Aurora's Secret

T W E N T Y O N E

I awoke to an empty room that stunk of familiarity. It was the room I had been kept in before for all those years. Those jerks were so smug that they were confident enough to takes us back to the same darn building and believe we wouldn't be found. The sad thing was that was probably true.

I slowly sat up on the dirty old couch and glanced around the room. It was an absolute mess in here when I wasn't around to clean the place up and just seeing all the dirt made me cough from the bad smell and suddenly I heard footsteps from the door to this room. A knock sounded as they grabbed the handle making me jump and I flattened out my school skirt and that was when I was reminded that I hadn't changed clothes since I got ready for school yesterday morning. I cringed at myself and then prepared for whoever was behind the door.

It slowly opened and I took in a breath. "Hello?" My voice was but a whisper and I wished so hard that the floor would just swallow me whole. Unfortunately it didn't.

Eric's old and twisted face appeared and then I was shown someone was thrown over his shoulder and I suddenly remembered how they had taken Ashton too and I got excited but as he came closer and put whoever it was down on the sofa beside me, my face fell.

It was Kendal. And he didn't look well.

"Now you're back you can get back to work and as punishment, you get to care for this weakling until he recovers." Eric demanded as he clapped Kendal round the shoulder causing him to groan and stir in his unconsciousness.

I cringed at Kendal, my split mind half waning to help but half wanting to run but I nodded out of fear as Eric snarled at me and left the room. Just before he shut the door I called out to him. "Wait! Eric!"

He stopped mid stride, slowly turned around to me and raised an eyebrow.

"He could die, you know. Taking him out of hospital after being shot just yesterday." I said quietly, avoiding his eye contact.

"Good thing you're here to stop that happening, then." He rolled his eyes as he continued to try and leave the room.

"You always tried keeping us apart. Why would you allow us together now?" I asked loudly, so he would hear. Though he had left the room, the door was still being shut and he called back.

"Because now we know." Was all he shouted back before the door was slammed shut. What was that supposed to mean? That he knew Kendal had tried to help me escape and now we would both be hostages to stop it happening again? I then cursed myself for wasting my time talking about Kendal when I should have been asking about Ashton. I sighed and threw myself back onto the couch as I was reminded Kendal was sat there, still groaning.

His eyes fluttered open and they caught mine. "Hey" His voice was rough.

"How are you feeling?" I asked softly as I hoped really hard that he wouldn't remember anything.

"Awful." He groaned as he tried to lift an arm to his torso where soaked bandages were. I guess that's where Ashton shot him and my hand jumped out of my lap to his.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." I whispered, unable to remove my eyes from his bandages.

"Yeah it is. If you'd have just stayed with me..." He began coughing and wincing hard in pain but when finished and relaxed he caught my horrified expression and chuckled. "Okay I'm sorry. I know you just wanted freedom, but have you learnt your lesson now?"

"Of course I have. I'm never thinking about my selfish needs again because it keeps getting everyone within a ten mile radius in trouble." I said shaking my head.

"It's not that." He moved his hand slowly so his fingers clasped mine. "It's just everyone is out to get you. And my job has always been to protect you. You can still do what you want as long as it involves you being safe."

My forehead creased at his words. He had said that a lot. That all he was ever doing was protecting me but was it true? Apart from him trying to fulfil this role in messed up ways... I suppose it was with good intentions. "My dad said I'm safe now though. The gang members don't exist anymore."

He tilted his head. "Really?"

"Yeah he says they shut down a while ago." I wanted to carry on talking but I stopped myself.

"Did he... say anything else?" I guess he was referring to my dad telling me everything.

I took in a breath and decided I was going to tell him. "Yes. He told me everything starting with the day I was born. And I know that you guys refused to give me back, you're as bad as the gang members." I spat.

"I'm sorry, if it makes you feel any better I only found out the day I tried to help you escape. I decided it really wasn't right for us to keep you even if you would be safe out there and so I thought we could run away together." He sighed and my mouth fell open.

"That... helps a little. But I just wish you had told me. Maybe I wouldn't have run away..."

He scoffed. "So It's my fault you left?"

"No!" I tried my best to let my face show I was being honest as I squeezed his hand lightly. "That was my thought process and my fault. Just, tell me stuff in the future."

He had become rigid in his chair, one of the first signs that meant he was about to flip out but he relaxed at my words and he let out a breath. "I'm sorry, the medicine I'm on isn't helping me think straight."

I smiled. "I can think for you."

He squeezed my hand back. "You know, I really am sorry about everything, including my moods. I know how anxious you get when I... turn."

I beamed a warmer smile. "It's okay. I'm tougher now and I have the sweet you to help me through."

He smiled back and we sat in each other's silence but comfortably.

"Kendall, what happens now?" It was a question I had been thinking and asking a lot and I still didn't know. The original way to solve that was to run away with my dad but that most probably meant leaving Ashton who was somewhere here probably being tortured.

He turned to look me in the eyes. "We escape again."

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