Her Inheritance

Chapter 8 -•- First Everything

           Aurora brushed her hair three times before leaving the house that morning. She talked to herself nervously as she paced around the living room, staring at the clock.  She turned to Graham when he walked into the living room holding a small, crystal-like vial in his hand.
           "This was your mothers," he said, examining the liquid in it carefully, and bringing the bottle to his nose to smell, "It's called vanilla pistachio. They don't even make it anymore. Sometimes... when I really miss her... I'll sit in that bed and just smell it for hours..." he explained gently and softly. Aurora stared at his hands with wonder, slowly approaching to get a closer look at it. He sucked in a shaky breath before continuing, "I think Jude will like this. I mean... I loved when your mother wore it. So, if he has any good taste," he shrugged at her, making her giggle. He took the vile between his fingers, scanning it with his eyes, and then made an identical copy of it. Then he handed the clone to her.
           "I'll make you as many as you want. But never use the original, okay? I just... want it to last forever. And I always thought I'd let you use it on your wedding day," he mumbled, spilling the surprise, but he figured it was already spoiled anyway. Aurora smiled at him, then traced her fingers over the elegant design of the crystal bottle. He sighed gently, seeing his long-lost wife's elegant features in her face and hands, "alright... maybe just this  once... for good luck," he lifted the original vile, and Aurora looked at him with surprise, moving her arms out of the way. He carefully and deliberately sprayed three squirts onto the front of her jacket. The sweet, sugary smell of pistachio ice cream filled her senses, and almost felt like it unlocked some kind of memory buried deep in her mind. She had a wave of exhilaration wash over her as she imagined Jude's reaction, and she stuffed the perfume bottle in her bag. Graham just smiled down at her lovingly.
           She jittered with excitement when he finally grabbed his keys, signaling he was ready to leave. She was proactively bouncing off the walls as they walked down to his car. He kissed her on the head goodbye when he dropped her off and she excitedly ran into the school. He almost couldn't believe it, smiling to himself as he drove away.
           Aurora paced the halls on her home floor, and stopped next to her first class, where she usually did. She looked around for Jude, and when she didn't see him, she turned to the screen next to her. She suddenly got an idea.
           "Um... hey, SOPHIA... are you allowed to tell me another person's location?" Aurora asked her nervously. SOPHIA appeared on the screen and smiled down at her.
           "I am not allowed to give you another person's location unless you are authorized personnel, or as it pertains to your school job path, which you still do not have, Aurora," SOPHIA smiled slyly at her, and she blushed and scoffed in annoyance.
           "I know, I just haven't decided yet, okay? I still have like three weeks!" Aurora whined to her, making SOPHIA chuckle.
           "I know you are likely looking for Jude. You are allowed to request his location due to the nature of his job path. He is in the west sector of floor forty-seven, and he's headed this direction," Sophia showed her live video footage of Jude talking to Kairo down the hall. Her pupils dilated and a smile tugged at her lips at the sight of him. She frowned slightly when SOPHIA reappeared on the screen.
           "Um... SOPHIA... do you think Jude will like my new stockings and perfume?" she whispered to the AI, looking around to make sure nobody else was listening. SOPHIA processed her question and smiled gently.
           "I can't tell you how Jude feels about you. However, I can give you facts based on my observations. Jude Remis has spent seventy-two percent more time with you this week than his next most-frequent peer. He voluntarily delayed his departure from campus by eighteen minutes on average when you were present," Aurora's jaw dropped at SOPHIA's information, "since your arrival, his route through floor forty-seven has altered three times to align with your schedule. In eighty-three percent of your interactions, he initiates follow-up dialogue when you attempt to disengage. He maintains visual orientation towards you in group settings for two-point-five times longer than other individuals pres—"
           "Agh— shh, shh, okay, you can stop now!" Aurora frantically put her hands on the screen, stopping SOPHIA's monologue mid-sentence when she noticed Jude suddenly running towards her.
           "Hey, Aurora!" He called from afar, and she smiled at him as she folded her hands behind her back, excited for him to get a look at her new features. He entered her bubble of intensity like a ray of sunlight, basking in her energy. He was quickly getting very attached to her radiating feelings that engulfed him every time he was around her, "Kairo and I were just talking, and I thought, hey, Aurora is a girl right? Do you think—"
           Jude stopped just about a stride away from her when the rousing, potent scent of her perfume hit his nose, which accented her inviting aura like icing on cake. He knew it was the first time she wore it; he definitely would've noticed it before. Her long lashes fluttered, staring up at him shyly as she twisted the tip of her shoe into the ground. He could feel her excitement, and aching, and craving, and it just made his stomach bubble, unable to deny how much he wanted her too. His eyes finally trailed back down her body, past her skirt, and at the beautiful, lacy black stockings that showed a glimpse of her light skin tone underneath. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, not really certain if she had dressed up for him, or if he was grossly misinterpreting the situation. Even though he knew exactly how she was feeling, he just couldn't read her mind, and so he was terrified of being wrong and misinterpreting things.
