family by heart

Aurora’s pov

I was strolling inside the museum with my classmates, one of my best friend Catherin is clinging on her boyfriend – Lucas. I smile at the site of them giggling and posing as the characters in the paintings. The dead silence in the museum is broken by their laughter making me smile.

“no look at that, we are supposed to pose like this”, catty tells keeping her eyes on the painting hanging on the white wall of the museum.

“no babe, see the guy is turned little left, like this”, Lucas explains calmly to his hyper energetic girlfriend.

 

I See Dr Wilson walking towards us with a frown on his face. I clear my throat immediately to let my two best friends know that the trouble is near.

 

“Guys, Dr Wilson is coming, stop your modelling now and focus on the task which we came for”, I whisper yell them so no one could hear except me.

 

“Miss Rossi, if you have warned enough your friends of my arrival then we must get along with other students”, Dr Wilson tells glaring at me.

 

I bite my tongue to not let it slip and comment something which may get me into trouble. I see with my peripheral vision Lucas and Catherin giggling before they received a harsh glare from me and our science professor.

 

“Ahem, lets go”, Lucas tells holding Catherin’s hand before escaping from probably their murder place if they stayed a little longer.

“Am sorry Dr Wilson, I was tagging them, it wont happen again”, I apologise quickly to not get myself to his bad side.

 

My dream is to be a healer, to be a doctor. If I was back at home, I would have given the tag of doctor but not here. We have to study and write exams to qualify as a doctor then only we could treat people.

The medical study in cities is so different than what we used to practice in forests. The medicines doctors use here have atleast one to two side effects and slow healing capacity but as pharmaceutical industries claims that getting people over dose on medicines will get their livers and kidneys damage and considered hazardous to the health. When in herbal treatments in forest along with the witchcraft heals people just in a night. No after care needed nor high dose medicine. Just right herb at right time. But as I have left that place back I shouldn’t be comparing it much with the city life. This is my new home, where I belong and I should act as one pushing my itching spells back in my head.

 

“Its fine Miss Rossi, you are one of our top students you should spend your time wisely, the topics which we are gonna explore today will be asked in the main exams next month”, Dr Wilson tells me giving me a small smile to which I nod my head smiling back.

 

“After you”, he tells gesturing his hand forward and I walk towards the pieces for which we are here today.

 

“Silence!”, Dr Wilson tells standing infront of the few pieces of history secured safely after dig out from the depths of the earth by archaeologist.

The murmurings of the students were now turned into silence letting only Dr Wilson’s voice echo in the walls of the museum. I stand infront so that I could see clearly what he is explaining and gladly due to my short height no one complained about me standing forward among fifty other students.

 

“These are the medical records held by the doctors in ancient times, they used to write the patients health background and current condition on the clay tablets and burn them so that they could save them for long”, he tells making everyone wonder how the process would have run in the ancient health homes.

“these are almost 5000 years ago and few are assumed to be older than that”, he tells as few gasps were heard from the students.

“the names of the patients is mentioned in few of the tablets and its amusing that they lived for more that 200 to 300 years and more”, he tells as I try to read the scripts in awe.

“Here!”, he tells pointing towards one clay tablet which has letters written in old Latin language which is different than the evolved Latin which humans know, being a witch I clearly understand and can read it since my childhood.

“usus vulpis rubri mortui sanguinis ad tollendum venenum e lamia efficax est cum sol corpus ferit”, I read it out loud unconsciously deep in the thoughts.

I remember seeing few vampires coming and leaving my parents work place when I was young, but I didn’t knew that witches and wizards used to note down these things when they have photogenic memory and they teach others practically making medicines than giving notes.

“What was that?”, Dr Wilson asks curiously to which I reply.

“The use of dead red fox blood to remove poison from the vampire is effective when the sunlight hits the body”.

As soon as I realize I have spoken it out loud infront of everyone I panic internally thinking what would I say if they ask me any question and to my horror Dr Wilson did.

“How did you read that?”, he asks his mouth open wide in shock.

“I ....I  just visited this .... place before”, I lie through my teeth fisting my hands behind.

“But that doesn’t explain, there isn’t written anything about this piece anywhere in the museum, many failed to read the language on the tablet”, he tells frowning taking a look at the clay tablet again.

“I ....I need to go”, I stutter badly running from that place where my secret was almost out.

“Aurora! Wait!”, I hear Catherin and Lucas call me from behind to which I decided to ignore and run away to my safe place, my home.

I enter my shared apartment with Lucas and Catherin and rush to my bedroom and smack the door on their faces before they ask me questions.

 

I plop myself on the bed laying on the stomach in terror, what would have happened if someone found that am a witch? Humans were always the people to hate us. They even killed many of my kind without any mercy thinking that we too have family and kids to take care of. The way they put fire to our homes in forests just because we do witchcraft for treating people. Not gonna lie few do witchcraft to hurt others but not my kind, not my family.

