Long Live

Aurora

"Ara, darling? Do you have your ticket?" Dad asked as I pulled out the piece of paper. "We'll be up there in two weeks. See you soon, Angel." He kissed my head before the speakers announced my flight.
"Bye, papa. Love you." I smiled, kissing his cheek, shouldering my bag before walking on board and taking my seat.
The last time I got on a plane, it was to leave my older brother (by a year) and mother in California, which is exactly where we're moving back to. Not back with them, my mother moved on with Alex and her new husband, but to a house not too far away so Alex and I could reconnect.
My dad married the love of his life, Elaina, who has three kids of her own Blake is the oldest son at 18, Bradley the middle at 17, then Bailey May at 13, there's me at 15, and the twins they had together, Ashlynn and Ashton, who just turned 7.
Six kids under one roof. It's not easy when we have a four-bedroom house with only two bathrooms. That's why we're moving to California. Dad has a better job not too far from our new, bigger home. I get to scope it out before getting to live with Alex until the rest of them get here.
"Are you done daydreaming?" Mother snapped at me.
Oh, yeah. One thing I forgot to mention, my mother only wanted a boy, so she tried a lot to kill me once I was born; that's part of the reason why my parents split.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just wondering what Alex looks like after so long." I smiled. I missed my brother more than anything in this world.
"The same." She scoffed. Gosh, I hope I don't have to spend much time with her.
Once she parked the car in the driveway, I quickly lept out, grabbing my stuff before I was tackled into the cement.
"What the hel- ALEX!" I screamed as I wrapped my legs around him, and he picked us up and spun me around. I couldn't seem to get close enough to him.
"Ara!" He cried into my shoulder as his grip around me tightened.
"I missed you so much." I cried into his shoulder as I let my legs fall to the ground, trying to touch the cement with my toes but failing.
"Gosh, you're short." He laughed as he dried his tears.
"Why the hell are you so tall?" I grinned as mother gasped, glaring at me like I had just thrown worms at her friends; I've done that before.
"No swearing in my presence, you insignificant-" Her face burned before Alex placed himself between us, with me shrinking down behind him.
"Mom." He spoke softly, her fierce grey eyes softening once they landed on him.
"Alex is right, darling. No fighting while she's here. Her father will be here in two weeks to pick her up." A man in a business suit spoke without an ounce of emotion in his voice.
"Lemme guess, lawyer?" I whispered as Alex chuckled.
"How did you know?"
"The voice." I shrugged, looking at the man who was staring intensely at his phone.
"My name is Aaron. You are?" He asked, still not looking at me.
"Aurora Elizabeth, Sir." I just about squeaked. I'm usually not so intimidated by people I haven't met, but if he can stand living with my mother, he must indeed be the devil. At that thought, his intense brown eyes shot up, instantly meeting my light blue ones, making me want to cower behind Alex, but I stared back into his eyes and trusted my hand out to him. His eyebrow rose before a look of amusement crossed his face, and he shook my hand firmly. I nodded at him in total understanding that if I even looked at him the wrong way, my ass would be in hell faster than I could blink.
"Pleasure to meet you, Aurora Elizabeth Marie Raine." He said my full name. He already knows everything about me, and he's making sure I never forget it.
"The pleasure is all mine, Sir." I nodded again before Alex nodded at him, holding onto my luggage before pulling me away.
"That girl has more balls than anyone." A voice whispered in the shadows. I glanced up at Alex as he led me upstairs, rolling his eyes at the voices.
"Did you feel colder when you looked into his eyes?" A boy asked the moment I stepped into the room Alex led me to.
"Huh? No, but I think I died a little." I chuckled.
"How did you do it?" The same boy asked.
"Reg, let the pretty girl get in the room first." A boy with black hair covering his face grinned at me.
"No." Alex barked at him.
"Why not? She's hot as hell." The boy grinned.
"Because darlin', I can mess you up faster than you can pray, sweetheart." I smiled sweet as ten pounds of sugar; my voice laced with my thick southern accent.
"Well, I'll yee that haw, cowgirl." He got up, walking over to me before I quickly got up, turned him around, and pinned him with his arms behind his back against the wall.
"No way in hell, city boy." I smiled softly, getting up and glancing down at him.
"Where did you learn that?" Alex stared at me.
"Mama taught me." I smiled softly as he frowned. "She's really nice, super supportive, and she already adores you." I beamed, hitting his shoulder.
"Hold up, what's happening? Isn't she the new exchange student?" A boy with an orange beanie asked, looking up at Alex from his guitar.
