Truth Within Lies, A Dark Romance (completed)

Ch. 4 Unwanted

She sat alone on the floor of a room in her uncle's house. Her knees pulled tight against her chest as she sobbed tears that would not end. Her father was dead, her love, her life, all burned, for what? A council seat, power, loathing. She was completely alone and utterly useless to her uncle. She could hear the tone in his voice, the scensium and disdain for having another mouth to feed that could provide nothing for his family. No dowry, no crown, no lands, no fortune she was worthless, she could hear his muffled words on the other side of the door as the heated exchange between her uncle and aunt raged on. The sobs continued to come making her chest heave for breath that would not come.

"She's going to the academy and that's final!" What he said didn't really register, she felt dead inside. No fate could be worse then what she had already been handed. She wanted to die. Needed to die. At least then she could be with him.

"You can't send my only niece to an all male academy. Not after she's lost so much. I won't have it." The sickening smack of his hand against her face made Aurora jump. The tears began renewed. She should have died too. The thought swirled around in her head as she contemplated how to make it end.

"Your brother in law is dead, there's no one left to protect you, you will obey me." Aurora buried her head into her knees knowing there was no fixing this. Nothing she could do to help her mother's sister. Her father never liked the man, never approved, but he kept him close for her sake. For the memory of her mother. If it wasn't clear before it was now. He only married her aunt for the titles and her portion of the family's money. This was the fate Aurora would have been left to if the wrong suitor was picked. The house grew eerily quiet forcing Aurora to her feet, using the wall to hold herself up. Her hand rested on the door knob trying to decide if she should open it.

A loud screech stormed through the halls piercing the silence, followed by the unmistakable screams of her aunt. The silence had fallen and the sound of war met her once more. Aurora threw open the door sprinting toward the screams. Her feet began to slip shooting out from under her. Her hands wet and sticky she looked down at them, her eyes wide in horor.

"Don't look." I begged her not wanting her to see what was there, but I was too late. There was nothing I could do to keep her from seeing. My arms wrapped around her waist lifting her to her feet. She continued to slide through the blood searching for grip on the bloody marble floor.

"No!" She gasped going paler than before. I couldn't imagine the thoughts that ran through her mind as her bare feet sloshed through pools of blood being held up by a ghost.

"Aurora you have to come with me." A pained scream escaped her lips as something inside her snapped, and she stopped trying to pull away. "Aurora!" I shook her hard, my eyes pleading for her to come. I'd drag if I had to, throw her over my shoulder and force her to come, but I needed her to snap out of this. I needed her to show me something, anything that meant she'd be ok, meant she would fight back.

"Knight." Her voice quaked once more in disbelief half being dragged half stumbling, her hands dripping with her uncle and aunt's blood, her white nightgown stained red. "Katrina." She spun around trying with every ounce of strength to pull herself in the opposite direction. My heart broke. It ached with an incredible pain. I didn't want to tell her, yet if I didn't I'd never get her to safety.

"She's dead Aurora, and you will be too if we don't go now." I continued to drag her out of the house toward the field where my fighter sat alone. "Don't look at them, just look at me." I couldn't keep her from seeing the bodies, I couldn't shield her from any of it. She had seen so much death. "Do you remember the flying lessons I gave you." I heaved her into the cockpit pulling myself onto the wing in order to strap her in. "Aurora!" I didn't want to be so ruff but she was in shock I had no choice. "Aurora." I said slightly more calmly as I flipped on the systems for her. She finally nodded in response, her entire body shaking. "It's already programmed, you just have to take off" I choked on the words, feeling a sharp pain in my back. "They are expecting you, you will be safe I promise." I kissed her on the forehead, a desperation to my words, an underlying fear. I couldn't be with her, I couldn't protect her and that terrified me to no end. I loved this girl like a sister, we all did at one point. I couldn't let her die again, not this time.

Her eyes welled up in tears once more doing as I had asked. I have seen pain many times over. I have felt loss. There was no avoiding such things for someone as old as me. But that wail, that sound that escaped her lungs as she left me behind was unlike anything I had ever heard. It was primal, the pain of someone who had lost everything, yet was still forced to live on. The sound resonated in my being, making me break just as she was breaking. I wept tears I did not know I was capable of crying as sharp pains burned through my body. There was no breath to breathe, only the copper taste of blood as I gasped and choked. Was this what the first dawn felt when she was drawing her last breath? My vision blurred obscuring the pools of blood that formed around my knees. The world spun in a haze of color and noise as everything went dark. At least she had a chance.