Fates Intertwined

28. | Records

"This doesn't make any sense." Aurora stated, staring down at the book. "How would anyone be able to find that information out? And who?"

"Well, we should be thanking them." Zyran expressed. "If it weren't for whoever did this, we wouldn't have known that the person we're looking for is linked to someone you used to know."

"Yeah." She whispered. She fell silent, pondering it as he stared at her. She felt the burn of his stare against her skin, but she ignored it.

"Hey," he called, placing his hand atop hers. But the second they touched, their eyes flew shut.

Flashes of water, of blurred faces, flooded their vision.

"I knew it was you."

"Hard not to."

"I was expecting to see you the day after, but it seems as if you were avoiding me. I mean the city is quite small."

"It's okay; she's a friend of mine."

"Aurora! You're okay!"

"Nice day for a swim, wouldn't you say?"

"Maybe if you know how to swim."

"You don't know how?"

"Did what just happened give you the idea that I could swim?"

Aurora pulled her hand away with a sharp gasp, Zyran looking away as if he couldn't quite piece together what had happened.

"What was that?" He whispered.

"A glimpse of what I've been seeing." She murmured, meeting his eye.

"There you two lovebirds are." Nara announced, appearing around the corner. "If you two wanted some, you know, one on one time together, all you had to do was ask." She bounced her eyebrows, to which Aurora gave her a confused look and Zyran an exasperated one.

"That's not what we were doing." He sighed, picking up the book and carrying it to her and Lina. "Recognize that name?" He pointed.

"Evelyn Mikaelson." Lina read.

"Isn't that the person we're looking for?" Nara asked.

"Remember the girl Aurora asked about?" Zyran raised a brow.

"Which one?"

"Esme." Lina's eyes flashed with recognition as she nodded. "Look who Evelyn's mother is."

"No shit." Nara whispered, wide-eyed.

Lina's brows furrowed. "How would anyone be able to figure that out?"

"Someone's been keeping track of them." Aurora spoke. Their heads turned to her where she stood with one hand on the bookshelf. "That's why no one can find her. Why she's so powerful."

"What are you talking about?" Lina asked, brows furrowed.

"She's rebuilding an entire empire."

"Madden? But her last name is Mikaelson." Nara stated, looking at Aurora.

Aurora took a nervous step forward. "When she was born, it wasn't by Esme. That's why no one knew she was her daughter."

"So she was born from another woman, but she's actually a Madden?" Nara asked, and she nodded.

"Freaky..." She whispered, staring back down at the book.

"Wait, this has her husband and her children." Lina stated. "Both of them."