GETTING HURT

ZENITH FORESTS 8:00 am

NEXT DAY

It was a usual morning haze, where you neglect your consciousness, lie between being unconscious for a second before the reality hits you back.

Aurora woke up scrubbing both her eyes, she got back to her toes on the wooden floor they had themselves prepared and relished how cool it was and smiled. She loved every piece of this place, that they had made themself.

"Auraaaaaa" it was daisy who was standing before her with a wooden slate. She noticed that Daisy was wearing a dress which Lily had stitched for her, it was very pretty even with the imperfections.

"huh?"Aura asked her confused, she didn't know why she was carrying a wooden slate.

"This Aunty offered to teach us what's important, I told you last night! I have to go now!!" her voice was so loud enough for Lily to wake up from her sleep. Aura wondered where Kazuo had gone. realizing it's a cold morning she knew he had gone to collect firewood to keep them warm. He was true to his word, he did everything to make her not to miss her parents, he tried to protect her in every way possible.

"Yeah, you told me, now squirm off " Aura chuckled, and even before she had completed her sentence Daisy had left. everyone wanted to do something or other to keep themselves busy since they wanted to help everyone, or because the had to keep working on something so that they wouldn't get distracted into depression.

Aura got up and washed her face with chilly ice water and regretted not waiting for firewood to warm it. she slowly paced her towards their bedroom and saw Lily packing the materials for today. Lily had joined a couple of women of her age to stitch and mend things that had been broken.

It all felt like a new civilization in enact. it was Aura who laid idle all day, doing only when people call for help, she almost helped in every work at least once in a day. She wasn't particularly interested in doing one thing, she wanted to do different things every day, she was scared that she might get bored and start thinking about her parents.

Someone knocked on the door, she rushed to open hoping it'd be Kaz. Even if the conversation she had with him was so bitter that day, she still desperately wanted to see his face every single morning. That was the only time she could see his grey eyes illuminated in the light, his lips curving in a greeting smile. she would miss it if she isn't the one who opens the door. Only then she would glance at his face because normally they don't stare at each other's face.

"Hey, Aurora" it was Qwezyl when she opened the door.

"Oh hey," she swore under her breath when she disappoints were heightened.

"Mind if I come inside, I have something for you" he smiled at her. and her booming curiosity automatically opened the door more for him, Lily stared in confusion.

"Lily this is Qwezyl, and Qwez this is Lily" Aura introduced them

Lily smiled and got up with her stitching tools

"I'll be back late today, we have so much to mend Aura, would you mind collecting dinner for us today?" Lily was rarely happy, but she was improving, slowly but steadily. Lily eyed Qwez because she already knew Aura liked Kaz.

"It's okay, no problem" and these were the kind of help she does everyday, substitute works.

After Lily had gone out. she offered Qwez to sit on a bamboo chair with a red cushion, Which Kaz had made just a week ago.

"What is it?" Aura asked, curiosity beaming in her eyes

He took out a small bottle wrapped in a tiny piece of cloth and it hung like a key chain.

"You made it?" Aura asked him looking at the pretty piece of art he was holding.

He nodded and opened the cork of the bottle which was attached to the key chain and smelled it and asked her to smell too. when she smelled it. it was the most beautiful perfume she had ever smelt. It smelled like cherry blossoms, and she really loved it. Her father had never allowed her to wear perfumes, but she always wished for cherry blossom ones, now that her wish had come true, she really wanted to hug him.

"Don't tell me you made this too" Aura chuckled grabbing the bottle in her hands and she realized he had also made this glass himself, there were so many imperfections but still that's what made it more beautiful.

"I found lavender and cherry blossoms a week ago, and I dried them in almond oil and extracted it, Yekci taught me" he chuckled

"Who's Yekci?" Aura asked him

"She knows how to craft ingredients and make perfumes, even she told me it's a weird combination she has never tried and which came out good" he smiled at her proud of his choice

"And this glass?"

