Chapter 52
1243words
"Miss?"
Aurora's head snapped towards him, their gazes met through the rearview mirror. Calvin had a slight furrow between his brows and his eyes held slight concern.
"We've arrived, miss," He said softly and she blinked, looking towards the mirror that showcased the front of her house.
She released a weary sigh, "Oh, we've gotten home already," Her tone lacked enthusiasm and she shakily picked the strap of her purse.
The sight of her house brought a bitter taste to her tongue, she didn't want to get down at all. Her mother was still sick and acting weird, her father constantly tried to strike up conversations with her and Evan was always lurking around the house.
So, she'd resorted to staying late in school only returning when it was after dinner. Rosa had been a big help to her, bringing up food and snacks once she retired to her bedroom. It had been successful until today, a quick look at her wristwatch told her that it was still a little to seven.
"Thank you," She breathed out, unlocking the door and stepped onto the concrete pavement. The walk to the door was short-lived and she paused, her fingers wrapped around the door handle, "Alright, let's do this."
She pushed the door and stepped into the warmth of the house, something sweet was wafting around the arm. It reminded her of gingerbread and a smile curled her lips,
Rosa must be busy again.
"Aurora, dear, is that you?"
She froze, slowly turning on her tracks to see her mother smiling at her. An eerie chill slithered down her spine, she remembered how her mother had acted strange the last time she smiled like that.
"Oh, hey mom," She greeted, meandering towards Miriam. Her mother placed a hand on the side of her cheeks, rubbing her thumb back and forth.
Miriam smiled warmly, "How was school?"
The question caused her brow to raise. This was new.
She nodded wordlessly and Miriam bobbed her head in satisfaction. Her mother dropped her hand, moving away towards the already set table.
"Go wash up, dinner is almost ready."
"Okay," She muttered, walking towards the stairs and climbed until she got to the top. Aurora slid into the room and locked the door behind her.
She took her time to bathe and then changed into a satin pyjama set. The top was in a long sleeved fashion and the pants were large and flowy, dropping down to her ankles.
After spraying on some deodorant and styling her hair into a high ponytail. She walked out her room, carefully closing the door. When she turned, she froze eyes connecting with similar emerald orbs.
"Hello, sister," Evan smirked, winking cheerfully.
She bristled, choosing to ignore him and began walking away but he stepped forward, blocking her path.
"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing angrily, "Move away."
Evan cocked his head to the side, a strange expression flashing in his features. His eyes flickered to the open button hole, showcasing her milky white skin. His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip,
Aurora flared instantly, covering up the spot. She threw him a disgusted glare, annoyed by his blatant stare,
"Move, you pig," She shoved him away, storming off with her skin prickling with unease.
When she got downstairs, she was surprised to see her father already seated, discussing with her mother. She muttered a greeting, sliding into the empty space beside her mother.
"Ah, Aurora, glad to have you join us today," Her father grinned, bobbing his head.
Miriam frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Aurora glanced at her father and an agitated emotion crossed his face and he shifted on his seat,
He waved a hand, "You know how she is, always wanting to skip dinner, choosing to much on an apple and whatnot."
"Oh," Her mother smacked her lips and clapped her hands, "Alright, enough talking. Let's eat." She called out to Rosa and their other help, Geraldine.
The two women walked in on cue, carrying differently sizes plates on bowls on a large tray and placing them on the table. As Rosa began to open each of the china, the mouthwatering aroma that hit her nostrils instantly made her stomach growl loudly.
When she was speared with three different mortified looks, she chuckled meekly,
"I had a light brunch."
After a small prayer, they dug into their meals. Once the first taste of the soup hit her tongue, she almost melted then. Evan made a satisfied smacking sound with his lips earning a sharp glare from her mother, he winked in response and Miriam rolled her eyes, brushing off his antics.
Rosa's cooking was indeed second to none.
"Rosa should consider trying out for one of those cooking completions," Her father suddenly said aloud, breaking the silence, "There's no doubt she'll come out on top."
Her mother hummed in agreement. Aurora swallowed the soup and reached for another serving when she caught Miriam's gaze.
A small cough slipped past her throat and she slowly retracted her hand, folding them on top her lap. Her mother smiled approvingly, biting down on the tiny piece of bread in her hold.
Aurora munched on the bite-sized dessert serving, staring longily at the steam billowing out of the china a few inches from her. A small, dark part of her hated the fact that her mother was well and back to her duties of watching over her every actions.
At least, her father was quite lenient on her.
"So, I was thinking of setting up dinner with the Traynors," That got her attention and she faced her mother, frowning, "It has been so long since we've gotten together, don't you agree?"
The question was thrown to her father who of course, muttered in agreement. Aurora found it strange that neither of them had squabbled in a while and her father was staring to get docile.
What dirt did her mother manage to dig up on him?
Her mother faced her then, smiling warmly, "And this would be a chance to spend more time with Matt," She finished her sentence with her wink but Aurora didn't find it amusing in the least, "Anyways, I managed to book us a place tomorrow. Sonia told me that the place is quite remarkable."
"I'm guessing I'd have to get a new tux," Evan piped up, chuckling wryly.
Their eyes flew to his direction and Aurora swore she saw her mother's eye twitch.
"Darling," Miriam began slowly, as if she was speaking to a toddler, "I'm afraid you heard me wrong, the dinner is for Rochesters and Traynors. I don't see where your category falls into."
"Honey," Her father chided and she brushed him off.
Evan simply grinned, waving a hand, "It's alright, tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for me anyways."
Her mother gave him one of her famous I-don't-give-a-shit look and rolled her eyes, her gaze falling on Aurora.
"I think tomorrow is going to be wonderful. I foresee something good coming out of the gathering."
Even as she returned the smile her mother threw her, Aurora couldn't settle the uneasy feeling that was churning in her gut. The way her mother kept going on and on about the forthcoming dinner and the excited gleam in her eyes could only spell one thing.
Miriam Rochester had planned something out...but what in the world was it?
