Chapter Eight

Now

I can't sleep.

Dr. Murphy somehow managed to talk to the police department in New York; they're looking for Aurora now. I wonder if she'll be hard to find, New York is a big city. She's probably dyed her hair. I don't know why I think that; it just sounds like something she'd do.

I hope she's OK.

When I was talking to her, the phone just got quiet all of a sudden. What had happened to her? Had she left? Did the phone need money, and she didn't have any? Had she gotten kidnapped by some thirty-year-old pervert? I hoped it wasn't the last one.

I wonder if she's going insane.

She had said something about a rabbit, and it had died. I know that she doesn't have a rabbit, but she's always wanted one. If she is insane, then we both could stay here in the Tulsa asylum. We'd at least be together. A place that's all white with no sharp edges on anything may be someone's idea of paradise. It certainly isn't mine.

How did she get there?

New York is a long way away, and she couldn't have walked there in so little time. Maybe she hitchhiked. Or maybe she hitchhiked part of the way, and walked part of the way. She could have rode a bus, or stowed away on a train. Stowing away on trains is supposed to be easy. Two-Bit did once; he went to New Orleans for Marti Gras. He came back so wasted…

What if she's dead?

She said that she was cold and hungry. She could have frozen, or starved, or both. You can't freeze to death and starve to death, can you? If you can, I think that would be in the running for worst death ever. Aurora had had a bad life; I think that she deserved a quick, painless death. What am I saying? I hope she's not dead in the first place. I'm starting to sound like a crazy person again.

I need to get some sleep; I have a session with Dr. Murphy tomorrow. I know he'll ask me a lot of questions.

I'm just so worried about Aurora.

Dr. Murphy's Sessions With Ponyboy Curtis

Doctor Murphy: Well, Ponyboy. I assume you're happy about Aurora.

Ponyboy Curtis: Yes, but I'm worried.

DM: Why is that, Ponyboy?

PC: When I was talking to her, the phone just suddenly went dead. I don't know what happened to her.

DM: She's probably fine, Ponyboy.

PC: That's just it, she's probably fine. I need to know that she's fine for sure.

DM: Did she say anything else that bothered you?

PC: She said that her rabbit died. She doesn't have a rabbit.

DM: You think that she could have been hallucinating?

PC: She said she was cold and hungry.

DM: That's a yes?

PC: Yeah.

DM: Since she hasn't been kidnapped, no one will be trying to hide her. Almost the whole squad is looking for her. She should be found by the end of the week. Does that make you feel better?

PC: Sort of.

DM: It's OK to be worried. Just so long as you don't loose any sleep over it.

PC: How did you know? Do you have cameras in the rooms or something?

DM: Well…

PC: Is that a yes?

DM: You're mocking me, Ponyboy.

PC: Yeah.

DM: You're in a good mood.

PC: Yeah.

DM: Back to Aurora. Your description of her is: Black hair, but you have reason to believe she might have dyed it, hazel eyes, and she's skinny. Her hair is about to the middle of her back, and her eyes are fairly big. She's pale skinned.

PC: Yeah. That's Aurora all right.

DM: You also told them about her love for rabbits. That could be helpful.

PC: I thought so, too.

DM: She was last seen wearing: jeans, a black shirt, and a baby blue zip-up jacket.

PC: Uh-huh.

DM: Well, if all your information is right…

PC: I know it's right.

DM: Ok then, your next session is in two days. I'll see you then.

End Tape

Exert From Ponyboy's Memory

"Aren't they cute, Ponyboy?" Aurora said. We were at the pet store looking at rabbits. It was Aurora's thirteenth birthday.

"Yeah," I replied, "I like that one." I pointed to a black rabbit with brown eyes and grey paws.

"He's cute," Aurora said. "That one's my favorite, though." She pointed at a black and white rabbit.

I nodded. I actually didn't like rabbits all that much. But it was Aurora's birthday, so I agreed to go look at the rabbits with her. Sort of like a birthday present type thing.

"Aww, look!" Aurora squealed. One of the rabbits was standing on its hind legs. Nothing special in my mind.

"Cool," I said. It really wasn't.

"I want a bunny," she said.

"I've noticed," I said.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm probably annoying you."

"You're not," I said. She really wasn't; not that much.

We looked at the rabbits for a while longer. They were kind of cool I guess, but I'd rather have a dog any day.

"Come on," she said, "we'd better go before I steal one."

"OK," I said as I headed for the door.

"Bye, bunnies," she said.

"Now what do you want to do?" I asked once we got outside.

"I dunno," she said.

We walked around for a while. Aurora was obviously in no hurry to go home, and I didn't blame her. Aurora always got treated worse on her birthday, and to make matters worse, her mom was drunk.

"You're being really quiet," she observed.

"So are you," I replied.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"No," I said.

"You're sure," she said.

"Yeah," I replied.

We kept on walking in silence. It didn't bother me, but Aurora can't stand silence. She was acting nervous.

"I swear, I'm not mad at you," I said.

"It's not that," she said. "I'm just worried about what mom'll do to me."

"Then don't go home," I said. "Stay at our place."

"I might," she replied.

After a while, we both got tired of walking around, so we went to my house. Dally and Two-Bit were there, but they were the only ones. Two-Bit was asleep on the couch, he was obviously drunk. Dally was watching some show in TV. When we walked in, he turned to Aurora and said: "Can you believe it, Aurora? I'm not on 'America's Most Wanted' yet."

She laughed and said "No."

"Neither can I. Maybe I should complain or something," Dally said.

We both laughed with Dally. Then he said: "Hey, it's your birthday isn't it, Aurora? Maybe if I stole you a rabbit, I'd finally be on 'America's Most Wanted'."

"Most people don't want to be on that show, you know that?" She asked.

"They don't?" Dally replied.

"No," Aurora said, "they don't."

We sat around and watched TV with Dally. My parents came home after a while.

"Hi, Aurora, how are you?" mom asked. Dad didn't say anything. He didn't really like Aurora.

"As good as I can be, I guess," she replied.

"Your mom's been beating you up?" mom asked.

"Yeah," Aurora replied.

"I'm sorry," mom said. "I wish there was something we could do."

"It's OK," Aurora said.

A couple of hours later, Aurora left. She had some kind of dance lesson. I wasn't paying too much attention; I was reading. I guess Aurora's mom didn't beat her up, or not too bad anyway because she was fine the next day. Her mom actually wasn't that violent until that day in November. The day she killed my parents.