Midnight Shadows

Chapter 2 - Sleep, Interrupted

Aurora's POV

Aurora, this is goodbye. Kaede and I don't want to see you. We don't feel the way for you as you clearly do for us. We're going away as we think this is the best, to give you time to get over your childish crush and go on with your life....

I jolt awake and sit up in my bed.

"Jesus Christ." I run my hands through my hair, pushing it back and out of my face.

I turn my head to look at my alarm clock. 4:01am.

I've only been asleep for an hour as I keep waking up abruptly and repeatedly, replaying Kaede and Acyn's rejection over in my dreams. I still remember what it felt like, the crushing tightness in my chest and the intense ache that followed. It took me a good couple years to get over my feelings for them and to go back to a semblance of a life.

As a human girl, I don't know what I was thinking ever going after them like that. Obviously, I thought that something was there that wasn't. A girl's got to experience heartbreak at some point, right?

It's irritating me that they're back in my dreams now that I know they're coming back. My mind is filled with them, or my memory of them. Obviously, it's been ten years, so they probably look different from what I remember, but my memories are all I have currently, so that's what is plaguing my mind and disrupting my sleep.

Shaking my head, I get off my bed and head into my kitchen to grab some water out of the fridge. As I look around my apartment, I'm reminded of Mom and Dad. With both being lawyers, money was never an issue, but they raised us to be appreciative of our wealth and always pushed Davian and I to stand on our own two feet as much as possible.

In saying that, they have given us some handouts, but we had to prove we deserved them through good behaviour and helping at their firm, among other things.

They bought Davian and I our own apartments when we each turned 20. Davian is three years older than me, so he got his first with his custom-built music room for all his instruments and jamming with his friends. When I got mine, they custom built me a studio room to practice in. We live on the same street and can access each other's apartments, but we respect each other's boundaries and obviously don't go over uninvited. Well, unless it's an emergency or Davian just wants to bug me like he did earlier in my studio.

My parents don't really approve of my work, or where I work, but at this point they know they can't change my mind. I'm an adult now, and I can work where I want, and Devour is where I fit in.

Placing my cup into my sink, I make my way down the hall and walk into my bathroom and flick on the light, wincing slightly at the brightness. I look over myself and sigh. Aside from the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep, I'm happy with my style and appearance. I run my fingers through my dishevelled long hair, taking note that my green dye is fading. My hair is naturally black, so it doesn't look bad now that it's grown out a bit, but I really love my green hair. I've had it for years and always gravitate back to it. I blow upwards to get my bangs out of my face.

I should touch that up soon, and get my hair trimmed.

I have big bright blue/green eyes, full lips, long eyelashes, and a smaller round shaped face with small features. I have piercings on both nostrils, with small black stone studs. My tongue is also pierced, and I have a few sporadic tattoos here and there. My biggest one is my half sleeve on my left arm that is a dragon winding itself around my wrist and forearm.

My style has changed a lot from when I was younger, and even though I don't want to admit it, Kaede and Acyn leaving jump started that change. Kaede and Acyn were both tattooed and pierced, so naturally I initially thought I was having some sort of life crisis, being attracted to the darker side of myself, but I realized that I had never felt more alive and more authentically myself until after they left and fully embraced it.