Status: fin.
Love Like Winter
ten;
The next day Aurora woke praying that the it was the day before, that she hadn’t gone on that tour with Aiden and had just dreamt of it. She prayed that when she looked at her phone it would say the previous days date but there was no such luck. She lay in bed for what felt like ages before she finally forced herself up and into the shower. She wanted to wash away all of the fear from the day before.
Aurora unwrapped her bandaged hand and let the warm water run over the wound as she examined it and remembered Lucas’ gentle hands. He had dropped her off at her front door and even walked her to the doorstep to make sure she was completely safe. He hadn’t said anything more about what she had seen but somehow she had a feeling that he believed her.
She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a lavender towel. On the bedside table she saw the strange flute that Lucas had given her. She had laughed at him when he had handed it to her, claiming that if she were in ever a situation that required his assistance she was to blow that whistle and he would come to her, no matter where she was.
Aurora had laughed then but Lucas’ serious expression never wavered. She accepted the gift hesitantly and hadn’t thought of it since. Instead her mind was on the events that had happened in the woods. She was scared to even go into town for fear of seeing Isabelle and she knew that her Uncle had it in mind that she was to go and apply for jobs in the small town. She wanted to beg him to let her do something else, but she knew it was pointless.
She dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless blue button up. Pulling her hair back, she grabbed the flute Lucas had given her at a last moment’s though and made her way to an empty kitchen. She looked around for her Uncle briefly but assumed he was out on some type of errand. They weren’t the kind of people that left notes for one another.
It was then that she finally found her phone sitting on the kitchen table. She hadn’t brought it on the little excursion the day before, thinking a phone would be entirely unnecessary on a hike. She had forgotten to look at it when she got back, instead simply rushing to her room and locking the door behind her. Even as she thought back to then though she hadn’t seen her Uncle, and he was always staying up watching late night television shows.
Turning on her phone she saw the onslaught of missed phone calls. None from her Uncle and all from Aiden. There were at least twenty of them and as she was scrolling down the list her phone buzzed again and she screamed out, dropping the phone like it was a hand grenade. She felt foolish staring down at the phone, reaching timidly for it, like it would turn into Aiden and then into the beast that attacked her.
Finally she picked it up and answered it, pressing the phone to her ear.
“Aurora?” came the frantic voice. “Aurora, are you there?” A pause. “I can hear you breathing. Aurora, if that’s you, please just let me know you’re alright.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the panic in her voice that finally forced her to answer, but she found herself opening her mouth to speak. “I’m here,” she said quietly and she heard the relieved breath escape Aiden’s lips.
“You disappeared yesterday, I couldn’t find you anywhere and I looked every where.”
Aurora stayed quiet, not sure what to say. Did she want him to tell her she had run from him in fear? Stumbled upon a strange man in the woods and got a ride home from him? What exactly was he expecting?
“What exactly…happened yesterday?” Aurora held her breath.
“What do you mean what happened? We went for a swim and then you took off.” Aurora hung up the phone. She did not hallucinate all of that, there was no way. Lucas had believed her, he had…no, and he hadn’t said he believed her. But there was no way she just imagined that her tour guide had busted into an enormous wolf. There had to be some explanation.
She lifted her phone, to dial in Lucas’ number until she realized she didn’t know his phone number. She cursed out loud, pacing the house and then raking her fingers through her hair. There was no way to track down that cabin either, she couldn’t recall where the lake had been let alone where Lucas’ home.
After a moment’s debate she reached into her pocket and withdrew the little flute he had given her. This was a dire moment, right? He said he would come if she only blew the whistle… It was silly to think that this little whistle could bring someone who was so far away but she was panicked and possibly delusional now so she wrapped her lips around the mouth of the flute and blew.
Nothing happened.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected. Lucas to appear out of thin air and give her all the answers? She hit herself with the palm of her hand to her forehead and took a seat at the breakfast table. “Stupid,” she grumbled under her breath before setting her phone down. The second she did however, there was a knock at the door.
