[indent][COLOR=silver][sup][b]| Summer 2027[/b][/sup][/COLOR][/indent][indent][i][color=808080]A familiar crackle and static rang through Lorcán’s garage, indicating the end of yet another record. Aurora, having anticipated the last song on the album, didn’t hesitate to jump up from where she had been lying on the worn leather couch and rush over to the player, gingerly lifting the needle and moving the arm to rest on the side of the machine.


She and Lorcán had been cooped up all day, the only other sound as prominent as the music they were listening to was the air conditioner working overtime in the corner. The Northwestern part of Canada had been hit by a massive heatwave, the highest humidity and temperature seen in years. Heat lightning illuminated the sky in sheets, which meant no surfing was to be had, and dark clouds rolled in, threatening to pour across the Island. With not much else to do around campus during the Summer months, they found themselves doing basically nothing on an otherwise dreary Tuesday.


The redhead carefully removed the disc from the platter, slipping it back into its proper sleeve before adding it to the growing pile of albums they had made their way through. She approached the milk crate in the corner which housed most of the Roth’s LP collection and let her fingers dance over the records, examining them one by one. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“How about this one next?” [/color]She held up a colorful-looking jacket even though she didn’t recognize the band name, the art having caught her eye. [color=#8ecdb7]“Is it any good?”[/color]


[color=#fe650d]“[/color][color=#fe650d]You like don’t[/color][color=#fe650d] know that one? [/color][color=#fe650d][i]Brah[/i][/color][color=#fe650d],”[/color] Lorcán asked, taken aback,[color=#fe650d] “Lady Dude, we’ve got to get you an education, that was the album that totally got me stoked about music. I can’t believe we’ve totally never listened to it before. It’s so rad.”[/color]


Picking up his Rickenbacker, Lorcán sat back down before plugging in the patch cable and adjusting a few dials. His fingers flew over the strings as he quickly tapped out a familiar riff before looking at Aurora.


[color=#fe650d]“You don’t know that? Like that doesn’t ring any bells?”[/color]


The redhead raised an eyebrow at the series of notes he played, racking her brain to try and think if she’d heard it somewhere, but came up short. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“Nope, never heard it before,” [/color]She replied with a shake of her head, examining the record once again before setting it off to the side, a viable option for their next choice. The girl had an eclectic taste in music, listened to mostly everything under the sun, but often found that her repertoire and Lorcán’s differed from time to time, especially when it came to what they grew up with. 


Aurora leafed through more of the assortment, perusing the titles, [color=#8ecdb7]“Hmm…”[/color] A lot of the records she didn’t know, most of this collection having been curated from since before she and Lorcán were born. [color=#8ecdb7]“What about…” [/color]Another record stuck out, this one with a fiery looking design that was reminiscent of a certain someone’s abilities.


[color=#8ecdb7]“This has your name written all over it.”[/color]


[color=#fe650d]“Oh you can’t go wrong with that one,”[/color] Lorcán smiled, his fingers pressing down on the strings as his thumb slapped out a beat. [color=#fe650d]“You can just feel the rhythm of the music vibrating along your bones, it’s like catching a wave and just letting it take you away.”[/color] He continued to slap away at the instrument, minding his thumb around the pickup cover, all the while getting lost in the groove.


Music and surfing were two times Lorcán let it all hang out, they soothed his soul, and lowered his inhibitions and while he was always seemingly chill, it was in these moments that Aurora could truly see just how much he was enjoying himself. He wasn’t suppressing any emotions, or repressing a comment, he was losing himself in the same way some people did while drinking or dancing. 


With a board beneath his feet or his bass in his hands, Lorcán was the happiest he could be, except for when he was with Aurora.


