Glass Flower

chapter one

It was a reoccurring dream for Aurora Gutierrez, standing in a field full of flowers as she watched her father hold a woman with dark hair that flowed effortlessly down her back. Although she could never get a clear view of the woman's face, it was as if the flowers were a reflection of her beauty. The dream would end though, and she would wake up in the same dreary room, in the same busy city. Sometimes she would find herself crying, trying her hardest to hide it from her roommate Nancy Bobofit.

Nancy wasn't entirely awful to Aurora, at least not as bad as she was to certain people. One night Nancy was even nice enough to wake Aurora up from a nightmare she had about the woman with the dark hair screaming (also reoccurring). Sure all she did was pour her water bottle all over Aurora's face, but at least she didn't tell anyone about what happened. She did start a rumor that Aurora wet the bed, but that was only because a padlock was purchased to protect Aurora's most valuable items... like her clothes.

It was her second year at Yancy Academy, the private school for the troubled youth of rich families, or if families got a voucher from the state that their child was bad enough to be there. In Aurora's case, her foster parents convinced her social worker that they thought it would be the best way to help her learn how to "heal from her traumas". Aurora didn't remember much of her trauma though. She didn't even remember her childhood before these last three years.

When she was nine years old, Aurora's father disappeared. She had shown up at a police station, with no shoes. All she had was a backpack that had a stuffed lamb, bank account information with enough savings to get her through college one day, and a picture of her dad. The most significant thing for everyone was a flower pot she held in her hands. They only knew her and her father's names because of the bank papers in her bag. Aurora couldn't tell them anything either, only that she didn't know where her dad was, and that her mom had given her the flower. A nationwide manhunt began for her father, or even for wherever her house may be for clues, but they couldn't find anything. Even the bank that had all of her money, had no address on file for the account, even though it had only been set up a month prior. It was as if her father never even existed.

Aurora was placed in a foster home within a week, Danica and Andrew Fields. They were a young couple, who lived in a townhouse in SoHo. Danica was a freelance photographer, and Andrew was working for some kind of start-up company. Foster care was their way of testing the water of parenthood. For six months, they were great. Danica took Aurora shopping, let her play with makeup, and would even do her hair for her. Andrew was a big believer in mental health, and would take Aurora for special-treat days every Friday, which meant a trip to her favorite ice cream spot. Andrew worked from home, so he even hired a private tutor to come and homeschool Aurora so they could spend more time together. Sundays were meant for family dinner, with all of Danica and Andrew's friends. Two of the other couples had foster kids too, so they would get them all together.
•••••

After six months, things seemed to drastically get worse. Aurora went for her usual special-treat night with Andrew, they went to her favorite restaurant, but her stomach had started to feel weird. She couldn't remember how she got back into her bed, but she remembered Danica brushed her hair out. Danica had also helped her change, Aurora was used to patchy memories, but the memories of her being on her bed with a bright flash happening every so often felt different. She didn't want those memories to come back, so she was forcing them down. Eventually, she let her brain convince her it was some kind of dream. Andrew had explained that she had gotten really sick while they were out, so maybe that made her have some crazy dreams.

For another six months, she kept having that every so often. Until one day, the ice cream fell before she could even eat it. Andrew had stepped outside to make a phone call, and she didn't know what to do. The teenager working saw her drop it, and felt bad because she was on the verge of tears. So he quickly made her a new one, and told her that she could go and he would clean it up. Both Danica and Andrew had acted weird that night, constantly watching her, and asking if she felt okay. Danica eventually made Aurora go lay down, she told her that she didn't look good and needed rest. She had even given Aurora one of her big tshirts to wear. They both tucked her in, and gave her a glass of water, a glass of water that she swore knocked itself over, and spilled behind her bedside table.