Alarm coursed through her system. Impossible. There was no way the flute could’ve actually worked. But who could be at the door? Uncle Davidson obviously had keys…so who else could it be? She stood and walked cautiously to the door, nearly screaming out loud when there was another knock.
“Who’s there?”
Aurora unwrapped her bandaged hand and let the warm water run over the wound as she examined it and remembered Lucas’ gentle hands. He had dropped her off at her front door and even walked her to the doorstep to make sure she was completely safe. He hadn’t said anything more about what she had seen but somehow she had a feeling that he believed her.
She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a lavender towel. On the bedside table she saw the strange flute that Lucas had given her. She had laughed at him when he had handed it to her, claiming that if she were in ever a situation that required his assistance she was to blow that whistle and he would come to her, no matter where she was.
Aurora had laughed then but Lucas’ serious expression never wavered. She accepted the gift hesitantly and hadn’t thought of it since. Instead her mind was on the events that had happened in the woods. She was scared to even go into town for fear of seeing Isabelle and she knew that her Uncle had it in mind that she was to go and apply for jobs in the small town. She wanted to beg him to let her do something else, but she knew it was pointless.
She dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless blue button up. Pulling her hair back, she grabbed the flute Lucas had given her at a last moment’s though and made her way to an empty kitchen. She looked around for her Uncle briefly but assumed he was out on some type of errand. They weren’t the kind of people that left notes for one another.
It was then that she finally found her phone sitting on the kitchen table. She hadn’t brought it on the little excursion the day before, thinking a phone would be entirely unnecessary on a hike. She had forgotten to look at it when she got back, instead simply rushing to her room and locking the door behind her. Even as she thought back to then though she hadn’t seen her Uncle, and he was always staying up watching late night television shows.
Turning on her phone she saw the onslaught of missed phone calls. None from her Uncle and all from Aiden. There were at least twenty of them and as she was scrolling down the list her phone buzzed again and she screamed out, dropping the phone like it was a hand grenade. She felt foolish staring down at the phone, reaching timidly for it, like it would turn into Aiden and then into the beast that attacked her.
Finally she picked it up and answered it, pressing the phone to her ear.
“Aurora?” came the frantic voice. “Aurora, are you there?” A pause. “I can hear you breathing. Aurora, if that’s you, please just let me know you’re alright.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the panic in her voice that finally forced her to answer, but she found herself opening her mouth to speak. “I’m here,” she said quietly and she heard the relieved breath escape Aiden’s lips.
“You disappeared yesterday, I couldn’t find you anywhere and I looked every where.”
Aurora stayed quiet, not sure what to say. Did she want him to tell her she had run from him in fear? Stumbled upon a strange man in the woods and got a ride home from him? What exactly was he expecting?
“What exactly…happened yesterday?” Aurora held her breath.
“What do you mean what happened? We went for a swim and then you took off.” Aurora hung up the phone. She did not hallucinate all of that, there was no way. Lucas had believed her, he had…no, and he hadn’t said he believed her. But there was no way she just imagined that her tour guide had busted into an enormous wolf. There had to be some explanation.
She lifted her phone, to dial in Lucas’ number until she realized she didn’t know his phone number. She cursed out loud, pacing the house and then raking her fingers through her hair. There was no way to track down that cabin either, she couldn’t recall where the lake had been let alone where Lucas’ home.
After a moment’s debate she reached into her pocket and withdrew the little flute he had given her. This was a dire moment, right? He said he would come if she only blew the whistle… It was silly to think that this little whistle could bring someone who was so far away but she was panicked and possibly delusional now so she wrapped her lips around the mouth of the flute and blew.
Nothing happened.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected. Lucas to appear out of thin air and give her all the answers? She hit herself with the palm of her hand to her forehead and took a seat at the breakfast table. “Stupid,” she grumbled under her breath before setting her phone down. The second she did however, there was a knock at the door.
Alarm coursed through her system. Impossible. There was no way the flute could’ve actually worked. But who could be at the door? Uncle Davidson obviously had keys…so who else could it be? She stood and walked cautiously to the door, nearly screaming out loud when there was another knock.
“Who’s there?”