Lux in tenebris , aureum cordibus
Everyoneâs Arrival: Friday morning
Demetria was tossing and turning throughout the night. She could see people running and hear the screams. Her parents trying to protect their people as well as the kingdom. She couldnât help anyone. She was just watching as the world was destroyed around her. The dust was getting into her eyes and before she knew it she was being put into an escape pod. It left Aurum and Demi shot up in bed. Her heart racing and a light layer of sweat covering her body. Ever since they found the meteor, her nightmares have been about her last few seconds on Aurum. They were more than nightmares. They were past events. Every night, each nightmare more clear than the last. It started out as just quickly moving pictures, but last night. Last night it was like a movie. Her eyes found the clock on the side of the bed. Today was the day. If anyone from Aurum was on Earth, they should be on their way and arrive sometime this morning. Demi slipped out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. She took her time getting ready, it really helped shake off the negative feeling of her nightmare. Within 30 minutes, she was dressed and down in the kitchen. It was quiet, Vivi must still be asleep. She got to work on breakfast.
Viviannah had never been the type to feel anxious or overwhelmed, but from the moment the meteor, or what the humans called a meteor, hit close to hers and Demiâs home, sheâd been antsy. She had been, for lack of a better word, nervous for what was to come. A piece of their home planet rested just a few meters away from them, and with it a hidden truth. The chunk of gold held encrypted messages all throughout that only she and Demi seemed to notice. It was clear that someone back home had been trying to get their attention, and it worked. The way Vivi saw it, this could go two ways. It was either a message of hope, and announcement of peace letting them know it was safe to go back home. Or, a warning to stay away. That by the time the message reached them on Earth, their homeland no longer existed.
The possibilities were dead-locked and Viviannah almost didnât want to find out which ending they would get, but Demi was determined. She wanted to go back home and Vivi would be lying if she said she didnât hold a sliver of hope within her to do the same. So she agreed to Demiâs plan to send out a message. A call to anyone that may have survived the escape all those years ago. Anyone that could be hiding among the humans. The bottom line is, they didnât belong on planet Earth. They would never be like the humans no matter how hard they tried, and Vivi was tired of pretending.
As she swung her legs off the side of the bed, a beam of sunlight seeping through the closed curtains, she wondered if anyone would actually come. Was there anyone out there that actually survived other than the two of them? She brushed her dark locks from her face and quickly got to her morning routine, going through the motions of washing, brushing her teeth, getting dressed, meanwhile her mind was elsewhere entirely. By the time she was finished, she could hear Demi moving around in the kitchen.
Vivi may have been Demiâs bodyguard, but above all else, they were sisters. Their friendship originally bloomed on Aurum. While Vivi worked as Prince Oliverâs guard, she would see Demi visit very often. It didnât take long for the two to start talking. But ever since they found one another on Earth, their friendship turned into a sisterly bond. There wasnât a soul Vivi trusted more than her, which is why sheâd agreed to this crazy and possibly dangerous plan of gathering survivors. âMorning.â she greeted as she walked into the kitchen, heading directly to the coffee machine.
âMorning, Vivi.â As expected, Vivi made her way over to the coffee machine first. Demetria prefers tea in the morning. For some reason the caffeine excites her too much and she canât sleep at night. She also just likes the taste of tea more. The breakfast was finally done. She made her signature cinnamon waffles, eggs, and turkey bacon. âBreakfast is ready.â She grabbed plates and piled them both up with food. She gave Vivi a bit more than she gave herself. Then a thought came to her as she thought about who could possibly be showing up to the house. âVi? Should I have made food for everyone?â Who knows if they would have eaten. And what kind of host would she be if didnât have refreshments.
âThanks.â Vivi said simply, taking the plate of food. One of the many advantages of living together with Demi was that they could take turns making the food, cleaning, doing the laundry. They could just as easily hire someone to do it, but Vivi saw no need for it when the two of them were more than capable. She took a small sip of coffee between bites before giving Demi a rather confused stare. âWhy would you cook for them? Iâm sure everyone is more than capable of getting their own food.â she stated, taking another bite. âAnd if not, they can just starve.â although she was partially joking, Vivi didnât plan on letting Demi cook for anyone. She was already kind enough to open her home to a group of strangers. Not to mention, maybe she didnât have as much faith in others showing up as her friend did.
Demi started the electric kettle. She wasnât going to let anyone starve, but Vivi did have a point. They could all feed themselves if they really needed too. Besides, she doesnât know exactly what time everyone is coming so making food this early would make the food cold and gross. âOkay. I wonât make them breakfast.â She started eating the food on her plate, happy to have some food in her system. âVi, my nightmares were worse last night.â With their sisterly bond, Demi told Vivi everything, including her nightmares. They usually arenât this bad or as vivid. But last night was something she hadnât experienced in a while. âInstead of it seeming like I was looking through a book. I was there. I could see, hear, and smell everything.â She didnât know what it meant, but it definitely freaked her out a bit.
Demi was the kind of person that fought with her mind, unlike Vivi who preferred a more direct approach. But it seemed like this time it was Demiâs mind fighting against her. After another bite of the food, Vivi was almost finished. She tightened her ponytail a bit and crossed her legs on the dining room chair. Her eyes never left Demiâs figure, concern written all over her features. âOkay well...was it a vision of the past like the ones before orâŠâ Demi had explained a little bit about how her visions worked to Vivi, but the raven haired girl could only understand so much. There were certain things she couldnât understand unless she personally lived through them. In a momentâs time, Viviannah thought of chalking these nightmares up to bad memories triggered by the chunk of Aurum that had literally fallen from the sky, but perhaps nightmares wasnât the only thing it triggered. âWait, Dee...when did these nightmares start?â the young woman thought of leaving Demi to connect the dots, but just to drive them point home, she added âThat burn at the edge of the counter thereâŠâ she gestured to just a couple of feet away from them. There was a burn mark on the corner of the countertop, as if someone had used a lighter on it. âThat happened last night...I came to get some water and leaned on the counter for about five minutes...my hand did that.â
Demi was expecting Vivi to try and just tell her that it was nerves. That there was nothing to worry about. It would have made her feel better, but instead she pointed out the burn mark on the counter. Her first thought was to scold her roommate. She couldnât just go around burning stuff in the house, but then she quickly realized that it was an accident. The cogwheels in Demetriaâs head were turning and it didnât take long to put two and two together. âThe planet piece. Itâs doing this. I donât know how ,but itâs the only thing that makes sense. You havenât burned anything in this house on accident before.â More than ever, they needed to figure out what those inscriptions meant and what this meant for their abilities. It had been a while since she has had to control any aspect of time and she was concerned that if she had to learn again, that Earth was not going to be able to handle it. âIf I thought the meteor would have brought back our abilities, I wouldnât have suggested they all coming to our house.â She muttered mostly to herself, but loud enough for Viviannah. It wasnât a factor she considered. If they were anything like these two, then they were for the most part as harmless as humans. But now she wasnât so sure about how harmless they were all going to be. Turning back wasnât an option, they were coming.
They both finished their breakfast and Demi gathered the plates to wash them. She wasnât really giving Vivi a choice to do any chores this morning. The mundane task allowed her to be in her head as she thought about what this day. She didnât know who was going to come through that door and it could be good or bad. At first the risk was okay because abilities werenât a factor, but now they do. Their districts matter again with their abilities. Demi was smart enough to not put out her name or district placement within the message. She wanted whoever came to be neutral. There was a risk that no one would come if they did not like her district or the side they chose because of the war. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She looked to Vivi. âViâŠgo check and see who it is.â
Latin Translation for Message: Light in the dark, golden heart