Aurora ran her fingers on the letter she wrote the morning. Her face remained an impassive mask.
It was laughable how she wrote a letter to her future self. A gamble she knew she'd lose. No one returned from death.
If death claimed the body, then it was impossible to return.
She sighed and tucked the letter somewhere no one could find. It was meant for her future self. If the second part of the plan succeeded, she'd be free.
Life was a ledger of debts and favors. What you give had to equal what you take. If imbalance settled, then other factors would take control and force the balance back.
It was what Aurora believed in all her life.
An equation that wasn't balanced didn't have a solution. It was bound to be defective, useless, thrown aside to be forgotten. No one could fix unsolvable matters. The equation that symbolized her life wasn't balanced.
And when life refuses to balance, it's only logical to rewrite the terms.
It was in these conditions that Aurora decided to do something about it.
Staring outside for what seemed an eternity, watching the garden she had grown up to envy, Aurora played with her fingers, cracking them, twisting them. The pain was tolerable and it didn't bother her much.
Her eyes were empty. Every time her servant stared into them, she got chills. No one wanted to associate with such a person. It was a mystery why her servant still stuck around.
She ran her tongue on her lower lip, still planning her next steps. The closest path to victory involved death. There was slight hesitation in her future decisions. But it was bound to be done.
Death was freedom in her equation. It was the factor that needed to take control to get what she wanted. She didn't know if it would work or not but it was good to take the risk when nothing promised closure.
"My lady, your father is asking for your presence in his office."
The servant's voice trembled. Her hands shook as she clasped them together. It was doubtful she'd stay in her position for long. No amount of money would make her stay. She received a raise to convince her to stay but not anymore. The woman in front of her terrified her. There was a certain air around her that made the room grow cold.
Aurora cracked her knuckles. "Let him wait," she said.
The servant parted her lips but shut them close when her lady glared.
Aurora nodded and resumed watching the dark mists in the garden. She didn't know what they were. However, the whole mansion was full of them. Dark mists that no one could see but her. Her whole life, she acted as if they didn't exist. The only time she could acknowledge them without being followed by one of them was when she stared at the garden.
Clouds upon clouds of darkness. Normal people would enjoy staying in that place but for her, it was blinding. She couldn't move an inch without touching one. They were harmless unless acknowledged.
The servant opened her mouth to repeat what she said but couldn't muster the courage. Instead, she distracted herself by sweeping dust from the bookshelves. There were multiple bookshelves in the lady's room. She read a lot. It was the only thing that she was seen do when there was nothing to do.
Aurora stole several glances at the clumsy servant. She couldn't help but suppress the chuckle. No matter the year, not a single servant treated her as if she was a normal human being. It irked her in the beginning. But after some time, it was amusing to mess with them.
"What's wrong with you?" Aurora asked as the servant cleaned the same shelf for the third time.
"Nothing, lady," the servant muttered. "Your father, m'lady… he asked for your presence."
"Don't think much about it. He knows I will get there only after making him wait enough."
And it was the case. Aurora made him wait enough time that he got mad and sent his butler to call her to his office.
No one knew why she was this difficult to handle. All her predecessors were easy to deal with. Little cinnamon rolls that were too sweet to treat otherwise. This was the first time someone like Aurora was born like this.
She was raised the same as her predecessors but she didn't turn out like them.
However, there was a simple reason why Aurora turned out like this. She knew of her fate. She understood how the world outside worked. It was completely different from the mansion. The latter was stuck in the past, everything so painted frozen. Same rooms that were handed down like inheritance. Not yours to possess but while alive, yours to use.
Aurora had prior knowledge of the past everyone sought to hide from her. For centuries, an old conflict has persisted. Blood spilt in the name of honour and loyalty, courage and family, betrayal and suspicions. Nothing was left untouched.
According to human history, centuries ago, one day, a special creature demanded freedom of existence. It was explained that they hid for thousands of years and they were tired from letting humans walk all over them.
