Chapter 9
Matt smiled at his companion after exiting Roger's office. "He can be kind of strict, but he's really nice." Aurora returned his smile and they continued through rhe massive Whammy House. Most of the doors they passed were closed, so Aurora couldn't help but glance inside as they passed an open one. Odd, grey eyes looked up at her.
A white haired boy sat in the middle of the room, playing with many toys. Finished puzzles, at least 10,000 pieces each, were layed out in a circle around him. He studied the blonde with curious eyes that had dark rings around them, like he didn't get enough sleep. Twisting a snowy lock of hair around his finger, he waited for Aurora to speak up first.
Tearing herself away from his dark, penetrating gaze, she spoke quietly. "Hi there. My name's Sapphira." His demeanor made her nervous.
The boy only nodded and replied, "Near."
"H-Huh?"
"My name," the boy answered, "Near."
What a strange name. . ."O-Oh." God, you sound like an idiot. You're not making a very good first impression, Aurora! She kicked herself, then broke the silence. "How old are you?"
"Fourteen." Completely surprised by his answer, Aurora was sure her mouth was hanging open. He looked so much younger. . .
"Oh, that's cool!" She smiled. "I have a younger brother who's fourteen." Her heart twanged a bit with worry, but it vanished in a second. Evangelos would be joining her here soon, so she didn't need to worry. She hoped he could become friends with Near. . .This kid looked pretty lonely, and he was the same age as Evan anyway.
Matt peeked into the room. "C'mon, Saph!" He'd even made up a cute nickname for her alias. (Although she still liked "Rora" better.) "There's still some one I want you to meet!"
Aurora looked back at him and nodded, then returned her gaze to Near. "Well," she began, "it was nice meeting you, Near! See you later!" She smiled at him and hurried out to Matt, who'd lit up another cigarette. Near glanced after the two for a moment before returning to his action figures.
Their last stop wasn't far from the room they'd found Near in. Matt looked at Aurora and sucked up the last bit of smoke from his cigarette. "This guy. . ." He flicked the butt out of his fingers. "This is Mello's room. He'll act like a real asshole, but don't pay any attention to it. He means well, I promise." He grinned slightly.
Aurora shrugged it off. "How bad can he be?" He was Matt's friend, so he couldn't be too awful. "Besides," she added, "he did technically save me, so I need to thank him anyway." She smiled, "Right?" Matt chuckled and shook his head slightly, knocking on the wooden door.
"What?" Was the reply.
Matt laughed. "Just get out here, Mello."
"I thought you were supposed to be staying with your little girl –" The door opened and Mello's eyes locked onto Aurora. ". . .Friend." He was quite a sight. Dressed all in leather, a rosary around his neck, harsh eyes that could make the devil himself cringe, and a chocolate bar in his hand.
"This is Sapphira." Matt placed his hand on the small of her back. "She's gonna be staying here for awhile." He smiled at her, and Mello rolled his eyes.
Ignoring Mello's gesture, Aurora held out her hand for him to shake. "I heard you were the one who spotted me in the road." Mello's eyes were focused on the stitches in her head, but he nodded slightly. Lowering the hand that he obviously wasn't going to shake, she continued, "I can't thank you enough. I don't know what would've happened if you guys hadn't –"
"No problem." He cut her off, taking a bite of his candy bar. He looked at Matt. "Is this all you wanted?" Matt nodded numbly. "Oh. Well, see ya." And with that, Mello retreated back into his room, leaving a less than surprised Matt and a discouraged Aurora standing in the hallway.
Noticing her disappointment, Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled at her. "Told you. He'll warm up to you eventually." His tone was so cheerful that Aurora couldn't help but believe him. She returned his smile and nodded. "Alright," he continued, "I'll show you to your room." As they were walking, he pointed at the room next to Mello's. "Oh, and that's my room. In case you ever need me."
They walked through a few more hallways, and Aurora was a bit upset that her room wasn't very close to his. It would be a suspiciously long trek for her to just stop by and say hi.
Matt stopped them at another wooden door. "This is where we keep the blondes." He had a serious look on his face, and all Aurora could do was make that stupid "deer-in-headlights" face. "I'm kidding!" Matt laughed. "You really shouldn't take me so seriously."
She laughed. "Sorry. . .I'll probably the dumb new kid for awhile."
Matt shook his head. "Nah. . ." He winked at her. "You've got me to watch out for ya." Aurora was glad he hadn't noticed her blush when he went to open the door to her room. "Well . . . Here's your new home." Good one, buddy. You made her sound like a dog.
Obviously not perceiving the statement the way he had, Aurora stepped lightly onto the carpeted floor and stared at the room's beautiful décor. A queen-sized bed with lovely sheets, an antique rocking chair in one corner of the room, exquisite paintings lining the walls. Repressing the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks, she pulled Matt into a hug and kissed his cheek without thinking. "It's so beautiful, Matt! I can't – I mean I never thought that I'd . . .Wow. . ." She released him, a bit embarrassed that she hadn't yet.
Matt, still surprised, gently touched his face where her lips had met his skin. "I. . ." He started, attempting to catch his breath and regain his senses, "I'm glad you like it." He smiled a big, goofy smile.
"I love it!"
He chuckled. "Well, I know you're probably pretty wiped out. . .And I am too. So, why don't you get some sleep, and I'll see you when you wake up!"
"Alright." She nodded in agreement. "See you later!" After closing the door, she looked again at her new room. I hope this isn't a dream. . .Or if it is, I hope I don't wake up. Everything felt so surreal.
She walked over to the closet, just to see how much bigger it was than her old one. When she opened it, she almost had a heart attack. All clean and neatly hung up, were beautiful women's clothes, much nicer than anything she'd ever hoped to own. Are they for me. . .? Noticing a small slip of paper taped to one of the shirts, she plucked it off.
Sapphira,
While Matt was showing you around
and introducing you to his friends,
I decided to stock your closet full
of new clothes I thought you'd like.
If there are any problems with them
or if they don't fit, please let me know.
Roger
Feeling an undescribable sense of happiness, Aurora flopped down onto her new bed and began drifting off to sleep. Her life was finally turning around. . .
The End
. . .Just kidding xD Sorry this chapter was kind of boring. . .I promise the action will come back, guys. Please believe me D: