The throbbing in my head woken me up as I groaned, my hands instinctively flying towards my head before I rubbed my temples in an attempt to chase the throb away now that sleep had already slipped through my fingers.
It took a long time, maybe half an hour, to finally pull myself from the blankets, my back leaning against the comfortable headboard. I blinked a few times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness that the sun had kindly shone through the wide windows for me.
I blinked.
My window wasn't that wide.
I glanced to the other side of the room and immediately frowned at the sight of a glossy white table pushed up against a dark grey wall, an iMac sitting on top as if watching my every move.
I didn't have dark grey coloured walls as well.
As I rubbed my temples again, I stumbled out of the king-sized bed, shocked that I had actually slept here and felt comfortable. I tore my eyes away from the comfortable bed that practically begged me to stay and looked down at my clothing, sighing heavily in relief when I found myself wearing the same clothes I had worn last night.
Last night.
And just with a click of my fingers, parts of my memory that came in little pieces in me drinking and kissing an old man from yesterday began to come crashing in like rough waves, forcing me to drown. I collapsed to my knees and groaned, thrashing my feet wildly like a child having a tantrum as I rubbed my temples for what seemed like the fifth time this morning.
It was morning, right?
I looked over to the nightstand and sighed in relief when it said it was only ten in the morning. On a Tuesday.
Oh well, if I was going to be late to school, then I might as well not go.
Cautiously, I walked to the door and poked my head out of the room, sniffing for some sort of drugs or something with a weird scent that might've indicated that I was in some sort of stranger's house.
After having a short war in my head, I stepped out and smoothed down my skirt before biting my lips nervously as I climbed down the glass spiral staircase that seemed to glisten in the sunlight through the enormous tinted windows.
"Mom!" a feminine voice yelled from behind me, jolting me alive as I immediately turned around to find a beautiful girl who seemed around the age of twenty. Her shoulder-length hair was curled loosely, her blue eyes sparkling in frustration.
She seemed to notice that someone was staring because as soon as she looked down at the steps, specifically at me, she let out a loud yelp. Her blue eyes widened in disbelief as she shamelessly eye-raped me, shaking her head in amusement before crossing her arms over her chest as if to prove to me that she was the head of the house or something.
I suddenly felt insecure under her intense gaze.
"Are you one of Ashton's prostitutes?"
I immediately felt offended even though I guessed I kind of dressed like one but still, she couldn't just judge by a single look. I picked up my head and raised an eyebrow at her. "No."
She rolled her eyes in annoyance, taking two steps closer to the steps. "What's your name?"
"Aur-Luna."
Her jaw unhinged and before I knew it, a grin came across her face as she squealed in excitement. She raced down the steps and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the enormous kitchen before sitting me down on one of the stools near the counter.
"You must be Aurora!" she exclaimed excitedly like a little girl.
I nodded slowly, confused. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
She feigned a gasp before chuckling. "How rude of me. I'm Millicent, Millie for short."
"Millicent, I like that name," I muttered to myself.
She laughed. "I know, me too."
I already loved her aura.
"So, umm, how did you know my name was Aurora?" I questioned cautiously.
She shrugged. "Ashton-"
"Continue the sentence and you'll find all your Prada purses in the pool," a new voice spoke up as I heard heavy footsteps enter the kitchen and I suddenly felt the atmosphere change slightly.
Millicent's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Ashton, dear brother."
I turned around to find Ashton dressed in his usual outfit which consisted of black t-shirt and jeans as he chuckled and kissed his sister's cheeks as a greeting.
"I see you've met my...friend, Aurora," Ashton voiced, ruffling my hair.
I immediately glared at him and swatted his hard chest before crossing my arms, ignoring his amused looks that he was sending in my direction.
In the corner of my eyes, Millicent also looked amused as she looked over to her brother and sighed out loud on purpose. I looked over to Ashton then glanced back at Millicent who seemed to be talking with their matching blue gazes.
"Well, I'm going to leave," I announced, standing from the stool before tying my hair up in a messy bun.
Ashton shot me a look that immediately made me feel uncomfortable. "You will eat breakfast here, have a shower then I'll take you out before going home."
"My parents-"
"I called them," Millicent added as she cut me off, waving off like it wasn't a big thing. "They said that they're relieved you're safe but they're expecting you to be home by six."