"Exchange student? The hell, Alex?" I feigned hurt, flopping dramatically on his bed. "I feel betrayed, and- and hurt, and forgotten!"
"Hush, you drama queen, I just haven't told them yet." He rolled his eyes at me as I smirked.
"You procrastinate too much. I'm Alex's younger sister. I'm originally from here, but my pop and I moved down to Tennessee so I wouldn't constantly be fearing for my life at the ripe, old age of 4." I smiled as they finally caught on.
"She's your sister?" Beanie gaped.
"You have a sister?" Reg asked.
"Oh! Dude, for years, I thought you were talking about missing your girlfriend!" The boy I put on the floor laughed. I glanced up at Alex before he shook his head at me.
He wrote to me a few years back telling me about his band and how he was pretty sure he was gay. I obviously told him that I loved him either way and that I supported him in that, but he apparently hasn't told anyone.
"Nope, just my little sister." Alex shrugged as I sent him a sharp glare for calling me little.
"Sister. Bestfriend. Soulmate. Divine pair. Other half. Better half. I can go on." I listed.
"No. I'm his bestfriend." Beanie pouted.
"I loved him first. Therefore, mine." I smirked as he pouted at us. "Damn, you're cute when you're mad." I grinned as his mouth popped open, jaw hitting the floor. "Shut your mouth, darlin'; you'll catch flies." I shut his mouth with my fingers before turning sharply towards Alex. "I'm starving. Got anything I can eat?" I ask, tilting my head to the side, letting my curls cascade over my shoulder.
"Yes. And no." He said, looking between Beanie and me.
"You know I'm just playing." I grinned, bouncing off the bed, walling towards the door. "Comin?"
"Yeah, hey, after, we should-" he stopped mid-sentence once he heard yelling coming from downstairs, and I froze. "Ara, it's ok." Alex rushed into a hug as I shook from fear and my panic brain took over.
"I shouldn't have come here... she's gonna-"
"No! She's not. I won't let her; you'll be safe with me-"
"Don't you have school tomorrow?" I whimpered.
"Yeah? Why?" He asked.
"I don't. I don't start until Pop gets here."
"I don't under-"
"I have to stay here... alone... with her, Alley." I sniffled.
"We have a studio she can stay at." Beanie piped up.
"Right! You can stay at the studio while we're at school. Then we'll come over for band practice, and then I'll take you home." Alex suggested. I slowly nodded, knowing full well that this plan wouldn't work for the whole two weeks, but...
"Ok. I have to warn you if anything happens... if I don't freeze up, I'll run, and I've been on the track team since 5th grade." I sighed, giving in.
"Hurdles." Alex rolled his eyes.
"My stamina is already really high, Alex; add adrenaline to that, I can run for a couple of miles." I glanced at him.
"You don't-"
"Yes, I do. I know. I've done it before. Don't ask." I said sharply before we crawled out the window, climbed down the tree next to his window, and started walking.
"You like hotdogs?" Beanie asked me.
"Yeah... hey, what are your names? I've been calling you Beanie for the last hour."
"Oh... my name is Lu-"
"I'm Bobby." The boy I pinned to the floor smiled at me. Can he seriously not get the hint?
"I'm Reggie!" Reg bounced. He had a lot of energy... kind of like a puppy.
"And I'm Luke." Beanie finally said once we reached the hotdog... place, I guess. I shrugged, picked up one, and put some ketchup on it before sitting down with the guys.
We cracked a few jokes here and there until we decided that 10 pm was as long as we wanted to stay out and headed towards the studio to sleep for the night.
"Ara, you can have the couch tonight." Luke smiled at me as I nodded and laid down, resting my head on the arm of the couch before Luke grabbed a blanket and spread it out on top of me. "If you ever need a place to go or to escape to, you can always come here. I'll be here most nights, so you'll never really be alone." He whispered, tucking me in under the blanket.

I locked eyes with him.

To put it plainly, his eyes were hazel, but if I were paying any attention, which I'm not, I'd tell you that that is the worst way to describe his eye color. In different lights, his eyes would change colors. His eyes have a mix of browns, blues, and greens, with a touch of reds, oranges, and gold. Chocolate, mocha, amber, maple, and mahogany for the browns, ocean blue, icey silver, mid-January sky blue, and sapphire for the blues, forest green, emerald, fresh spring grass green, and the color of the evergreens during Christmas for the greens, with a touch of dark cherry red, that crisp orange you can only get from maple leaves at the peak of autumn, and tiny flakes of gold you can only get when he laughs.

"Thank you," I whispered back with a small smile playing on my lips as my cheeks started to heat up.
"Sweet dreams, Aurora." He smiled.
"Sweet dreams, Luke," I repeated before he left, and I quickly fell asleep.

It was an end to a decade but the start of an age. Long live.