Aurora had no choice but to oblige to her employer's orders. She had her sick mother at home waiting to receive medication. If she were to lose the job she would not be able to purchase the necessary medication for Ella's illness. Ella was diagnosed with an unknown illness that caused her body to expel a black slimy fluid whenever she coughs. They were told by the doctor that her mother's condition was becoming worst as the days went by and it could not be cured. Aurora wasn't sure what was causing her mother's illness and her mother pretended not to know either but she knew better than to believe her silly lies. She was placed on a bunch of medications for all possible illnesses that she might have. The medications weren't cheap and they never seemed to help either. Ella couldn't afford the medications thus Aurora took on her mother's responsibility.
Those were the least of the families list of problems. Their home was in a bad condition. The house was no longer suitable for accommodation and required renovation. But Aurora's small wage couldn't stretch that far. Besides she had to pay the land taxes or they would lose not only their house but also the land they resided on. And her mother would also be imprisoned for not paying the taxes. The two girls would be left homeless. The villagers wouldn't be too keen on taking any of the girls into their household. They would be left motherless and homeless.
She pulled off her footwear and placed them at the corner of the dimly lit room. She rubbed her hands together and rushed towards the fireside. But to her disappointment the fire was unlit and there were no woods to even begin with. She felt exhausted after spending an entire day at work. She lacked the energy to even look wood for the fireplace. Her stomach rolled like an angry lion which was a reminder that she went an entire day without a meal.
"Mother!" She called out but she didn't respond. She searched around the room before she entered the other small room which had two small beds. Her eyes locked with her older sister's who sat on one of the beds.
"Where is mother?" Aurora asked.
"Do I look like mother's keeper? How must I know her whereabouts?" She remarked rolling her eyes.
Aurora decided not to respond to her sister's remark because her words wouldn't be pleasant. The two didn't have the best of relationship mainly because their grandparents preferred Aurora over Violet.
She stormed out of the room barefoot and went to search for her mother. "Mother!" She called out.
The sky was filled with huge Columbus clouds that hid away the beautiful waxing gibbous moon and colorful twinkling stars. She drifted further into the dark forest without any source of light. Tiny stones pierced the bottom of her feet like needles. She hugged herself as the breeze blew past her ears. Shivers went down her spine and tiny bumps erupted on her skin. She couldn't help but feel anxious and angry at the same time.
Her heart burnt bitterly. It was a calamity how much Violet reminded her of their heartless grandmother. The woman always took advantage of Ella and their father failed at being a good husband. Unpleasant thoughts plagued her mind but she pushed them aside and looked from side to side for the woman.
"Mother!" She called out once again. Her eyes became teary and her voice was quivering. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if anything happened to her mother.
"Aurora." The voice was barely a whisper. Aurora wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and raced towards the sound of the voice.
The sound of the woman loud coughs was enough to lead her in the right direction. She sighed a sigh of release when she noticed her mother's frail figure struggling to carry a pile of woods.
"What are you doing out here mother? It's freezing out here?" She tried to control her quivering voice but failed. "I was so worried about you."
Ella dropped the pile of woods and wrapped her arms around Aurora and comforted her. Auroras world came tumbling down. She felt angry, humiliated, and depressed. She felt like giving up on life. She couldn't bear seeing her mother's sight. By the time the two arrived home, it was late. Pain exploded through Aurora's feet. The sound of the wooden floor creaked under her feet as she limped towards the fireplace.
"Let me help you Aur..." She was cut off by her loud coughing. She covered her mouth with the old handkerchief. Her eyes almost fell out when she looked at the piece of cloth. What she saw made her know she didn't have long with her daughters. But Aurora was already having a bad day. She knew it would be selfish of her to bring up such news. The cloth was covered in a crimson fluid that used to be black. Her hands began to tremble because she knew the fluid was blood.
"Mother." Aurora looked up at the woman with concern. "Is everything alright?"
Ella nodded and a reassuring smile spread across her lips. "Yes dear, I'm just cold."
Aurora rushed to make the fire and after a couple of minutes, she succeeded in making it. She wrapped the wool around her mother's shoulders and pulled her towards the fireside. The woman caressed her cheeks with her cold hands and pecked her forehead.
"What would I do without you Aurora." She smiled from ear to ear. Her eyes filled with joy as she stared down at the girl. "From the moment you were born I knew you were destined for great things. I feel worthless and miserable Aurora, I should be the one caring for you girls."
Her eyes welled with tears.
"You are not worthless, you did everything a mother should for her children. As your children, we should care for you."
"But Aurora..."
"Enough!" She raised her voice. "I will not have this conversation with you right now."
Hello to my lovely readers. Hope you are enjoying the story. But if you are not don't hesitate to reach out. Let me know what the problem is and I will try to resolve them. And please be kind and inspire me. Until then. Toodles!
