Jude Hampton

"What?" Aurora finally shouted when she calmed down but by that time, Jasmine and Rose had already come back and were standing at the door joining us as we watched her try to catch her breath. 

"I have never seen Aurora this caught off guard," Rose remarked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the door. 

Jasmine quickly ran to Aurora and patted her back. She grabbed the nearest bottle of water and handed it to Aurora. "Stop trying to talk and calm down first." 

"Why are only the two of you here?" I asked Rose, trying to take a peek behind her. "Where is she?" 

"She? You mean your mother?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Shouldn't you be more considerate of the poor woman? I thought Meraki looked like a living corpse but, her mother looks like the one whose life got sucked out of her." 

"Does she look that bad?" I asked, trying to remember what she looked like but my mind went blank.