           "Do I think, what?" She asked with a small laugh, bringing one of her dainty fingers to her pink lips and almost knocking him out cold. Her soul was pulsing and drawing him closer to her.
           "Do you think... uhh..." his hands began to fidget at his sides, and his legs began taking tiny steps even closer, without his brain even telling them to. His eyes were fixated on her mouth and neck again as the world began dissolving around him. He was immediately slam-dunked back into reality when Kairo backed straight into them. Jude flew forward, slamming Aurora's face directly into his chest. The profuse feeling of her body against his was like jumping into a lake full of freezing cold water. Any area that their skin slightly touched— their hands brushing together— her forehead touching the skin just under his neck— began to tingle, almost like it burned, but in a gratifying way. It sent him into  pure ecstasy for a split second, and he had to grab her by the shoulders and pull her away, literally gasping for air. Kairo laughed and straightened up as Jude turned to him in shock, still holding Aurora by the shoulders. Kairo raised his eyebrows and hands up as he continued to chuckle at them, signaling to Jude that he genuinely didn't mean to bump into them. Jude looked back at Aurora apologetically, brushing off her sleeves before he straightened his glasses. Aurora smiled at Jude again.
           "Woah, woah, I am so sorry, bro," Kairo was being slightly sarcastic, but he grabbed Jude by the shoulders, and then he suddenly began giving him a massage, "Wow. You are really tense right now. Aurora, since you're already here, why don't you get in here and try to tackle these knots?" he chuckled. Jude slapped his arms away in annoyance, only making him giggle more.
           "I was going to say," Jude began, finally finding his train of thought, "Do you think Sev is just playing hard to get? Or do you think she just doesn't like Kairo, for real?"
           "Um..." Aurora stared at them.
           "Yeah! Open us up to the mysterious mind of a woman," Kairo spoke in a low, dramatic voice, wiggling his fingers across his face.
           "I really don't know? I don't know anything about Severine... and I have a hard time figuring out how I feel sometimes," she laughed, her eyes flashing towards Jude, who smirked a bit. Kairo snapped his fingers with disappointment. He looked back down at Aurora and seemed pleasantly surprised.
           "Hey! Look at that! You're wearing new socks!" He pointed down at her legs, "did you look at her socks, Jude?" He questioned him, and as much as he tried not to, Jude couldn't help follow Kairo's finger back to Aurora's stockings, sending him straight back into a freeze, where he couldn't respond or take his eyes away, "oh yeah... he's looking at those socks, baby," Kairo wiggled his eyebrows at Aurora, making her cover her mouth with a giggle as Jude blushed and began slapping him on his face and arms over and over.
           "Ju ju! Is that my precious little cinnamon bun?" Aurora's heart fluttered when she heard the voice of another girl calling his name, making Jude freeze and slowly turn to the source. Aurora watched as a strange girl with bouncy, dirty-blonde hair came running up to him. She had braces on her teeth and a cute, pink clip-on bow on the back of her head. Her finger nails were painted pink as well, and she wore frilly socks and shiny black flats.
           "Awe, come here, I missed you," she stepped directly in front of Aurora like she wasn't even there, and watched her wrap him in a tight hug. She saw the way she pressed her hand against the back of his head, and press her face into his ear, and she felt her stomach drop. Her knees began to shake, and her world felt like it was crumbling in the span of a few seconds... that was, until he saw an annoyed expression cross over Kairo's face. Jude finally grabbed the smothering girl by the shoulders and pushed her away from him, eyeing Aurora fearfully. The girl's smile didn't falter from her face.
           "Ugh... that's better. I was so anxious coming into school today, I knew I just needed to find you," she hummed, staring at Jude with that same longing expression Aurora always looked at him with. She wanted to run away, and cry, and scream, but if she did, it would give away every single feeling she was trying to keep from him. She watched his reactions desperately, like someone was holding all her hopes and dreams in their hand and threatening to crush it.
           "Nice of you to ask before just using me for my endowment," Jude crossed his arms at her, giving her an annoyed expression as he took a step back. She scoffed at him.
           "Oh, come on, like you've ever had a problem with my hugs," she cooed at him, pressing a finger against his nose.