"Her husband helped me blow it, he was making something for her and I took the remains" he shrugged

And Aura admired the efforts he was putting into her, never once in her life, she has experienced someone putting so many efforts on her, just to see her smile.

"When did you make this?" she asked her examining the bottle and she found more details this time like there was a bend in that spherical bottle and how it was tried to correct. and this time she believed that he had done it.

"I didn't sleep last night" he replied and she should've guessed at the dark circled he had. she hugged him and thanked him after parting

"Does that mean I smell bad?" she chucked and he nodded.

"Sometimes" he raised one of his eyebrows and he broke out laughing.

"We only met last night for the record" Aura giggled.

"What's so funny?" it was Kaz who entered the room with a frown on his face, he clearly showed no less disapproval for a stranger to be sitting inside their cottage alone with Aura.

"Look, Kaz, he made me a cute little gift" she stood up and held the bottle before Kaz which only made him burn with jealousy.

"Ahh, that's cute" he gave a forced smile to Qwezl

"I have to leave, my pack would be searching for me" he winked at Aura as he left the cottage which only added up to the emotions Kaz can't show towards her.

"He's cute, isn't he, offering gifts" she took the bottle and smelled it again and placed it inside the drawer which Kaz had made for her.

"Don't keep things that jerks make inside of what I made for you" before he realized what he had said and before he could stop his words from spilling, he saw Aura's eyes widening.

"What?"Aura asked him, clearly not in a good tone.

"He's not safe, you barely know him!!" Kaz had found this reason when he had once thought about confronting situations like this. To replace the reason for him loving her.

"I trust him!! " she shouted this time and she took the bottle and slammed the door as she went outside.

1:27 PM

She arrived at the domain where Kaz had left some blocks of wood and some carving tool

"Lemme do this" she whispered to herself and tried to make a box out of it. she felt so bad when Kaz had pinpointed about things she had to keep in something which he made.

She tried to make 6 blocks of the same size and breadth and in the process of doing so, she had so many splinters in her hand more than the imperfections in the box. She found a piece of steel and bent it into a simple lock just as how she saw Kaz do it the other day.

Even if the box wasn't perfect, it looked neat, she was so proud of it, But her hand was damaged to the extent that she wasn't able to even touch the box, she removed splinters from her hand and there was only one thing left to finish.

There was an extra wood sticking out of the box, she just had to cut it. she raised her hands and firmly gripped the box but instead of that piece, she cut her own hands.

She suppressed her scream but the pain was staggering. she couldn't move her fingers.

And then Lily saw her, who was gathering some twigs nearby.

"Aura" she screamed as she saw the blood oozing out of her palm and Aura cried when Lily tore a piece of cloth from her dress and tied it without further bleeding and the cloth was wet within no time

By the time they reached the doctor, she had 4th piece of torn dress wet and the doctor injected TT from one of the supplies she had from the last visit to the abandoned hospital and she dressed the wound.

Lily slowly placed her in the bed without hurting her wound and Aura was still moaning in pain, since there were no painkillers in the stock which the doctor had.

"How did this happen?" Daisy had been crying since she saw the dressing in her hand and Lily had been constantly assuring her it wasn't big as it looks

"I was making a box, Daisy can you please fetch it?" Aura asked her pleadingly and Daisy rushed to get it

"You could've asked Kazie!! why in the world would you try to make something which you don't know too!!" Lily shrieked in concern.

3:45 PM

when Kaz entered the room, he looked bewildered.

"why would you do this Aura?" Kaz asked while sitting beside her in the same bamboo chair which Qwezyl had sat the previous day.

"I made a box myself, without your help" she avoided looking into his eyes in fear of letting go of her attitude she had right now.

He knew it was on him. only if he hadn't been so rude to her this morning, she wouldn't have had this big bruise on her hand.

There was a mild knock on her door and Kaz left to open it and found Qwez standing with a white rose in his hands. His face exhibited so much concern for her that Kaz found it unbelievably irritating to just have him around.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kneeling to the bedside and holding her hands. And, needless to say, all Kaz wanted to do right now was to kick him out.