As how fate wanted it to be, war broke out. The only advantage that made humanity keep fighting was their numbers. The strange creatures were small in numbers and didn't multiply quickly.
Humans called them vampires.
The war kept going for decades, then centuries. Humans didn't see an end to it and vampires thought it was disadvantageous to fight over land when they all lived in the same chaotic world.
So, as the realization that this war would only destroy both their kinds, they negotiated a truce. A monumental peace treaty, binding both humans and vampires in its accord, emerged from the shadows. The terms are unconventional yet pragmatic - each family must sacrifice one of their daughters to the enemy. Each generation, a human from their bloodline was offered to the vampires.
In return, the vampires pledged to withdraw from human lands and stay on a desolate island they considered their own.
The sacrifices, willingly or not, surrendered their identities and became what they were till their last breath.
At the beginning, the chosen sacrifices fought hard against it. So, to remedy the situation, humans started raising little girls before they got the chance to stare at the world and learn the truth.
They taught them that their destiny was to become angels. And so, they were raised as such. Given everything they wanted. From glittery sparkles to the most mundane thing.
These daughters beat the weight of peace, a burden they inherit, whether by choice or by the dictates of a turbulent history, Aurora thought, with a soft chuckle. It was stupid.
What was the point of the word choice when it was controlled? It wasn't like those sacrifices knew they had more than the choices they were shown.
Aurora stared at her reflection in the mirror for a while before she headed to her father's office. For the first time in her life, she saw a glint in her life. She was looking forward to what would happen.
The whispers had told her tonight would be the perfect opportunity.
After all, the whispers were always right.
The office exuded an air of coldness and hostility. The black mists were all around, stuck on the ceiling mostly. She avoided to look up and instead, stared at her father.
Clad in a meticulously tailored suit, he straightened his ties with precision and gave his daughter a glance mixed with benevolence and anger.
"You took your time," the man said in sharp tone.
Aurora smiled faintly. "I didn't realize punctuality was my strongest suit, dad."
His eyes narrowed. But in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he gestured to the steaming cup of chocolate coffee on the desk, beside her usual seat.
Over the years, he recognized she was clever, maybe even surpassing his two sons. Unlike them, she was confined in her room since she was born and never set foot outside. Despite that, she showed great potential. He could still recall how she sought his presence and asked for a unique reward.
He taught her that obedience indulged rewards. And for her reward, she asked to help him with his work around the mansion.
With a moment of reflection, he revised the plan in his head. His daughter, now seated on the couch, glared at her hot chocolate coffee. She wore a grim expression for a brief moment.
Aurora glanced at her father's hot coffee and sighed. She just needed to exchange the two cups and everything would be done. However, her hands shook and her resolve froze in the face of death.
Noah Atkinson's stern voice resounded, breaking the silence.
"Aurora! I believe that your time has come to do your duty and make us proud. You need to commit yourself and be obedient. Disobedience is a sin and it will get you rejected of the heaven you deserve."
Aurora's lips twitched slightly. She barely managed to stifle the laugh threatening to break free. She was sure that there'd be no heaven for the dead.
"Yes, dad, I understand. I'll be as obedient as a sheep."
This was enough to renew her resolve. With quick movements, she exchanged the two cups.
She had two choices. First, she could die before reaching the vampire lands. Second, she could go there and become what everyone feared.
Because of the past war, there were a lot of undead roaming the lands outside the city. No one dared to venture outside, unless escorted by special guards. Of course, she wasn't supposed to know this. But the whispers said it was the truth.
"This is the day your name will be picked, Aurora," he declared, half-whispering to himself. He sat in front of Aurora and glanced at his cup that was growing colder. "If you bring the Atkinson family down, I will ensure to salvage our honor by offering up your lifeless form to the creatures of the night. You shall receive no proper burial. You'd wake as an undead, wandering without your mind."
Aurora shuddered. And again, her father wasn't supposed to tell her this. Supposedly, she had to believe that they were sent to become angels. She wasn't even meant to know about the undead.
"But Dad, are you sure you want to tell me this? Am I not supposed to not know about it?"
