She shuddered. Everything, all of her memories, emotions, all flooded back to her in a tidal wave of anguish. Furiously she bit back tears, refusing to let Diane see her cry.
"Aura…?" Diana questioned, placing a cautious hand on her shoulder. From Aura, there came no response.
"Just relax, sweetie, just relax..."
"Where's Kieran?" Aura continued to shake, her eyes downcast.
"He's probably at home," came the sudden voice from the doorway. Michael Treager, principal, stood in the hallway, facing Aura's dorm room. Diane stood, keeping her hand on Aura.
"Michael, have a seat."
"What's going on?" Aura asked, finally noticing the hair spilling into her lap. "Oh god…"
"Aura," Treager said, sitting on the chair at her desk. "We need to know what happened at the FOH base. You've been missing for almost seven months…"
Diane cut in. "We don't want to rush you, if you don't want to tell us, that's fine."
Aura sighed, almost bitterly. "If I start, you can't stop me. I don't know if I'll be able to go on it you do."
Both teachers nodded, agreeing.
"The prison cell was dark. Holly and Ally were shouting insults at the guards; I told them to stop. I told them that yelling was going to get us out of here any quicker. Holly began yelling at me to have hope, started calling me a bitch. I could only cry. I didn't have the strength to do more. A man came into our cell and made us put on these collars. They cut our magic off….whenever we would try to use our abilities, it would shock us. Pure electricity. He made each of us put one on. Told us that if we tried to get them off, they would blow up. All of the others were pretty much able to function, but not me. I couldn't look at anybody, couldn't feed, couldn't move, even. I couldn't bear it. I was barely conscious."
Tears came. "Next thing I knew, a few guys from the school were there. Said they were the rescue squad or something. Cassidy, Ally, Holly…Adam, I think, he helped everyone else out. He made sure those girls made it out alive. He left me behind, in that stink pit."
She took a breath, steadying herself. "I tried to fight off the men that came for me. They duct-taped me wings together, my hands and feet….I was immobile. I couldn't see anything, even when I opened my eyes. I don't know how long it was …they just kept snickering, saying they had a surprise for me. When we got to wherever it was we were going, they put me on a table. A woman cut my clothes away and put a hospital gown on me…the only sense of decency those people had, I think. They stuck me with needles; they took blood, tested chemicals…That's when I tried to bat them off. They sedated me…they put me under and cut off my wings. I still remember the pain…the searing pain after I woke up." She touched the lumps on her back. "That's all that's left."
"Later…I don't know how long it was…they began to mess with my head. Kept whispering things to me, like…'Seventeen, seventeen, Jesse…' over and over. I thought it was a dream…all a horrible dream…but when I look at myself now, the realization of how real it was…it's unbearable."
For a moment, there was silence as the story sunk in. Aura had been a guinea pig for the worst people possible, and somehow had lived to tell the tale. The odds…the odds were so slim, they were almost nonexistent. They wouldn't ask of her escape; they didn't need to know. All that mattered was that she was back safe.
Diane wrapped a hug around Aura's shoulders. No words were used; no words were needed. Mr. Treager could only stare, his mouth half-open in shock.
So that's what they want, he thought, forgetting Aura's ability. Test subjects.
"I heard that," Aura muttered, only now letting the cascade of tears flow from her eyes. They were not the warm tears of forgiveness, of love. They were the cold, metallic tears of hate….tears of painful memories that she would be forced to relive the rest of her life. Defiantly she let them fall, the crystalline liquid falling from her cheeks to stain the bedspread beneath her.
Yet still, the song floated through her head:
"Seventeen, seventeen…Jesse dear, seventeen…"
More tears fell as Diane's hug tightened. It was almost stifling, and Aura pushed away roughly in order to retain a decent amount of consciousness. The song became like a mantra, constantly repeating in her head.
"God, no…" Aura covered her ears with her hands, trying feebly to block it out. She willed the chant to leave her, and for what seemed like forever, it grew louder and louder until it finally subsided.
Frustrated, Diane watched as Aura shivered. She knew this would be tough. All the emotional shock that existed and all the shock that was sure to come was going to be a pain to deal with.
Hadn't Aura mentioned something about Kieran? Rumor was that there had been a rather strong relationship between the two. After the girls had been captured from the school, Kieran had gone into a coma-like state, drinking and smoking and otherwise forgetting his duty as an educator. Kieran would be glad to know that Aura was back, and alive…
But Kieran was no longer dating Aura. He was dating Fiametta Amicarelli.
Gasping, Diane stood up, about to run from the room. She stopped herself, though, remembering Aura in the corner. How smart would it be to leave Aura alone in this state? Coming back into your memories would be a hard task, but even harder if going it alone.
"Michael," she managed to stammer, "Find Kieran. He needs to know what happened here…and he needs to come back."
Michael stood, a bit perturbed but understanding. "I'll try…he might not want to listen." With that, he strode from the room, leaving the two women behind.