Teen Titans Magazine Vol. 5 Issue 3 Final Copy-3 | Page 40

“Okay.” she replied. And with that, she dragged herself up to her room.
Her room had almost a broken, comforting atmosphere. Draped over the entire bed frame was a
large, white sheet in which a small light hung from. Red, yellow, and blue twinkle lights were strung
throughout the room. Damaged light yellow walls, run-down floorboards, scattered books, and pastel
furniture made the room… hers: simultaneously flawed and imaginative. A sort of reflection of her
absurd personality. After carefully removing Juno from her shoulder, she plopped him underneath the
bed canopy. Before climbing in, she cracked open her window in order to let the cool winter air slip
inside her stuffy room. As she was snuggling with Juno inside what she called her, "Con-tent,” a torrent
of thoughts hit her like a freight train loaded with bricks…
“Why in the world is my health not affected by this weird … defect?
What’s wrong with me?
Is Dad okay?
Why is it that Cardlin is kind enough to leave me be?
Why is everyone at school against me?
What did I do to them?”
However, these thoughts were quickly pushed away when she heard her mother yell, “Dinner’s
ready!”
Aurora sat down just in time to see her mother setting down food onto the table, her nails
glimmering effortlessly in the dim lighting; something that she yearned for so badly.
She and her mother chatted over the baked chicken and mashed potatoes (a favorite meal) about
the usual topics: school, media, work, self-worth, old memories, etc.
“You okay?” asked her mother.
“Not exactly. I feel like the world wants me to just vanish into thin air; like nothing happened.”
“The world doesn’t want that; no one does, for that matter. In fact, I feel like those nails weren’t a
mistake. They were given to you on purpose.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because they’re extraordinary. So what if your nails aren’t as intricate as everyone else's? You
have a heart of gold, strength of steel, and are as brilliant as they come. No one can break you.”
“Sure.” Aurora said with a sigh.
“If only you knew how heroic and intelligent you are. I wish your dad was here to see you,
pressing on.” As she placed a soft kiss Aurora’s forehead, she picked up the dishes and retreated to the
kitchen. “Why don’t you go ahead and shower? That’ll calm you down.” She placed a hand on her
shoulder. “Plus, you need rest for school tomorrow.”
“I will.” she replied.
She walked up the stairs, into the bathroom and stepped into the warm stream of water. The
comforting steam cleared away her congestion induced by the cold. Any and all sticky residue left from
food thrown at her was washed away. She stepped out of the shower, slipped into a comforting
oversized sweater and sweatpants, and glided into her Con-tent, where Juno was already asleep,
purring happily.
She heard her door open and close. Her mother chuckled to herself.
“Doing okay, my little dreamer? Seems like you’re cozy.”
“Indeed.” Aurora replied. Her mother laughed again and stuck her head through the small
opening into the canopy; then placed a kiss on her forehead.
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“I love you, honey. Don’t you forget it.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” Her mother left the room.