7

Aurora is still waiting.

The night breeze was soothing, but also bone-chilling on the other side. The young girl was still looking in the same direction, holding a 5.5-inch device in her right hand.

It felt like almost a hundred times Aurora tried to dial Gama's cell phone number, but what she heard from the other end of the line remained the same. The number she had dialed could not be reached, and the provider requested that Aurora leave a voice message.

Again Aurora pressed the red button on the screen, followed by an increasingly annoying snort.

"You said you were going home, Brother," she whispered with her head bowed.

Her phone screen still displayed the same photo of her and Gama parting at the airport a few years ago. It was a lasting memento, as she hadn't taken a recent photo with her only brother since their reunion.

The date and time on the screen disturbed Aurora because it had been more than three days since Gama had given her any news. As soon as she thought about the message Gama had left when he said goodbye, Aurora shook her head vaguely.

"You're going home, right, brother?" she asked again. "In five minutes the day will change, and the time you gave me is almost up."

Gama had told his sister to wait until this weekend. Leaving a velvet box for Aurora the night she left, Gama had told Aurora to wait for her return until the weekend deadline.

And Aurora did just that.

She wasn't at all curious about the contents of the velvet box she had placed beside the television, as she was sure Gama would return. But until now there was no sign of him coming, and that alone made worry creep into the recesses of Aurora's heart.

"One more minute..." the woman said in a low tone.

The breeze was still her companion, with the moonlight above the open sky. It was almost morning, and Aurora was still waiting. Staring repeatedly at the path, hoping she would hear the sound of Gama's car like a few days ago.

But it looked like the young girl's wish wouldn't come true tonight, as she was still alone there until the turn of the day. The weekend had already passed, and Gama had indeed not returned.

Taking a deep breath once more, Aurora gripped her cell phone tightly in her hand. Once again she tried to dial Gama's cell phone number, and there was still no answer. With slow movements the woman got up from her chair, stepping gingerly to reach the doorknob.

Entering their still-standing home, Aurora headed towards the television table to reach for the velvet box Gama had given her the other day.

"I'm going to open this box now, Brother," Aurora said again. She knew she wouldn't get any answers, but at least it was better to hear her voice than drown in noise.

Turning around, Aurora carried the velvet box in her hands. Flinging herself onto the sofa, the girl folded her legs to sit cross-legged. Staring at the box, she rubbed the top of the box which felt smooth against the surface of her skin.

Now she was curious. Why had Gama left the box for her, and what exactly did it contain?

Opening the box slowly, Aurora's bead moved quickly as she found several items inside. There was a necklace with a medium-sized rabbit-shaped pendant, inside another small, bright white box.

Aurora developed a smile. Her brother still remembered it well, the fact that Aurora had loved rabbits for a long time. She had even whined when she asked Gama to buy her a rabbit, but her brother had not granted her request until now.

If you look around, the rabbit-shaped pendulum is well-printed and neatly sculpted, probably made of the finest metal on earth. It could be plutonium or rhodium, but it has nothing in common with any other pendulum out there.

Grabbing the necklace case, Aurora opened it slowly.

'Did you prepare this to entertain me?' she thought to herself.

Aurora's delicate hands traced the bunny's pendulum in slow motion, as her bead grew larger as she flipped the pendulum now. There was a letter printed on the reverse of the pendulum, legible as the letter 'A' that was also printed so clearly.

'A for Aurora, is that so?' Aurora couldn't help but smile.

Taking the necklace out of its place, she moved to put it around her neck. Re-tying her hair high, Aurora hooked the necklace quickly. Her fingers traced the neck, touching the pendant that somehow seemed to fit perfectly on her slender neck.

"This suits me perfectly," she whispered. Grabbing her phone to check her appearance, Aurora smiled wider.

Returning to the contents of the other box, Aurora found two sealed letters each. Grabbing the two letters, Aurora noticed that there were different colors of paper. One was blue, and the other was pink.

Not only were the colors different, but there were also two names written on the front of the perfectly folded letter. Aurora read her name printed on the pink sheet, broke the seal, and unfolded it slowly.

Her bead moved, in sync with the reading she said in her heart.

"To Aurora.

If you read this letter, then it's certain that I will no longer be by your side. Listen to me carefully, Auro. Don't trust anyone in this world, except for someone you should find as soon as possible. This world is cruel, and only one person can protect you to survive until you can make your own choices.

Pack up quickly, meet someone named Lexton Alfacht, and give him the blue letter. Put on your rabbit collar, I'm sure that little rabbit will keep you company and be your friend when you're lonely.

Don't try to find me, and if you find out the truth later, don't blame anyone. This is the life I have chosen, this is the path I have traveled.

Lexton will be your guardian until you turn 21, and he knows what to do after that. Take good care of yourself, you know I love you.

-Gamaliel Vernon."

Aurora's hands trembled as she read the words Gama had written for her one by one, and her eyes blinked perfectly. A single teardrop escaped, though Aurora had no idea why she was crying suddenly like this.

Still not fully understanding what Gama was conveying through the pink letter, Aurora knew there was something bad behind it all.

Her bead went back through the letter carefully, stopping ri

ght at a name that sounded very familiar.

"Who is Lexton Alfacht, actually?"