15th of Dentis, 2719 - Night | Aurelie's Room
Aurelie's sister had held her hand, the whole walk back to her room. The whole night had been strange, and the day too. It had taken all her strength to slip her hand away, though she felt anger still at all that had happened and what had been said. Beautiful, dazzling Lilliana had laid a soft hand on Aurelie's freckled cheek and had looked nothing if not sad. But she had to say goodnight in the end, and she slipped into her room. Neither of her roommates woke. Aurelie undressed, slowly and carefully. She splashed her face with water from the basin in the room, though it was tepid and unpleasant. Dried it with a rough towel, and climbed into her bed, something hollow in her breast. And when she slept, it seemed to follow her into her dreams.
Aurelie stood on the banks of a river. She had never seen the river before, but she thought she knew it all the same. When she looked down, there were no shoes on her feet, or stockings either. Her dress was not the blue she was expecting to see, but white. When had she last owned a white dress? The river was dark and the water seemed slow. She could not see the bottom. Something about that slugging dark churning made her shudder down to her bones.
"Birdie," said a voice from behind her. Aurelie turned; the voice belonged to her sister. Her dress too was white, a simpler style than she had ever seen her sister wear. She was beautiful, and her gold eyes were bright. For some reason, looking into them, Aurelie flinched. Her sister did not, her mouth a solemn line.
"Aura." Aurelie felt the voice before she heard it, and as she turned an arm slipped around her waist. When had Fionn come up from behind her? When she had turned away there had been only water. Only the river, and Aurelie. Somehow she knew he had not been there before. That he had been there all along, the same as Lilliana. Fionn too wore white. Aurelie smiled at the sight of him, but his face was motionless and grave.
"Oh Birdie..." Aurelie turned again, or tried, but Fionn's arm was so heavy on her waist. Her sister was speaking again, and from the corner of her eye she thought that she looked disappointed. Disgusted? Aurelie couldn't tell.
"Birdie, how could you do this? I'm so disappointed in you." Ana's voice was in her ear, and she felt a weight on her shoulder--her sister's hand. Why couldn't she turn?
"Fionn, you have to let me turn around. Ana is--she's trying to talk to me."
She opened her mouth to speak, and her words made no sound.
"You could have told me," came the voice in her other ear, a slow cold liquid.
"I wanted to-- but I didn't know how, and I--"
"Hush," Ana said.
"It's too late," said Fionn.
Water rushed around their ankles, dark and torpid. The river was flooding its banks. They had to move--Aurelie tried to move, but Fionn and Ana stayed still. Their faces were pale. Her sister placed a stone in her pocket, and then another. They felt light, the stones. She did not remember the dress having any pockets. It had to have them, she reasoned, because Ana had placed those light stones inside. And Fionn placed more. When she tried to remember her pockets, she only remembered that it had been her own hands that had filled them with stones--but hadn't it been the two of them?
The water rose to their knees.
"I thought I loved you," said Ana.
"And I loved you not at all," Fionn said.
"Silly girl," and they spoke in unison, a kiss laid on each one of her eyes as they let her go. They were on the bank of the river and Aurelie was in the water. The light stones in her pockets pulled her down. There was a weight at her wrist and at her throat; iron, she thought. Heavy and important. Fionn and Ana stood at the riverbank in their white white clothes. Aurelie kept looking at them both as the water rushed over her and filled her mouth, her nose, finally covering her eyes. Aurelie opened her mouth and the water rushed in to fill her lungs. And she was still at last.
