Kingdom of isolation - you can't hide

One ~ Aurora

Aurora

Age 7

I was having a nightmare. It was always the same, Mama and Papa arguing about me and then Mama crying. I didn't like seeing her cry, I wish I could make the tears stop—they didn't suit her beautiful face. She would hide them behind a sad smile but I could tell whenever she cried, those red eyes couldn't hide. And it was because of me, it was always because of me. I jump at the sudden slamming of a door nearby, sitting upright immediately.

"Are you mad at me, Mama?" I ask, pulling the bed covers closer to my chin when I see her slender frame stand near my bedroom door. It's like she knew I would be awake, or she just came over to check up on me. Mama is a beautiful angel with eyes so bright, I can sometimes see the ocean in them. They're not bright anymore, just sad and glistening with unshed tears. Her dark brunette hair shines underneath the light, rippling like tides on a sandy beach. A frown settles on her face as she stares at me with those glistening eyes before walking into my bedroom, footsteps light as feather.

"No, princess. I could never be mad at you." She says to me, brushing the wild strands of hair out of my face before sitting on the edge of my ginormous bed. My room is a chaos of pink and blue because I couldn't decide which colour was my favourite. Blue carpet covers the wooden floorboards, a myriad of both pink and blue is painted on the walls and fades into the ceiling—a beautiful display of the galaxy that glows in the dark. Truly, a chaos of colours. But it's perfect for me. The pink curtains sway against the gentle breeze coming through the open window, the smell of flowers and earth mingling in a pleasant manner. Summer will be coming to an end and soon the lands will be covered in heaps of snow. I can't wait to make my first snowman independently and show it to Caspian, my older brother. He's been away on holiday for some time now and I miss him dearly. Some stupid rules about not following him around with his friends. I'm his friend too..

"But..Papa shouts and says it's my fault." I look down in shame, clutching my bedsheet beneath me. It's true. Papa always gets angry about something and tells Mama it's all because of me.

"You know it as well as I do, Athena. I never wanted this to happen. I promised that dickhead when we made that deal and he's not going to rest until it's done. He's a crazy bastard, I should have known he wasn't going to let it go!"

I heard Papa say once, he was using bad words too which meant he was really angry.

"Promises can be broken, James! I will not hand my baby over to them because of our selfish decisions, and certainly not to him! Anyone but him, please James..we can try talking to them again. Isabella might understand, she has to.."

Mama had cried so hard, unable to finish her sentence. I didn't understand what she meant, why would I have to go somewhere? Did Papa not want me here anymore? My heart hurts for some reason, I don't want to leave..I like being here. But it's becoming a frequent occurrence, they always speak in hushed voices or when they think I'm asleep and it always leads to a bigger argument.

"Aurora..that's not what he meant, honey." She whispers, touching my cheek tenderly. She was so soft like marshmallows, I loved how she smelled like fresh laundry and lilies. It was one of my favourite scents. No, my number one favourite scent—it smelled like home and her.

"Is there anything I can do to make you stop crying?" I ask her, frowning. Mama stares at me before she stretches her arms out.

"Well, can I get a hug from my princess?"

Mama didn't need to ask, I will always hug her. I jump in her arms, my little limbs wrapping around her neck. "I love you, Mama!" I rub my hands on her back soothingly like she does with me. But she's still crying, something doesn't feel right. I move back to see her tear stricken face and I'm on the verge of crying myself.