Aurora

Prologue

The Eiffel Tower was magnificent.
 
Aarushi looked up and all she could see were the iron beams of the tower. She felt so tiny in comparison to the giant tower that loomed overhead.

She turned back towards her dad, feeling awed by the sheer hugeness of the tower and begged him to pick her up into his arms. Her dad was so tall, she knew she'd be able to see the top if he picked her up. 

"Aarushi, you're eight! You're a big girl. You don't need your dad to pick you up." Her mom frowned at her. 

"Don't listen to your mom. She’s just jealous that she won’t get to climb up like you," her dad winked, picking her up into his arms.

Aarushi grinned, sticking her tongue out at her mom, who just shook her head at the pair.

She circled his neck with her tiny arms, and craned her neck, trying to spot the tip of the Eiffel Tower like the one she’d seen in pictures.

She grinned as she saw it, miles away from her. But she could see it. Her mouth opened in awe and stayed that way.

She looked back at her dad and grinned with glee. 

"I can see it, daddy! I can see the top. It’s so far away!" she turned back to look at it, not noticing her dad’s reaction

He smiled at her, ruffling her short hair with his free hand. He gazed at her lovingly, though his eyes shone with a different expression, something much darker.

Aarushi rested her chin on her dad's shoulder, gazing at the crowd behind and all around her. There were people from all around the world, with different kinds of hair, looks, and clothes. Even their eyes were of different colours. The people standing just behind her smiled at her when she looked at them, and she found herself smiling back at the strangers.

The one thing that was common among all these people was that they all looked happy to be here, laughing, smiling or just having a good time.

As Aarushi's eyes flitted from one person to another, taking everything in, she spotted something that made her shiver.

It was a person. It was the person. The one she'd been telling her dad about. She saw him everywhere. In all the places they had traveled, he'd been there, watching them. And he scared Aarushi. Every time she saw him, he made her want to run away and hide. 

As he always did, he was staring right at her, with his dark, flat black eyes shining, unblinking.
 
She hid her face against her dad's neck. Because there, she felt safe. And hiding her face meant he couldn’t see her anymore. 

But in the next moment, her dad pulled her away from him and placed her on the ground. Without saying a word, he started walking away, his back turned towards her. 

"Daddy!" She screamed, making a dash to follow him, squeezing between the tourists and almost losing sight of him.

She finally caught up with him, pulling his hand with all her might, trying to make him stop walking. But when he turned around, it wasn't her dad. It was the guy with the black eyes. And he was grinning at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. 

Aarushi screamed loudly, her heart thundering in her chest. 

And that's when she woke up.

~~~

Hey Wattpaders!

I'm back after a LONG hiatus, and I'm back with a new story for you guys! I hope you'll enjoy it!

This book is still in the second draft phase, so I'd appreciate any constructive criticism you offer! Let me know if you spot any plotholes or errors! 💜

Keep Reading!
Ankita.