I rolled my eyes. "That's total bullshit."
Millicent frowned at my words. "Complicated relationship, huh?"
I nodded, shrugging nonchalantly.
Ashton sighed as he walked over to the fridge and took out a jar of orange juice, pouring me a cup before tossing me an apple which I caught swiftly, a small smile tugging the corner of my lips.
Millicent watched, impressed. "Do you do this often?"
"No," Ashton and I answered simultaneously before I bit into the apple.
Millicent laughed. "You two seem to fit together. I love it."
I choked on my apple whilst Ashton almost dropped his glass of water. I glanced at Ashton who glanced at me before we burst out laughing hysterically.
"You're funny," Ashton said, patting Millicent's shoulders as he wiped a fake tear with his other hand.
She formed a pout on her lips. "Whatever."
"Kids, you're up early," a new, familiar feminine voice spoke up as the sound of heels clicking on the glossy grounds was heard, a woman entering the kitchen with such grace you could've mistaken her for one of the royals.
"It's ten in the morning, mom," Millicent responded, rolling her eyes as she sipped on her own glass of orange juice.
Mrs Nixon was about to open her mouth and say something when she snapped her head to the side, her green eyes piercing right into my soul. She raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat as she looked me up and down shamelessly.
"Miss Steele," she voiced, drumming her fingers on the island. "I didn't think my son was being serious when he said that you were staying over."
The atmosphere that hovered above us seemed to grow intense as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, suddenly feeling insecure under her gaze like I had been with Millicent.
"Yes, Mrs Nixon, I'm sorry," I apologised awkwardly, not knowing what I was really apologising for and also, apologising was definitely not my forte. "It was really sudden and-"
She raised a hand in the air to stop me and I obeyed, my lips immediately sealed shut.
"Truly, I am happy to see that you are alive and safe but your parents would be so worried about you," she stated, shaking her head with a heavy sigh. "Don't you think it's time to head home? And Ashton, you're missing out on school."
Ashton came to a stand beside me as his amusement and playfulness were suddenly replaced with a blank expression. Looked like I wasn't the only one with complicated relationships.
"Mom, I couldn't just abandon Aurora," Ashton voiced, clenching his fists at his sides. "I'll take good care of her and make sure she returns home by six. And besides, Millie had already called her parents and they're okay with it."
Mrs Nixon seemed to look quite frustrated and annoyed. "Ashton, it's time for you to head to school."
Ashton rolled his eyes. "No."
This fumed Mrs Nixon. "Are you disobeying me? I didn't care when you brought home different girls to satisfy your...needs. What I do care is that you attend school."
I crinkled my nose in disgust as I glanced over at Millicent who was staring straight at me, shaking her head as if to warn me not to say anything and to just keep quiet.
"You never told Cayden off when he did the same thing when he was in school," Ashton remarked, anger evident in his ocean blue eyes. "You always blame me for everyone's faults. Am I not just the same as Millie and Cayden? Yet, you treat me so differently. Why do you think I rebel against you?"
"Ashton, that's enough," Mrs Nixon said, her eyes narrowing in on her son as she slammed her fist down on the counter. I jumped in response.
"And enough it is." With that, Ashton took me by the wrist and pulled me out of the suffocating room, leading me towards his room once again before slamming the door behind him.
I jolted in surprise as he paced around his room, running his fingers through his hair in frustration before noticing that there was another presence in the room.
"I'm sorry you had to see all that," he muttered under his breath, a boyish grin tugging on his lips as he walked over to one of the doors and opened it, revealing a bathroom. "There's a spare toothbrush and a spare towel inside. I'll get Millie to come by to give you some spare clothes."
I nodded, biting my lips nervously. "And what will you do in the meantime?"
He shrugged. "I'm going to go talk to my mom."
I didn't know what to say or do so I stood there like a damned statue but he only laughed and shook his head before gently pushing me inside, closing the door behind me.
I frowned and immediately locked the door, afraid that Ashton, or even worse, Cayden, might accidentally come barging through the door with my body exposed to them.
a/n: what do you think of this chapter? Don't be a silent reader! Comment your thoughts and opinions and don't forget to leave a vote!
Ariella xo