AURORA (Original Novel)

Chapter 11. New life.

The girl woke up in a snow-white hospital room. It smelled of medicine and disinfectants. She turned her heavy, alien head to the left. Nearby, on the next bed, behind a translucent thin screen, lay an old, decrepit woman. In the gap between the wall and the partition, Aurora saw that tubes were inserted into the patient's mouth and nose; she did not move, as if she had fallen asleep in an eternal sleep. The iron cabinet next to her bed made sucking sounds. Bielke turned her head to the right, feeling her back and neck go numb, and her feet tingling unpleasantly. Artificial chrysanthemums were the only bright spot in the sterile room; the father was sleeping on a chair with a long back by the window, his head resting on his chest; it was clear from his haggard face that he had experienced more than one sleepless night and was very nervous.

There was a dish of fruit on the small nightstand; the smell of it tickled her nose. A single tear rolled down Aurora's cheek; she didn't understand why, either because her dad was nearby and was worried about her, or because she had experienced a nightmare. Bielke remembered everything that happened in the abandoned place. The puppy, Ulle, the shaved and fat freak, her struggle and how, in fact, she died. The memories of the mysterious place and the stranger who saved her were not so clear, the smells of herbs were well imprinted in her memory and the fact that her mysterious benefactor had amber eyes, she did not see them, but she felt that it was so. Whether it was a dream or the dying delirium of a fading consciousness, she did not know. Aurora felt her face and, to her surprise, did not find anything wrong. The nose, teeth and lips were in place and the same as always, no scars, no bumps, but she clearly remembered how a heavy boot flew between her eyes. The ribs were also normal, the chest was clean, but the girl felt that somewhere in the area of ​​her heart she had been stabbed with something sharp and it was difficult to breathe. Now, she was completely healthy. The father perked up, feeling that his daughter had regained consciousness. He looked sleepily at Bielke, tears sparkling in the corners of his eyes.

"My baby! You woke up." Phineas hastily stood up and knelt down in front of the bed, kissed her forehead, taking the child's hand in his large palms.

"Aurora! We were so worried, so worried about you, dear. Mom stopped drinking, she sat here all day with you and cursed herself. Daughter! For a month, a whole month, everyone was looking for you." He began to cry, his voice trembled, Bielke, seeing his father's condition, also began to shed tears. The man reverently began to kiss his daughter's hands. – "Month? Incredible?" - She thought. The carved ceiling and the voice of the savior appeared before her inner gaze; the girl was sure that she had been in this place, as if in a past life that she did not remember. When Phineas took control of his feelings and calmed down, smiling broadly, he offered Aurora a tangerine, starting to peel it and divide it into slices.

"My dear, do you remember, no matter what, what happened to you?"

"I don't remember, dad." Bielke lied. Realizing that there was no point in talking about the trio of scum, there was still no evidence of their attack.

"You disappeared more than a month ago." The father said, tenderly feeding the fruit to his daughter. "I, Vicky, your mother and generally half of Gruve, everyone looked for you, every corner, every nook, but found nothing. Then the rangers reported that they found you safe and sound, on the seashore, in a wild place, thirty kilometers from home." He wiped the running tears from his face and continued.

"You were unconscious and wearing someone else's clothes, this is very strange, the police believe that someone kidnapped you and kept you captive. Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Fin pursed his lips, looking carefully at his daughter. Bielke shook her head. She understood that the words about Ulle and his friends would look like nonsense, there was no evidence, and how could she explain her miraculous salvation and the fact that there was not a scratch on her. So the trio can sleep peacefully. The girl felt sadness, mixed with joy that her father and mother still loved her. It seemed to Aurora that she had changed, as if that girl who had run away from home had died, there in the factory, and now in the ward it was not she, but her double with the memory of the deceased. The child smiled sadly; after all, the news that alcohol had finally left her family was happy. She did not feel fear after what happened; the event, terrifying in its essence, strengthened her heart and spirit. The realization that the amber-eyed one was real made everything around her less important and more petty. Phineas went to call Aurora's mother to tell her the good news.