Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews. Yay.18 follows and 16 favorites. This chapter will hopefully explain everything.
Disclaimer: Still trying to catch Demitri. He's a good hider, so I don't own Twilight.
Italicized = Flash back.
Chapter 9:
Bianca's eyes widened as she took in her friends appearance. Opening the door the whole way, she pulled Aurora into the apartment. Bianca frantically looked her friend over for any injuries. "What happened."
Aurora nudged her foot into the carpet. "I got attacked." She replied rather bluntly. Bianca guided her to the couch, pushing her down to sit. She walked into the kitchen. "What like jumped. I've told you, how many times to not walk home so late. Do we need to call the police?"
Aurora sighed. "What are you doing, Bianca?" Bianca leaned out of the kitchen. "I'm making tea and you never answered my question."
Aurora frowned. "No, we don't need to call the police. Bianca I knew him." Bianca returned to the room, setting a cup in front of Aurora and sitting down in front of the other girl. "You knew him? Wouldn't that make it easier for the cops to find him.?"
Aurora let out another sigh. "Yes I know him and no it would not be easier. It's a long story." Bianca narrowed her eyes. "I have all the time in the world. Well tonight." Aurora nodded. "It's better if I start at the beginning." Bianca gave her an encouraging smile and Aurora took a deep breath starting her story.
A small girl was struggling to keep up with her mother. Her tiny hand grasping firmly to the older woman's hand. "Mommy where are we going." She looked up at her mother with a confused look in her wide hazel eyes, using her small hands to push one of the unruly auburn curls away from her face.
"We're going somewhere far, far away, baby girl." The older woman replied. A scared, skittish look in her pale blue eyes. She stopped for a moment, scooping up the tiny 5 year old. Holding her to her chest.
She hurried down the pathway leading to the park. She walked over to one of the benches, sitting down looking at her daughter. Her eyes filling with tears. "Mommy loves you, baby girl." The small child looked up at her mother with adoration. "I love you too, mommy."
The woman smiled sadly. "Mommy has to leave for a little while. You stay here and play till I get back . You understand, Aurora. You don't leave or go with anyone." Aurora beamed at her mother. "Yes, mommy." The woman hugged her. "Good girl." She stood up. "Now go play." The child nodded scampering off to play.
Aurora whimpered. Mommy had been gone a long time. She was hungry and the sky was turning scary. There was no one around and she was so scared. Letting out another whimper the small child climbed into one of the crawl ways in the playground. She laid down, curling around herself and drifted off to sleep as a tear slid down her face.
Bianca's face had gone pale. "Did she ever come back? Your mother." Aurora shook her head. "No, she never did. I spent the next 5 years living on the streets and stealing to survive."
The tiny 10 year old peeked out from behind the corner she was hiding behind. Looking into the crowd off people making their way to work, she tugged at the fraying sleeve of her dirty hoodie. She had not had a chance to scavenge for other clothes. The older kids had taken the pair of sneakers she had stolen not even two days ago, leaving her feet unprotected. She reached up to tug at her wild curls that hadn't been brushed in almost a year, looking more like dread locks.
She shook her head. She was getting distracted. She was supposed to be looking for someone easy to steal from. Someone who would not notice her slipping her small hand into their pocket and taking their wallet.
Spotting a man, not to far from where she was hiding, she slowly crept forward. Getting close enough to just reach in and take his wallet. Her fingers wrapped around the leather and she pulled it out, quickly turning around and heading back to her alley.
She sat down, a look of childish glee on her face as she opened the wallet and looked inside. The grin quickly diminished as she found only $30. That would only last her a week maybe more. Usually she found enough to last at least 2 weeks, a month max.
She was about to get up and look for another source of money when a voice called out. "I believe you have something of mine." She jumped. Turning around. There, blocking her way out was the man whom she had pick pocketed.
She quickly shoved the wallet into her hoodie, hoping he hadn't seen it. "You know stealing isn't very nice. It's much better to ask someone for help instead of taking." He stated. The child rolled her eyes. "No one wants to help me. All of the people like you don't want me near you. You all think I'm dirty, nasty and the other kids take what they need, they don't care what happens to me." She had her hands on her small hips, trying and failing to look intimidating.
The man threw back his head, laughing. His black hair falling into his green eyes. "How do you know that's what I think?" She narrowed her eyes. "That's what everyone thinks." He smiled, shaking his head. "Not everyone, little one." She stomped her foot. "I'm not little! I'm Aurora." She stated.
He let out another laugh. "My name is Jack and how about I take you somewhere to eat instead of you stealing from me." He gave her a sincere smile.
