Saving Aura

Eighteen (Reid's POV)

"I almost have it," Quinn says as she plays with the cords to the video player that she found all of the old videos on. Suddenly, Quinn's hands shot up. "Victory!" She picks up her crutches and sits beside me, now I'm in the middle. Great.
"We need more popcorn!" Nick whines.
"Well then go and make them before the videos start!" Quinn says.
"Fine fine." Nick gets up off of the couch and makes some more popcorn and sits down right next to me again.
"Give it," Quinn demands. Nick passes the popcorn to me, and I pass it to Quinn. The first video begins to play.
"Oh I remember this one!!" I yell, pointing towards the screen.
"Hi I'm Quinn Darby and these are my two best friends! This is Reid Marks and Nick Austin!" Quinn said.
"Dear lord," Quinn murmurs.
"Oh!! This is the one where you decided to film a video!" Nick says.
"And it wasn't the best time for any of us may I add," I say. I turn my focus back to the video. Nick and I are throwing a football back and forth across Quinn's bedroom.
"Would you two stop it and come over here?" Quinn yelled and points to the two seats that were visibly in the camera. I watch myself sit down in the seat to Quinn's left.
"Okay. So I asked some people for some questions and you guys are going answer them!" Quinn said energetically.
"Well you two certainly look like you want to be there," Quinn jokes.
"Oh yeah I know," I say and grab a handful of popcorn and shove it into my mouth.
"Okay. First question. How did we become friends. You both give your best explanation. Go!" Quinn yelled to the screen. "Nick. Go." She grabbed his arm and shook him out of whatever daze he was in.
"I dunno. We just sorta darted hanging out I guess," Nick said looking down a the football and picking at it.
"And there's the socially awkward Nick!" Nick yells.
"You still are socially awkward dumbo," Quinn says.
"What about you Reid?" Thirteen year old Quinn asked thirteen year old me.
"It's a long story."
"Ugh. Just explain it," she begged.
"Quinn. This is boring. Can we go outside?" Thirteen year old Nick asked.
"Fine." The camera clip ends and the next one we're outside. Quinn is the only one in shot and there's a lot of room.
"This is the time I just landed my back tuck," Quinn says. "And broke my leg for the first time."
"Oh yeah," I say and laugh.
"Go," I yelled from behind the camera. Quinn runs and does a back handspring, then a back tuck but then lands on her foot wrong. She falls to the ground and screams.
"Oh my god!" I yell and drop the camera into the grass. You can see fourteen year old me and fourteen year old Nick rush to her. The clip clicks to an end and a photo shows up of me in the middle of the night.
"Where did you get that?" I yell to Quinn.
"Your mom gave it to me when she was cleaning out photos of you. I took them because most of them made me laugh so hard I cried so I told her I would take them and show them at your wedding," Quinn explains. The embarrassing photo of me finally goes away and a video starts up.
"Shhh! We're gonna win! Just don't ruin it!" Nick said to the camera. I was covered in water and so was Nick. We looked around ten or eleven- ish.
"I'm not trying to be loud! It just happens!" I yelled to Nick.
"I'm not loud! It just happens!" Quinn and Nick yell mockingly at the same time and burst into laughter. I rolled my eyes and brought my yeti on back to the screen.
"Whatever. We just have to win against Quinn and Missy," Nick said. We keep walking until we put the camera down and begin to run again. The next clip is in Quinn's bedroom at the age of fifteen or sixteen.
"So I just dyed my hair," Quinn began and ran her hands through her hair.
"Dude, your covered in makeup!" I tell her.
"I don't even know why I liked it that way," Quinn says and shakes her head.
"I think it looks pretty good. I mean it's pretty dark but that was the point right?" Quinn said to the camera. Her hair was basically black for a year after that. I hear a faint call of Quinn's name. She shuts off the camera and another embarrassing photo rolls up of me. I'm basically trying to look cool with ares solo cup at the age of twelve. Nick and Quinn die into laughter.
"Please don't tell me that's apple juice," Quinn says.
"Of course it isn't. I was twelve and it was filled with coke for your information," I say in a matter-of-factly way. The picture rolls away and another video rolls up from when we were five or six. The three of us were lined up in a line, smiling from ear to ear.
"Momma! Just take the picture already!" Baby Quinn yelled.
"I'm trying! Whoops. That's a video," Mrs. Darby said and the video cut off an another one began.
"Dude. This was last year!" Nick yells as I stuff popcorn into my mouth. In the video, Quinn is laughing so hard and I'm fallen over on Nick's hardwood floor. Notebooks and whatnot are sprawled all the way out across the floor.
"So," Quinn began before breaking into laughter again. Nick gives her a look. "Okay. Okay. Anyways, Nick decided to color code h-his-" she broke out into laughter again.
"Notebooks," I finished for her.
"Is it really that funny?" Nick said before the video cuts off. Quinn and I are laughing again, I've fallen onto her and she's fallen over onto the couch.
"I don't get it," Nick says and shakes his head. I wipe away the tears from my eyes that I have shed from laughing so hard. The next clip rolls in. Quinn is siting in her room that was painted black for maybe a few months at most. Her hair is bleach blonde and she has on heavy makeup. Again.
"I think I'm starting to see a theme here," I say.
"And what is that?" Quinn asks.
"You love yourself some heavy makeup," I answer and go back to the video.
"I did," she says.
"And still do," Nick says.
"Do not!"
"Please. Explain your makeup drawer. You have two," I state.
"I think cheerleading did a number on her." Nick shakes his head.
"Speaking of cheerleading," I say and gesture to the tv. The next clip rolls in and we are immediately placed in between our school's cheerleaders Quinn stands in front of it. Talking to someone before they walk out on the field.
"Let's not watch this one," Quinn says and reaches for the remote. I smack her hand away.
"Yeah, no. Not gonna happen." I hide the remote behind my back and continue to watch the screen.
"But why? You guys have seen me tumble millions of times. Why do you have to pick this video?" Quinn whines and crosses her arms.
"We only watch this one because we know how much you can't stand it," Nick says and flashes a smile. Quinn rolls her eyes and we all turn out attention back to the tv. The routine has started. I have to say, Nick and I spent a lot of time sitting at the Gym for her to practice this stuff after school. But it all paid off in this one video. Mainly because it's the most put together thing I've ever seen her do in my life. And it involves cheerleaders so...

