The Incorruptible Bond

Chapter 21

As Aurora had previously thought, her perfectly structured world was being torn down brick by brick. Yet somehow the information they had pieced together formed a more than coherent picture. It was this constructed puzzle that drove her back to laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

Charlotte was never my mother, Aurora thought. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved or terrified. On one hand, Aurora wanted to exit from the life of fear she used to lead. On the other, she was extremely opposed to reorganizing herself. Aurora wanted to change, but wasn't sure how well it could be accomplished. Her moral code was already written.

One emotion she was devoid of, though, was surprise. Auri supposed she had always known deep down. Known that the monster controlling her life and bending Aurora to it's will wasn't related to her.

But if she's one half of Pitch Black, her mind argued. then does that make Ember your sister? Twin, even?

Aurora released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Sadly, it didn't hang in the air of her room like previous nights. The cold spell was nearly gone.

The white haired girl tugged up her sleeve. She knew her bruise hadn't healed much from the day before (as it still throbbed tremendously with any pressure applied). Exposed to the air, it seemed to flare an even angrier blue. Aurora did not touch it, knowing the consequences all too well.

As gingerly as she could manage, Aurora swapped her sweater and jeans for pajamas. After removing the snowflakes from her ears, she made the decision to wait until the following day to fully dwell on the situation. Tomorrow's your birthday, her mind so helpfully thought. Sometimes she hated her mind.

As Aurora closed her eyes she felt an overwhelming feeling. She would later find it was dread.

~

The girl woke with a jolt, hair plastered to her face like some sort of white mask. She struggled to remember the dream that made her suddenly gain consciousness. Something about wolves? Auri shook her head in annoyance. She shifted slightly to lay back down, but her gaze locked onto a sight that froze her entire body.

The moon's beams had created a skeletal outline of her room, but it was another source of light that caught her eye. Across the room, her jewelry box burned with a silvery-blue aura.

As if in a trance, Aurora approached her dresser. The box only seemed to glow brighter with every step. She opened the object with shaking hands. Inside, Auri found that the earrings she committed to wearing everyday were the sources of the pulsating light.

Her hand reached for the snowflakes despite her mind's objections. As her fingers closed around the metal, there was a flash of blinding light. Suddenly, Auri was somewhere else. On the side of a mountain?

She was running, running faster than she'd ever thought possible.

The vision faded, leaving her dazed. Aurora stumbled backwards in her room and, hearing crackling noises, she looked down. Her eyes widened in horror. Wherever the girl stepped, ice grew around her feet.

The snow would crush her. She knew it in her soul, yet she still fought to return to her sister. Without her twin, life was meaningless.

The temperature of the room plummeted as Aurora began to panic. The ice formed more rapidly, covering most of the floor. Her breathing grew heavy and the walls seemed to close in on her. For once in her life, the cold atmosphere did nothing to calm her.

A different girl in red pajamas and a jacket raced towards her, another coat clutched in her hand. Aurora's eyes widened in horror. Ember couldn't help, she'd only be killed in the process!

"Save yourself, Em!" she had screamed, frantically gesturing for her twin to run.

Her fear peaked. The frozen water shot up the walls and furniture. Terrified, Aurora tried make a break for the door, but her foot caught an unseen object. For a few sickening seconds she was falling, the ground rushing up to meet her. Before she could catch herself, her head connected with the slick icy ground.

A wall of snow collapsed onto the small girl, too fast for her to even glance at the full moon shining above.

The last thing she felt was the gentle touch of snow coating her body.

~

When Aurora woke up the next morning she didn't expect her room to be clear of all things cold. So, naturally, it was. The ice and snow that she created last night were gone. At least Auri thought she had created it. Nothing was soaked in melted water, so it couldn't have just melted. Now it all just seemed like a bad dream. Was this what the wolf meant? It was her birthday.

She heaved a sigh and readied herself for school. Thankfully, her earrings no longer gave off mysterious light. After finalizing her outfit of a long sleeve shirt and jeans with them, she cautiously exited the room. Her mother didn't look up from her phone as Aurora picked up her lunchbox, but she still asked the normal question. Aurora swiftly answered and made her way to school.

That field of awful, dread filled flowers she thought had died off were growing back faster than ever. The steps she made during her journey seemed to elongate. It was like she would never get to school. She almost wished she wouldn't.

Her heart quickened dramatically as she walked up the school's steps. The lungs in her chest rose and fell erratically. Her eyes shifted nervously from one student to the next. Had Pitch Black turned them? Were they conspiring against her? Would they strike? She mentally slapped herself. Get it together!

The bathroom was her next stop. Water would wake her up. The stalls were empty when she got there. She approached the faucet and twisted it. The H2O came out like it's supposed to; clean, clear, and (most importantly) not frozen.

She cupped the water in her hands and splashed it in her face. Aurora braced her arms on the sink and stared at the mirror. It reflected someone unknown. The girl's pale skin and white hair seemed to magnify the limited light. Deep blue eyes glared back at her, dark bags underneath them aging her entire ensemble drastically. Water ran down her face, but she didn't seem to care. She didn't seem to care about anything.

Aurora saw a ghost.

She jumped backwards and bolted for the door. The bell rang as Auri's hand locked around the handle. It froze almost immediately.

"No no no!" Aurora chanted as she struggled with it. It was no use. The ice was much too solid.

The girl sat on the ground and leaned against the door. She was going to miss class for the first time ever. It was as the ice crawled across the floor when Aurora realized she had a splitting headache.