Shimmering sapphires gazed intently as the boy played the instrument, letting the rhythm whisk him to some far off place in his mind, and a smile graced her lips. There was truly nothing that Aurora loved more than watching Lorcán in his element, whether it was here in his garage or out on the beach. It always amazed her how easily he was able to pick up a tune after only hearing it once, or balance on his board in the roughest of conditions. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“We’ll put this one on for now then,” [/color]The redhead took the record out of its sleeve and placed it on the machine, gently dropping the needle on the grooves and letting it start to spin. She moved back to sit down on the couch, [color=#8ecdb7]“How do you do it?” [/color]She asked inquisitively as she watched him, [color=#8ecdb7]“Play like that. You always make it look so easy.”[/color]


[color=#fe650d]“Practice,”[/color] Lorcán replied modestly, [color=#fe650d]“Like, anyone can do this if they want to, I didn’t really have anyone for a long time, but I’ve always had music and I had this bass.”[/color] He recounted, 


[color=#fe650d]“As long as I’ve been big enough to reach, I’ve been playing and listening. Once you get the basics down, the rest starts to totally fall into place and then pattern recognition starts to kick in, listen,”[/color] Lorcán paused, letting the record play before turning to the instrument.


[color=#fe650d]“Every song is going to follow a pattern and that pattern will correspond with a scale, so you can hear the root, the fourth, the fifth.”[/color] Lorcán placed his left hand on the neck, barely moving it while the three notes rang out.


[color=#fe650d]“So you can hear how that pattern was right, but the key didn’t match,”[/color] He moved his hand again, playing the same pattern as Aurora heard the dissonance disappear and the instrument blend into the melody of the record. 


[color=#fe650d]“Once you train your ear, you can totally just pick up and know where to play, then you can really start to noodle,”[/color] Lorcán explained, now playing the pattern but his hand moving around more, throwing in more notes but never straying from the rhythm. He stood up, lifting the bass over his head before sitting down behind Aurora, his legs straddling her own as he placed the bass in her lap.


[color=#fe650d]“Hold it like this,”[/color] He instructed while gently moving her arms into position and using his own hands over hers to help her play.[color=#fe650d] “Wait for the chorus, relax and then,”[/color] Lorcán instructed before gently moving Aurora’s hands to the music, tapping her fingers with his own as they played along together, albeit a bit more delayed and clunkily than if Lorcán himself had been playing.


But that didn’t matter in that moment as they moved together, laughing as one. Eyes meeting a moment, while beads of sweat formed on both of them. Lorcán stared at Aurora’s lips, thoughts racing through his mind before he suddenly stood.


[color=#fe650d]“It’s frakkin’ hot,”[/color] 


Aurora had felt herself melting into him as his arms surrounded her, large hands enveloping hers as he gently pressed down her fingers on the fretboard to play the strings. She relaxed, letting the music wash over her and allowing him to lead, butterflies soaring in her stomach at the amount of contact, the warmth of his skin matching the flush that now graced her face. She could have stayed like that forever, relished in the feeling of him and didn’t want it to end, noticing the way he hesitated as his eyes dropped down to her lips. 


She was tempted to close the distance between them before he moved.


[color=#8ecdb7]“Yeah,” [/color]The redhead handed him back his bass, bashfully looking up at him from underneath her lashes. [color=#8ecdb7]“Sure is.” [/color]She swallowed and quickly walked back over to the milk crate of records to hide her face until her blush disappeared. But as she approached the stack from a different angle, she noticed a record that was still shrink wrapped and sealed hiding in the back. Curiosity getting the better of her, she gripped onto it and removed it from the pile, and upon seeing the cover art her eyes instantly lit up.


[color=#8ecdb7]“When did you get this?!” [/color]Aurora squealed, her bright smile growing as nimble fingers traced the familiar list of songs on the back of the LP. [color=#8ecdb7]“This is her new album, the one I was telling you about a few weeks ago!” [/color]Her baby blues darted back to Lorcán, seeming to sparkle in her excitement. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“I’ve been dying to listen to it!”[/color]


Lorcán rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, he did his familiar wry smile, flashing a row of perfect, white teeth before tousling his hair again and answering.


[color=#fe650d]“I had Cass ship it in a care package while he’s home for the summer. I was going to surprise you with it as a sort of early birthday present.”[/color] He replied. [color=#fe650d]“You seemed so excited about it, that I knew I totally had to get it for you.”[/color]


Aurora’s smile only grew bigger, childlike glee radiating off of her as she raced over to Lorcán to hug him. [color=#8ecdb7]“[/color][color=#8ecdb7]Thankyouthankyouthankyou[/color][color=#8ecdb7]!” [/color]She beamed, tilting her head to gaze up into his molten eyes. [color=#8ecdb7]“That was so thoughtful of you,” [/color]Squeezing tightly before she let go, she quickly made her way back over to the record player to swap out what was currently playing for the album in her hands, dancing happily as she did so.


