Real or not.

The sun peaked through the blinds in the curtain disturbing her vision and creating a red world beneath her eyelids. A groan of laziness left her lips as she turned trying to ignore the sun that shone and disturbed her sleep her head burying into the pillow.

Sun. Burned. Her eyes flew open as her body carried her across the room to the shadowed part for some reason. Standing there she stared back wide-eyed at what she presumed was a near burn accident. The instinct telling her that she'd almost gotten burned again. Her eyes found the sun ray coming through her window a fact that she'd loved about her room when she picked it after her family moved down here to Rider Crest four years ago. At the second floor the room had been spot on at the West side giving her a good view of the rising sun. She'd always had to sneak up on the roof atimes to get the second view though. But now it seemed to be chasing her.

"Wait. Why am I avoiding the sun." Her memories front eh previous night seemed more like a dream than actual event.

She rubbed her fingers over her arm and face searching for the burn mark she thought she had but finding none. She scratched her head wondering why it felt so real. Her gaze went up to the sun ray again before she slowly stepped forward until she could extend an arm into the rays and then wide-eyed she stared as. Nothing. No burn no sizzling. A sigh of relief left her.

"A dream. All a dream, but how, it felt so real." She could only pondered out loud as she looked herself her eyes raking the room for evidence of the nights ordeals. Her brain searched for a reason, a why and she walked round her room searching for anything. Her pajamas were clean and there was no sign of what she wore the previous day.

Her hands shut up into her mouth and her fingers raked through searching for canines that were not welcome. She found none sending a burst of relief through her body. A bad nightmare she told herself as she sat and smiled. A smile that turned into a laugh as she held her belly while sliding down the wall.

"I can't believe I jumped outta bed cause I thought I was gonna burn." She joked standing and looking at the clock. It was past seven in the morning and she shook her head at her tardiness. Shoving all thoughts of the silky dream behind her mind she hurried into her bathroom.

Stripping and getting into the shower she turned on the faucet letting the cold water hit her as she turned on the other red knob to mix the hot water in. Slowly steam rose from her body as she scrubbed away. Flashes and scenes erupted in her as she scrubbed. The wolf, the chase, the men, it all felt real. Then a new scene flashed in her head bringing her movements to a halt.

🦷

She  walked up the front driveway the lights already off . She could hear it , hear the thump thump of their hearts as the beat while the slept. She could feel the same pull luring her to them to repeat the ordeal she had given the men. But she pushed it aside and matched to the West wing as she liked to call it, beauty and the beast was her favorite animation after all. She contemplated the irony and stopped under her balcony. Derek's room was below, her little brother couldn't bear the height and so her mum had him close to her and her dad. She could hear it , his little heart beating as it pumped that delicious liquid she'd gotten so little of. Her feet took a step and another and she halted .

"What , what am I doing?". She asked horrified at the mere thought of her considering the pull.

She pulled back and shook her head viciously trying to shut out the chime that was there, then looking up at her balcony she leaped. She didn't think about whether or not she could reach it, she just did and there on the balcony she landed her feet light on the floor as if she weighed nothing.

🦷

She gasped her hands freezing mid scrub a panic setting in her as she shook her head. No, she shook her head it was just the dreams coming back to her.

🦷

Her hair was so muddy, she knew it as she stripped , it was a wonder the red still showed from all the dirt in it. The top and pants came off as she tossed them to the floor without a glance and strutted into the shower. She scrubbed and scrubbed at the blood till there was nothing but pink skin and her hair begged to be released from the water. The redness shown back at her as she ran a finger through it a loose strand following her fingers. She knotted it and tossed it down on the floor.

🦷

She sank  to her knees her breaths  now coming in fast gulps. She rose slowly eyeing the drain as she spotted something halfpeeking from it. She shook her head as she moved stretching a hand for the drain ignoring the water that beat down on her as she grasped what she hoped was a thread.

*Please be a dream. Please be a dream". She wished her hands trembling. "I swear I'll attend mass" she mumbled to herself as her finger grasped and pulled. It pulled out only halfway before she stopped her body already trembling as she bolted out the shower slipping and slamming onto the tiled floor.  She ignored the pain on her forehead as she scampered for the laundry basket and began wreaking it as she searched for them.

