"Some Goddess could come and Save her"

[December 8th, 2021]

"Do you remember what I told you?" Lucy's grandmother appeared in Aurora's dream.

Aurora inhaled sharply, being out of breath as she looked around. Surrounded by a well-lit yet dark forest. The dead wood looked like the product of a forest-fire. Though fog and moisture covered the entire region, her lips asked for water. She walked a few steps, wearing a pure white, plain dress that reached just below her knees. Being a sleeveless dress, it gave her a hard time in the cold breeze as she walked around in search of water.

Her luscious brown hair was in its best grace as she walked through the emptied woods.

"So?" She heard the elderly's voice again. "Do you remember?"

She followed the elderly's call, entering her feet in a cold pond. Realizing her feet in water, she traced her steps back only to be covered by more water. The water went colder as she tried to step out of it. Soon she realized there was no land around her. Little flakes of snow fell from the sky like small crystals.

In a flash of eye, the water froze. Surprisingly, her dream character wasn't as dramatic, so she didn't panic at all. She stood there wondering if she'd ever get to move her feet from the frozen water. She didn't even get the chance to drink it in awe. She stood straight, hoping for a miracle.

"Oh, the Lords and the Heavens!" She heard distant chants. "Save this poor soul in exchange for our heads!"

What? What a weird dream!

The same chant repeated. Each time it would become louder. Then a point came where it was too loud for her sensitive ears to bear. She let out a grunt in pain, covering her ears with her hands trying to stop the sound. But she realized it came from within her. A memory of her was speaking to her soul, describing it's pain as it drifted apart. What memory? She wondered before a bunch of Monarch butterflies flew across her.

"Aurora?" She heard Sean call her from a distance.

She immediately looked here and there. However, all she could see was the limited area covered all over with fog. The butterflies had disappeared as well. She looked down to see her feet; There was no water. She was suddenly standing in the middle of a crosswalk and there was a splash of blood on the road. Strangely, she didn't remember having any memory associated with road accidents. However, she couldn't trust her memory anymore, could she?

She blinked, seeing herself laid on the road covered in blood while she was still standing. Herself on the ground wore a hospital gown, and held a picture. The picture was hard to see. She sat down, beside herself to grab the picture.

"Aurora!" She heard him again before she could touch it.

And again, and again...

"Aurora!"

She woke up with a gasp on her hospital bed. She was sweating heavily.

"Are you alright? You looked like you were having a bad dream…" Sean asked.

Aurora nodded, finding herself in reality.

"Sean…" She called him. "Did I ever get into an accident?"

"Yeah." Sean said. "On our last exam."

"Was I hurt badly?"

"I don't know what you consider bad but you have bruises and scratches. I consider that bad by the way." Sean said. "And you still attended school…" He complained.

Aurora nodded slowly.

"So, I never got injured badly right?"

"Not that I remember, no."

Aurora rubbed her eyes lightly with her hands. She looked out the window to see fog.

"It's foggy outside?" She asked.

"Yeah… It showed heavily all morning."

She pulled the blanket off of herself and stood up to walk towards the window. She put her hands on the glass window and rubbed against the moist surface that screened her view. The sun had set long and the fog made it hard to see.

"What're you doing?" Sean asked out of curiosity.

Aurora didn't reply and kept looking outside before she gulped the lump in her throat and walked away from it.

"S-Sean… Let's run away." Aurora insisted, taking in account his idea from yesterday.

"Are you serious?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Aurora started to breathe really heavily as she nodded. It almost looked like she was afraid of something.

"Hey.." He walked towards her, sensing something off. "What's wrong?" He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to face him.

"We have to g-go." Aurora said before pouting fearfully, as if she's stopping her tears.

"No, wait… You have to explain."

Aurora pushed him out of his grip and quickly ran towards a corner grabbing her mother's coat who had stepped outside. She wrapped herself with the coat and ran towards the door, opening it and leaving. Witnessing that, Sean followed her to make sure nothing went wrong. She didn't use the lift either. She chose the stairs instead and ran downstairs quickly, followed by Sean.

"Aurora, wait!" He called her from a distance to slow down.

He fastened his pace, seeing she won't stop any time soon. He quickly followed her walk down the hall, leaving the hospital. Soon he caught up to her.

"Aurora?" He asked, breathing heavily as they walked side by side.

She kept walking until they ended up far enough from the hospital. She finally stopped, breathing heavily.

"I don't wanna do this." Her voice was shaky.

"Do what?"