[color=#8ecdb7]“I can’t believe you remembered!”[/color]


Lorcán was at a loss for words in that moment, his heart racing from the hug to a feeling of pride and satisfaction from getting Aurora something she wanted. Seeing her light up like that, he’d have marched into hell and back and all he did was procure a vinyl. He sunk happily into a chair, watching her dance and listened to the music, the beautiful composure of the melody bringing his thoughts right back to Aurora. 


He could get lost in that smile forever.


The redhead continued to move her body, carefree and elated as the song flowed through the garage. She was sweating from the heat externally but also still feeling warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about Lorcán’s gesture. Aurora didn’t want to ever forget this feeling, the happiness he brought her, the way he heard her, saw her.


She saw him sitting there, that goofy grin plastered on his face as he watched her make an absolute fool of herself, and shook her head playfully. [color=#8ecdb7]“Come on, Hotstuff, don’t [/color][color=#8ecdb7]make[/color][color=#8ecdb7] my dance by myself!” [/color]Aurora exclaimed, approaching the boy and tugging him out of his chair with all of her might. She intertwined their hands and forced him to move, giggling as she did so.


Lorcán laughed, letting Aurora pull him to his feet before following her lead, extending his arm for her to twirl. Unfortunately, he had two left feet when it came to moving on land and so he awkwardly swayed while trying his best to keep up with Aurora and imitate what he thought dancing ought to be.


The redhead couldn’t help but sigh amongst her laughter, beholding the boy’s sad excuse for dance moves. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“We’ve got one year until the big senior dance, don’t worry, we’ll work on it.”[/color][/color][/i][/indent]
[COLOR=808080][CENTER][COLOR=8ECDB7][sup]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][img]https://i.imgur.com/YaU6OAT.jpeg[/img][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8ECDB7][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Infirmary[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Take On Me #3.054:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Arcade[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][center][COLOR=8ECDB7][SUP][sub]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][/center][indent][sub][color=8ECDB7][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I][@Lord Wraith][/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=808080][I]Blue[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color]
[indent][color=#808080]Cass slowly made his way back through the winding hallways to Aurora and Ripley. His feet felt like lead bricks as he struggled to find the motivation to walk down the hallway. His chest ached, and his eyes were burning, but most of all, he just felt defeated. His emotions had been ebbed away leaving only a raw, dull ache. An ache that constantly pounded at the back of his head while tears threatened to stream down his face at any moment.


[color=#816c90][i]It’d still be a kindness to kill him now, the death he’s going to experience is far more painful than the transformation ever would be.[/i][/color]


They couldn’t kill Lorcán, he wouldn’t. There was no way his Aunt or Uncle could ever forgive him if he did, nor Aurora or Ripley. The loss of Bridget had devastated Tori and Aiden, they poured everything into Lorcán. 


As he approached, Cass offered a weak smile before speaking to his sister.




[color=#8aaceb]“Hey, uh Rippers, why don’t you go and grab a snack for Aurora and I?”[/color] He asked. Ripley took one look at Cass and quietly nodded her head, knowing better than to protest as she moved down the hallway before Cass opened the door back into Lorcán’s room and held it for Aurora.


[color=#8aaceb]“You should, uh probably sit.” [/color]Cass suggested before doing so himself.


Aurora had returned from Amma's room only a few moments prior, their interaction and her words replaying in her mind. But the redhead saw Cass’ red eyes and knew that whatever he was going to say next wouldn’t be good. 


[color=#8ecdb7]“Okay,” [/color]She followed him back into Lorcán’s room and took a seat on the sofa across from him, placing her hands in her lap as she picked nervously at her nails. [color=#8ecdb7]“What’d you find out, Cass?”[/color]


[color=#8aaceb]“That ‘doctor’ was Ellara,”[/color] He started, [color=#8aaceb]“That same woman from the forest, she went on about a bunch of hoodoo I didn’t really understand, something about under souls and over souls, but essentially she said Lorcán’s soul is going to be devoured,” [/color]Cass said, swallowing hard to suppress the lump in his throat.


