Aurora : Temptress Of The Dusk

Chapter 7

              The sky is burning with a golden light and the air is cool on our skin. The heat from the sun makes my cheeks red and the cool air makes me shiver. Daven's hands wrap around me in a tight grip in order to warm me. This is my favourite place; in his arms. The sun has made me warm enough so Daven lies on my lap, one hand still wrapped around me and the other hand playing with the hem of my short skirt. I run my fingers along his hair and he releases a breath full of solace. He loves it when I play with his hair. I close my eyes as he draws small circles on my thighs and thus feeling is absolutely tranquility.

             We are interrupted by a drizzle of light rain and immediately jump up to run. By the time we reach the turn from the tamarind tree, the light rain turns into a heavy storm instantaneously. We struggle through the storm, one hand covering our face and the other holding each other. I promptly feel his hands loosing contact with mine. I blindly search for him in the storm and I know calling out his name is useless. I stumble upon something and land on my hands and knees and feel something warm and thick. The storm comes to a halt abruptly and all I see is red. He is drenched in red water. Red water? Blood. This is blood. Warm and viscous blood. His eyes are staring into nothingness. I take his hand in mine and pray for a response as I press it tightly in my hands. Nothing. His body is getting cold. He looks like a stiff cadaver. Blood is smearing everywhere around us. He is like a corpse. Corpse. Dead. I don't even remember when I start crying. But I'm not only crying, I'm screeching and weeping. Lately it feels as though I'm always crying. His eyes immediately open in the nick of time. Thank god! But something's different. He's not looking at me the same way he always does. Instead, there's something very strange about his gaze. He is staring at me like I'm one of his things. A possession of his. This person looks like my Daven, but it's definitely not him. Dark and evil energy is resonating out of him. He grabs my hand in a taut grip and I feel a familiar burn. Dark, bad memories try to rush into my head all at once. It hurts. I can't bear it. I scream and my eyes open into a dark room and it's slowly coming back to me. It was a darn nightmare. I've been having too many of these lately. But why is the lamp off? I never switch it off. Evelyn is running her hands back and forth on the small of my back. I think she's been doing this ever since I woke up from that freakish nightmare.

"You alright sissy?" He's voice is raspy. Freshly disturbed from her peaceful sleep. I think about lying to her, but I really need to get it out of my head.

"Honestly? No Evelyn."

"Wanna talk about it?" She is clearly sleepy but still concerned. Her hand is holding one of mine. Her thumb is slowly soothing my palm and the calmness is spreading throughout my body.

"I saw him, Daven. But it wasn't him. It's like, when you see someone but it's not them. I don't know what I'm saying and it probably sounds dumb. I'm sorry I woke you up." What the hell is wrong with me?

"Hey no! It's okay. I'm here to help remember? Anyways, you need sleep. Here drink up and sleep now" she hands me a glass of water and I gulp it all down. I sleep peacefully after that. No nightmares. No dark vibes.

                      *        *        *

             My eyes open to the smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Evelyn is holding a cup of coffee near her face and smiles at me when I sit up. She hands me the tray of bacon and eggs and beams a bright smile.

"Here's breakfast in bed!" She is the sweetest person I have ever met. She loves me like her own. Even though she's just one year older than me, she sometimes seems a lot more older than that. In a good way, of course. I never eat without brushing so I run to the washroom and brush my teeth quickly and start my breakfast. She gets me a cup of hot coffee and we chat for a while. She reminds me of mom when–  Mom! I haven't heard from mom in a while. I look around the dressing mirror for my phone when Evelyn asks me, "What are you looking for?"

"My phone. I want to talk to mom. It feels like forever since we've spoken!"

"I heard from her yesterday. She's at the hospital for some emergency and can't take calls. She promised she would call you first thing when she gets a break."

If mom promised she'd call, then I know she will. So I decide to wait for her to call me. Meanwhile, I should do some catching up on school work. I've missed an entire week at the school and I need to reconnect with my studies and assignments. The accident took place almost in the woods so people don't know about it in the city area. Here again, I'm glad I live in the outskirts of the town and no-one knows about this incident. I intend to keep it that way. I don't need anymore unnecessary attention. The school is the only place where I have no memories of him. There, I can be normal. I can be who I used to be before I met him.

          As I enter the school, I feel a slight positive energy spread throughout my body as I see my fellow mates running around the hallway. I am immediately lost in the daily routine of high school and assignments. I'm so lost in this routine, that I don't even notice the weekend approaching me. The week passes by in a jiffy. The only thing that keeps me on track are the menacing nightmares. Day after day, night after night. The same nightmare occurs everyday. Even though I've gotten used to the pain, it somehow manages to get intense every other day.

          Someday along the week, mom called me to tell me that she'd be staying at the hospital for 2 weeks. There was some pathological leak and her entire team of surgeons and nurses were quarantined. She promised me that she'd be back before my birthday which is in 2 weeks. Dad had returned from his conference but I didn't see much of him through the week either. He left early in the  morning and returned late at night. He was trying to give me space and I actually needed that. It's hard to say that its only been 2 weeks since I lost him. But I need to stay collected. I can't breakdown everytime I think of him. I have to stay strong.

          The following week, as I enter the school, the doorway is full of fliers and posters of the upcoming bonfire season. Seriously? How many of these things happen anyway? Bonfires and football seasons weren't my thing. The last time I went to a bonfire, it was a complete flop. Then again, it was at that stupid bonfire where I met him. As the memories rush in, a hand on my shoulder startles me and I push all the memories away. A guy is standing in front of me and I think I know him but honestly, I don't. He is awfully pale and has straight hair. His hair stands out in a messy quiff and it highlights his cheekbones and jawline. Wow, that's a sharp jawline. He's wearing glasses and it actually suits him. He looks cute, I guess.
"Ahem!" He slightly coughs to gain my attention. I blink several times to brush away my thoughts.

"Yes?" I try to sound firm but instead end up squeaking. He smiles a beautiful blush and asks me out to the bonfire. This is definitely not what I was expecting. He's asking me out on a date. I'm absolutely in no shape for a date. Not now atleast. I can't do this to Daven. I consider saying no. But he smiles a beautiful smile and I think of saying yes because I'm lonely and he's cute. But I'll make sure he knows we'll be going there as friends. As soon as I say yes, a loud band brings everyone's attention to a locker. There's a huge dent there but no-one around. The boy runs to the locker and grunts aloud. It was his locker I suppose. By the time I realize that I don't know his name, he's gone.

            The next day at school, I keep my eyes open for the guy. We need to exchange numbers and names. I look around the entire day between classes but he's nowhere to be found. Finally at the end of the day, I see him crouching along the corner, to the exit. I call out to him but not knowing his name makes it a little difficult. Finally our eyes match and I smile at him. He looks horrified. He walks away and as I catch up with him, I notice he's walking funny. It makes me wonder if he's alright. Is he sick? I pull him around the corner and he jerks away.

"Go away. I don't want to go anywhere with you. Please, please stay away from me !" He yells, almost cries actually and tries to run but winces at his every step. What was that about? Did I do something? Maybe it's all for good. I wasn't ready for this, either way. This was really wierd, but wierd is my new normal. I think I'll have to make do with it.

(Author's note : Hey guys!!! Sorry for the late update, I have been busy all week. The next few updates will be a little late as well but I promise regular updates from December! Keep reading and voting! Ily xo )