Old tree (1)

Aurora quickly returned to the comfort of her room, the one place in the house which didn't feel as though it had eyes watching her. She double-checked she had indeed locked the door, something she only started doing in the last couple of days. She loosened the bow on her dress and sat on the bed just staring at the floor.

"Should I just leave?" She wondered to herself out loud. It was the only place she called home and she loved her siblings dearly but for how many years will she be held captive in this room? Aurora knew the world wasn't a safe place for her to travel on her own but she wanted to get out and see other things. Here she had to learn about the world from others and their experiences or run away on a rare night to visit the town. "Regina and Samuel might not forgive me if I just leave but I have to save myself from here."

Aurora sighed, falling back against her warm bed. If everyone had been honest from the start maybe she wouldn't have felt so angry. Why are they pretending like everything is normal and treat her so kindly when they have ulterior intentions? She loved Minnie more than her father growing up but Minnie was the one hiding her intentions the most. Smiling in front of Aurora while holding a knife behind her back.

"What do they want from me? Why do they need me?"

"Personally, I think you should leave and turn me back to normal before you leave."

Aurora sat up startled hearing the voice in her head. It wasn't the wolf this time. "Hello?" She said out loud. Was it possible she was going crazy?

"Hello! Why aren't you looking my way? You asked a question and I answered. Look over here to the right at the mess you created. I used to be so beautiful until you made me grow this big!"

Aurora looked to the right at the plant she had made to grow to prove her point to Regina about her being weird. "The plant is talking to me in my head?" she said in disbelief. Strange things had been happening but this took the cake. "I'm sorry for not putting you back to normal," Aurora apologized, standing up to see the plant more clearly.

She looked down at her hand and wondered if she had accidentally given the plant the power to speak. "Do all plants speak or were it because of me that you can?"

"One day I just became like this but I learned it was because you kept laying around us. I spoke with the others before being placed in your room and they said this happened before but a long long time ago. They also said we'll go back to normal and you won't be able to hear us unless you make us this way again."

"I see," Aurora muttered, surprised she had the power to do this. "Let me turn you back to normal," she said, placing her hand on the plant, watching as it returned to normal. "Good as new."

"Thank you. The older trees are excited to learn that you are returning back to normal because you were the one to make them big and strong. Personally, I prefer to be small and beautiful. I'm going to miss you when you leave. You always complimented our beauty."

"The older trees?" Questioned Aurora.

"They were the ones who spoke with you a long time ago. If you want to find something out about your life, they have been here a long time. Some are as old as this house."

"Thank you for telling me." This entire time she had the power to find out about her life from the same trees and plants she was around daily.

Moving away from the plant on her table, she went to the window and looked out to an old oak tree in the middle of the garden. She had heard from the gardener that they took extra care of it because of its age.

"Let's see if you are an old friend," she said, starting to climb down her window. The others were busy entertaining Seth so she had an open window of time to leave and come back.

Approaching the large tree she had walked by many times and had even slept underneath, she wondered if it would truly be able to tell her about her life and why Minnie was referring to her as the heart of this household.

"Hello," she greeted the tree and touched it. "Please tell me you know something about me."

This was her last hope before meeting the wolf for someone to give her the slightest clue about herself.

"Hello old friend," the tree spoke in her head.

Auroras smiled happy it had worked and the oak tree knew her. "Hi! I was wondering if you perhaps know why I am able to speak with you, make things grow, and make them perish? Do you know why I am this way?"

"I remember you being kind to these people. You came here to help them because one of them was your friend. You were supposed to leave but never did. You spoke with me the first time you visited but after that, you walked past me like you didn't even remember me and I returned to normal."

"Leave? Didn't my father bring me here when my mother had died? I don't think I would've had anywhere to go as a child," Aurora said, finding this story to be weird. And who was her friend? Everyone here was her family.

"A child? You walked in here as grown as you are now. I remember the day as it were yesterday and how lovely I felt after you stopped me from dying. Each time you walked past me was like you were a different person. Sometimes you passed as a child, a teen, or a woman. I never understood why you changed your age and body so much. Some days you would stop and look at me as if you recognize and wanted to speak to me then I would feel your power making my roots feel better."

Aurora was in disbelief and lost for words. "I only remember coming here as a child but you remember me first visiting as I am now. Does that mean…"

"You are not Hamilton but an old friend," the old tree finished for her.