Her City of Death | ongoing

chapter three

When the plane lands I'm the first to exit, immediately running into my father's open arms with scolding hot tears streaming down my cherry-red face. My God, it's been an such emotional day.

"Oh, Aurora," He mumbles quietly into my hair, "My sweet darling girl."

"I'm so sorry." I sob into his chest.

When I was fourteen, we lost my grand-mere. My father took it the hardest, that was his mother. He locked himself in his office for a three days, refusing to open the door for anyone. He loved her. I picked his office lock with a bobby pin and guilted him into eating my homeade chicken noodle soup, that the chef really made it. When we lost my mother, he had to stay strong for me, he didn't get the chance to even begin to grieve her death before my supposed one.

"Sh, sh, sh," He hushes me.

My father smiles warmly at my friends when we pull away.

"Nicholas Jones, sir." Nick outstretches his hand to shake my fathers, and then curses, "Fuck, am I supposed to call you Don Thomas - I mean Berkeley - fuck."

My father laughs whole-heartedly as he shakes Nick's hand, "Charles is fine."

Beth is practically giving my father heart eyes as she blushes and shakes his hand, "I'm Elizabeth Sin Clair, Mr. Charles." She smiles.

Veronica tries to introduce herself but is quickly cut off by Drake, "Drake Lewis, Don. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your mansion." He practically gushes.

I grimace, "Base, Drake." Rolling my eyes as I correct him for the fourth time. I turn to my father, "He's just excited because he's been living out of Veronica's fridge for weeks."

Veronica waves shyly, "I'm Veronica - uh, Laughlin." Her name carries some weight in New York but in Paris, in front of a Mafia Boss, it carries none. She knows this, it's why she was apprehensive to say her name in her usual confidence. Father will call her secretive later. She isn't, she just has too much pride.

If I had no idea who these people were I would have completely different opinions on them. Veronica would be arrogant, she holds her head up and her resting bitch face makes her seem like - well, a bitch.

"It's already so pretty and I've barely seen the sites!" Beth exclaims, her eyes lighting up as she looks around. Beth would be gulible, she's genuinely extremely smart but she dumbs herself down around strangers, probably rooting from her low self-esteem.
Nick would be whore-ish, he's quite literally known for having a new girl every week, he's just afraid of being alone. If he would just fess up and tell Beth that he wants to be with her, all of his deep rooted abandonment problems would be solved.

"I bet there are some real hot chicks around these parts." Drake grins. Drake is just - Drake. His mother is a raging drug addict and his dad relies on alchohol for everything. He says it builds character to have a traumatic childhood. I agree.

"Are the majority of the girls you get from those video games, Dray?" Veronica teases him with a fake pout as she follows Beth into the limosuine.

Drake scoffs as he gets in behind her, "They're real people behind the screen, Roni."

Nick shrugs at me as he gets in last.

I turn to my father, dropping my voice to a whisper, "Promise me if it comes down to it, you save them. I brought them into this and I will be damned if I'm the reason my best friends die before they've even lived."

"Aurora, you are my daughter, I can't-" He starts.

"Promise me." I demand sharply.

He glares at nothing, "I promise you..."

"Thank you."

"No, I'm not done. I promise you that if it comes down to you or one of them I will not hesitate to save you first. You are my flesh and blood. Ma petite heritiere." My little heiress. His little heiress.

"You can make another heir. You can't make another of them." I hiss at him.

"I cannot make another Aurora Lyra Berkeley." I meet his eyes, "You are one of a kind. If it means that much to you, I will do everything in my power to protect your friends but I will not put more value on their lives than yours."

I open my mouth to speak but he continues, "Do not ask me to make such a promise again. You are my priority and I will not lose you twice, remember that."

I say nothing but I get into the limousine regardless.

+++

Once we arrive at the base, I'm greeted with tear-filled eyes and broken looks. I make my father dismiss the staff so that I can have my first day back in peace. My friends gushed over their rooms, Drake asked if he was allowed to hook up with the maids, Beth said she felt like a princess, Veronica wanted to know the sheets thread count, and Nick said nothing.

I spent most of the afternoon laying in my old room. The same blue satin sheets, four poster bed. It was exactly like it used to be. Except Mama wasn't here anymore. Why does everything look exactly the same without her?

Because her death didn't stop the world, just mine.

My phone buzzes and I check it.

You have a fuckin' pool???

I audibly laugh at Nick's text as another one roles in,

We wanna go swim, meet you in ten, Rory!!

I sigh and grab my bathing suit from my bag and change into it, the triangle top framing my breasts perfecrtly and the string-tied bottoms sit snugly on my wide hips and curve around my ass. Red really is my color. I sigh, grabbing my phone from where it was carelessly tossed on my bed and start my walk to the pool.

I used to swim all the time before I left, despite it being dead in the winter, the hot tub was always my best friend. I've always loved the water, fresh water, like ponds and springs, salt water on the other hand is not something I care for. It's all sticky and grimy.

I notice my friends have already set themselves up in the hot tub, Beth and Nick seeming to be way closer than usual - her perched delicately in his lap while his hands are wrapped around her waist. Veronica was lounging carelessly while taking a picture of her with duck lips poking out. Drake was trying to get his speaker to work, banging it against the edge of the hot tub with little grunts spewing from his lips.

"Rory!" Beth exclaims, bouncing softly on Nick's lap, "We couldn't find towels, we were hoping you would know where some would be?"

"Yeah, I'll go get some from the pool house." I nod, "I can make a mean margarita, who wants one?" They all perk up at that.

"Need someone to walk with you?" Nick asks.

"No, it's just past those trees." I smile, pointing into the distance.

Nick nods.

I set my phone down by Veronica and start walking in the direction of the pool house. Truth be told, the pool house is a little bit longer of a walk than what I led on, and as much as I would love to grill Nick about his and Beth's new found close proximity, I need a few more minutes to myself before I indulge in friendship bonding time.

I hum quietly to myself as I approach the pool house, hands subconsciously wrapping around my bikini clad body to hid myself from the weather. Chills arrive on my arms and I suddenly feel very cautious. Someone is watching me.

I look around, reaching for the shovel resting by the door to the pool house.

"Aurora," His voice breathes and I recognize it immediately. Swallowing harshly as I turn and meet his enchanting green eyes. He looks so different now, so much more mature.

"Achille." I whisper in disbelief.