To Be A Bougainvillea

Chapter 11

"Your father, Dame Cassandra and Miss Hana will take the white limousine and you and Lady Jemima will take the black one." Butler Franz explained to a disgruntled Aurelia, pointing at the polished vehicles. 

"Why am I stuck with Aunt Jem?" She asked, impatiently tapping her heel on the front steps of the porch. "And why can't Hana be with me?" 

Franz looked nonplussed as he scratched his nape. "Well, Miss Hana is the honourary guest at-" 

"Ah, Aurelia, there you are!" Aurelia bristled at her aunt's boisterous voice. The lady came out of the manor wearing a silk dress with too many hefty layers. "Here, hold this for me." She dropped her feather clutch onto Aurelia's hands and smoothed out her short, sleeked hair. "How do I look, Franz?" 

"Radiant." He bowed his head.  

Aunt Jem smiled, smugly. "And how does Aurelia look?" 

Franz blinked. "Also radiant." 

"Now who looks more radiant? Me or her?" Aunt Jem inquired.

Aurelia rolled her eyes. "Ignore her, Franz. Now, you were saying-"

"You're right. It's a trick question. Beauty has no age." Aunt Jem cut her off, always needy for the limelight. 

Before any of them could answer, her father, Cassandra and Hana came out of the double doors. 

"My, my, Ha-na," Aurelia let out a low whistle, thankfully noting that her grandmother wasn't appearing with them, "don't you look picture perfect, ducky." 

Blushing, Hana's humble gaze dropped to the ground. Aurelia smiled, thinking how angelic she looked in her knee-length pastel dress with her hair tied up in a low chignon bun. 

She's the only beautiful one in this family, Aurelia thought, for her equally beautiful heart. She wasn't the only who was astounded by Hana's appearence. Beside her, Franz stood frozen on the spot, his eyes wide with - wait, could that be - 

"We best be going." Cassandra placed a hand on her daughter's back, pushing her towards the white limousine. Her father followed them, brushing past Aurelia and her aunt to climb in after his wife.

Aurelia didn't even have the chance to tease Hana before the white limousine roared to life and sped past them like a bullet. 

"Well, c'mon, black sheep, we don't want to be late either." Aunt Jem shoved her into the limousine and the last thing Aurelia saw before zooming into the road was the hopeless expression on Franz's face.   

"He sure has grown, that boy." Aunt Jem noted, fumbling with the layers of her dress, "I remember when his father used to work for us." 

Aurelia stayed silent as she mindlessly stared out of the window. Another thought had captured her and it was regarding her mother's notebook. 

When Aurelia found her half-finished composition, the first thing that snatched her attention was the title. Aurelia couldn't rationalise why Drea had called it 'goodnight' of all things. She pondered over it for hours and had come to the conclusion that perhaps it was just a mere coincidence. But how ironic, if not coincidental, was that after she had named her composition 'goodnight', she fell to an everlasting slumber?

"You're looking rather peaky." Her aunt's voice jolted her out of her train of thoughts. "Drink some of this - It'll make you feel as light as day." She handed her a silver alcohol flask.

Aurelia blinked twice before taking a gulp. "Where on earth did you get that from?" She winced, pulling a face.

Aunt Jem smugly patted her hefty dress. "I have pockets stitched up underneath these layers. Can't enjoy those goadawful galas without my buddy Ivan." She remarked, snatching her flask back to take a swig.