Moon marking (3)

"You want me to believe that I somehow went to sleep and took myself to that place because I missed you? This isn't real, isn't it? I hit my head on something and this is all one big weird unconscious dream I'm having," Aurora chuckled, ignoring the idea that this was reality. She didn't know how but somewhere along the lines of going to bed she had to have hit her head on something right? "Please tell me I've hit my head?"

"I believe you hit your head on the oak tree in the garden a few times but not in this instance. I am real, sweetheart."

Aurora's chuckling disappeared and was replaced by crying. Why was this happening to her? "Minnie used to tell us a beast would come for us if we were naughty. I have a feeling that's not the real reason right?"

"Smart girl."

Even though she couldn't see him, just from his voice she knew he was smirking, happy to have her trying to piece things together. "You said you want to save me. With what Minnie said, does it mean you never wanted to kill me and there was a misunderstanding?"

"There is some truth in there. I did want to kill you at first but things changed over time. This is something I would prefer to discuss later when no one is eavesdropping. I'll do you two favors. One, open the bathroom door to find a rat."

While Aurora was trying to process the fact he did have plans to kill her, she also wanted to see what rat he was referring to. She cautiously approached her door and opened it to find Minnie on the outside. How was Minnie a rat? "Minnie," she muttered, surprised to see her grandmother here.

"Who were you talking to dear?" Minnie questioned with a smile on her face. Aurora had missed breakfast so she came to check on her only to hear Aurora speaking to herself.

"Me?" Aurora innocently asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes, you dear. You are the only one inside this room," Minnie said passing Aurora and entered the bathroom for any signs another person was inside. "Aurora, who were you speaking with?"

"Myself Minnie. I was excited to be able to go to the harvest festival and also buy a new dress. I don't want to speak of it outside my room because I know not everyone is happy about it. I'm sorry Minnie," Aurora apologized. She felt bad for using Rachel's feelings as a lie.

Uncertain for a moment, Minnie circled around Aurora, then pushed her hair off her back towards the front to check her shoulder. Seeing nothing unusual she believed Aurora. "Don't worry about Rachel. My word is law in this house. They can't disobey me. Feel free to do as you want while you're young. An old lady like me would kill to be in your shoes."

Aurora smiled having Minnie cheering her up on the outside but on the inside, she was worried if Minnie saw the mark. "Thank you, Minnie."

Aurora would never question her family's intentions. Minnie treated her with kindness and respect from a young age when her father and Rachel were distant. Aurora knew Minne loved and cared for her and that she shouldn't let the wolf in her head manipulate her. But, Aurora didn't miss how Minnie checked her shoulder for something.

If Aurora didn't experience what she did last night, she would've believed Minnie's tiny action to be nothing but with the wolf calling Minnie a rat, it was something to look into. In the end, she would prove the wolf wrong. There was no doubt Minnie must know something but it had to be out of concern to keep it a secret from Aurora.

Some families were bad but the Hamiltons stuck together. That was what Aurora was taught growing up.

"I will freshen up and come down to have breakfast," Aurora said now remembering how undressed she was in front of Minnie.

"I bet you have plans to be in the garden again? Try not to get your dress dirty today Aurora and refrain from talking to yourself even in your room. Others will think you're crazy and we don't others thinking our little Aurora is strange. I'll be in my room getting rid of old things. Come visit me when you are done with the garden."

"Bye Minnie," Aurora bid her grandmother goodbye then let out a breath of relief when Minnie left. She rushed to a mirror to look at the moon mark on her shoulder but it had disappeared. "How?" She questioned but then remembered he said he would do her two favors. Hiding the mark was one. "I should've asked his name."

"Hello? Mister wolf?" She called out hoping he would answer. There was still more she wanted to ask him about. "Is he not here? Does he just come and go when he wants to? That's not fair," she pouted, not liking how this worked.

Tonight she was set on getting any information she could about werewolves with some of the money she had saved for gifts at the harvest festival. This was ten times more important. She hoped the marking had disappeared for good and wouldn't reappear when she was around others.

The chantings calling for her to be burned felt real and she didn't want to actually go through that experience. King Darius and the royal family did not like anyone talking about the creatures which they have killed like the Gods in order to protect the people of the Harlow kingdom.

Aurora heard talk and whispers from workers who didn't notice her presence of how there were people taken from their homes and never heard of again because they spoke of creatures who shouldn't exist.

Aurora would like the wolf to leave her alone because she was already strange-looking but she knew it would be hopeless to think he would. Aurora was enjoying the life she currently lived and was happy Minnie was allowing her to do other things like going to the Harvest moon festival again.

The big bad wolf just had to come along and ruin it.