She would persevere

Chapter 4.50

Rebecca Sinclair only needed a few days to figure it out.
The little girl was her neighbour. Her only neighbour. She just didn't know why.

Before she could come to conclusions, she needed to have a conversation with her. And to do that, she would need to gain the girl's trust. There was only one way that Rebecca knew how. Food.

From that point onwards she invited Aurora everyday, from breakfast and dinner because the girls had lunch at school.
And within the case of a few months, Aurora would come over by herself. Rebecca no longer needed to come get her. Aurora would spend more time at their house than she was at her own place.

Aurora felt safe with them. Appreciated.
And having Aubrey as a friend was a big plus for Aurora.

It wasn't until Aurora got sick, that the truth finally came out.

Aurora did not come for breakfast and it was almost time to leave for school. The girls always went together. Rebecca found it odd, maybe Aurora overslept? Even if that was the case, Rebecca couldn't just leave the child alone and so went up to her door and knocked. She waited a bit before she knocked again. When there was still no sign of movement, Rebecca went and got the spare key to Aurora's apartment that she got from maintenance a while back.

Opening the door, everything was still. Calling out Aurora's name did nothing. There was no sign of life.

Rebecca walked towards the bedroom, when she heard it. That deafening sound. Such a cruel sound. A sound that broke Rebecca's heart.

Aurora's screams.

Rebecca ran to the bedroom without thinking and burst through the door. She thought Aurora was being attacked. But nothing like that was the case.

Aurora was still in bed. Sweat covered her entire body. Aurora was sleeping. Dreaming.

She was having a nightmare.

Aurora was sick. And because of the sickness she was unable to wake herself up. Her mind had transported her back to a night when she was 10 years old. The night her mother called over 'Uncle Tommy'. It was also the night Aurora's mother branded her on her back because Aurora did not want to 'play' with 'Uncle Tommy'.

Through her dreams, Aurora could still feel the pain of every branding. Every word. Every letter for it was placed individually.

Rebecca could no longer hear Aurora's screams and cries for help. She heard Aurora scream for help. Heard her scream out for her father and possibly her brother to save her. Shaking Aurora awake, Rebecca held her until she calmed down.

"Everything will be alright again, sweetheart. You are safe, you are free." Those were the only words Rebecca chanted to Aurora, whilst she held her in her arms.

And Aurora did something Rebecca never thought she would do so quickly. Aurora hugged her back and cried out. Sobbed until she could no longer. Clung to Rebecca with as much strength she could muster. Afraid to let go. Aurora fell back asleep in Rebecca's arms.

After quickly ushering her own daughter to school, she got some towels and some hot water for tea ready. The girl needed to stay hydrated.

Going back to Aurora, who was still sleeping, she got her a new set of pajamas from her closet and proceeded to undress her so she could sponge her down before getting her into new clothes.

Aurora was completely out of it. The fever made her unresponsive of what happened around her. Her body was busy with one thing and one thing only. Fighting off the addiction that wanted and needed to be fed.

Getting Aurora undressed, was a torture for Rebecca. With each clothing item she removed, more of Aurora's story came to light. Her small body was riddled with scars and burns that never fully healed correctly.

Rebecca now knew why her little neighbour was living alone. She had run away from home. A place she should've been safe in, yet was the cause of her screams and nightmares. Rebecca also knew that calling CPS was out of the question. There was no evidence that her old household was the cause of this abuse and Aurora would have been ordered to go back there. A dark place she had escaped. Rebecca vowed to help the child in any way she could. For as long as she could. For as long as Aurora needed it and even when she didn't need it anymore, Rebecca would be there for her. For as long as she lived.

Again, a small side chapter with a little back story of our main character. You thoughts? 

Till next time! Love, Sarah