[color=#8aaceb]“She said he’s as good as dead, Aurora, and that if we don’t kill him now, then his body is going to become host to something so much worse.”[/color] Cass couldn’t stop the tears at this point.


[color=#8aaceb]“Damnit!”[/color] He yelled, shoving his hands into his armpits as he jumped to his feet. Two small explosions were muffled by his own body as he winced in pain from the detonations under his arms. [color=#8aaceb]“Damn you and your wanderlust!”[/color] He cursed at Lorcán, kicking the bed.


[color=#8aaceb]“Why couldn’t you just stay to the beach?”[/color] Cass asked, his voice turning to a plead as he repeated the question, [color=#8aaceb]“Why?”[/color] Turning back to Aurora, he asked one more time, his voice becoming almost feeble.


[color=#8aaceb]“Why? Why did he leave us here to pick up the pieces, Aurora?”[/color] Cass continued, [color=#8aaceb]“Why didn’t he leave a clue, like how could this thing have attacked him and no one else? How has this never happened before?”[/color]


Aurora froze.


[i][color=#8aaceb]He's as good as dead.[/color][/i]


She was too late.

[color=#978184][i]Your tears won’t save him.[/i][/color]


The girl didn’t move a muscle, even as the blonde boy began to create chaos around her with his words and actions, she sat on the couch completely still. Trancelike, she stared out into space, the light of hope behind her eyes slowly fading as Cass asked questions he wouldn’t get answers to. She felt numb. 


Even as the inevitable tears welled up in her eyes, her body acting out of instinct, she didn’t raise her hand to wipe them away. The redhead just sat on that couch, unmoving, and let the weight of the words hang in the air. 


Lorcán was going to die. 


Every other thought in Aurora’s brain had quieted, her normal internal monologue utterly silent, as she tried to make sense of this information, grappling with not knowing where to go from here. 


Her best friend, the boy she [i]loved[/i].


She was going to lose him.


And then breaking her silence, she sobbed, a guttural sound that you could almost feel the pain of. She finally moved, her palms coming up to cover her face as she broke down, her chest shaking with the vigour with which she cried. 


Sitting down beside Aurora, Cass wrapped his arms around her, embracing the woman his cousin loved and letting himself mourn, the tears falling from his own eyes as the pair jointly wept. 


[color=#8aaceb]“This…”[/color] Cass croaked, [color=#8aaceb]“This can’t be how it ends.”[/color]


[color=#ffe599]“How what ends?”[/color] Ripley stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she saw the pair sobbing, [color=#ffe599]“Did h-h-he?” [/color]Her lips trembled as she struggled to finish the question, her eyes darting to the monitors connected to Lorcán seeing his heartbeat still active.


[color=#ffe599]“W-what did you not tell me?”[/color] She asked, her knees weak, knocking together she took a cautious step forward. She braced against a wall, almost dropping the snacks as Cass wiped his eyes and raced to his sister’s side. Helping her to sit down, he took a chocolate bar and opened it, snapping it in half and handing a piece to Ripley before extending one towards Aurora.


[color=#8aaceb]“Eat,” [/color]He ordered, [color=#8aaceb]“The sugar will help with the shock.”[/color]


Aurora lifted her face from her hands to meet Cass’ gaze, shaking her head profusely. If she ate something right now it would most certainly make a reappearance shortly thereafter. Her lip quivered as she continued to cry, her previous quiet strength evaporated instantaneously. But even in her sullen state, she had half a mind to know that Ripley should not be present to witness this turmoil. She was too young.


[color=#8ecdb7]“Cass,” [/color]She rasped, [color=#8ecdb7]“[/color][i][color=#8ecdb7]Get her[/color][/i] [i][color=#8ecdb7]out of here[/color][/i][color=#8ecdb7].” [/color]


Clearing his throat, Cass put a steady hand on Ripley’s shoulder while nodding to Aurora.


[color=#8aaceb]“Ripley, can you go and get Uncle Aiden and Aunt Tori,”[/color] Cass asked, clearing his throat with a small cough. [color=#8aaceb]“I need to talk to them.”[/color] Ripley nodded silently, picking her things up gently before rushing out the door as Cass let out a heavy sigh.


