𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙶𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎

"I'll roast you a marshmallow, Rory," Aaron was telling me.

He must've been five, and I was two. I beamed up at him, holding hands with Ella, who was three at the time.

All of us had gathered together that summer, and the sun had just set. Our fathers had created a bonfire. I was in a black dress, and my hair had been pulled into a ponytail.

Lena and Adrien were running around, playing tag around the fire. Stephen was sitting off by himself eating a s'more.

Nazeera and Haider were talking about something, and the twins had gone to our parents to get more marshmallows.

Aaron and Emmaline walked over to me, the two of them speaking to each other about something I couldn't hear. Aaron handed me a plate with a roasted marshmallow on it, and I started eating it.

"Thanks," I chirped. He smiled, ruffling my hair.

Without warning, there was a crash and yelling. I looked around, feeling panicked. I saw my father storming over to us. I walked over to him, thinking I could see what was wrong.

I bumped into his legs, and his face filled with fury. I only had a chance to feel a small twinge of fear before his hand had swiped down and abruptly pushed me backwards.

I remember screaming as I hit the flames, but mostly I remember the severe pain. I could feel my skin literally melting off.

I could hear yells of panic all around me from the adults, and some of the other children crying. After only a few seconds, someone had jumped in, grabbed me, and pulled me out.

One of the adults poured the water jug onto me, which put out the remainder of the fire. I looked up to see who had rescued me.

"You're okay, Rora," Emmaline said.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Aaron's POV

      He was insane. She was only three years old. She'd turned three today. He hadn't even started on me until I was five.

    My mother and I had heard her screams from across the house, and by the time we got to her, it was too late. I wanted to kill him for what he did to her. I really truly hated him.

    Now, my mother was fixing her up. Mom wasn't crying like she usually did. Instead, she looked defeated, and empty.

     Aurora's loud sobs were now just quiet whimpers. She was shaking, and I was trying to keep her distracted while our mother stitched her wounds.

"Do you want me to read to you tonight?" I asked her. She sniffled, nodding her head. I smiled, kissing her forehead.

"W-When does it stop h-hurting?" she said through hiccups.

"Soon," I lied, trying to smile. "It goes away soon."

      I made eye contact with my mother, and I realized I'd never seen her so depressed before. I could feel her despair, and it was too much for me.

"I'll stay in your room tonight," I promised Aurora. She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Aurora's POV

     My mother had put my golden hair in two braids that morning and I had been dressed in a black dress.

          I was four years old, sitting beside my dad's desk, watching him do his work. I could tell he was getting frustrated with my presence.

         I liked watching him work. It was the only time that he was calm; not yelling. He normally just let me sit there and watch, but today he had little patience.

"Aurora, I need you to leave me alone," he told me, messaging his temples.

"Daddy, why do you hate us?" I challenged, glimpsing up at the man.
 
      His eyebrows furrowed. He sighed, picking me up and setting me on his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and hid my face in his neck.

"What makes you think I hate you?" he puzzled.

         I yanked back and pointed to my burnt arm, and then pointed again to the bruise on my cheek. 

"Rory, I did that to prepare you for the world," he described. "I'm trying to protect you. Make you strong."

"So, you love us?" I quizzed, my eyes widening.

"Darling, what have I told you about letting your emotions control you?" he asked. I gazed down at my lap, feeling tears in my eyes.

"Me and Aaron love you and you don't love us back," I blubbered. "It's not fair."

"Don't cry, you're too old for that," he warned me.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, bursting into tears.

      My cries were loud, and I tried to breath through them, but it was erratic at best. He sighed running his hand through his hair.

"Aaron!" he called. My brother strode into the room, seeming concerned. "Your sisters crying. Take care of her. I can't stand to be around her
right now."

"Yes, sir," he nodded. He paced over and picked me up, setting me on the ground. "Come on, Rory."

         He took my hand and led me up the stairs into my bedroom. He sat down on my bed and set me on his lap.

       I started crying again, and he wrapped his arms around me. He let me cry until I was finally done. I pulled back and wiped my eyes when I was done.

"You feel better?" he wondered. I nodded. "Good." He leaned down and kissed my nose. I giggled, jumping off my bed.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

"Rora!" Emmaline exclaimed, running to me as I sat by the creek.

We were in the stiff dresses and tights our mothers dressed us in. We had managed to sneak out. We usually weren't allowed near the creek.

"I picked these for you," she announced proudly, handing a bundle of violets to me.

I smiled, taking them from her and kissing her on the cheek fondly. She blushed, staring down at her feet.

"Thank you," I said, the first words I had uttered in a few days. Emmaline's face lit up when she realized I was talking again. "They're beautiful."

"They reminded me of you," Emmaline admitted. "Why weren't you talking this time?"

I shrugged. She moved my hair away from my neck, revealing the cigarette burns. Emmaline knew everything, and I never understood how. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. I smiled.

"Come on. Let's pick more flowers," she decided, grinning. "I want to get some for Aaron and Ella!"

Emmaline and Ella were visiting for the summer. I was so excited, because we'd never spent more than a month together before.

I watched her run ahead of me, her neat braids bouncing up and down. I glanced down at the flowers in my hand and pressed them to my nose.

"Come on, Rora!" she called back to me. I smiled, running after her.