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The last clip ends and we all have tear streaks on our faces because of how funny it was. If you were expecting something emotional, you picked the wrong group of people.
"Imma sleep here tonight," Quinn mumbles and lies back down on the couch. Nick and I get up and walk toward the kitchen.
"So where are you gonna sleep?" I ask him.
"Floor," he says and points to it.
"Need blankets?" I ask.
"I know where the are," he says and walks over to the small coffee table and pulls out enough blankets for him as one for Quinn. He throws it on her snoring head and she shuts up. I help him lay out the blankets.

"G'night," I say and head upstairs.
"Night," Nick responds. I walk past Missy's room, still wondering where she went tonight. And then I look across the hall. Aura's room. It felt like some magnetic pull was pulling towards her stuff. So, I let it happen. I sit down and pull out her furry red sparkly suitcases and open the first pocket, revealing a slip of paper, obviously folded more than once. I feel as if I'm invading her space, but she's been in a coma for two months, It's January now. I unfold it.

Dear Aura,
I am princess Madeline. Why am I writing you? Because of Secrecy. I feel as of you have disappeared. I was hoping that we could be friends, especially after what happened with Prince Quinton. And, I am very, truly, sorry for that. I hope it won't ruin our friendship.

Yours,
Madeline Of The Northern Tover

After reading that, the only thought in my mind is,

Who is Prince Quinton?

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A/N: Hi!! So, how was this chapter? Hmm? Things are heating up! I don't know if you guys realize it, but Princess Madeline was in the snippet of the first chapter of Finding Reid! The video is up at the top is of Quinn's cheerleading:)

Oh and I'm so sorry if I don't update as much anymore, school just started!!! So I hope this chapter made up for it!!

Xoxo- Emalee✨