Aurora stood there, thinking. Nobody had ever offered her food before. She didn't know the man but her stomach was urging her to agree with the man. Taking a step forward she grabbed his hand.
Bianca spat out the sip of tea she had been sipping. "Aurora! A stranger, you walked off with a stranger. He could have been some pedophile." Aurora smiled. "He wasn't and walking off with him had been the best thing I've done since coming here." Bianca gave her a confused look. "Jack was a cop. He just graduated from the academy. He basically adopted me. I lived with him until I was sixteen."Bianca frowned. "Why until only 16."
Aurora was sitting in the living room, working on her homework. She looked up at the clock. Usually Jack was back by now to help with her work. She sighed. He was an hour late and he hadn't called to check in. So yeah, she was worried but Jack was the strongest person she knew he was always careful.
She was on her last problem when the doorbell rang. Standing up, she walked over to open the door. "Tony, what are you doing here?" She asked, looking Jacks partner up and down. The man hesitated. "Ro, sweetie. You may need to sit down." Aurora's head snapped up. "what? Tony, what are you talking about?" She looked around him. "Where's Jack. Why's he not here yet."
Tony looked down at her sadly. " Aurora something happened today on patrol." Her world was crashing. This was not happening, he promised to never leave. "No,no, no. He promised Tony. He promised." The tears were building up, spilling from her eyes.
Tony was shaking. "It was supposed to be a normal stop. We didn't know the guy was armed." Aurora's knees gave out as she crashed to the floor, her breathing coming I fast gasps. "He never even had a chance to move. The perp shot him. Point blank."
Aurora wailed. The tears flowing down her face. Tony dropped down beside her, gathering her in his arms. "He promised. He promised." Her head was buried in his chest. "He's gone Aurora."
Her world shattered.
Bianca was sitting next to her, wrapping her up in a warm hug. "He was like a father to me." Bianca nodded, petting her head. "What happened next." Aurora took a deep breath continuing. "I went back to the streets but this time I stole for hire. I met Grant a year later. He gave me a job and it was good until you really saw Grant for what he really was. The man was crazy. Greedy and blood thirsty. If he didn't get his money and it was your fault, you were a dead man. Even in those circumstances, you never left. If you tried to leave. No one ever saw you again. Grant made sure of it." Bianca paled. "Then how did you?"
She was scouting out the house. Grant ad said the couple here had recently purchased a necklace a client of his wanted. He sent Aurora because she was the smallest, the quickest and at 19 she had never been caught.
Sliding in the window she crept up the stairs. No one was home but you could never be to careful. Once she got to the top she inched closer to the door. Opening it she walked in the room. The jewelry box in plain view. She strode forward, opening the box. She smiled, about to reach into the box and pull out the necklace. When she heard the click of a gun behind her.
"That would not be in your best interest." Spinning around , her jaw dropped as she saw who was standing behind her. "Tony!" He lowered the gun. "Aurora?"
"What are you doing, Short bit." She smiled softly at her old nickname. "Are you one of Grant's?" Aurora smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Tony." He lowered his gun. "Jack would be so disappointed." Her eyes narrowed as her anger rose.
"You don't know anything Tony. I had no one when he died! NO ONE! What was I supposed to do? Starve." She screamed. Tony shook his head. "You could have come to me, Ro. I would have helped you." Aurora sobbed "I can't leave, Tony. He'll kill me."
Tony shook his head. "No he wont. Short bit let me help." Aurora wiped her eyes and stepped closer.
Bianca was staring at Aurora with a look of pity. "What happened next." Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. "Tony took me in. I confessed to everything I stole. Told them who it was sold to because I cooperated and I had no previous record I got a year in a woman's state jail. Tony visited me every week. I learned about this program at the jail where we could take college courses. I took as many classes as I could, and when I got out Tony pulled some strings and got me into college. I got my degree in business and here I am."
Bianca sighed. "Aurora, what happened today?" She looked up. "Grant happened. He found me." Bianca nodded grimly. "What did he want?" Aurora laughed. "He's pretty pissed at me letting that necklace go and losing all his money. I think he's going to try and force me back."
Bianca sighed. "Well it can't be helped." Aurora gave her a confused look. "What can't be helped."
Bianca grinned. " You're going to stay here for the night and tomorrow I'm walking you to work. He seems to come after you when you're alone. So the answer is for you not to be alone." Her face turned menacing. "I'll be damned if I let some psycho take my best friend."
Authors note: I'm thinking about doing a series of one shots about Aurora with her mother, her time on the streets and when she goes to live with Jack. I will definitely do it though if you guys are interested so tell me in my reviews if you want me to or not.