Two week before she turn 18
the sea was always loud at night waves crashed endlessly against the rocks below Aurora's house, carrying the scent of salt and rain through her half-open window. The curtains swayed gently in the cold November breeze while pale moonlight spilled across her bedroom floor.
Aurora stared at the ceiling without blinking.
Glow in the dark stars covered nearly every corner above her bed, faded from years of being there. Her mother had placed them when she was little because Aurora used to cry whenever the lights were turned off.
"You love the stars too much," her mother once told her. Aurora never understood why those words sounded sad. She rolled onto her side and reached for her phone resting beside the pillow the lock screen lit up instantly.
October 30.
Two weeks before November 13 Two weeks before she turned eighteen. Her stomach twisted, Aurora quickly locked the screen again and buried her face against the pillow with a groan.
"I had waited for this my entire life So why did I suddenly want time to stop?"
Downstairs, faint music echoed from the old radio in the kitchen. Her mother always played music at night while cooking dinner. It made the house feel warmer somehow.
Safer.
Aurora closed her eyes but the strange feeling inside her chest remained. Lately, weird things had been happening around her. Not normal weird the kind of weird that made her question if she was losing her mind.
Three nights ago, she woke up because she heard whispering outside her window. When she looked outside, nobody was there only the ocean and the stars above it. Yesterday, every light inside her classroom flickered when she got angry during a group activity.
And sometimes…
sometimes she dreamed about places she had never seen before silver palaces floating above galaxies Constellations burning in the sky a man standing alone beneath collapsing stars every time she woke up from those dreams, her chest hurt like she had lost someone important.
"Aurora!"Her mother's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "Dinner's ready!"Aurora sat up slowly."Coming!" She tied her hair into a loose ponytail before heading downstairs the warm scent of soup greeted her immediately.
Their house wasn't big. Just a quiet seaside home near the edge of town The wooden floors creaked when you walked too fast, and the kitchen light flickered whenever it rained too hard. But Aurora loved it because it was home.
Her mother stood beside the stove pouring soup into bowls she wore an oversized cream sweater, and her dark hair rested loosely over one shoulder aurora smiled faintly as she sat down."You made too much again."Her mother glanced at her with amusement. "You say that every time and still finish everything." and aurora reply "Because your food is illegal." Her mother laughed softly. For a moment, things felt normal then Aurora noticed it again that sadness in her mother's eyes it appeared every time November came closer every single year, her mother placed a bowl in front of her before sitting across the table.
"You've been quiet lately," she said carefully aurora stirred her soup. "Just tired."
"That's not all." Aurora looked up, mothers always knew even when you didn't say anything especially her mother. Aurora hesitated before finally speaking.
"Mom…"
"Yes?"
"Are you really going to tell me everything this time?" The question lingered heavily between them outside, thunder rumbled quietly over the ocean her mother's hand tightened around her spoon almost invisibly. Then she smiled Soft, Gentle, but not completely real.
"Yes, sweetheart." Aurora lowered her gaze"You promise?"… "I promise." But promises could still sound painful, aurora swallowed slowly before whispering, "Then why does it feel like something bad is going to happen?"
Silence.
The radio suddenly crackled with static before returning to music again her mother froze for only a second but Aurora noticed she always noticed. "Nothing bad is going to happen," her mother said quietly yet her voice lacked certainty and that terrified Aurora more than anything.
_
When Aurora was little, she used to think fathers were temporary people, kids at school always talked about their dads coming home from work or taking them places on weekends, but Aurora's father had always been… absent. Like a character who existed only in stories the first time she asked about him, she was seven years old she remembered sitting beside her mother near the beach during sunset. The sky glowed orange and pink while waves touched the shore gently. "Mommy?" Her mother looked down at her with a smile. "Hmm?"
"Where's my daddy?"the smile disappeared aurora remembered that clearly not because her mother looked angry… but because she suddenly looked heartbroken. Her mother stayed quiet for a long time before pulling Aurora closer against her chest. "When the time comes, sweetheart," she whispered softly, "mommy's gonna tell you everything."Aurora frowned "What does that mean?" Her mother kissed her forehead"You'll understand someday."Aurora didn't understand at all but after that day, she started noticing things the hidden sadness in her mother's eyes whenever fathers were mentioned.
