Chapter 7: Diamond Mine

Aurora gasped. "It worked?!"

She opened the purchase submission page again, her hands shaking.

This time, the errors were gone. It looked like she could finally submit something for real.

With a thought in her mind, Aurora grabbed $5 from her savings and left the house.

She clutched the card tightly as she walked into the small, sleek bank just a block from her house.

This was the bank of which bank card she had received. How does she know the location? Internet.

The building was new, with shiny glass doors and polished floors that made her sneakers squeak.

From what she had heard from her father, this bank was one of the top banks that had certain criteria for their customer, and not everyone could get a bank card of the bank.

The name of the Bank was Diamond Mine. 

This made her even more curious about the origin of the rebate system.

She glanced around nervously.

The place was empty except for a single employee sitting behind the counter, typing on a computer.

"Hello, miss. How can I help you today?" the man asked, smiling politely.

Aurora swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped closer.

"Um, hi. I just wanted to check if this bank card is real. I, uh, got it in the mail." She held out the card, feeling awkward.

The man raised an eyebrow but took the card, glancing at it. "Sure, I'll need your name to confirm it."

"It's Aurora Waters," she replied softly.

The moment she said her name, the man's eyes widened in surprise.

His expression quickly turned into a grin, almost like he was trying to flatter her.

"Oh! Miss Aurora Waters! Of course, let me check this right away."

Aurora blinked, confused by his sudden change in tone.

Did he… know her? A chill ran down her spine. Something about his reaction made her feel uneasy.

For a split second, she thought about grabbing the card and running out.

But then she reminded herself—this was a government-verified bank. It had to be safe.

The man tapped a few keys on his computer and nodded.

"This card is absolutely genuine, Miss Waters. Congratulations on being one of our valued customers!"

Aurora let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled $5 bill.

"Can you deposit this into my account? And, um, can I set up a transaction PIN?"

"Of course," the man said, still smiling like she was someone important.

He handed her a small keypad and asked her to enter a PIN twice.

Aurora quickly typed in the numbers she thought were easiest to remember but hard to guess.

The man returned her card and handed her a tiny receipt showing her balance.

"Have a wonderful day, Miss Waters," he said cheerfully.

Aurora nodded and walked out, the unease still lingering in her chest.

With her bank card confirmed as real, Aurora decided to test the system.

She walked to a fancy shop she had passed by many times but never dared to enter.

The store smelled like expensive perfume, and everything on display looked shiny and perfect.

Her heart pounded as she picked up a small candy bar and a pink eraser.

Each cost $1, which seemed ridiculous for such tiny items, but Aurora didn't care. 

She paid for the items with her bank card and walked out with her purchases in a crisp paper bag.

..........

Back home, Aurora sat on the sofa, staring at the eraser and candy.

The house was quiet. She didn't have to wait long before her older brother, Lucas, came through the door.

"Hey, Aurora," Lucas said, tossing his bag onto the floor. "How was your day?"

Aurora didn't answer right away. Instead, she stood up, walked over to him, and held out the eraser.

Lucas blinked, confused. "Uh, what's this?"

"It's for you," Aurora said, trying not to sound too nervous. "A gift."

Lucas took the eraser, still looking baffled.

"An eraser? For me? What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," Aurora said quickly.

"I just… thought you'd like it."

Lucas stared at her for a moment, then broke into a smile.

He ruffled her hair, making her squeal. "Thanks, kiddo. I'll treasure it forever."

He chuckled and added,

"One day, I'll buy you all the candies in the world, okay?"

Aurora shook her head, laughing.

"No need. This is fine."