Rebellious Aurora | ✓

thirty-nine | rain hell

{Ashton's POV}

It has been a month since Dakota's death. The last time Aurora had talked to her sister. To have heard her say I love you. Since then, Aurora had grieved in her room, mourned for her beloved sister. She had locked herself up in Dakota's room for two weeks straight, her parents mourning and grieving for their youngest daughter in a completely different way. They distracted themselves with work. Her grandmother, Marie, occupied herself in the garden and I had caught her weeping only a few times.

I had only found out a day later when Marie asked me to take Aurora home. She had been cuddling with the blanket on the bed that Dakota had last slept on. My heart had broke when I saw her in that state, one I had never seen her in and yet, I understood how she felt.

"She's gone," Aurora had whispered to me, punching my chest while she cursed the gods above.

I had hung around the house, mostly outside Dakota's bedroom. Aurora refused to speak with anyone, not even her friends or Damon, and when she had caught me standing outside Dakota's bedroom, she paid no attention.

Today was Dakota's funeral.

Aurora was giving a speech.

I watched from a distance as Aurora's parents, grandmother and herself thanked the guests for coming. Aurora had her head down the entire time and yet was still beautiful in her black dress and black stilettos. She had a small, black handbag on her shoulder with a small black hat on the side, attached with a black birdcage-like veil. Her mother and grandmother were almost wearing the same thing.

"Shall we?" Cayden asked as I turned my attention to them, Millie appearing by his side in a black, long dress. Cayden and I were wearing matching a black suit and tie.

As the three of us made our way to the cemetery where Dakota was to be buried, Cayden and Millicent offered their condolences to the family. Cayden kissed Aurora's forehead before offering a hug to her grandmother and mother. Millie hugged Aurora before moving on to the rest of the family members.

Aurora looked at at me with eyes rimmed with redness and tears. I smiled down at her as she wrapped her hands around my shoulders. I loosed a breath before hugging her back before pulling away and kissing her forehead.

"Thank you...for being there," she whispered in a small voice. "For taking care of me from afar."

I caressed her cheek. "Always, my love."

She offered me a shaky smile before I moved on to her parents and offered my condolences, earning a grateful smile in return.

Following Cayden and Millie behind, I noticed a portrait of Dakota smiling over her shoulder, her blue eyes like the vast ocean as something twinkled in her eyes. Next to her portrait was a casket and I was pretty sure inside was her own body.

I wasn't paying attention to the priest was saying since I was too busy eyeing Aurora who was staring at Dakota's portrait with such sorrow, it broke my heart to see her like that.

"Dakota's sister, Aurora, would like to say a few words," the priest announced, dragging me back to the real world and when I blinked, Aurora was already walking up to the podium situated beside the portrait.

Aurora's eyes washed over the wave of a crowd before taking out a crinkled piece of paper from her pocket and straightened it out. She inhaled a sharp breath before clearing her throat. "Dakota was someone special to me and I'm sure to the rest of you who is sitting here right now. If she were here right now, I can only imagine her with her legs crossed and her blue eyes staring at me with a wide smile...because she was bright. She was so optimistic despite her battle against cancer. She had a whole future ahead of her, one that would give her so many great opportunities and yet, she's no longer here to experience it..."