[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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Today was my Seany's fourth birthday. It started bright and early, and by the time we'd made it through the morning, I was feeling about thirty. Jesus Christ, was it possible to feel old at seventeen?
We'd been setting up from dawn, filling the place with balloons, banners, and a Bob the Builder cake that, frankly, I thought would've impressed Bob himself. The house was a shrine to Seany's favorite construction worker—teddies, pillows, even posters lined the walls. His face lit up like it was Christmas morning, grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen him happier.
In the middle of all that chaos, I got some news: school had officially scrapped the skiing trip to Andorra. Just what I needed to hear today. Dickheads. Instead, we're getting a winter ball. And I can't lie, I was a little excited—maybe even more than a little.
To top it all off, it's Halloween, and later tonight we're heading to Hughie's birthday party. Talk about social overload. I was already running on fumes. Jesus Christ, my social battery was flatlining.
So, there I was, barely conscious, trying to pull together an outfit before I crashed altogether.
I was sat in my room getting ready, putting the finishing touches on my Megara costume from *Hercules*. Gibsie, of course, was going as Hercules himself, and I had to admit—to say I looked amazing was an understatement.
My hair was styled exactly like hers, with that voluminous, high ponytail, courtesy of a trip to the hairdresser earlier. I wore a long, flowing purple gown that clung perfectly to my body, with one shoulder exposed and a gold belt cinched around my waist, pulling the look together. A gold cuff bracelet adorned my arm, and I had strappy sandals to complete the ensemble. The dress had a thigh-high slit, just like Meg's, making me feel both elegant and powerful.
"Aurora—are you ready?" Shannon called from behind the door just as I stood up, giving myself one last look in the mirror.
I opened the door to find her in a long, white dress with delicate angel wings. Juliet.
"You look amazing, Shan," I smiled, pulling her into a hug.
"Have you seen yourself, Rory? You're gorgeous!" She beamed, and just then Johnny and Gibsie appeared behind her.
Johnny smiled warmly, draping his arm over Shannon's shoulder. "You look really nice, Rory," he said, nudging Gibsie.
The perfect Romeo and Juliet, I thought—minus the tragic death part.
"Jesus Christ, you look... wow," Gibsie said, his eyes sweeping over me from head to toe.
I smiled, glancing at his Hercules costume—complete with the brown gladiator armor, a red cape, and sandals that went up to his knees. "You don't look too bad yourself," I teased.
"You both look like tools," Tadhg quipped, gesturing at Gibsie and Johnny with a smirk.
"Yeah," Gibsie sighed. "When your girl comes to you with matching Halloween costumes and puppy eyes, what can you do?"
Tadhg didn't respond, though, because he was too busy gawking at Joey, who had just appeared in the doorway, dressed as the Joker with his neon-green hair slicked back. "What did they do to you?" Tadhg gaped.
"Don't fucking start, kid," Joey growled, striding into the kitchen. "Just grab your bags, and let's get this over with. I dropped Aoife and AJ at her parents' place, and I told her I'd be back in an hour to take her to this stupid party. Let's get this trick-or-treating bullshit done nice and snappy."
"You think I'm going trick-or-treating with you looking like *that*?" Tadhg asked, horrified. "I'd rather shit in my hands and clap."
"Tadhg!" I scolded, shooting him a glare. "Language."
Joey barked out, "You heard Shan, mind your language, kid." His tone was more commanding than mine, and like clockwork, Tadhg straightened up, muttering under his breath.
Little shit.
"You look really nice, Rora," Joey said, his Joker scowl softening into a smile as he pulled me into a hug.
Proud sister moment right there. He looked so much better than he did a few months ago.
"Ah, would you look at all of them," Edel gushed, stepping into the room with Darren trailing behind her. "Aren't they only gorgeous?"
"You all look brilliant," Darren offered with a smile. Turning to Joey, he added, "Looking slick, Joe."
Joey responded with silence, completely ignoring him. Awkward.
Darren shifted, sighing as he turned back to me and Shannon. "You look beautiful, Shan. You too, Aurora."
"Thanks, Dar," I smiled, grateful for the distraction.
Shannon echoed my thanks, offering him a small, shy smile. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
"Nah, I'll just hang here with the boys," he replied.
"You can come to the party," Claire blurted out from the other side of the room, then quickly laughed when she was met with horrified looks from Johnny and Joey. Gibsie faceplanted his hand in embarrassment. "I mean, it's cool if you want to swing by for a boogie."
Thankfully, Ollie trotted into the kitchen, saving her from further awkwardness, with his foster dad following behind. Dressed in a slick designer suit with sunglasses perched on his nose and his hair slicked back, Ollie announced proudly, "I'm a barrister, like my dad."
Oh my god. My heart.
The room fell silent, and I felt tears pricking at my eyes. Jesus Christ, how could one little boy say something so innocent and make the entire room melt?
Edel broke the moment, clapping her hands together. "Alright, everyone, gather round for a photo. Give me your best smiles! You too, Darren, love. I want this one for the wall." Her voice wavered slightly, thick with emotion, but she hid it well behind a wide smile.
