CHAPTER 10: CHAINED PERFORMER

"SHELTER"

In a quiet room, Aurora faced the burly man accompanied by his bizarre family: a group comprising one man, two women (one young, the other in her mid-thirties), and a little girl. The dingy room matched their unkempt appearance.

Though Aurora remained aloof, the others were oddly excited, wearing childlike smiles across their dirty faces. The bulky man stepped forth giggling, hands behind his back. A moment passed, and with a sigh, Aurora dully stated, "Five," with little enthusiasm, but the family had plenty, their faces lighting up with awe as soon as she said it.

The older woman replaced the man as he walked away nodding with a grin. She concealed her hands behind her back, out of Aurora's sight. A moment later, Aurora released another sigh and monotonously pronounced the word, "Seven," and the group erupted ecstatically, for a prolonged period, while Aurora just stood there.

"Can we save the rest for another time?" she pleaded wearily. "I'm kinda tired today, and if I don't get rest I won't be able to—"

"SILENCE, WOMAN!" the brute bellowed. "US GIVE YOU SHELTER! US GIVE YOU, SHELTER!! YOU PLAY US GAME 'TIL US HAPPY! NO EZCUSES!"

The little girl exhibited a surge of aggression, unleashing a thunderous, almost primal cry, while fervently propelling a mug from the table with great intensity, resulting in its shattering upon the floor.

Despite that charismatic display, Aurora stood unfazed, resigned to their madness. The younger woman stepped forward, concealing her hands behind her back while signaling three fingers. With casual nonchalance, Aurora uttered, "Three," and yet again, igniting a euphoric eruption of laughter and joyful collisions among them. 

As time passed, Aurora continued to engage in their little amusement, persisting until they reached a point of contentment.

. . .

Later in her room, Aurora sat gazing out the window, her cardigan removed to reveal her arms—cylindrical and devoid of hands to express any sort of agency. She had the messy brown blanket over her legs as she positioned herself over the chair to sit with her knees by her chest.

Eyes lingering on the statue of the late King Cortea, melancholy flashed across her face before she closed her eyes and drifted into thought. Slowly but surely, she drifted off into another world, a distant world, a place contrast to the hell that was the capital. A place with green pastures that stretched as far as the eye could see, a calm beach shore, and winds that soothed the soul. It was… a quiet place—imaginary, but quiet, and it sure was enough to put her heart at ease. She was fully immersed now, and what would be the cherry on top of her little world, would be a calm hand, soft and warm, slowly reaching for her, to offer her that same warmth, but just before it could meet her, she abruptly shrieked, tumbling from her chair at the sight of the pale patchworked boy suddenly before her, his hand being completely stretched out to meet her in the most unsettling of ways.

"Dammit, Damien!" she snapped, flustered.

"You've got lot of patience," he began. "Very comfortable all the way down here with those… things."

"I'm not amusing you today. Leave!" Aurora demanded, crossing her arms and avoiding his eye contact.

"I do not like wasting time either," Damien stated ominously. "You can see what is in my mind, right? Speak."

"I said, I'm NOT going to speak with you. Leave!"

Damien, as if deaf to her commands, joined both hands behind his back, almost in an automated sense, and began to circle the small chamber with his head down in thought, adding to Aurora's infuriation.

"Of all the people to have had the answers to my questions, you, a clever girl, are the one who has it all, but you still pretend like fool."

"I didn't understand a word you just said," Aurora remarked. After a pause, her eyes lit up, and she added with surprise, "Did you...threaten a little girl?!"

"Huh? Oh… that… You already know I never cause harm to anyone since my fateful awakening, but here is conundrum…" Observing both his stitched hands, he continued, "I can tell when things do not add up, you see. You have presented fair share of inconsistencies since I met you, but when entire city appears to be showing nothing but inconsistencies, resorting to little fear-mongering only seems logical when you need correct answers, right?"

Aurora rolled her eyes as he continued his elaboration.

"So many people here speak different language, but nobody knows what was real foundation of this small land. They all say, 'Oh, it was Cortea who created this haven,' or, 'Oh, we are all part of this land—we were once rocks, and it was by Cortea's hand that we were granted the gift of life,' and then they continue their days like blind sheep, as if it is not issue. But for me, that bothers me. That bothers me so badly I cannot even tell if hair under my nose is real anymore."

Damien then lifted his head to stare blankly at Aurora, for a few seconds at that. Then, in an unsettling display that embodied 'creepy,' he manually blinked his eyes twice as if to remind his observer that he was in fact a conscious being, not just an imposter trying to blend into the crowd. Aurora raised a brow in confusion. He then walked closer, hand poised, and Aurora, spooked, slowly retreated backward as he advanced.

He continued, "You and me both share similar appearance, and we both have abilities that should not exist in realm of physics. The same goes for that group who made mess earlier—they are also bunch of weirdos. It is all very peculiar, and anyone with brain can tell it is not normal."

Aurora found herself cornered, Damien's hand dangerously close to her face.

He then added, "You, on other hand, have been pretty comfortable with everything that comes your way, and comfort only comes with familiarity—so that can only mean you know enough to explain why things are the way they are, right? I will be very patient with you, and will allow you to start slow—starting with the history."

Aurora regarded Damien's outstretched hand briefly, then met his gaze with nonchalance, calmly remarking, "Why don't you go find somebody as dumb as you to play your games with? I already told you that we woke up at two different periods, mine being way before yours, so of course I'd be more familiar with the place. But to you that clearly means I've got something to hide, don't it? So why don't you spare your time and put me out of my misery already? I will be very patient."

Damien remained unconvinced, finding little purpose in further pressing the matter. He turned away, a detached expression on his face, and approached the window. Examining the statue of King Cortea, a feeling of disgust welled up within him.

He closed his eyes, and with a cheek, he mused, "You know, everything about this Kingdom feels so fake. I rejoice at thought of obliterating it to the ground." 

A moment of silence hung in the air, and Aurora responded, "Please share your embarrassing fantasies with someone else."

CHAPTER 10 of 'Bonnie's Touch' ends