The man's eyes widened briefly.
"You're right. I'm not supposed to tell you," he whispered, his voice growing harsher. "But as I thought, you knew. How did you know? Who told you?"
"Is it that important, dad? As far as I'm concerned, I know I can't escape the life you chose for me. How noble of you to package my death beautifully, calling it a badge of honor!"
His shaky hands grab the cup and brought it to his mouth. She watched him as he flinched, the shadow of a smile on her lips.
"This isn't what I asked for."
"I'm sure you didn't ask for a hot chocolate coffee," Aurora nodded. "I'm also sure I hate it. I'd rather go for a black coffee."
She raised her cup in the air in a toast. "To duty, dad!"
The coffee was bitter.
"You are disobedient."
"Tell me something I don't know about, dad. I'm sure that whatever awaits me on the other side isn't the heaven you paint for me."
Noah wanted to remind his daughter of her duty but it seemed that it was useless thinking. She never forgot, not even once what her life's purpose was.
The door swung open and her eldest brother entered. He threw a brief glare towards her before nodding to his father.
"Father, the car is ready for you to go to the scheduled meeting. Will I have to follow you?"
Noah Atkinson was pissed because he didn't get to drink his coffee. So he ordered for another cup. He ordered his son to wait till he was awake enough. Whatever his daughter threw on him left him in a daze. He could finally understand why she was the way she was.
She knew she was just there for a purpose. Everything was fake.
"Dad, did you ever love me like you loved your sons?"
She took another sip, then another… till nothing was left in her cup.
There was a reason why she exchanged their cups. The whispers told her that a big conspiracy was about to happen, one that involved Noah Atkinson. He was supposed to die this night.
The perfect opportunity to make sure her end was nigh.
Noah got up from his seat and walked to the window. He stood there, gazing at the moon. The question left him wondering if he really did.
All his life, she held something special in his eyes. She was like her mother. Disobedient. Full of life. He couldn't help but to admit deep within himself that he liked her the way she was and he wished for her to stay.
However, as much as he wanted to say he loved her, he couldn't save her. He had to hand her over with his hands.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ezra Atkinson was the eldest son. He didn't have the menacing air of his father so Aurora found it ridiculous that he pointed a glare at her direction. She even borrowed her father's cup once again and downed it, waiting for another turn of daggers shooting at her.
Aurora didn't miss the suspicious concealed glares of the servant that served them their coffee.
"Since you know everything, I don't see why I will hide it," her father declared. "You were born for a noble purpose. I am not sorry for your future. If there's a next life, you'll be rewarded handsomely. No sacrifice for the greater cause goes unrewarded."
"Spare me your jokes, dad. They are funny. I don't want to die laughing."
Ezra looked back and forth between Aurora and his father.
"Are you shocked, big brother? I knew it from the beginning… since I was young. I wish I didn't have a heart."
Despite all her efforts to be cold, she couldn't erase that she was human.
"What do you mean?"
"So dad," she raised her voice cheerfully. "You won't mind, don't you? You won't mind me going somewhere I'll never see your faces again. A bunch of hypocrites that think they have the fate of the world in their hands…"
The pain hit her suddenly, a scorching fire that burst her veins. Her vision blurred.
It didn't take long for the pain to spread in her body. Her eyes shot red before tears of blood streamed down her cheeks.
"Aurora!" Ezra yelled, his eyes widening in horror. He rushed to her side as blood trickled from the corners of her lips.
She gripped his wrist, her strength fading fast and mumbled haunting words. But a smile was still there. She made sure it'd be there.
Noah's shock was brief. He made a few phone calls before rushing to his son's side.
Aurora's last words haunted Ezra after that.
"You thought my sacrifice would keep you protected. But I know," she coughed. "I know that you'll never have it. This is checkmate, Ezra… dad. I wonder how quick your glory dims."
Waylen Atkinson burst through the door and his knees buckled at the sight before him. He was her younger brother. The joke of the Atkinson.
Everything faded but the whispers grew bolder.