Aurora

Chapter 2

It took me a second to even process what he had been saying. Then I understood that he was saying my parents are dead. He had to be joking. Yes, that had to be it. My parents must be trying to get me to believe it by having my grandfather come down and act all downhearted. I didn't know why they'd do that, but my parents couldn't be dead. Wow. They had almost gotten me too.

"Ha-ha, very funny. You know that is a really crappy joke to play on someone. I mean, geez."

"Alexa. This is not a joke. Your father died in a car wreck on his way to work, and your mother was shot by a man who attempted to break into your house." the words from my grandfather were sharp,"I would not say that just as some prank, you know that."

My breath started to shorten, become shallow. I did know that. My grandfather was not the type to make practical jokes at all, much less ones about his own family dying. I really couldn't fathom why he would say my parents were dead unless - well unless they were dead.

"No. No, no, no, no. They can't be dead. They can't be," I collapsed further into the couch. The words felt wrong even as I said them. I stood up and spoke with more force, "You have to be lying! My parents can't be dead!"

My grandfather came up and wrapped his arms around me, "It's all right Aurora. I promise it's alright."

"How the hell is this alright?" Both my grandfather and the counselor were at a loss to answer this

I just collapsed into him. What else could I do really? I sniffled, and tried to make my next words less shaky, "S-so, what happens next?" I failed.

"You're going to come and live with me up at my house in Alaska."

"But, what about my life here? My friends, my house, my stuff? What about my schoolwork?"

"I have hired a team to move all of your things to my home. And while you are there, there will be tutors who will make sure you are well educated. And you can still call and text them. And at least once a year, you can come back here to see them."

I had no response. My brain was searching for one but each thought just faded as soon as it came. So my grandpa just walked me out of the building and helped me into his car. I vaguely noticed it was a really nice car that he didn't have the last time I had seen him. We drove in silence back to my parents house. When we got there the first thing I noticed was the yellow police tape around the house. Then I saw the broken window. An officer walking up to me caught my attention.

"Are you the minor who lived in this house; Alexa Dimitri?"The officer was tall, with the usual buzz cut. I vaguely noticed that he had a long scar running down his cheek, "I am Officer Stahll."

"Yes, I am," I mumbled meekly, "what happened?"

The officer looked down at his feet, as if unsure of how to respond; how much he should or could even tell me. Slowly he started explaining, "at 8:26am, an armed criminal broke into your house. We believe that he did not expect anyone to be home, and the sight of your mother caused him to react violently, and he fired his weapon twice. One hitting her head and the other going into her shoulder. A neighbor had called the authorities already, but by the time we got here, your mother was already gone along with her assailant. According to witnesses he came running out of the house soon after the gunshots. We are currently making inquiries to obtain more information," He paused, as if to observe my reaction, then continued, "miss, I am deeply sorry for your loss, but do you have a caretaker or place to stay for the night."

My grandfather came up behind me and put his hands gently on my shoulders before addressing the officer, "I am her guardian."

Officer Stahll switched his focus to him, "What is your relationship with her?"

"I am her grandfather on her Father's side, my name is Dorian Dimitri."

"All right," He returned his attention to me, "you may go inside to collect a few personal things But then we're going to have to ask you to leave the crime scene."

I nodded my understanding, and he walked off.

"You go ahead, fill up your backpack with thing you would need or want on the trip and the next few days in town. While you do that i'm going to ask a few more questions about exactly what happened." And just like that my grandfather left too and I was alone once more.

I walked into the house slowly, I noticed right away that the place looked trashed pictures were knocked off the walls, things were knocked off shelves, and the whole place was really a mess. I slowly turned my head around, looking at the place that just this morning had been pristine. Then i saw something that made me wish i'd just gone straight to my room. On the floor there was a puddle of blood, i slowly looked past it and saw a body covered in a sheet perfectly white except for two deep crimson stains. My mother.

The sight sent me to my knees straight away, the tears caught in my throat as i half sobbed, half gagged, and puked up the little that was in my stomach onto the floor, and tears started again streaming down my cheeks. Instantly an officer walked over to make sure i was okay. I told him I was even though that was a huge lie. He clearly saw that, but chose to just let me go I guess that he had bigger things to worry about than some girl.

"Whatever," he said, exasperated, "can someone clean this mess up?" and with that he walked away

In a stupor I stumbled to my room, running into walls and doorframes. I managed to fill up my backpack with things i would need on the plane or car or however we'd be getting to Alaska, and then a second bigger bag with several changes of clothes. Then I walked back out of the house, trying to avoid seeing the cloth covered body of my mother. I momentarily realized that my dad's body was likely mangled in the wreckage of his car on the side of the highway, and that thought almost caused me to once again lose my stomach contents. My grandpa was waiting out by his car, and as I approached he opened up the door for me allowing me to slide into the backseat.

We drove for I don't know how long but eventually we pulled up in front of a hotel. A nice hotel actually, like really nice, and suddenly I started wondering how much money my grandpa had these days. A while ago i remember being told that he had made some investment in something r other. I think it was some computer software, and I guess maybe it had paid out big time.

At any rate, My grandfather and I walked into the hotel lobby which was almost a vulgar display of wealth and luxury. There were sweeping arches of expensive looking and very shiny and polished wood. There were plush couches made of expensive materials, a full bar stocked full of every kind of alcohol i could think of. It was like a rainbow of inhibition. And next to it there was a minibar with many kinds of other drinks, candies, and snacks, from the commonplace sodas, to chocolates that claimed to be from all over europe. There were finely dressed servants that waited on a cafe in the center of the large room, and even the security guards were dressed in expensive suits, though they all also carried handguns and looked as if they could pop your head off with one hand. The entire place seemed to have spared no expense in order to amaze and enthrall guests. It did little for me though as my mind was still elsewhere. My grandfather walked up to me with two room keys in his hand and told me to follow him to the elevators There were even six elevators even, this place was really all out. We went up with a couple who got off at the sixth floor, and then we went all the way up to the tenth, which was the top floor. I expected the doors to open up into a hallway, but instead when the elevator came to a stop, the view beyond showed a room equally as extravagant as the lobby. Touring the room (though appartment would be closer) i found that there was two bedrooms, one with a full bathroom, with a large jacuzzi for the tub, and the other similar, though sans-jacuzzi. There was also a mini kitchen, laundry room, and a main room that was a living room. Every room had large flat screen tvs and other accessories that continued the theme of gaudiness. My grandfather told me to take the larger bedroom, and as i set my stuff down and closed the door, I suddenly realized that i was, in fact, incredibly and relentlessly tired. I don't know what time it was, but as soon as I flopped down onto the bed, I was almost immediately unconscious in a deep and not entirely untroubled sleep.