Aurora felt bad for raising her voice but she could not bear to hear her mother blame herself for their current living situation when she knew her father was fully responsible for the struggles they endured. She was angry at the man for walking out of their lives even though she wasn't aware of the reason behind his doings. But her mother was a loving and caring mother and wife, she didn't deserve the treatment in which she received from the man. In Aurora's eyes, the man was a superficial ungrateful, and selfish person.It pricked her heart to know Ella wouldn't be around long enough to see her succeed. She looked down at her frail figure and her blue depts welled with tears. Her once vibrant eyes were distant and her sun-kissed skin was as pale as a ghost. Her jet black silky hair was grey and her lips were dried and stripping. She was beyond recognition.She tucked Ella into bed after giving her the final dose of the medication. Ell
"Yes, your Majesty." The guard bowed his head in front of the prestigious man towering over him. "You requested to see me.""Did you manage to track down the rouge?" His powerful voice thundered throughout the room."N-no your majesty." The man stumbled over his words. "Before we could corner the animal we lost clear sight of it, your majesty."The other guards trembled under their armor in fear of the powerful being standing in front of them. In their eyes, he was a heartless and brutal monster. He didn't care about the well-being of his guards or anyone around him. He wasn't afraid to cut down anyone standing in his way. Even those closest to him. The man was cruel to an extent that even if a child crossed his path they would also face his wrath. The King was feared throughout the kingdom far and wide. No one was brave enough to cross his path. Until a rogue decided to perform the task that even his worst enemies were scared to say and
Her eyes never closed that night she kept them glued to the ceiling. The following morning she felt as if they didn't belong to her. They were swollen and dark circles were outlined underneath. But her eyes were the least of her problems. Her mood was down, she was no longer vibrant or happy. She fought hard to get out of bed. She felt like someone stabbed her multiple times with a bread knife in her stomach. She was famished and her stomach felt like it was infested with tiny insects."Aurora!" Came her mother's weak voice. "There is a package outside for you darling."Her sluggish eyes grew wider and anger invaded her body. She Sprang off the bed and rushed to the other room where her mother and sister awaited her presence. But her headache intensified and she slumped to the floor holding her throbbing head."Aurora!" Ella ran to aid her sick daughter. Her blue orbs welled with tears when she noticed how exhausted Aurora looked. She was overwhelmed by guilt an
"It's going to rain today." Ella looked up at the dark angry clouds that began to form in the sky. "I think you should take a day off, Aurora." Aurora wrapped the cloak over her mother's shoulder and shrugged knowing her mother's suggestion was not effective. Her employer was stingy and selfish and he would happily deduct a huge sum of money from her small wage and as a punishment the man would force her to work overtime. Ella pinched the bridge of her nose and said. "You work too hard darling. I'm sure your employer won't mind if you do take the day off." "It's clear you don't know what my employer is like, mother." Aurora clenched her fist as images of what her boss tried to do the previous day flashed in front of her vision. "He's an old friend of mine, Aurora. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you skipping a day." She crossed her arms and peered at her daughter intensely. "Is something the matter with you?" She swallowed a lump t
Violet sprang from the bed as if it burned her skin a scowl embedded on her face. Her cold gaze landed on Aurora."What do you mean by it's not my time?""I mean your significant other will find you when the time is right." Aurora shrugged trying to find the right words. She did not want to upset her older sibling any further, knowing she could easily turn into something vicious in a matter of seconds.Violet frowned deeply. "I'm almost twenty-one years old and no man has ever glanced in my direction twice." Her voice was weary as she spoke. she slumped onto the edge of her squeaky bed and released a breath."That's not true, Violet," Aurora said as memories of how Felix placed his undivided attention on Violet. The boy would trail behind her like a lost puppy hoping she would notice him. But Violet was too preoccupied with her beauty to take notice of the boy."Tell me the name of one man that ever noticed me." She folded her arms and puckered
Aurora thought hard about what she was told by her sister that morning, all the way to work. She felt as if her head was about to explode any minute. Still, she was unable to make sense of anything.Maybe she was overreacting. The situation couldn't be that bad. But by just thinking about the disappointed look that masked Violet's face, she knew her sister didn't take the situation lightly.She felt horrible because men never ran from her after she introduced herself. On the other hand, she envied her sister for even having the ability to let men run from her naturally without her having to find alternatives to scare them off. Thus, she wished she were in Violet's position since she didn't want to be in a relationship.She was still left in the dark about Violet's situation. She could tell her sister was hiding something from her. But she couldn't stick around any longer to find out what it was. She had to ensure she arrived at work early to get her creepy
He pulled away from her and straightened his posture when the bell dangled above the wooden door. Aurora used the distraction as an opportunity to scurry as far away from her perverted employer. She rounded the counter and plastered a fake smile on her lips as she greeted the customer.A woman who seemed to be in her late fifties strolled into the tiny shop. A broad smile plastered over her lips. She was oblivious to what was taking place. She even failed to take notice of Aurora's discomfort. Her gaze landed on her employer."Mr. Rogan." She said smiling over at the man."Mrs. V." He smiled over at her. "Looking as young as ever."She giggled like a schoolgirl and her cheeks turned a shade of pink. "It's all good food and great exercise, my dear. You should try it out yourself." She eyed him up and down but her smile never faltered but his smile did. He excused himself afterward when an awkward silence fell between the two.Aurora wanted to
°Flashback°"Grandma!" Aurora had a huge smile spread across her lips as she ran to greet her grandmother.She picked up the little girl in her arms and kissed her forehead. "Grandma bought you a gift.""Really!" Her face lit up and she smiled showing her missing tooth. "What is it, grandma?" She asked."Not so fast Aurora." She chuckled. "You will have to guess this one"Her grandmother always brought her gifts from her adventures. They were often of no use to the girl because she didn't know what they were used for. But she was always ecstatic to receive her grandmother's gifts."Is it a dog?" She asked her grandma since she always wanted an animal to play with. She was often lonely and had no one to play with most of the time. Her only friend was their neighbor's son Felix. But Felix gathered her sister's company than hers."No, try again.""Oh." It was as clear as day that Aurora was disappointed. But wh