A sigh left her lips as she calmed, there was no cloth there. "Stupid girl, getting all worked up for dreams. " She stared at the drain and shook her head at her own reaction.

"Of course it's my bathroom, my hair is bound to be down the drain." She muttered as she turned to the mirror looking at herself for signs of madness. Shaking her head she turned to reenter the shower and finish up when it caught her eye. The reflection of a black disposal bag behind the toilet seat.

She turned and stared at it, her mind racing at what that was doing there. Did her mum put something she wasn't aware of. Blinking hardly she moved to it and squatted pulling out the black bag from behind the toilet. Her finger made short work of the knots as she pulled it open and stared inside it.

🦷

She dries off before she left the bathroom, heading for her wardrobe for her bunny pajama. She contemplated going down the stairs and checking on everyone but her thirst pulled her back. Turning she eyes the bathroom as she reentered her eyes finding the clothes.

🦷

She exhaled as she dropped the shirt the blood soaked on it now dried out. The pants legs ripped on a familiar leg as she stood dropping them back into the disposal bag. Her body moved on its own to the shower as she numbly continued her bathe.

Several questions racking her brain, questions she'd not had the liberty to consider through her lust the previous nights.

How was she in the woods?. What had she been doing there?. How, did she become what she was?. She stepped out of the bathroom as she scrubbed her body absent mindedly. She found herself dressing and packing her bag before she opened the door to he hallway.

She stood at her doorway for long pondering and wondering if she would do what she did the previous night. So frozen she she didn't realize until Derek was right in front of her.

"Hey Aurora, you're home" the little boy spoke as he wrapped his arms around her waist placing his head on her abdomen in a sleepy hug. "When did you come home ?"

She shook herself out of her thoughts as she looked down at the cute kid. His ginger hair covering his forehead as hazel eyes looked up to to her. Her sights set on his neck and she hel her breath but there was nothing. No hum, no pull, no urgings like the dream or memory of the previous night. Her eye stared hard at her little brother's throat expecting to see something like in her memories a bloated vein or something.

"Come. " The boy oblivious to her state and ignoring his unanswered questions pulled her along tugging her down the stairs.

"Mum, mum  Aurora's back. " She walked into a sitting area that had a great view of a kitchen seperated by a half walk of counters on which her family usually had their meals. Couches made a semi ring round the TV set that hung up on the wall. A low table in front of the long couch supported an ashtray her mother's lovely pass time.

"Aurora!. When did you get home?. You didn't even wake me to make you something to eat." The older woman with hair as red as Aurora's grasped her in a bone crushing hug.

"Mum. Can't breathe.." she choked out her eyes still glued to the lady's neck.  She was released as a smile crept up her face as pulled Aurora along.

"Sit, sit. C'mon tell me.How do you feel?'. She asked . Aurora sat frozen as her mind racked what her mother meant.  The soft smile on the lady's lips held a sadness that worried.

"What do you mean mum?. I'm fine" she tried unsure.

"Oh come over it little A. I know what a heartbreak feels like. I've had my own sheer fill of them before I met your dad." Her mum stated.

Aurora's mind went racing. Heartbreak. Who? . His face flashed in her mind as quickly as the reason did. Dimples,green eyes that gleamed, a stubby jawline and blonde locks. Then she saw the other memory, behind the counter in the school library. He and another girl, lips locked, hands unable to get off the other.  She sighed.

"Oh. That, I'm fine mum. Getting late for school gotta run." She ranted as she stood to leave.

"Well your uncle Bob definitely has a way with heartbreak issues. I'm glad the week with him was good for you." She mused as she stood too ruffling Derek's hair as Aurora paused.

"Week?." She asked looking back.

"Yeah. You've been there a week or you went somewhere else?". Her mum's eye furrowed.

"No?. No!, just, wow. I must have really been in over my head. Didn't even realize how long I was gone." She hurried out pulling her hair nervously.

"Alright, see you later. "

"Bye Aurora." Derek shouted out after her as she smiled back at him then shut the door behind her.

"A week." She muttered. Her eyes found her car. The blue Camaro sat there untouched as she stared at it. Her hands began searching her bag for the keys as she walked to it.

"A week?. Where have I been for a week?  With Uncle Bob?. Does he know what happened?". She queried herself as she sat in her car and started the engine. The questions each bore a hole in her mind as she steered the car out the street and to school.