[COMPLETED BUT WONT LET ME PRESS THE COMPLETED BUTTON AHAHHA]
Aurora Lockheart was once the sunshine girl-bright, kind, and full of life. But one night changed everything, leaving her a shadow of who she used to be.
A year later, just as she's be...
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Jesus Christ, my whole body felt numb. I swear to God—what the hell had happened? My chest tightened as I tried to remember, but my mind was a haze of confusion and fragments. I struggled to make sense of it.
"Aurora?" A man's voice cut through the fog, soft and gentle, pulling me back to reality. I blinked, the harsh fluorescent lights from the monitor beside my bed making the room feel sterile and cold. Hospital. I was in a hospital. Again?
Not again.
"The fuck happened?" I groaned, my voice raspy and strained. Pain shot through me as I tried to sit up, my muscles weak and uncooperative. I winced, instantly regretting the movement. My body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
Darren sat beside me, his hand wrapped around mine like he was afraid to let go. His eyes were red, swollen with unshed tears, and John, Johnny's dad, was sitting in the other chair, silent and somber. They both looked exhausted, drained. Like they'd been there for a while.
Darren leaned forward, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you remember anything that happened?"
I shook my head, anxiety bubbling up in my chest. "No... what's going on?" Panic crept into my voice. My heart raced, and my breath quickened, making my ribs ache with each inhale. Something was wrong. Something bad.
Darren's grip on my hand tightened. "There was a fire, Aurora. Dad—he set the house on fire. You were the only one who didn't make it out right away."
"What?" I stared at him, my mind reeling. The words weren't registering. "So where are the boys? And Shannon—oh my God, they're dead, aren't they?"
"No, no," Darren quickly said, his voice trembling as he tried to calm me. "They're okay. Johnny got Shannon and the boys out, and Joey was already outside when it happened. No one knew you were still in the house."
I let out a shaky breath, relief mixing with confusion. "But... who died? And why the hell was Dad back at the house?"
Darren opened his mouth to answer, but John cut in, his voice low and heavy. "No one knows for sure yet, but the house was covered in alcohol and petrol. The stairs, the walls—everything. The fire spread so fast. You're lucky, Aurora. Really lucky."
Holy fuck.
I'd survived a house fire? Jesus Christ, was I immortal or something? Teddy Lynch 0, me 2. The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I'd survived, but the weight of it settled in slowly, like a dark cloud wrapping around me.
"So... Dad's dead?" I asked, my voice quiet now, the shock setting in.
Darren's face crumpled, and John nodded solemnly. "Yeah... and Marie passed as well," John said, his voice barely a whisper.
I stared at them, feeling the weight of those words sink in. My dad was dead. Marie, gone too. I swallowed hard, my throat tight. I should've felt something—anger, grief, something. But all I felt was numb.
