Just this once, act like you are proud of me," she had tried to explain.

"See how she talks back at us Jeffrey. You've spoilt her. You let her have anything she wanted. Let her go. Let her go wherever she wants," her mother had spat bitterly.

She shoved her makeup and hair products into her backpack along with the books that sat on her night stand. She picked up the framed picture of her and her family and ran her thumb over it. It was taken during her senior year of high school. She remembers almost walking in on her mother telling her father that she had been diagnosed with a serious heart condition. She remembers because it was the day she decided to be a doctor.

She knew that part of the reason her parents didn't want her to leave was because they were worried that if something were to happen, she wouldn't get back to them in time. She debated leaving it behind out of spite. But she knew that she would miss them and calling them would merely be enough to make up for the distance between them. She put it inside her backpack and made her bed before taking a shower.

Once she was dressed, she double-checked to make sure she hadn't left anything behind that she would need. She slang her backpack over her shoulder and dragged both her suitcases with her. Once she was through the door, she looked back at the room and sighed before closing the door and heading downstairs.

There she was met by the cold gaze of her mother who immediately turned her back to her without a word. Aurora scoffed and moved to give her brother a side hug before returning her father's half smile.

"I'm going to head out now," she announced studying her mother for any kind of reaction. She remained by the sink, looking away from where Aurora was standing. "Goodbye everyone," she declared before hugging her little sister and giving a curt nod to her father. She grabbed her father's keys and threw them to her brother.

"Can you drive me to the airport, Chris? I couldn't get an uber and I don't want to be late," Christopher nodded getting up and grabbing her suitcases from her which he took outside and loaded them onto the back of the truck. "I'll leave him some gas money," she said to her father.

He waved a hand dismissively. "No need. The tank is full. I figured you might need it. Travel safely my child," he said before walking up to squeeze her hand.

"We'll miss you, Rora," Anastasia piped up but the sadnesses in her voice was evident.

Aurora walked up to her and hugged her tightly before kissing the top of her head. "I'll call everyday," she comforted. She let her sister go and walked towards the door. She paused by the threshold and without looking back, she said, "goodbye mother."