A Shelby Mistress

Night Terrors

"Hello? Hello?" Aurora called out into the dark hearing a familiar voice crying out to her. She was trapped again, there was nowhere to go. She'd tried so hard to find a door and escape but there was nothing, nothing but high stone walls and windows that were too far up for her to even attempt to reach. Aurora recognised this place, she'd been here before, she'd seen the person that the voice belonged to. It was no stranger, it was no phantom, it was her.
"Help me please! You have to help me!" Her reflection begged as she laid on the cold floor within the middle of the room, blood seeping from her mouth, life draining from her body "He took my baby boy! Please!"
"W...where is our baby? Where did he take him?!" Aurora demanded, tears flowing from her eyes and blurring the image she saw below her. Golden irises clashed with one another, both filled with heartache and fear.
"Save my baby! Save my baby!"
A last breath echoed throughout the room and through her blurred vision Aurora saw her now lifeless body staring back up at her. It had been the same stare Grace had given her and bringing her hand up to her mouth, Aurora let out a choked sob and fell to her knees.

She tried to reach out to herself, she couldn't be dead but as her arms scrambled around she felt nothing. The body was gone, she was gone, leaving Aurora alone. The sound of footsteps coming from outside the room caused the floor to tremble beneath Aurora and with each flinch they grew louder and louder.
"He's coming" A whisper hissed in her causing her heart to stop in her chest.
"I just want my baby" Aurora cried frantically searching around in the dark "Where is my baby?!"
Suddenly a dark was opened and the walls shook around her as the first stream of light entered the room, illuminating Aurora's form and allowing whoever it was who'd opened the door to see her.
"Your baby is right in front of you Miss Hayes" His Irish accent was strong and dangerous yet filled with humour like he was mocking her stupidity.

Pulling her eyes away from the silhouette on the wall, Aurora lowered her gaze once again and let out a blood curdling scream, her still heart shattering.
Now resting before her was the tiny corpse of little Charlie Shelby.

"Charlie!" Aurora shot up in bed with a strangled cry, her heart racing within her chest "Charlie!"
Ripping the blankets off her, she quickly got off the bed and ran from the door in a blind panic. She had to find Charlie, she needed to know he was safe. Aurora felt sick and she threw open her bedroom door. She hadn't had that dream in years and now, since staying in Tommy's home it had came back and was coming more vivid with each day that passed. Tears welled up in her eyes, this had been the worst one yet. She could handle facing her own death but seeing Charlie's broken little body had crushed her and she never wanted to see it again. A spark of fear ran through her knowing it would come back when she slept again only this time it would be worse.
"Charlie!" She yelled running down the hall towards the nursery. All the air in her lungs vanished at the thought of failing to keep Charlie safe, his beautiful smile meant everything to her.

Aurora had expected him to be inside the nursery getting ready for the day or playing with his trains but to her horror he was nowhere in sight.
No! No! No!
"Charlie!"
Through her panicked yells, Aurora heard Mary's voice calling out to her.
"Miss Hayes! Charlie is downstairs with me"
Freezing in her tracks, Aurora took hold of the bannister at the top of the stairs and falling into a squatting position, she let her head fall against the bars and finally allowed herself to breathe once again, the tears in her eyes flowing freely from happiness knowing Charlie was still safe.
"Miss Hayes, are you alright?" Mary asked and lifting her head, Aurora peered down to see the woman staring at her in concern with a joyful Charlie in her arms who'd spotted Aurora and called out to her in excitement, his arms waving around as he tried desperately to reach her.
Aurora was certain the workers here believed her to be out her mind. She imagined they would sit and discuss her in private and wonder why Tommy had allowed such a woman to be left in charge of his child's life.
"I'm fine, thank you Mary. I had a bad dream and I over panicked when I woke. Sorry if I startled you" Aurora replied breathlessly. Noticing that both Mary and Charlie were ready to go out, she pulled herself up and smiled "Where are you goin?"
She kept her tone friendly and polite despite the jolt of unease rippling through her body. Aurora like Mary but she didn't want Charlie going anywhere without her, not while Tommy's enemies lurked around each corner like a pack of wolves waiting to tear their victims apart.