My father was the head of our tribe as my mother taught only those who oath with their blood that they will not use these blessed powers to hurt others. If they crossed us being the head of the tribunal my father had the right to slaughter them like an animal infront of the whole tribunal to put fear in immortal bones.

 

But what I did today, broke the oath I took by my blood. I was not supposed to reveal any witchcraft technique nor the existence of the supernatural creatures. If my father was alive I swear on my life that he would have punished me as he punished others, ruthlessly. Then the sad reality hit me, there is no one to punish me, not my kind. There is no one else to protect me, rather myself. I decided to stay away from woods when a group of werewolves attacked my home and took everything from me. My family, my friends, my childhood, everything.

I had to pretend forgetting my past to survive in city. New York was always a busy place, but Lucas’s father took time to realize a weak twelve years old girl was sitting on the streets in almost torn dress freezing to death. He was kind enough to take me to his house and feed something hot which I had Iong forgotten how eating something warm feels after feeding myself snow to satisfy my hunger.

 

Being a police officer he used his ways to find about me when I didn’t open my mouth, if I did just to answer his questions with I dont know or I dont remember.

As he didn’t find my records he decided to let me go to the system as it would take care of kids like me, orphans and promised to provide me treatment, food and education.

But Lucas who was a year old than me grown fond of me since he was a single child and his mother showered me love which no other women could to the child who was not born to them. Jackson couldn’t help but had to agree to his wife, Lisa and son, Lucas to keep me with them. That is how I got a family, not by blood but by heart.

I feel guilty for lying to them but I guess this is better for all of us. Only one truth I have said them about me is my name.

“Aurora! Please, talk to us”, Lucas requests banging the door.

I know he is worried that am having a panic attack.

“Am fine, Lucas, I just want to stay alone, please”, I yell taking a deep breathe.

 

“Aurora, we know you aren’t fine”, Catherin scolds as a mother to a teenage kid.

 

“You need to talk to us, we cant see you suffering like this”, she tells again softly.

“Please”, Lucas tells as the banging on my door stopped.

I release a stressed sigh getting up from my bed and walk towards the door to open it wide for them to enter.

 

I Press a smile on my lips as my eyes falls on the sulked faces of my two cute best friends.

“Guys, I said am fine, I just got terrified that how I was able to read it when I dont remember learning it”, I lie once again remorsefully.

“This is best aurora, you will be safe and keep your loved ones safe”, I tell myself internally.

 

“Its fine, just dont lock me out from your life”, Lucas tells wrapping his long arms around my tiny body which is compared to him.

 

“If you smack the door once again on my face I will never bake cupcakes for you”, Catherin tells trying to glare at me but failed miserably when she saw me pouting at her.

 

“Why cant I stay angry at you!”, she exclaims wrapping her arms around me and Lucas who are still in a hug.

“because you love me little too much”, I tell smiling to which they both squeeze me in a tight hug making me choke.

 

“Go take some rest, I will bake some cupcakes for you, tomorrow is your eighteenth birthday and we are going to celebrate it crazily”, Catherin squeals making me smile sadly. To be honest tomorrow is not the date I was born, its the date when Jackson found me and took me to his home. As I kept lying about everything related to me and Lucas wants to celebrate my birthday as his, they came up with this idea and I didn’t have courage to break their heart so I kept quiet and played along them.

 

“What is it princess?”, Lucas asks sitting on my bed taking in my sad face.

 

“Nothing, its been six years since Jackson saved my life, I dont know what would happened to me if he didn’t help me on that day”, I tell genuinely smiling at him.

 

“Am glad he found you, or else I cant imagine how my childhood would be without you”, he tells smiling at me.

“so what are Catherin’s plans for tomorrow?”, I try to take information from him knowing catty would have planned something crazy.

 

He laughs awkwardly shaking his head as no and tells “no matter you turn eighteen or eighty, you will be my little sister for forever, whatever catty is planning, I will never let that happen”, he tells his face showing full determination as he pumps his fist in air.

 

“you know that you will be sleeping on the couch for few days”, I tell smirking at him knowing that is exactly going to happen when he goes against Catherin.

 

“Oh my god!”, he gasps keeping his hand on his mouth as a girl then roll his eyes.

“come on I will bare it but not gonna support her ruining my little sister’s innocence”, he tells getting up from the bed as he ruffle my platinum hair making me groan.

“shut up, you guys have already ruined it by making weird noises every night”, I complain kicking him on his leg as revenge for spoiling my hairstyle.

 

He just chuckles deciding to not comment back on the high rated topic and leaves my room by waving his hand mouthing ‘take rest’.

 

I Smile myself thinking how lucky I am to have Lucas as my brother. He is protective towards me since childhood that’s the main reason no one tries to flirt with me. I mean who will dare to flirt with sister of football team captain of the school? Sure the ones who have a death wish.

I lay on my bed closing my eyes trying to catch some sleep as I am tired and devastated now and soon the darkness comforted me into the silence of sleep which I dont trust will be same after I let myself drown in it.