aurora rising one shots, volume one.

MODERN AUUUUU #3

Kal and Scar working in a nightclub together-

~~~

I run a hand through my silver hair, smoothing it, and then tying it up in a bun.

"Kalllll!" Scar shouts.
"Get your ass out here!"

I trudge out of the room.
"What?"

"I want you to meet our new performer!" She cries.
"Auri!"

A girl appears from the shadows.

She's beautiful.

She's got her short black hair in two braids, a midriff top, and a black jacket over it.
She has a black, bouncy, short tulle skirt on, and big boots on.

"I'm Aurora. The new singer." She introduces herself.

"I'm Kal. I work at the bar."

"You don't look old enough to work at the bar." She says.

"I'm nineteen. You, on the other hand."

"I'm seventeen."

I lean in close to her, so close that I can see the rings of brown in her eyes and count her eyelashes.
"A place like this is not good for someone like you."

"I can handle myself, thanks." She says, and storms off.

Scar sighs.
"I tried to get you a date but you fucked it up. Again."

"Sorry."

She rolls her eyes.
"Open up the club."

I trudge over and open the doors. I flick on the glowing led lights and the smoke machine.
I can hear distant singing from backstage.

"Doctors on the other line, coz he's not on the other line."
"Can't seem to find my bottle of pills."
"Swear to god I'm not insane."
"The voices only say his name, and I'm starting to think that I'm real."

She has a beautiful voice.
I can see why she was hired.

"Kal! Stop daydreaming and get your ass into gear!" Scar shouts, and I go to the bar.

~~~

An hour later, I'm giving out shots to a couple when the lights dim and a booming voice comes out of the speakers.
"And for our live entertainment tonight, please welcome to the stage Aurora Jie Lin O'Malley!"

She walks to the stage, and my breath is stolen clean away.
Her hair is in loose waves, and she has a white streak in her hair that I didn't notice before.
She's got smoky makeup on around her eyes, and deep crimson lipstick.

A puffy red dress falls to her knees, and it has a tight top. She's paired it with a leather jacket and black heels.

She's stunning.

Aurora catches my eye and winks, and the music starts playing.

"Found you when your heart was broke, I filled your cup until it overflowed."

"Woah." I breathe.
She has an incredible voice, low and clear and...smoky?
I don't know.
But it's beautiful.

"Took it so far to keep you close, I was afraid to leave you on your own."
"I said I'd catch you if you fall, and if they laugh then fuck 'em all."

The crowd is swaying and laughing.

"And then I got you off your knees, put you right back on your feet, just so you could take advantage of me!"

"Tell me how it feels, sitting up there."
"Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me."
"Your know I'm the one who put you up there, name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?"
"Thinking you could live without me!"
"Thinking you could live without me!"
"Baby I'm the one you put you up there, I don't know why."
"Thinking you could live without me."
"Live without me."
"Baby I'm the one you put me up there, I don't know why, yeah I don't know why."

She sings this with such intensity, such ferocity that I wonder if she's singing about someone that she used to know.

"I gave love 'bout a hundred times, just running from the demons in your mind."
"Then I took yours, and made them mine."
"I didn't notice coz my love was blind."

"I said I'd catch you if I fall, and if they laugh them fuck 'em all."
"And then I got you off my knees, put you right back on your feet just so you could take advantage of me!"

She almost screams the next verse, pouring so much emotion in her voice.
"Tell me how it feels, sitting up there."
"Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me."
"Your know I'm the one who put you up there, name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?"
"Thinking you could live without me?"
"Thinking you could live without me."
"Baby I'm the one who put you up there, I don't know why."
"Yeah, I don't know why."

I think I see tears glittering in her eyes.
The crowd are loving her, cheering and dancing.

Her voice goes quiet, and slow.
"You don't have to say, just what you did."
"I already know, coz I had to go and answer for them!"
Her voice rises and swells, and she points to the window.

"So, tell me how it feels."

She fills her gorgeous voice with emotion for the last chorus.

"Tell me how it feels, sitting up there."
"Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me."
"Your know I'm the one who put you up there, name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?"
"Thinking you could live without me!"
"Thinking you could live without me!"
"Baby I'm the one you put you up there, I don't know why."
"Thinking you could live without me."
"Live without me."
"Baby I'm the one you put me up there, I don't know why, yeah I don't know why."

The crowd cheers and claps.
Aurora grins, and curtseys.

"Thanks!" She says.

I catch her eye and offer her a secret smile.
She grins back, and goes backstage.

I turn to Scarlett, about to ask her if I can go talk to Aurora. Before I say anything, she nods and I run out of the bar area, and backstage.

I push open a door.
"Aurora?"

"Who- oh, it's you. Come in."

I sit on the floor next to the door, while Aurora sits on a swivelly chair.
"Whaddya want?"

"I, um, just wanted to say that you were, um, great out there." I stutter out.

"Thanks." She grins.

"Was the song about someone?" I ask, and her expression darkens.

"An ex."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. He was a prick anyway. I was living with him, and we fought over something and I left. Now I'm just trying to get enough money to sleep somewhere."

"Do you want to sleep at my house?" I say without hesitation.

"Um, I don't know. Is it a problem?"

"No. Not at all." I say.

She leaps out of the chair, and into my arms.
"Thank you thank you thank you!"

I wrap my arms around her back.
"It's okay."

It's okay.