The old photograph hidden inside drawers.
The way her mother stared at the stars at night as if waiting for someone.
As Aurora grew older, curiosity became frustration.
And frustration slowly became longing.
_
She was fourteen when she finally found the photograph it happened on a rushed Monday morning before school, aurora had been running around the house searching for her butterfly hair clip while simultaneously trying not to be late."Mom!" she shouted. "Have you seen my clip?"
"Check my room!" her mother called back from downstairs aurora hurried into the bedroom and dropped to her knees beside the bed.
"There you are-" Her fingers brushed against the missing clip but beside it rested something else a wooden box covered in dust.
Aurora paused.
She had never seen it before curiosity tugged at her chest slowly, she pulled the box out from beneath the bed the hinges creaked softly as she opened it inside were old letters tied with silver ribbon, a necklace shaped like a star, and several faded photographs.
Aurora picked one up carefully the moment she saw him, her breath caught a man stood beside the ocean beneath a night sky full of stars.
Tall, Silver-haired, Beautiful in a way that almost didn't look human his eyes seemed strangely familiar aurora couldn't explain it, but the second she looked at him-
her chest hurt not painfully just… deeply like she had spent her entire life missing someone she couldn't remember."Aurora?"She turned sharply her mother stood frozen at the doorway the color drained from her face the moment she saw the photograph for a few seconds, neither of them spoke aurora slowly stood up. Her voice came out barely above a whisper "Is this him?" Her mother stared at the photograph silently before tears slowly filled her eyes aurora had never seen her cry like that before. Not quietly not helplessly her mother walked toward her with trembling hands and gently touched the picture a sad smile appeared on her lips. "Yes, honey," she whispered "That's your father." Aurora looked down at the photograph again something inside her felt strangely warm almost alive"Where is he?" The question shattered the room her mother suddenly pulled Aurora into a tight embrace. Too tight aurora felt her trembling then she heard her mother whisper against her hair "I'll tell you everything when you turn eighteen."
_
And now eighteen was almost here….
Finally….
Yet instead of relief, Aurora felt dread growing heavier inside her chest every day as if her life stood at the edge of something enormous something waiting for her.
(the next day)
The next morning, i sat beneath the large acacia tree near the school courtyard while my best friends argued loudly nearby "You literally stole my fries," Jonas complained dramatically aira rolled her eyes. "Sharing is caring."
"That's not sharing. That's robbery." i laughed quietly despite herself jonas immediately noticed."There," he pointed proudly. "She smiled. My job here is done."
"You're annoying," Aira muttered. "Yet lovable." "No." i shook my head with amusement my friends always made things lighter at least temporarily. Jonas suddenly leaned closer "So," he said, "birthday countdown." i groaned immediately "Please don't remind me."Aira blinked "Wait, why do you sound miserable? You've literally been waiting for this your whole life."i look back at her leaned back against the tree trunk. "I know." i said with a low voice "Then what's wrong?" i stared toward the cloudy sky above the school grounds students laughed nearby while wind rustled through the trees.
Everything looked normal. But i didn't feel normal anymore "I don't know," she admitted quietly "I just feel weird lately." Jonas raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?" I hesitated "Like… something's changing." The wind suddenly grew colder strong enough to send leaves swirling across the courtyard several students looked around in confusion. I stiffened again that feeling again like someone was watching me then i heard it. A whisper…
Soft, istant "Aurora…" My eyes widened aira immediately noticed. "Hey. You okay?" I blinked quickly. "Yeah." Jonas crossed his arms dramatically. "Maybe you're nervous because after eighteen years you're finally gonna know about your mysterious father." He laughed sarcastically aira smacked the back of his head instantly. "Be serious, Jonas!" "Ow!" I forced a small laugh but my chest tightened… Because deep inside i knew this wasn't just nervousness something was coming and whatever it was…it had already started.