Chapter 9

Her eyes never closed that night she kept them glued to the ceiling. The following morning she felt as if they didn't belong to her. They were swollen and dark circles were outlined underneath. But her eyes were the least of her problems. Her mood was down, she was no longer vibrant or happy. She fought hard to get out of bed. She felt like someone stabbed her multiple times with a bread knife in her stomach. She was famished and her stomach felt like it was infested with tiny insects.

"Aurora!" Came her mother's weak voice. "There is a package outside for you darling."

Her sluggish eyes grew wider and anger invaded her body. She Sprang off the bed and rushed to the other room where her mother and sister awaited her presence. But her headache intensified and she slumped to the floor holding her throbbing head.

"Aurora!" Ella ran to aid her sick daughter. Her blue orbs welled with tears when she noticed how exhausted Aurora looked. She was overwhelmed by guilt and shame. But she was unwell and feeling that way couldn't resolve their issues. "You look unwell."

Aurora managed to pick herself from the floor and planted a reassuring smile on her face, though her mother saw beyond that. "I'm alright mother."

"You should stay home today Aurora. You work too hard." 

"I'm alright mother."

"Oh please," Violet mumbled rolling her green orbs before storming out of the room with an aggravated look. 

"What did you say about a package." Aurora was quick to change the subject. She wanted the attention to be diverted to something else other than her wellbeing. A smile crept onto her mother's face for the first time in days and her dull eyes lit up with excitement.

"We're you not going to tell me about that mystery man of yours."

Auroras eyes widened with shock. "Mother what are you talking about."

Ella grabbed her hands and pulled her into the kitchen where a huge bouquet of red roses where placed in a vase on the oak wood table. Aurora gritted her teeth in embarrassment and her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Her mother thought she had a secret relationship. But Aurora was neither interested in relationships nor men. She was more fixed on building her self-esteem and morals as a strong female. Men only pried on females for one reason, to fulfill their desires. Men were naive, possessive, and selfish. Aurora had much on her plate to handle than to pick add more than she could manage.

 She knew who the man was that sent the flowers. It was the same gentleman that visited her at the flower shop the previous day. He had been stalking her for the past few months by visiting her workplace and dropping off gifts at her home. Aurora had managed to scare off many men but this one in particular always came back. She thought he would have lost interest in her after a few weeks like the other men. But she was proven wrong. She would specifically search for him and give him a piece of her mind. She bawled her tiny fists and gritted her teeth.

"The man was even nice enough to buy us food." Her mother continued to say.

"I don't want any of it mother." She grabbed the flowers from the table harshly. " Where did you put the food?" 

Ella hesitated for a minute finding with her fingers. "We were unable to eat a proper meal for the last few months Aurora and it would be rude of us to return it."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance and her grip grew tighter around the vase. "What are you trying to say, mother? That whatever I provide for this family isn't good enough?"

Ella opened her mouth to speak but no words came. She was scared her words would only worsen the current situation. The last thing Ella needed was for Aurora to think wrongfully of her. 

"Where is the food mother? Give it to me I'm returning them."

"Aurora!" She took in a deep breath. "It would be an insult to the young man. Take a minute to think this through."

"How do you think I feel about a strange man giving did to my family without my permission."

"Don't be a spoilt brat Aurora. You should appreciate the fact that a man still takes interest in you after what you did." She scolded pointing her index at Aurora.

"Whatever I did save your life be grateful." Her heartbeat accelerated and her jugular vein was prominent to the naked eyes. Her grip on the vase tightened more and more until it smashed into tiny pieces. She winced as splinters bored deep into her skin. The once spotless floor was filled with her crimson red blood. She was puzzled as to why the vase was able to break in her grasp. Maybe it was faulty she thought.

Her mother looked at the girl's terrified expression and reluctantly aided her wounds. Ella was horrified about what was happening to her daughter but she didn't allow it to get the best of her. She managed to dress all Aurora's wounds but she was still feeling excruciating pain. 

Ella handed her a mug with a dark-looking liquid. "For the pain." 

"What is this?" Aurora scrunched her nose in disgust after taking the first sip. She felt like throwing up after taking the first sip. Not only did it look unpleasant for ingestion it also smelled and tasted bad. She stopped her breath and gulped the remaining. In an instant, all her pains subsided and her eyes opened. She felt energetic and alive. "Are you going to at least tell me what this is?"

"Tea." 

"Well, this must be some special tea." She examined her left hand that was wrapped in a bandage. There was no way a simple tea could take all her pain in a split second. She felt as if her mother was trying to hide something.