Haunted Beasts

CHAPTER 13

You would think that a seventeen year old girl would be terrified of facing her parents after disappearing for two days but no I don't feel fear I feel numb. My heart isn't beating rapidly in my chest my fingers aren't shaking as I type in the code to the penthouse. I'm exhausted and too wrapped up in my own world filled with dark secrets to care about my father's wrath. The elevator stops and I step out without a care in the world.
I must have made some kind of noise because my father , Alice , Ronnie and two men I don't recognize are already approaching me.
"Oh God , Heaven where were you?" Alice is the first one to talk me. She attempts to hug me but I stop her.

"I'm wet." I tell her so she doesn't feel like I'm deliberately avoiding her touch.

She flushes with embarrassment. "Honey where were you? We were all so worried."

"Is this the girl?" One of the two men asks before I can reply my stepmother.

My father nods. "Yes , that's my daughter." I can tell from the way he avoids saying my name and how he's not looking at me that he's very upset with me.

"Well I guess she's not missing after all." The other one with a hint of irritation. He pushes back his leather jacket and whether the act is deliberate or not it gets me a glimpse of his badge , a police badge. Oh God my dad called the police.

"Apparently not." My dad says as if apologizing to them. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

The detectivea just brush it off. "Next time you decide to take a little trip please inform your family." He says to me but I don't reply. My dad waits until they enter the elevator before he unleashes his anger on me. Here we go.

"Where the hell were you?" He shouts.

"Out." I say simply.

"It's been two days Heaven! You didn't call...."

"I left my phone here." My nonchalant tone serves to only further anger my dad.

"I can't believe how childish you are. We didn't know where you were and we had to call the police because we thought something might have happened to but no you were just out!" He continues to scold me and I just stare at him , waiting for it to be over.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"I'm sorry I was out , can I go to my room now?"

"Why you spoiled little brat...."

Alice chooses this exact moment to intervene because my dad is clearly out of his mind with anger. "Maybe you should let her go upstairs so she can change , her clothes are wet and we don't want her catching a cold." She says , trying to reason with her husband.

And it works. "Fine but you are grounded." He adds gruffly. "No phone and no going out."

"Ok." I say and move further into the apartment so I can go to my room. Maybe if I wasn't so messed up I would care that I was grounded but what difference does it make. I didn't go out for nine years of my life  , why would I care if I suddenly had to go back to that lifestyle.

I feel better after my quick shower. I wear my oversized pajamas and sit cross-legged on my bed. With the dreams I have been having lately I don't think sleep is the best thing for me. Also I need to think about what Amelia and her sisters told me. As much as I try I can't wrap my head around it. I just don't see myself being what they say I am. But I have to admit it does explain a lot. It explains the dreams , how they seem to know everything about me and James. As much as I hate to face it that fight wasn't a dream and I might deny it but I felt a connection between myself and the Rosemont sisters. But what about James? He seems to be like them as well but they hate him. I recall Cassandra referring to him as a demon? And that girl , what about her? She must be nonhuman too and she did call me sister. But then why did she try to kill me and why did she call me Aurora? Come to think of it who's Aurora and why do these people call me that?