[color=#8aaceb]“I think I need some air, are you going to be okay if I leave you alone with him for a few minutes?”[/color] He asked, turning back to Aurora.


The redhead sniffled but managed to nod. However, before the blonde had the chance to leave, she found the words that fueled her anguish and spoke them aloud, almost in disbelief, the ones that had been eating at her for the last few days. The ones that would seemingly now find no resolution.


[color=#8ecdb7]“I didn’t get to tell him.”[/color]


[color=#8aaceb]“He knew,”[/color] Cass replied, pausing in the doorway, [color=#8aaceb]“He always knew.”[/color]


Left alone in the room, Aurora continued to let her tears fall, the sound of her distressed cries echoing off of the vacant walls of the suite. The beeping of Lorcán’s monitors kept cadence with her own heartbeat as she managed to stand from the couch on shaky legs and move to sit next to him on the edge of his hospital bed, Cass’ words hanging over her like a knife threatening to drop. 


[color=#8aaceb][i]He always knew.[/i][/color]


He’d hoped she’d find peace in knowing that her affection had been clear, but all it gave her was more grief and guilt.


Cautiously, she reached out her hand towards Lorcán’s, squeezing it.


He didn’t squeeze back.


His skin was colder than it normally was, not radiating warmth like it always had, and that was enough for the redhead to understand that this was [i]real[/i] and this was truly happening. She cleared her throat, [color=#8ecdb7]“You [/color][i][color=#8ecdb7]promised[/color][/i][color=#8ecdb7] you wouldn’t leave me.” [/color]She managed to say in between gasping breaths. [color=#8ecdb7]“I’m [/color][color=#8ecdb7]so mad [/color][color=#8ecdb7]at you, it’s not fair.”[/color]


She dissolved into another fit of cries before continuing, the silence beckoning her to speak without interruption. [color=#8ecdb7]“I think it was always supposed to be you and me.”[/color]


[color=#8ecdb7]“[/color][color=#8ecdb7][i]I love you. [/i][/color][color=#8ecdb7]I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I’m sorry it took me until now to realize it.” [/color]


Aurora cradled his limp hand in hers before releasing her grasp, bringing her palm up to caress his face, stroking her thumb across his cheek. She’d give anything to see those sunset-colored eyes one last time. [color=#8ecdb7]“You always talked about all of the places I could go, how I could be anywhere I wanted to in a heartbeat.” [/color]


[color=#8ecdb7]“But the only place I ever wanted to be was where [/color][i][color=#8ecdb7]you[/color][/i][color=#8ecdb7] were.” [/color]


Each word she spoke killed her just a bit more, but it was worth it to get it off her chest. Lorcán might not have been able to hear, but knowing she was finally saying those things aloud, the feelings she had kept to herself for all these years, brought her some semblance of comfort. It was likely the last opportunity she had.


She delicately pressed her lips to his temple before standing from the bed and moving back to the couch to wait for Cass to get back with Tori and Aiden. Curling up, she let her cries rock her into a restless sleep that provided no reprieve or mercy from her grief. 


The door opened quietly sometime later as Cassander returned with his Aunt and Uncle. Walking into the room, Aiden put a hand to Lorcán's cold skin and watched how slowly his son's chest had begun to rise and fall. He was starting to lose the fight. Tori kissed her son softly on his forehead and then his cheek, her emotions threatening to bubble over at any second.


[color=#a64d79]“Stay with him,”[/color] Tori said to Aiden, [color=#a64d79]“I’ll take care of Aurora,”[/color] She motioned to Cassander to give her a hand as she wrapped Aurora in a blanket and helped Cass pick her up gingerly. The sleeping girl was nearly weightless in Cass’ strong arms as he gently carried her out the door.


[color=#a64d79]“She’ll stay at our house for tonight, put her in the guest room and then you can take the couch.”[/color] Cassander only nodded in response, words were too difficult for him right now as he took one last look at Lorcán before Aiden closed the door on their way out.


Another stifled sob echoed out in the hallway, prompting Cass to hurry before he lost control of the tears welling up in the corner of his own eyes.


It was only upon emerging outside, that Cass noticed just how dark the night truly was.[/color][/indent]