All day, I couldn't stop thinking about it all. Helios is alive, Zinnia met him... I MET HIM . I was a bit thrown off all day. Usually I seem indifferent all the time but I guess it was obvious to the point that Archie asked me if I was fine.
Well, would YOU be 'fine' if you saw a dead man walking, Archie?
The day was mostly normal, even with all my severe mommy issues. Aurelia wasn't around most of the time, but during the last session, at around 5 PM, she was in a good mood. She joined around the middle of the session so she just walked about, patrolling the area and watching the three pairs work.
Something about her presence sent shivers down my spine. The way her eyes lingered a second too long on each of us, as if she were evaluating, measuring... plotting. Her smile felt strained, almost predatory.
I tried to focus on the task at hand, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Helios. The way he spoke, the urgency in his voice—it was as if he knew something we didn't. Something horrifying.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. A moment of darkness, then back to light. Aurelia's voice echoed through the lab, smooth and cold, "Power surge. Continue your work." But her eyes... her eyes were locked onto mine, and for a split second, I saw something... twisted.
Archie nudged me, bringing me back to reality. "You sure you're okay, Aura?" he whispered, concern evident in his eyes.
I nodded, forcing a smile, "Yeah, just... distracted."
As the session went on, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Every shadow seemed to move, every whisper sounded like a threat. The weight of my father's diary in my bag was a constant reminder of the secrets I still didn't understand.
The session ended, but Aurelia called me over. "Aura, stay a moment," she said, her voice like velvet wrapped around a blade.
I approached, trying to steady my breathing. "Yes, Dr. Oxide?"
She leaned in, her smile widening unnaturally as her blonde hair fell in her face. My blonde hair. "You remind me so much of someone I used to know. Someone... special." Her words dripped with a hidden meaning, sending a chill down my spine.
"Thank you?" I replied, unsure of what else to say. I'm sure she meant my dad but there's a lot to put up with there.
Her eyes darkened. "Be careful, Aura. Curiosity can be... dangerous."
"Yes, doctor." I said, as if trying to suck up to a strict teacher and get out of trouble.
She nodded, a faint spark of something in her ice blue eyes. "Especially for people like us... it can make or break you. It made me who I am, personally." Then her eyes shot bullet into me.
For a moment, it felt like time stood still. Her words echoed in my mind, and the subtle threat hung heavily in the air. I could almost feel the weight of her knowledge pressing down on me, suffocating me with its intensity.
I forced myself to maintain eye contact, even as my heart pounded in my chest. "I... I understand," I stammered, though I wasn't sure if I truly did. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there, and fast.
Aurelia's smile widened, an almost sinister satisfaction playing at the corners of her lips. "Good Aura, the line between curiosity and danger is very thin. Tread carefully."
As I turned to leave, I could feel her gaze burning into my back. I fought the urge to run, forcing myself to walk calmly out of the room. The moment I was out of sight, I let out the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
The corridors of the lab felt longer and darker than usual, each shadow whispering secrets I wasn't ready to hear. My thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and fear. Helios was alive, and somehow, Aurelia knew that I knew...
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