"Better than before" she smiled at him and took the white rose. She felt so good about the kind gestures he had been showing her where all Kaz did was to stand and regret.

She hopelessly wished for Kaz to show his concerns on her. But deep down Kaz wanted to hug her and just do something which will comfort her.

But he backed away at the thought of slightest suspicion of her knowing he loves her. He felt immature now. He could show his love as a good friend or a brother too. He was just so frightened to show his love.

When he saw them giggling and laughing, he realised that Aura was happier than she had been all these months . and all he wanted was her to be happy and he recognised it was so narrow-minded to be jealous about it, where she was happy.

He smiled at her and when he noticed that she was looking at her, he turned away and pretended to do something.

She thought maybe he was happy for her for finding someone and she felt bad now, she thought maybe he wasn't thinking of her.

"Is it paining again?" he asked her looking at her fallen face.

"Can we go for a walk? I feel sick being inside the house all day?" she answered looking at Kaz who did notice her. misunderstandings between them, separated them more each and every day.

"Yah sure" he rushed to grab her by arms.

"Woah dude, only my hand's gone, not my legs you know" she chuckled and she slapped the back of his head.

"I'll fresh up and come, you head on outside" she answered and went to the well alone, Kaz knew she had to fetch water and she couldn't have done with one hand and rushed to her aid.

"You know, I can do this myself" she rejected his help and continued trying to fetch water.

"At this rate, you'll never fetch it Aura" he held her other hand and came closer until she could feel his breath on her hair, she wanted him to get off, not because she hated it. she was also hitting hormones and she felt something too, and this just increased the intensity of whatever she felt for him.

After he finished fetching he washed her face himself and tied her hair up properly. she wanted to resist say no, maintain her attitude, but all she could do was cooperate, she couldn't even open her mouth to say no, let alone say it.

He wanted to do something which will make her less pretty and make Qwezyl back away, but that was such a sadistic thing to do.

"Now you can go with that Qwex-"

"His name is Qwez" she rolled her eyes and left before she could even react to everything.

He felt good taking care of her, he liked being the responsibility of her, but that comes with the cost of suppressing his feelings until she gets old enough, he sighed and got back to work.

Meanwhile, Aura joined with Qwez and he smiled at her.

2 WEEKS LATER,

2:55 PM

"So where are you taking me?" she asked him and he responded by his finger on lips.

They walked for a few more meters until there was a canopy of beautiful trees surrounding a park-like structure with just a few place to sit

"How did you find this place?" she asked him locking her eyes at the beautiful surrounding before her

"I was searching for flowers and I ended up here, I just wanted to take you here someday" he looked at his feet unable to look into her eyes

"This is so pretty, the prettiest thing I've ever seen" she looked at him now with all the gratitude she could muster in her eyes.

They sat down under a bunch of leaves under a tall tree which slumped down as if it was a cushion and Aura giggled.

"Can we come here often?" she asked him looking at the birds which had already found a place in her shoulders

"Of course, whenever you like" he appeared so happy when she was admiring at the place he had found and dreamt of bringing her here for the past 2 days.

He slowly tried to reach her hand and hold it, and he was hesitating so much. what if she isn't ready yet he thought. but He loved her and he wanted her to know it. He fell in love with the moment he saw her, those eyes which he had never seen, those vibes she gave him, those pretty little lips moving like a wave when she talked, he loved every inch of her.

Even though he knew her only for half a month barely, he loved her so much. He loved the days with her, she made his life better like a light in the darkness. They spend every evening together nowadays in the campfire.

He slowly placed her hand on hers, and she turned to him with a blank face and he smiled at her.

She blushed back. She liked Kaz and loved him for years, but this feeling, someone wanting her, someone so desperate for her, she felt this feeling new, and it felt good too.

She couldn't help but blush at the way he was with her

She liked him, she thought maybe it was the time for her to move on about someone who doesn't want her that way, and accept what has been given to her.

Maybe someday she would feel more for Qwez than she even did for Kaz, she would have someone who loved her back as much as she did then. she felt relieved and settled