           "Is that all you needed, Princess Lira? Can you dismiss me now?" He smiled slightly at her, but still seemed genuinely annoyed, which made Aurora want to throw up from confusion. She wished someone would just say something to clear up what was going on. She felt like her image of him was shattering. Was this his girlfriend? If so, why had he been spending so much time with Aurora? Was he two-timing them both? Maybe her dad was right about him.
           "Oh, stop it. What's your deal? Why are you acting all aggro all of a sudden? I'm gone for a week and now you're acting like you hate me?" She placed her hands on her hips.
           "Did he ever really like you, though?" Kairo asked her, making her sneer at him. She turned back and finally looked at Aurora, scanning her with her eyes, but Aurora almost felt like she was sizing her up. Aurora sunk back when she smiled at her.
           "Oh... sorry, I didn't see you there," she laughed, "did you need something? Jude's a little busy right now, and, he technically doesn't have to start his job path duties until first period starts," Aurora just looked at the ground, and even took a few steps back. Jude's eyes widened with horror when he noticed her body language signaling she was about to flee.
           "Aurora," he stated gently, but loud enough that his voice shook her to her core, making her look back up at him with glassy eyes and a red face. With his focus on her again, her gentle, broken feelings came flooding back, and he bumped past Lira to reconnect with her. He felt so warm in her proximity, and that delicious smell was drowning his senses deeper. if he wasn't so overwhelmed by her touch, he'd brush her pretty hair out of her face. Instead, he began fidgeting with his hands, "...what kind of perfume is that?" He finally whispered to her breathlessly, making sure Kairo and Lira couldn't hear him. Her face twisted into a beet red smile as she began playing with her hair.
           "It's my mom's... my Dad says it's called vanilla pistachio," she whispered back. She watched his smile widen and his eyelids droop. He fiddled with the buttons on his uniform as he leaned closer into her, and she listened as he took in a deep breath through his nose.
           "You are so..." Jude bit his lip, holding his words back as he looked back at her dilated eyes. Aurora didn't need to hear anything else. Everything was reaffirmed to be true and safe again. She didn't know this girl, but at least she knew she wasn't in any real competition. Jude breathed sharply, turning back to Kairo and Lira, who watched the two of them, completely stunned.
           "Um, Kairo... wasn't there some thing you wanted us to go and do before class?" Jude questioned him.
           "Oh, Jude. There's always things," Kairo grinned, putting his hands up and walking towards them. Lira crossed her arms at them, glaring daggers at Aurora's head as Kairo scooped them up by the shoulders and started walking away.
           "Whatever, Ju-ju! Message me when you come to your senses!" she spat back.
           "Yeah, yeah. Sure thing!" Kairo waved her off as Jude looked back at her, "freak-a-licious..." he mumbled the last part under his breath.
           "Uh, my class was back that way," Aurora giggled at him as Kairo continued to hold the two of them close.
           "Not anymore! Now you have homeroom with me. And Mr. Ceviche. He's cool, but definitely don't be loud in the morning, he gets severe migraines," Kairo joked, seeming like he had learned that information the hard way. Jude couldn't help laugh at him too.
           "So... who was that girl?" Aurora looked at him, and the three of them finally stopped as Kairo pulled his hands back to his uniform pockets, "S-she wasn't your... girlfriend, was she?"
           "By the Gods, no. That was Lira. I guess she's technically an ex, but never anything serious. We dated at the end of the first lights... trust me, I know she is overbearing but I do not feel that way about her," Jude shuttered.
           "Why don't you just... tell her to stop?" Aurora asked him nervously.
           "I have! I mean... once... and she completely ignored me. I guess part of me never fully wanted to until..." he paused, and his eyes slowly met back with hers as he scratched his head.
           "Until what?" Aurora knotted her brows at him. Jude shook his head with his mouth open, unsure of what to say.
           "Jude is a complex little baby, Aurora. He is so busy reading other people's feelings that he doesn't understand his own. Look at him!" Kairo told her, shaking Jude by the shoulders, "That girl broke his tiny little first light level heart! She lives for attention, even the attention— and kisses— of other guys when she is in a relationship!"
           "Ohhh... I get it now... and now she still acts like she has some kind of ownership over you?" Aurora nodded with clarity as she pointed at him. He nodded back at her with his arms out. Aurora smiled gently at him as he sighed, "Anyway. Just try to avoid her. That's what I do..." he huffed. The bell rang, signaling class was about to start.
           "Come on, Aurora, hurry up, we're going to be late," Kairo said to her in a way that almost made Aurora want to follow him for a second, before Jude pushed him away with a scoff, making Kairo snicker again.
           "I'll walk you back to class," he chuckled, grabbing Aurora by her sleeve-covered arm as he shook his head at his friend.