"Aww Aww Aww!" I yelled as mom tried to remove the bandages on my hand.
"What were you even thinking?" Aurora asked, she wasn't happy with what had happened to me because of Chloe.
"Aurora If I hadn't been there Aurora would have been dead by now" I said.
"Yes but you should have been more careful"
"Aurora it's okay he's alive and so is Chloe, so there's nothing to yell about" said mom.
Dad walked in into our room now, his face wasn't so bright when Aurora brought me home last nigh, but he didn't say anything maybe because Chloe was there, Aurora and my mom quickly rushed to me, when they saw us from afar with my wounded shoulder over Chloe's, it was surprising how they were all still awake, my guess was that Chloe had told them or they found out.Chloe explained everything to them and pleaded with my parents not to be mad at me,my parents were too busy worrying about my wounded shoulder to be mad at me, afterwards they thanked Chloe and she left.
"How are you feeling Mike?" Dad asked mistakenly touching my wounded shoulder.
"Awwww das!" That was really painful.
"I'm sorry" Dad quickly removed his hands.
"I'm feeling better dad" I groaned because of the pain I was feeling.
Dad walked to the window, I could tell he was mad at me for what happened last night but still he was happy that I was alive.
"That girl is really a good friend to you" Dad said still looking out the window.
" Yes dad"
" But you shouldn't be risking your life like that!"
This was all he had been keeping in since last night,I knew the shouting would come,my dad really enjoyed shouting at us whenever we did something wrong and after that he wouldn't talk about it ever again.
" But dad she could have been killed" I tried to defend myself.
" She could have been killed" he was really angry 💢 now.
" What if you were killed?"
" I was careful dad"
Aurora seeing the way things were going quietly left the room.
" Your shoulder doesn't say so"
" If I hadn't helped Chloe,Lisa would have still killed her and came after me anyway!" I let the anger I was feeling inside because of the way my dad was seeing this situation, but I didn't realize what I had just said.
" And why would she come after you?" mom asked.
She had been quiet all this while, treating the deep wound on my shoulder, but the last words I said just caught her attention.I was unable to speak because I didn't know what to say.If they found out that this wasn't the first time I was taking a risk for Chloe I would be restricted from leaving the hills even for school.
"Answer your mom Mike"
"Emmmm….. it's just because I'm a very good friend with her" I lied.
"And you are her only good friend in school?" mom asked.
"Off course I'm her best friend"
"And the reason she tried to kill me was because she that I knew she was up to something, she even...….." I stopped talking to a avoid spilling any other part of the story that they were not supposed to hear.
" She even what?" Dad asked staring directly at me now.
" Nothing" I lied.
" Are you sure?"
" Look dad Chloe is a really good friend to me and I can't hear that someone is planning to hurt her and let that person carry on with her plans, that's why she's my friend in the first place" I created a diversion that surprisingly worked, because my dad didn't say anything after that.
" You know I'm beginning to question your friendship with Chloe" mom said.
" What do you mean mom?"
" You know what I mean.Is she your girlfriend?"
That question really turned up my emotions, I didn't know that mom suspected that I was dating Chloe,yes I've gone out with her on many occasions you could call a date but I've never asked her to my girlfriend, although people who saw us together would think we are dating.
"No mom" I blushed.
"Are you sure?, because you are blushing"
"No I'm not" I said frowning.
"Why don't you marry her in future" dad said.
"Dad....." my parents were now intruding into my private and making fun of me.
" Hey I'm just saying, you did get stabbed for her" dad said before closing the door behind him.
" Dad ...…..."
"Now tell me the truth is she your girlfriend?" mom asked sounding excited.
She was done with the tying the bandages after applying the medicines on my wound and wanted some gist now but I wasn't ready for that now.
"I'm not your daughter mom" I said standing up.
Isn't that the way it works, daughter and mom gist about her boyfriend, while the son just keeps it to himself.
"Oh okay"
"See you later mom" I said and quickly left through the door.
*****************************************************************
I went to the edge of the hill in the evening to get some fresh air and also to think about what had really happened to those men that were chasing me last night,it was really strange how three men that were hotly pursuing me would just turn and kill each other just like that.What scared me the most was how their daggers went into each other's head in an arranged pattern,if they had really killed each other someone would have at least had a dagger in his stomach because that's where people with daggers aim for most times.
"Boo!"
