Her Inheritance

CHAPTER 5 -•- Side Character

           Aurora stared at the entrance to the hospital room. She hadn't spoken to Mae since the ambulance picked her up. She tried texting her, but she didn't even open her messages. She saw people flooding out of the hospital room. News cameras were crowding the scene. It had been almost a full day since she got to the hospital and apparently word had gotten out about what happened. Aurora looked down at the giant stuffed animal in her arms, and the "get well soon" balloon in her hand. She wondered now if the message on the balloon was simply unnecessary. She turned to her dad, who stared at the crowd of people in astonishment. He looked back at Aurora.
           "Um... we can always try coming back at a different time?" Graham laughed nervously, still completely unsure of how to handle this situation. Aurora turned back to the crowd. She noticed a reporter talking to one of the cameras.
           "We're here, live, in Glenhollow, Redwind, EU, where it appears a teenage girl— previously thought to be a null— has suddenly emerged due to a traumatic incident triggering her endowment. The incident? Getting burned by her mother's boiling pot of water," the reporter chimed with a shocked expression. Aurora felt her chest begin to ache all over again, and she furrowed her brows.
           "No... I want to see her," Aurora held her hand out to him. He sighed, taking her tiny, pale hand into his own. He began to guide her through the people, politely excusing himself and apologizing as he squeezed past, being careful not to bump into the cameras and equipment. Aurora stayed tight in his grip all the way through. They finally found a place to stand and look at the med. Mae sat in the hospital bed talking to an interviewer with cameras in her face. Aurora clutched the stuffed animal she brought her as she looked around at the slue of boquettes, balloons, cards, stuffed animals, chocolates, and even a fruit basket, decorated the room around them. Aurora was overwhelmed by the amount of attention she was receiving over this.
           "So you went from having no powers, to suddenly discovering your elemental endowment. How do you feel about that?" The reporter asked her.
           "Honestly... it's surreal. I thought this day would never come. I mean, I imagined it a million times, but I never expected this, you know? I was starting to accept that I'd never have powers. Or if I did, it wouldn't be anything special anyways," Mae explained with excitement. People began shouting questions at her from all directions.
           "Have you ever been burned this severely before?" one reporter shouted over top of everyone.
           "No, I haven't. I guess that's why my endowment never emerged. How was I supposed to know I needed to have third degree burns to unlock it?" She smiled towards the camera.
           "We're getting a call right now from Cassara Cavell's producers on Born This Way. They're interested in doing a segment and want to get in contact with you!" Another woman excited shouted over the crowd.
           "What? Are you serious? I love Cassara Cavell! You've got to be kidding!" Mae laughed.
           "You have got to be joking..." Aurora huffed to herself. She felt like she could start sobbing right there beneath the chaos of the crowd, but she snapped herself out of it and kept listening. The reporters asked more and more questions, and Mae ate it up. Her mom would even butt in and light up about certain topics, especially when it came to their lineage and genetics. They basked in the glory of all the people. Aurora sat in a chair in the back of the room, waiting. Her Dad waited with her for a while, but after three hours of people still coming in and out of the room, he called a quits and told her he'd come get her later. Aurora began to fall asleep, still clutching the stuffed animal as the last reporters and estranged family members finally said their last farewells.
           "Aurora?" Mae finally called out to her, waking her up from her emotional crash as she sat up urgently.
           "Mae," she sighed, standing up and walking to her bed, which was finally cleared away from cameras and professionals.
           "How long have you been here? I didn't even see you," Mae chuckled, smiling at the bear as she took it from her arms.
           "I've been here since four..." Aurora sighed, her eyes resting tiredly in the bags underneath them. Mae's face turned into a frown as she looked at her phone, which showed it was ten o'clock in the evening.
           "Oh... sorry, I... time really flew by for me today," Mae laughed awkwardly, and then she frowned, looking at the bear and balloon again. Aurora sat down at the foot of her bed and stared at the floor in silence. Neither of them said a word as Mae clutched the stuffed animal she brought her.
           "So... pretty crazy, right? All of this... I just got my endowment. Everyone's treating me like I'm a celebrity! I mean, I do like it, but I kind of hope it's just a phase, you know? Having all this attention on me is kind of exhausting... My mom is acting like she should take the credit for me discovering it," Mae sneered about the last part, rolling her eyes as she remembered how incessantly her mother tried to steal the spotlight on camera.
           "Yep. Pretty crazy..." Aurora forced a smile, which quickly disappeared. She didn't even try to look at her. Mae had a look of guilt wash over her. She took in a deep, guttural sigh.
           "I know... I know this is gonna be hard on you. I haven't forgotten you, things have just been so... you know... it's been like a dream, Rors, a real dream come true," Mae laughed. Aurora built up the strength to make eye contact with her, and forced another half smile at her.
           "I can only imagine," she laughed as she forced back tears.
           "I just mean— I don't know why it happened this way. We always said we'd get our endowments together. I don't know why the Gods chose me, and not you... but I think a lot of things are going to change for me, and, I don't know—" Mae paused mid-sentence and looked at Aurora again.
           "You don't know, what?" she questioned her sadly. Mae scoffed in frustration, trying to find the words.
           "I don't know... what's going to happen," Mae said, setting the beat aside and bringing her knees to her chest. Aurora looked down at the ground again. She felt a sort of severe between them, like the strained ropes holding together their friendship had just been sliced by a sword and was barely hanging on, now. She knew that their friendship would soon be shattered by her move to Orvenna, but this cut even deeper. It felt like the beginning of a truer end that she never pictured she'd have to endure. She couldn't stop the stray tears from escaping her lashes.
           "We know that you'll be fine, now... but what happens to me?" Aurora turned to her solemnly. Mae sighed, sinking deeper into herself and hiding her face behind her knees.
           "We'll always be best friends, Aurora. And we're still going to the dance together. My mom would kill me if I didn't show up... nothing has changed, okay?" Mae told her, reaching forward to rest a gentle hand on her shoulder. Aurora took a deep breath, resting her hand on top of hers. She wanted to believe her, but a wiser side of her knew better.
           "Miss Trask? Sorry, dear, we finally got your discharge papers ready. That news crew really slowed things down today, huh? Just get your mom to sign these, thanks," The nurse was in and out, handing Mae a stack of hospital release forms. She stared at them for a while, and then looked back at Aurora.
           "I hope everyone at school doesn't treat me like this much of a freak, tomorrow..." Mae laughed. Aurora smiled slightly, and then she frowned once more.
           "Yeah... I'm gonna miss being freaks together, though," she looked into her amber eyes. The two of them just stared at each other with depressed expressions.