Past
"Say Aurora, I did something behind your back......would you hate me?" Rose fiddled with her backpack before turning to her best friend whose face glowed with perspiration dripping down as she stirred the burning wood to fuel the bonfire.
"That depends on what you have hidden." Rose pouted. It was almost threatening, how her best friend twisted words and meanings without giving the person infront of her even a bit of relief.
"A-Aurora please tell me you don't h-hate me." While the other girls were enjoying the scenic view of night beach, laughing and mingling the Cattaneo princess dragged Aurora away from the campsite. It had already been half an hour and Rose was still unable to get the secret off her chest.
After some attempts when the innocent girl tried running away, the mafia princess simply raised a brow signifying that they were not leaving unless Rose tells her what was going on.
"Nobody can hate you silly now what is it....everything is alright, right?"
Rose took a deep breath and took out her phone, closing her chocolate pools tightly with her thumb already on top of the send button of a previously written message. A ping sounded from Aurora's cell that she took her phone out hesitantly.
It was a rule between them that if something too awkward to explain transpired they would be going for this method but it was actually the first time Rose used it.
I really really like your brother.
The silence that surrounded was deafening as Rose held her breath looking at Aurora for a reply, the said girl raised her head and looked at her incredulously.
"Au-"
"Lets pretend Rose this never happened, we are returning to the camp." Tears filled the cocoa pools as the Cattaneo princess bowed her head down following after the slender figure of the girl that extinguished the fire before standing up. Aurora held Rose's hand moving down the rocky hill.
An hour passed in discomfort and confusion after the girls returned to eat and sleep.
In the deep settled night a figure was unable to close their eyes and lose themselves in the comforting arms of the sleep. Rose looked at Aurora's sleeping figure before rising from her position. She paid extra attention to lessen the rustling sounds coming from her moving outside the tent.
The cluster of constellations became her guardian angels as the girl took off in a different direction.
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"Where the hell is my friend?!" the seething anger made the guard tremble.
"We t-thought ma'am was sleeping."
Aurora wanted to rip of their heads off but refrained from doing so, the priority was searching for her Rose, she will deal with these useless men later.
"Girls, please form a group of four and go with the guards, search for Rose and as soon as you meet her please notify me." The mafia princess had already tried contacting the lost girl hundred of times only for the network to disconnect.
The other girls were worried as well so without any delay they took off in the respective directions.
As soon as she got up she knew that Rose ran away on her own in the way the tent was shuffled but the fear gripping her was so strong, the very idea of something happening to her- NO! she must search for Rose as soon as possible.
Several jeeps accommodated the girls with an exception of five of them with twenty guards to inform in case Rose returned to the camp.
While the jeep was going through the terrain with the mafia guards shouting Rose's name Aurora had a hunch. She dialed her brother's number with lightning speed trying to calm down her racing heart.
"What mess did you now created little devil?" The soothing voice was enough to bring out tears of helplessness and fear. The moment Aurora sniffled Ares knew something was terribly wrong. His sister never cried.
"Rose is nowhere to be found Ares." The line went eerily quite.
"I am coming."
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There he was with a petite girl clutched to his chest. Rose laid limp as Ares pressed her so close that it looked he would slaughter anyone coming near her. A makeshift cloth was bound to the swelling ankle of the girl that can be recognized as a torn piece of his shirt.
Ares came to realize how dangerous this was, to have his heart beating out of his chest, he could lose her anytime and what after that...what he would do, he would simply die.
Today was the day he saw her fallen inside an animal trap in the middle of nowhere. So tiny and vulnerable with blood flowing down her wound, if he would have been a little late god knows how she would have been.
"Who was in-charge of her safety?" his calm demeanor scared the people in vicinity who took a step back in fear.
"I asked who the hell was in charge of her safety?" Ares roared making five men come forward shakily.
"Hundred lashes with five months in the darkest prison cell. You will get food once in three days and water once in two days. After five months you will train with my personal bodyguards."
The men did not refused knowing the punishment would be even adverse if they even breathed a bit harshly. Among the frozen people there was only Aurora who had went running inside to arrange the medical facilities and make a higher bed for Rose using all their beds.
"Ares please hurry, let me treat her wound or she might get infected." The girl did not cared about the revolving world, not even worrying about the silent tears falling as she saw her best friend in such condition. Her clothes were torn from barbs while hair matted with dust.
Ares who was waiting for Aurora's call went inside her tent without any delay laying his sweet baby onto the roughly made bed.
A/n; I thought to make a few more chapters before their wedding. So yes its quite delayed.