The arrangement

Aurora sat in front of her grandparents’ graves, tears running down her face and smudging her mascara. It had been two months since her grandparents passed away, but to her, it still felt like yesterday. Her grandparents had taken her away from her parents’ home when they kept seeing bruises on her every time they visited. Her parents always came up with a lame excuse, saying she was reckless and played around too much. But her grandmother knew Aurora to be a reserved and well-mannered young woman and quickly caught on to the lie. Aurora had an adopted sister, and her parents showered her with love and affection, but they never did the same for her. She never understood why. She felt a raindrop land on her arm and decided to go back to her best friend’s place. She stayed there sometimes when her best friend’s boyfriend travelled and she didn’t want to be alone. But she decided to go to her boyfriend’s place instead since it was closer, and her best friend wasn’t picking up her calls. She boarded a taxi and went to her boyfriend’s house. She got down, paid the driver, and ran all the way to the front door while the rain poured down, wetting her a little. She tried using her key to open the door, but to her shock, it was already open. Her boyfriend had not informed her that he was back. She then thought to herself that it might be a burglar. She quietly stepped inside and picked up a flower vase sitting beside the living room television. She walked upstairs as slowly and quietly as possible. Then she heard sounds coming from her boyfriend’s room. Aurora walked towards the door and braced herself before pushing it open. Only to see her boyfriend and best friend on the bed, naked. The vase dropped from her hands and shattered on the floor, bringing both her boyfriend and best friend’s attention to her. She stood there dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening. Her boyfriend quickly stood up, wore his shorts, and walked towards her with apologetic eyes. Meanwhile, her so-called best friend just sat there, wrapped in a duvet, and rolled her eyes. It was like Aurora was looking at two strangers. Did she ever really know these people? She turned to her boyfriend, and all he could say was, “This was not how I wanted you to find out, Aurora.” She felt the world around her crashing. How long had this been going on? She wanted so badly to hurt both of them and just walk away—or better yet, go to jail—because she felt like she didn’t really have anything to live for anymore. She had lost everything. Aurora turned around and walked down the stairs. Then she heard her best friend say, “Come back to bed, Eric. It’s not like she has anywhere to go. No one wants a burden.” Aurora felt numb. It was still pouring outside, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to be as far away from them as possible. She truly had nowhere to go. She was all alone in this world. The rain soaked through her clothes and wet her hair, making it stick to her face. She felt nothing. She just kept walking. It had been almost thirty minutes since she started walking. The rain wasn’t as heavy anymore, but it was still falling. She didn’t care. She eventually got to a point and realised she had been walking in the same direction she came from. Right back to her grandparents’ graves. This was pathetic, she thought to herself. She turned around to get to the other side of the road. She didn’t see the car coming at full speed. It happened so fast. She felt pain, but in a weird way, she welcomed it. She welcomed the darkness. It was soothing compared to her messed-up life. At least now, she would be with her grandparents… The only people who had ever truly loved her. She felt someone’s arms carry her before the nothingness finally took over. Aurora felt someone’s arms carry her before the nothingness finally took over. ############################## Everything was dark. Peaceful. For the first time in a very long time, Aurora didn’t feel scared. She didn’t feel the rain. She didn’t feel the pain from the accident. She didn’t feel the heaviness that had been sitting on her chest since her grandparents died. She felt nothing. And she liked it. Maybe this was what dying felt like. Maybe in a few moments, she would see her grandparents again. Her grandma would hold her face and tell her everything was going to be okay. Her grandpa would complain about how she had grown too skinny and force her to eat. Aurora almost smiled at the thought. She missed them. So much. “Grandma?” she tried calling. Nothing. “Grandpa?” Still nothing. Aurora opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. White. That was the first thing she noticed. White walls. White ceiling. And the annoying beeping sound of a machine. Her brows furrowed. This didn’t look like heaven. She slowly tried moving her hand. Pain shot through her body. She immediately winced. “She’s awake!” Aurora heard a voice. Her eyes moved towards the door. A nurse rushed out. Aurora closed her eyes again. Maybe she was dreaming. She opened them. Still white. Still the annoying beeping sound. Still alive. Of course. Even death didn’t want her. A few minutes later, the door opened again. A doctor walked in with the nurse. “Miss Rux?” Aurora stared at him. “Unfortunately,” she muttered. The doctor looked confused. Aurora looked away. “Where am I?” “St. Mary’s Hospital.” Aurora sighed. “So I didn’t die.” The doctor looked at her seriously. “You were involved in a serious accident, Miss Rux.” “I know.” “You have been unconscious for two days.” Aurora’s eyes widened. “Two days?” The doctor nodded. “You’re lucky to be alive.” Lucky. Everyone always said that. Lucky. Aurora wondered what was lucky about waking up to the same life she had desperately wanted to escape. “Can I leave?” she asked. The doctor shook his head. “Not yet. You suffered several injuries, and you need to rest.” Aurora turned her face towards the window. It was raining again. Of course, it was. She closed her eyes. The image of Eric and her best friend immediately came into her mind. Her chest tightened. She didn’t want to think about them. She didn’t want to think about anything. “Does anyone know I’m here?” she asked. The doctor looked at the nurse. Then back at her. “Yes.” Aurora’s body stiffened. “Who?” “Your family was contacted.” Her stomach dropped. “No.” The doctor looked confused. “Please don’t let them in.” “Miss Rux—” “Please.” Her voice cracked. The doctor looked at her for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright. But there is someone else waiting to see you.” Aurora frowned. “Who?” “A lawyer.” Aurora stared at him. “A lawyer?” The doctor nodded. “He said it was regarding your grandparents.” Aurora immediately sat up. Pain shot through her body. She winced. “Miss Rux, please—” “My grandparents?” The doctor nodded. “He has been waiting for you to wake up.” Aurora didn’t know why, but hearing the word grandparents made her heart hurt. They were gone. There was nothing left regarding them. Nothing. “Let him in,” Aurora whispered. The doctor looked unsure. “Are you sure?” She nodded. A few minutes later, the door opened. An older man walked in wearing a black suit. He carried a brown briefcase in one hand. Aurora looked at him. He looked nervous. Very nervous. “Miss Rux?” Aurora nodded. He took a deep breath. Then sat down. “My name is Mr. Wilson. I was your grandparents’ lawyer.” Aurora looked at him. “My grandparents had a lawyer?” He nodded. “Yes.” She didn’t know that. Then again, there were a lot of things she didn’t know about her grandparents. They never really talked about their past. Aurora had always assumed they lived normal lives before she came to stay with them. “What do you want?” Aurora asked. The lawyer opened his briefcase and brought out some documents. “After your grandparents passed away, I tried contacting you several times.” Aurora frowned. “What?” “You didn’t answer your calls.” Aurora thought about it. The last two months had been a blur. She had ignored almost everyone. Her best friend. Eric. Even numbers she didn’t recognise. “I didn’t know,” Aurora said. “I understand.” He brought out another file. “There are some things your grandparents wanted you to know.” Aurora stared at the file. Her heart suddenly started beating faster. “What things?” The lawyer took a deep breath. “Before your grandparents passed away, they made arrangements concerning you.” Aurora’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of arrangements?”