Blood.

Chapter Twenty-Four: I am meant to.

Percy clasped the necklace around Maddie's neck effortlessly. The sixteen-year-old looked at the pendant hanging off of her neck. The animal. The word engraved behind.
"What's yours?"
"We do not tell each other," Percy smiled at her offended face. 
"You know mine."
"I'm meant to."

Aurora's P.O.V:

I was not planning on going near Alina. Really. I had a plan to stay in my room, locked up and not inform her about how I should be getting my devices back. I was quiet. But I heard Uncle L's voice.

I thought we could not talk to him over call. I thought he could not be here.

But I could hear him. I could hear Alina. They were not loud enough for me to hear their words but loud enough for me to make out their voices. 

I lingered near the doorway, looking at Alina who was sitting in front of a laptop, talking to the person, to Uncle L. I stared quietly holding my breath.  There was a box, a small blue box near the laptop. Alina nodded along to something Uncle Lance said and caught my eye. 

"Aurora," She spoke and beckoned me to come over. "Come here."

"Ah", I heard his words clearly this time. "Hello, little niece."

"Hi," I answered shyly. He smiled at me. I smiled back. 

"How are you?"

"I'm okay," I answered with a nod standing a little away from Alina but still in frame. "You?"

"Good as ever, princess." 

Alina cleared her throat. 

"There are specific necklaces each of us wears, if you noticed," Alina spoke to me, "Usually the oldest Black puts it on whichever Black but Uncle L had misplaced yours so it could not happen on the island. You have two choices. I can put it on you now or we can wait until we see him again."

"Do you mind?" I asked Uncle Lance who shook his head.

"Not one bit."

I smiled at him and walked closer to Alina, who had already managed to open the box and take it out. She pulled me towards her, guiding me to sit on her lap rather than sit on the floor in front of her and put it around my neck, I suppressed a shiver as the metal touched my skin, and Alina clasped it. 

"Well, that's done then," Uncle L spoke, "I'm going to go now or else my lunch will burn but I love you both. Keep safe."

And then he left. 

My fingers ran over the bluebird. 

"What's yours?" I asked Alina. 

"We do not tell each other," her cool as-water voice spoke near my ear.

"You know mine," I argued. 

"I am meant to," Alina shifted me so I was sitting sideways on her lap. "What sketchbook is Landon going on about?"

I looked up, my eyebrows scrunching.

"Did you take one of them?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, I promise, I just saw a sketch of myself and got curious."

"Aurora, do any of your brothers or I in any way invade your privacy?"

"No," I answered softly looking down. 

"Then you should respect theirs as well. Stealing on top of it, what was going through your head?"

"It wasn't stealing."

"Yes, it was." 

"I'm sorry," I whispered, shaking my heard "I meant nothing by it."

"I know," She nodded and then looked at me with that serious look in her eyes, I knew what was the next topic of conversation. I knew she would address what I saw but before she could say a word, her phone rang. The phone call that slowly started it all. Alina stood up, standing me up in the process. Her face almost lost its composure for a second before she took a deep breath hanging up. 

"Aurora," Her voice was even but it felt forced, "We need to leave now."

"Why?" I asked as she grabbed her laptop walking by. 

"Austin has been in a car crash."

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This was not going to happen originally but my friend (to whom the chapter is dedicated) gave me the idea and I could not resist. Things have been nice far too long. And they'll stay that way for a while mainly because I need the last part to be...Alina's plan working and you slowly getting what's been happening so far.

Thank you so so much for a 100k! You guys make my day every day!!!

Okay. Love you. Don't kill me.

Adios Amigos. <3