UNBREAK | D.M (UNRAVEL BOOK 5)

[ 01 ]

A crack of thunder aroused flashes of the tragedy that had befallen the Estoileon family in Aine's head. The brightly lit sparks dart about the lovely humble cottage home that belonged to the Estoileon family, sending destruction to anything it touches. She could hear the faint screams of the devastation of her own voice, the memory surfacing as the catastrophe plays back in her mind. The agonizing cries of her father and her brother who could only yell in shock were followed by the sound of shattering.

Aine let out a small gasp as her eyelids fluttered, slowly opening them as she lets out a muffled exhale, closing her golden pupils for a brief moment to calm herself from the nightmare she had. It was terrifying when she relived the memories, but she was awake now and her dreams could no longer hurt her. 

She glanced around, a dark navy-coloured room enveloped her and when her eyes looked up, she could see a sheer canopy hung over the four-poster bed, the beautiful crystal chandelier with tiny stars and crescents dangling on the lighting. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw the familiar sight but when she realized that her surroundings were not her own home, panic rushes to her. The room was luxurious, dark and it was most certainly not her own bedroom.

Aine wanted to sit vertically but her body was stiff and it ached everywhere. She looks over to her sides, her arms were wrapped in bandages, layering over wounds she had forgotten how she got them. It wasn't until she saw a familiar face sitting next to her bed, his ash-blonde locks curling in his eyes, nodding his head slowly as he slept upright in an awkward position. There were wrappings covering his arms and neck along with a small plaster on his cheek. He was holding onto her hand as he dozes off. 

It was Aion, her adoptive older brother whom she thought was her real brother. Not until she found out that she was the one who was adopted by her father a couple of—

Days? Weeks? Aine didn't know how long she was asleep. Let alone why she was in such a bad condition or why she was even here in the first place. It was certainly not the St Mungos Hospital nor Hogwarts and she was definitely not home. 

She winces when she tried to move again, only to be hit with such excruciating pain in her head that made her sink back to her pillow. 

"Aion..." she croaked out, her throat was awfully dry, deprived of water. 

The boy next to her quickly shot open his eyes, shocked to hear his sister's voice. "Aine!" he jumps straight up, knocking over the chair behind him. He stroked her pale face and smiled sadly, thankful that she was at last awake. He couldn't bear to see her miserable state, she had lost quite a bit of weight and her cheeks were almost hollowed. Once he met with her golden eyes, he softens.

Aine's vision was still fuzzy and she couldn't quite see well in the dark room, images continued to play in the back of her mind. She tries to sit up again, but her ribs hurt when she bends her body. Aion urges her to rest back down, she had been asleep for days and he wouldn't want her to overexert herself more than she already has. "I... I had a bad dream, Aion..." she said to him, blinking slowly at the familiar surroundings. Her eyes were welling up and her brother swallows heavily.

"In the nightmare I had, we... We were attacked and dad— Dad was..." she trails off, unable to finish her words when it finally struck her. She turned to Aion, his dark green eyes wavering and he squeezes her hand without realizing it. Her father was nowhere to be seen, just like before when she awoke after the Battle at the Ministry of Magic. 

Elliot was always the first to greet Aine when she woke up when they were home, he was always there. The first pair of eyes she would see, the first face she will meet. She gulps, getting alarmed by his absence like before. "Dad hasn't come to see me yet, Aion," she told him, chuckling nervously. "Is... Is he busy again? Is dad still mad at me for doubting him? Is that why he isn't here?" she asked, wanting to deny her fears, the fear of her nightmare not actually being a dream.