I almost fell off the hill, Aurora had sneaked up on me and scared me while I was still in this fearful thought.She started laughing as I managed to pull my self up with my left hand.
"It's not funny Aurora, you could have killed me there" I was impressed with her scaring instead of being mad at her for almost killing me.
"What were you thinking man?" She kept on laughing.
"You know my right shoulder is hurt"
"Well you should think twice before coming to sit on the edge of the hill with a wounded shoulder" She stopped laughing now.
"You are naughty little girl"
"I didn't know thinking about Chloe could get you so lost in thoughts"
"I wasn't thinking about Chloe"
"Then what were you thinking about?"
"I don't think it's necessary to tell you" I said turning to face the hill now.
"I don't care anyway" She said after she sat down beside me.
" Mom said you should go get some food items in the city" She added, dropping some money on my laps.
"Aurora!" I quickly grabbed money.
" What?"
" You shouldn't drop money like that here, what if they all fly off now?"
" Oh sorry" She apologized, but she wasn't looking sorry.
"And also you and mom know I can't climb down the hill in my condition"
"But you climbed up the hill in your condition"
"Chloe helped me, Aurora"
" That's not my problem" She said and stood up to leave.
" Aurora wait"
" Yes" She said turning back.
" I'll tell you about what I was thinking if you help me go get the food items"
" Okay"
I knew this was all she wanted, Aurora would pretend she didn't care about something, but will still find other ways to get what she wanted.
"Where did they go now?" I scrambled up and down in the forest road looking for the dead bodies that were laying there last night.
"So what you are trying to tell me is that they were three dead men here last night" Aurora said.
"Yes they mysteriously killed themselves while chasing me"
Aurora started laughing,I wasn't surprised to how she my story as a funny one, because no one would believe that three men were chasing you in order to kill,then the next minute you heard them screaming behind you and then you went back to see that they all had their daggers in each other's head,yes that was a really funny story, but it was true.
"Chloe I'm serious about this"
"Yeah you are serious,it doesn't even smell like anything died here"
She was right even though the bodies have been moved there should have been little of their stench left here but everywhere smelled normal.
"Maybe they were moved that night" I said, but who would be in the forest in the night, people hardly come here even in the night.
"And you want me to believe that someone wondering in the forest would see three dead bodies and decide to take them for whatever reason"
She had a point, nobody would like to dispose a dead body except for those working in the mortuary,that is if they were paid to do it,and this bodies were already properly disposed because like I said nobody ever comes here.
"Alright let's go" I gave up my search that was not going to lead me anywhere.
"Did you make that story up,so Chloe would think you were strong and brave?" Chloe asked,after some minutes of silence as we walked to the town.And that was question was enough to get me annoyed.
"I didn't make it up, what I told you there was the whole truth, Chloe doesn't even know yet and maybe she will never know,and to think I could trust" I let it all out on her and increased my pace.
For someone who claimed to be tough she felt really sorry for the way she had been talking to me earlier.
" Mike wait" She said as she ran to catch up to me.
*******************************************************************
Two months later.........
One of the things that made the bond between me and Aurora strong was the fact that we were both given birth to in the same month and the same day of the month.I was given birth to on the 2nd day of September and five years later Aurora came into the world on the same September 2nd that was the reason our birthday was always a blast for us at least, nobody ever comes, but this year was going to be different I was turning eighteen years old and Aurora was going to be thirteen years old and Chloe was going to be here to celebrate with us, this was the first time we had someone else celebrate with us apart from our parents.
"It's really strange how you were born in the same day of the month as your sister" Chloe said as we walked to the house.
"Strange?"
"I meant strange in a good way"
"Ok but she was born in the same day of the month as me, not the way you said it, I'm older than her"
"Oh yes my bad"
"I really love having to share everything with my sister once in a year" I said smiling at her.
"Huh!"
"Never mind,why don't we go see how things are going inside"
"Ok let's go then"
"No ladies first" I bowed and made the ladies first gesture.
"Your birthday's really gotten into your head" Chloe muttered as she walked past me.
"What was that?"
"Nothing" She lied.
We walked inside to see the few decorations mom had put in the dining with Aurora's help and banner that mom made herself it read "Happy birthday Mike and Rora.
"Hey how come she didn't add my pet name?"
"Because I couldn't make one out from your name" mom said coming out of the kitchen with gloves on her hands.
"Grow up Mike" Chloe punched me on my shoulder.
"Ouch.....!" I fell to the floor holding my shoulder.