"I don't wanna get the surgery." Aurora teared up as she said her mind.

"No one's forcing you."

Aurora shook her head before leaning in towards him, putting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in concern.

"You don't understand." Her muffled voice spoke. "I'm not a Monarch butterfly…"

That.. He didn't understand. Where did butterflies come from all of a sudden?

"What do you mean?" He asked.

She tightened his sleeves in her grip.

"I just wanna d-"

[December 8th, 2020]

Distant laughter was heard. But all she could hear was her memories talking to herself. She wasn't sure what she was thinking or hearing. She wasn't sure of anything.

"Aurora, your birthday is near so I was hoping we should call all your friends." Her mother said. "What do you think?"

Not receiving a reply, her mother snapped her fingers.

"Aurora??" She called her again.

Aurora's consciousness jumped into reality.

"Oh… Yes?" She asked.

"Tch!" Her mother complained. "I was asking about your birthday. Will you go out like last year, or should we hold a party at home?"

Aurora furrowed her brows in confusion… Just now, she was on a walk with Sean.

"But… hospital…" She murmured.

"What? Your foot is fine now, right?"

Her memories were failing her. Was she in the past or present?! It was confusing so she just went with the flow.

"No.. Nothing." She backed up. "What were you saying?"

Her mother narrowed her eyes feeling something off.

"Your birthday??" She repeated her question for the third time now.

"Right! What about it?"

Facepalm!

"Can't you be attentive for once?" Her mother complained before passing a loud sigh. "I was asking if you want a party, or do you want to hang out?"

"Oh… I don't know." She didn't remember how they celebrated her birthday last year… Or this year, considering where she was standing. Was it just a dream? Aurora sighed. "You can decide."

She quickly stood up from the couch in the living room and ran towards her room, closing the door and leaning against it in utter confusion. 'Do I time travel now?' She asked herself in her thoughts as she gulped. 'Wait!' If she really time travelled, then an idea clicked her.

If she died today, she wouldn't have to see the next year. As the next year was marked the worst for her, might as well die before getting to see it. When she dragged Sean out for the walk earlier, it was also because she was going to go somewhere far and quiet and end herself once and for all.

She exhaled in excitement and nervousness. She opened her drawer to find a pocket knife that Ethan had gifted her for self-defense.

"I wonder if your feeble arms can swing this little guy." She remembered his words while he gave her the knife. "I'd pay to see it."

'Tch.' she thought to herself as she tightly held the knife while reminiscing about old times. 'Does he really need to show up in my memories now? Especially when I'm about to do this?' She hesitated.

She quickly shook her head. She wasn't going to back off now. If she really time travelled, it was worth a shot.

She took deep breaths before putting the knife perpendicular to her wrist. 'Is that how they do it?'

Meh. Cut!

[December 8th, 2021]

She gasped, waking up on the hospital bed… Again?! Was it just a dream?

"You woke up!" Her mother exclaimed. "I was so worried." She sat down on the floor, grabbing her daughter's hand and pecking it gently.

She sat up. Why was she in the hospital? She was walking with Sean…

"Mom, where's Sean?" She asked.

"I sent him home." She cleared her throat. "You fainted during the walk and he had to bring you all the way here… So I sent him home to rest."

"Ah…" She nodded.

Of course, why would she suddenly time travel. She hit her head lightly with her fist for having expectations.

"M-Mom…" Suicide seemed impossible as of now. "I don't want the surgery." She tried her last resort.

Her mother glared at her in surprise.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "Why, sweetie? Matthias said it's possible!"

She expected this answer. Her mother was willing to take any chance, but was she viewing the risks? Aurora didn't want to argue with her mother about it.

"I don't know. I don't want it." She bluntly replied.

Her mother gasped loudly, placing her hand on her chest. Uh oh!

"Mom?" She asked, wondering if it shook her core.

Her mother didn't reply and quietly left the ward. She sat down on the metal chairs and sobbed for hours. She couldn't believe her bubbly, cute, positive daughter had given up on her life just like that. She understood that it was hard for her but she wanted her to understand how much she cared.

Not that Aurora didn't understand. Of course she did. She just had the feeling that she should just stop. Whether it's life or death, it was too much to think about. She wasn't cut out for being this character; The character her dreams portrayed her into, the character everyone wanted her to be. No. She had given up long ago. She was terrified of death to her core. But there was nothing to undo it. Neither did she want to undo it anymore. She thought she would rather die than live within pointless fainted memories.