Invisible string | Harlan Briggs

Chapter 001

Aurora Hale had never been a stranger to hardship, but nothing could prepare her for the devastation that had come over the past few years. She had lost more than she ever thought possible, and each day felt like a struggle to hold on to what little she had left. Yet, despite it all, she survived. She had to. Her family's legacy, the last pieces of her identity, depended on her resilience. But every night, memories of the past would rear their ugly heads, dragging her back into a darkness she couldn't escape.

Flashback

The smoke had come fast, overwhelming the house in an instant. It was thick, acrid, and suffocating. Aurora's senses were assaulted by the acrid smell of burning wood, the heat searing through the walls. Her Uncle Peter had grabbed her by the arm, his movements frantic as he tried to shield her from the smoke. He pressed his shirt to her face, urging her to breathe through it, to protect her lungs from the toxic air.

"You need to run, tiger! You need to get out of here!" Peter shouted over the rising chaos, his voice strained with panic.

Aurora's heart pounded in her chest as she shook her head, refusing to leave him. "No! What about you? What about Mum?" Her voice cracked with desperation as she clung to him, unwilling to let go.

"We'll be right behind you," Peter promised, his words forced and shaky, though he tried to make them sound reassuring.

"Go to our safe spot," he added, his eyes hardening with resolve. The safe spot was a place hidden deep in the woods—a place only they knew. It was her only chance for survival, and though Aurora didn't want to leave him, she knew she had to. The urgency in his voice was unmistakable. There was a threat out there, one that could very well take everything from her. And though they had no words for it, both Peter and her Aunt Talia knew that she might be the only one to make it out of this alive.

"Run!" Peter shouted again, his voice cutting through the smoke like a sharp blade.

Aurora hesitated for just a moment, fear rising like bile in her throat, but then she took off. Her legs carried her as fast as they could, her heart screaming in her chest. She didn't stop until she reached the treehouse—a sanctuary she had shared with her uncle since she was a child.

Tears blurred her vision as she crawled into the blankets she had left behind, cocooning herself in the small space, waiting. Waiting for her uncle, waiting for her mother, waiting for the family that had been everything to her. But the hours stretched on. Morning came, but no one came to join her.

The realization hit her like a physical blow. Alone. She was alone. The world she knew was burning, and her family was nowhere to be found. Heartbroken and terrified, she wrapped herself in her thin blanket and forced herself to face the truth.

The fire had consumed everything.

Aurora ventured back to the remains of their home, her steps slow and heavy. She could hear the distant sound of sirens long before she saw the flashing lights. As she approached, she saw the horror laid out before her: the charred remnants of what had once been a home, the bodies of their pack being loaded into ambulances, the mourning of her people.

And then she saw them—her older sister, Laura, and her older brother, Derek. They were holding each other, the tears falling freely, their grief raw and painful. When Laura saw Aurora, she cried out in relief, rushing to her little sister's side.

"Aurora! Oh my God, you're here!" Laura exclaimed, her voice trembling. "Where were you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Derek wasn't far behind. He pulled Aurora into his arms, the tightness of his embrace grounding her in the midst of the chaos. "You're safe now, tiger," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he buried his face in her hair. "I've got you."