"What's wrong Mike?" Chloe asked.
"That was my hurt shoulder" I faked a groan.
"Seriously Mike I bandaged that shoulder and I know it's your right one,so get up and stop being a baby"
I was impressed Chloe was the type of person that would rush to my care whenever she detected that I was hurt I even use it to prank her sometimes,and maybe that was why she didn't even bend down to ask what was wrong with me.
" You've really grown wings" I said standing up.
"And I'm going to use them to drop down from a mountain"
"You would do that?"
"No I'm just joking"
"Hi Mrs hills" Chloe waved at my mom who had just been watching us play like kids in front of her.
"Oh hello Chloe, you look stunning" mom complemented her.
"She did look stunning with her black skirt that had a legless fitted into and a nice red long sleeve and a black sneaker, Chloe didn't like dressing classy like most of her friends did I had discovered that the few months I've been friends with her.And one more thing that made her look stunning was the way she made her new hair she had cut it short and just let it fall lose which made look pretier.While we were talking with mom Aurora walked in and could say she looked stunning too for someone that no one ever came to her birthday party.
"Are you going to a fancy party Aurora?" This was me looking for Aurora's trouble now.
To my greatest suprise Aurora just walked past me without even replying to my words.
"Mom is the food ready?" She asked.
"Almost darling" mom replied, quickly returning to the kitchen.
"You say the lamest things Mike" She said, before going to join mom in the kitchen.
Chloe started laughing at me, which I deserved for making a fool out of myself.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You know comedy was never your thing" She said still laughing.
"Yeah yeah tell me when you're done" I said and walked outside annoyed.
Chloe didn't follow me instead she went to the kitchen to help Aurora and my mom,and while I was outside alone the strangest thing ever happened to me, the sky suddenly turned to red like the blood type of red,and when I got outside to get a clear view of what was happening it started to rain blood all over me,my clothes were soaked in blood I screamed and ran to the house but I didn't know there was a nail lying in front of the house, that was strange because I couldn't remember seeing that there but while running I stepped on the nail and it pierced my shoes all the way to my foot I quickly removed my shoe as my body was still soaked in blood, anybody else would have passed away if they saw what I saw when I removed my shoes, the nail had pierced my foot but blood wasn't the liquid rushing out of my foot it was water crystal clear water was rushing out of my leg while my whole body was covered in blood that was still raining outside,I screamed in terror until my mom with the two girls rushed to my aid.
"What's wrong!?" I could tell I had scared my mom with my shouting.
I didn't say anything I just pointed backwards to show them what was happening, but it wasn't there again the sky was bright again my body wasn't soaked with blood instead it was just a splash of water and the liquid coming out of my wounded leg turned to blood again, what was happening? I couldn't tell, how could everything that just happened to me vanish in a twinkle of an eye.
"He must have been hallucinating" I could hear Aurora tell Chloe from the dining table, while mom took care of my wound in the corner.
"Aurora I'm sure of what I saw" I tried to get up but mom told me to stay.
I was really angry with the way they just doubted without even checking what I was saying especially Aurora.
Lunch was ready and we sat down to eat out birthday feast.
"What of Mr Hills?" Chloe asked.
"He went to work dear, he'll be back soon" said mom.
"Are you okay Mike?" Chloe asked looking at me.
"What don't I look okay to you?" I was getting cranky with the way my birthday was turning out.
"I was just asking" She said.
As was about to dig my spoon into my plate of food another strange thing happened,my food turned into a video footage playing everything that I had go through from my birth to the point where I was sitting and watching my plate in shock on my eighteenth birthday.I couldn't take it anymore I quickly ran out of the dining into our room and lay down on my bed I didn't come out from there till the next day, meanwhile Chloe came to see me before she left, she told me that she would understand me better if I explained everything to her but how could explain something this mysterious that started happening to me on my special day.We later talked about other things apart from what was happening to me and after that she pecked me before leaving, she really made feel a little better but the strange things weren't over yet I kept on having series of terrible and horrifying dreams in the night my mother even came to sit beside me while I slept but she didn't know what I was passing through, Aurora didn't care much because she thought I was joking, that's why she immediately went to bed when she entered the room,I was awake then but she didn't know it because she was really tired.What was all this strange things that were happening to me today,I couldn't tell but somebody knew something about this and I was eager to find out the reason for all these terrifying mysteries on my eighteenth birthday.