The stars shined brilliantly in the night sky, casting a glimmering shadow across the forest. The animals were chittering and scurrying about, creating a beautiful melody. Animals perched in trees scanned the floor of the forest, almost checking to make sure the delicate balance of the forest was not disrupted.
A small critter scampered up a hill, something having caught it's beady eyes. It reached a tall castle resting at the top of a hill, the white marble walls shining from the star's light. The castle had a large, twisting "L" stamped onto the grand doors. The castle had large towers scattered throughout the landscape, a bit of light pouring through the windows, complimenting the stars. The critter sniffed at the doors of the castle, curiously prodding at it with it's nose.
A single sound disrupted the peace of the night, making the animal scurry off.
The sound of a scream pierced the night and ripped away at the tranquility.
A girl thrashed in her bed, screams ripping from her throat as her body wildly flailed against her sheets. The girl's eyes darted open, frantically looking around, the last of her screams dying in her scratchy throat. Her panicked body was covered in sweat, her skin felt sticky as the sheets latched onto her.
Her wild eyes glanced around, taking in her surroundings. She tried to decipher where she was, despite the darkness around her. Leaving her throat, she tentatively touched around. She could feel that she was in a bed with silky sheets, a soft blanket covering her legs. Her tongue darted out, wetting her stinging lips. She attempted to see where she was but only saw a magnificent room in the darkness. She swore she saw floating twinkling lights around the room she was in. Shaking her head, she knew the idea was absurd. Pausing, she tried to think of the last thing she could remember. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out her other senses. Taking a deep breath, she decided to calm herself and search her mind.
Then she remembered.
Gasping once more, her eyes flew open with tears welling in them with realization.
She died.
She recalled a car. She recalled a scream. She recalled darkness like no other.
Lastly, she heard a whisper in her mind. A name- her name.
Rory.
Before she could process what had happened to her, the door of the room swung open. The lights in her room brightened, blinding her slightly. Letting out another screech, a man appeared in her room. Rushing over to her bed in concern, she could see him more clearly. He had slightly curly brown hair, and she could tell he was tall even through the dark. There was a hint of a red pigment in his light-brown skin, and it was faint but undoubtedly noticeable. Her eyes immediately focused on his, which were both full of flames. Falling back slightly, a gasp escaped her lips. She watched the sparks jump in his eyes, swearing that she could almost hear the crackling of a fire. The red flames danced in his orange orbs, staring at her worriedly.
"Aurora, are you all right?" he questioned in a British accent, which sounded like a melody that floated around the room. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion at the name. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped short when she noticed the lights in her room.
There were stars all around her room. Floating stars shined brightly as they gently hovered in the air. Her eyes wandered in amazement as the lights glimmered. Her hand moved towards her mouth in awe, her breath wavering. "Aurora, is something wrong?" he questioned once more, and she jumped slightly. She pointed to the stars levitating around them.
"They're... they're beautiful," she gasped out as she continued to keep her eyes locked on the beauty around her. Her breath hitched once more as she heard an accent in her voice. "My voice..." her voice barely a whisper, the boy did not seem to listen to her.
"Well, I should hope so, yes. You spent months collecting the perfect stars," the boy commented in amusement, glancing around the room. "As everyone says, 'most people have their heads in the clouds, while she spends her time with the stars.' and you took it to heart, proving them quite right."
"I..." she shook her head, realizing that she still did not know where she was. She observed the beauty around her and could only come to one conclusion on her whereabouts. "Is this Heaven?"
"Is this what?" he quipped, confusion written over his features. A slight smile tugged at his lips at the strange place that he had never heard of.
"Am I dead?"
"Dead? Quite the opposite, little sister. Is something wrong? Are you having second thoughts about today?" he offered, and her confusion grew, wondering what could be happening today.
"Did you say sister? You're my brother?"
"Aurora... it's me. Aidan, your brother," his worry seemed to grow immensely with her words. He shifted on the bed, inching closer to her. "What game are you playing here?"
"Game?" she repeated incredulously. "Why are you calling me Aurora? Nobody calls me that! My name is Rory! Where the hell am I?"
"Where the what?" Aidan shouted, shaking his head. She could see the veins beneath his skin turned red, his skin sizzling slightly. She backed away in horror, but he did not seem to notice either action. She didn't understand how he was not in unbearable pain at his skin burning. "Why are you speaking so strangely? And what sort of name is 'Rory'? Where did that even come from?"
"It's- it's my name! Are you all right? You're burning!" Rory exclaimed in fear, feeling the heat from the boy radiating in the room. The terror in her voice caused him to pause, turning towards her. Aidan just now seemed to notice his red skin, and he chuckled slightly.
"It's just my fire, Aurora. Nothing to fear," he brushed off, waving his hand dismissively in the air.
"What?" Rory whispered as she shook her head, not calming down.
"My fire..." he trailed off, worried once more. Aidan snapped his wrist up, fire bursting out of it. A scream escaped Rory's mouth, scrambling to the other side of the bed. He immediately lowered his hand, the flames going out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's fine, you're okay..."
His calming tone almost soothed her, but she quickly recalled what happened to her and shook her head furiously. Her hands ran through her hair. "No... no, I'm not okay! I died! I'm dead... oh my, God... I'm dead..."
"'Oh my, what?'" he repeated in bewilderment, and he could not understand why she was speaking so absurdly and why these phrases were passing her lips. He then began to focus on what she kept muttering. "Wait, did you see something?"
"'See something'..." Rory stopped her muttering, her hands froze as she lifted her head. "What would I have seen?"
"I don't know, you're the only one who can see any sort of visions. You usually tell us what you see..." Aidan trailed off in concern, he paused for a moment before taking her hand in his gently. He saw pure fear and confusion in her eyes, something he rarely saw within his sister. "What's going on?"
"You tell me! Please, tell me what's going on." Rory pleaded desperately as she felt herself begin to tremble. Aidan nodded furiously, terribly worried for his sister. He pulled her body into his arms, holding her tightly. His hand stroked her hair soothingly, arms firmly locked around her, making her feel some peace. "Please... help me, Aidan."
"Don't worry, Aurora... you'll be all right."