Snippet #2153347

“The proper term would be Guardian,” Silver corrected. Aurora flinched at the word. She certainly didn't need or want another 'guardian' in her life. She was perfectly find on her own. Before she could part her lips to reply with something snarky and riveting, Silver melted. At least, that was what she thought was happening but after a while she realised he was changing. Aurora stood motionless as the blonde man's hair grew into a dark raven as he shrunk, his hard chest and muscles softening into feminine curves. Before she knew it, she was staring into large eyes of aqua.

“You must be Silver’s assigned Chosen!” exclaimed the dainty girl with glee. Aurora's head dropped down from gazing at a tall man to gazing at a small girl. Aurora's face remained utterly passive, unmoving as the cheerful teenager gushed, “I knew you would grow up to be pretty. I knew it. Ophiuchus is so gonna eat his words!”

"Orphiuschus...?" Aurora found herself asking numbly.

“Sorry! I got really carried away. Silver doesn’t like to call me often. He’s such a stick in the mud, don’t cha think?” the girl dressed in roses giggled, reaching down to help Aurora to her feet. The girl with the silver streaks cautiously took her hand, not wanting to break it - the young girl was most likely her age but she looked so dangerously fragile. Standing up, Siren replied with a dazed smile, "A really bangable stick in the mud."

“I’m Gemini. A celestial spirit. I would explain how this all works but that’s such a bore. All you need to know is that Silver is taking a break. He’s still here,” Gemini pointed to her heart, “but I’m in control for a little bit. He’ll probably call me back to the Spirit World later.”

"Gemini," Aurora said slowly. The small lady looked more like a Rosie than anything else. “But I’m in control for a little bit. He’ll probably call me back to the Spirit World later,” Ros- Gemini continued.

"Celestial Spirits from the Spirit World like..." she paused, pulling her lower lip of naturally pure crimson inwards with her teeth, "Like Fairy Tail?" So Aurora indulged in Japanese animation every once a while - sue her.

“Fine,” Gemini huffed to no one in particular. No, no, this isn't weird at all. Though, in all honesty, talking to yourself was the most normal thing Aurora had encountered this entire day. “Let’s go to Nevermore! Pretty please? With lots of sugar cookies and chocolate milk on top!”

An eternity passed as Aurora's eyes of amethyst blue stared into those of the bubbly girl. To Aurora, it felt like mere seconds. The mansion with its cracked tiles and termite terminated staircase sat in complete silence as if it itself moved with Aurora. Who knew, perhaps the Earth within it did. The fauna of daylight stilled in their songs of nature, listening for the model's reply. The trees paused in their rustling as even the wind anticipated Aurora's next move. Even the birds beneath the Chosen's skin waited. Aurora herself did nothing - there was nothing that gave away any of what she thought - not a blink, not a twitch, not a breath.

"Okay," she said in her accented voice.

The world stayed in its freeze-frame. Then, as if it were making up for the lost time of stillness, a fast-forward button was clicked and all at once, everything rushed toward the two females or perhaps, around. The world rotated, spinning in a mad spiral, picking up the furniture around them in a blinding whirlwind with Aurora and Gemini in its centre. It spun until it was a blinding blizzard of white.

The last thing Aurora heard was the whimsical melody of a hummingbird.

Nevermore

The small beaks of several birds pecked at Aurora's back, nudging her awake. As if the breath of life had been pumped into her lungs, Aurora gasped, drawing in a deep breath as her spine arched upwards, her eyes slamming wide. Aurora panted, her palms resting on what felt to be a rough pavement as she sat back on her hands with one slim leg bent before her.

"What the hell did you do this time, Tim?" she growled, searching for the messy, dark-haired Leftover who was well known for dumping Aurora on unknown sidewalks while she slept. In fact, he did that to everyone when he was drunk in the bottom of a bottle. Aurora ran her fingers through her silky hair before sniffing her hands. Why do I smell like roses? She felt as if she had the worst hangover in the history of mankind, every fraction she moved her body made her sick and dizzy. Even breathing hurt.

Pure blue skies hung over her head as she took in the rows of rather old-fashioned houses with their triangular rooftops, colourful paint and windowsills of flowers. Aurora frowned, slowly bringing herself upright - she was still in her Calvin Klein jeans and low-cut bra, from which her birthmarks were peeking out from, flying excitedly towards her shoulder just to disappear and begin again from the edge of her low hanging jeans. Aurora's belly button piercing glistened in the bright lights of day and she could not have looked more out of place.

Looking around, her fully lashed eyes found orbs of robin egg blues. "Am I in France?" she asked carefully before burying her face in the palms of her hands. "Oh god, I knew it. How did I die? Please don't tell me the stove exploded in my face. I told them to change the bloody thing but noooOOooo - that's the job of a woman!"

Peeking at the petite girl through her fingers, she sighed, "Okay. Where is He? God or whoever's in charge of this? Because this doesn't look much like hell," she said with puzzlement, "How did I not end up in hell? Not that I'm complaining but - Oh gosh. Is this some sort of processing thing? Heavenly questioning? Because whatever it was - I didn't do it!" she proclaimed, raising both her arms with her palms exposed. Then, with a shameful glance to the side, she mumbled, "Unless this is about the burger thing. Then yeah... That was me. C'mon, I was hungry," she said with a shrug.

"So where's God?"