Chapter 1
|December 22nd, 2009|
Aurelia Neve 'Elia' Black was a beautiful child of average height with the beginnings of a lithe hourglass build and delicate definition to her soft features on neutral-ivory skin marred with the scars and bruises of an active child. She had raven-black mid-back length spiral curls that she had yet to learn to manipulate, sharp-oval moonstone-blue eyes that were rare of shade and full of life, and soft neutral-rose heart-shaped lips.
Elia was currently dressed in a light-blue cotton two-piece pajama set with long legs and sleeves that kept her extra warm beneath the warm grey comforter of her new twin-sized bed. Her bedroom was on the larger side as it was the room directly above the garage on the second floor and as such was also on the cooler side.
It was just after midnight and the only source of light was from the small crescent-moon shaped nightlight plugged into the wall near the head of her bed. It was a dim sort of glow that provided just enough provide a dark image of her bedroom.
Still, she could see exactly where she was when she startled awake. A scream caught in her throat as she frantically checked her neck for the wound that had been the source of hours of slow agonizing pain just seconds ago. Smooth and unmarred flesh was what she found as her eyes turned from frightened to astonished and then to confused.
Her moonstone eyes recognized her childhood bedroom free of the being that killed her. She recognized the boxes covered in her childish handwriting off to the side and birthday presents covering the new desk.
The next fact that registered was a thirst burning in the back of her throat and the fact that she could see the room in perfect color despite the dim illumination of the nightlight. Elia pushed down the spark of fear and slid out from beneath her covers and onto the floor in a single graceful motion that only registered as such after the fact.
Panic rose in her throat, and she gracefully padded on the balls of her feet over to the door to her closet. The inside of the open closet door held a full-length mirror and another scream caught in her throat at the sight of herself. She looked at least fifteen years younger, but there were a few things that weren't the same.
The first of which was the silky texture to her curls that she'd never quite been able to accomplish. The second thing was her scars that smoothed and faded as if decades older than she knew they were. The third was the development of her body: her breasts were more than the buds they had previously been, and she could both feel and smell the scent of blood between her legs. The final thing she noticed was the lack of hair on her body aside from her eyebrows and atop her head.
Closing her eyes, she prayed she wasn't turning into the thing that had killed her. Deciding to put on her big girl panties and check, she opened her eyes and bared her teeth while trying to extend her canines and flare her power. When she gained fangs and glowing eyes, she admitted to herself that she had indeed become the thing that had killed her.
The inhuman features faded, and she sighed lightly before padding over to the boxes. It was after her ninth birthday, but before she had unpacked. Taking an educated guess while flipping through the boxes for hygiene supplies, it was late December of 2009.
Elia carried a small armful of bathroom products and clothes down the hall and into the bathroom that had obviously taken her into consideration. There was a brand-new sea-turtle step stool next to the sink and tub on a matching bathmat.
She carefully places everything on the counter next to the sink before turning and locking the door. A new towel set was rolled on the shelf along with a white wicker basket full on children's hygiene supplies. A soft smile formed on her face at the small gesture to welcome her.
She grabbed both and stepped onto the stool with a hint of embarrassment. The hygiene supplies she'd brought with her consisted of a bottle of two-in-one shampoo-conditioner and a bottle of kid bodywash to go with a small blue robe and matching slippers.
The basket had a more mature selection. Lavender-scented body wash, shower gel, lotion, body mist, deodorant stick and spray. Vanilla-scented shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil. A light blue toothbrush and cover with a tube of mint toothpaste. A set of combs and hairbrushes with a bag of hair accessories.
Elia was grateful and touched by the thought that had went into the basket. After sorting everything into various places in the bathroom, she searched for any pads that could've been kept in the bathroom for emergencies and found them beneath the sink with spare rolls of toilet paper and a first aid kit. The panty-liners were perfect for her smaller size, and she grabbed more than a dozen from the box to take back to her bedroom after her shower.
The shower was refreshing and allowed her to gather her thoughts and come to terms with the situation she found herself in. As she stepped onto the bathmat and went through the process of drying off and putting on lotion as well as both deodorants before combing through her curls and adding just the right amount of oil to her curls.
Standing on the stool wrapped in a light-blue robe that nearly reached her knees and soft blue slippers warming her feet, she brushed her teeth and then carefully manipulated her curls into a sleek ponytail.
Getting dressed was much quicker and soon she wore a pair of light-purple panties with a panty-liner and a matching tight tank top beneath a pair of light-grey joggers and a loose dark-purple t-shirt.
Elia returned to her bedroom with a much lighter load and set everything down before turning on the light as seeing in the dark was still seeing in the dark. The bedroom was just as beautiful as she remembered with a mixture of pink and blue.
It didn't take long to unpack her things. The closet was full on new hangers and hand a hanging shelf for folded clothes and a rack covering the front of the ground inside for shoes. She owned a grand total of three pairs of shoes, excluding her slippers, and enough clothes to take up a total of three shelves and a dozen hangers.
It made sense in her mind; she'd previously been sharing a bedroom with her dad where they lived with her maternal grandparents.
None of the drawers on either side of the bed or under it were used and neither were any of the three beneath the window seat. Only one of four drawers at the desk were being used to house all her stationary supplies.
The birthday presents went in various place, the clothes into the closet along with the new pair of shoes, the backpack and stationery onto the back of the chair, the journal onto the shelf above the desk, and the jewelry into the small ornate box that sat central on the desk.
Settling into the surprisingly comfortable chair, Elia grabbed the light pink journal and a pink pen. Slowly her thoughts became words on paper and time was lost to her.