Dawn of Aurelion; The Prophecy.

​"Aeryn! Get out of there now or, so help me, I will break this bloody door down!" The bellowing voice came from behind the door, and I flinched at the loudness of it. She had never been quite this angry before.

​Hurriedly, I crept to the door again and looked through the keyhole. From the small hole, I could see the blue silk of her nightgown as it clung to her rounded body. Although it was dark, the glint of her wedding ring could be seen from where her hand was resting on her hip, a clear sign that she was getting impatient.

​Another loud knock resonated through the small room, and I fell to the grey carpet, my hand clutching my heart hopelessly as I shuffled backwards to lean against the foot of the bed. My black, waist-length hair was damp with sweat, and I fanned my face in a feeble attempt to calm down. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

​Shaking, I rose to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. The room was mostly dark except for a small section of the bed that was lit by the luminous light of the moon, which shone through the small square window.

​The window? Could I...?

​Any ideas of an escape halted in my mind upon hearing a voice erupt from outside again, but this time, it was not directed at me, but rather to someone else.

​"No, she's not opening up, Rich! Do you think I'd still be bloody standing outside if that was the case?" The voice came out more shrill this time, and my heart thudded violently in my chest at the malice in her tone.

​I heard a gruff sigh from the male, and I could imagine him running a large hand through his thinning hair. His heavy footsteps trudged towards the door, and he turned the handle twice as if he needed to do so to confirm her words. I took a few steps backwards, despite knowing that the door was securely locked and that the key was safely nestled in the back pocket of my jeans.

​"Right, Debbie, I’ll go find the Master Key. It's bound to be somewhere around. Last I saw, it was in the kitchen cupboard. Meanwhile, you try to shake her outta there, got it?" He finalized, and with a final twist of the doorknob, I heard his heavy footsteps trudge down the hallway and towards the stairs.

​I paced the small length of the room nervously. What was I going to do? Once they get their hands on me, they won't spare me. I just know it. I had to think of something, and I had to think of it fast.

​I whimpered as I heard the familiar footsteps come up the stairs, but this time they were much faster. He had found the master key. I sank helplessly to the floor. Hot tears cascaded down my face and I stared at the door in despair.

​How did it get to this point?

​3 days earlier....

​"Oh my god, yes!" I exclaimed, relief shooting through me. I laughed to myself and eyed the notepad in pride, chewing on the end of the pencil anxiously.

​"What are you so happy about, Miss Aeryn?" I heard Sue's voice before I saw her as she circled around the corner and entered the small staff room. Her ginger hair was strewn up into a bun, and small streaks of blonde could be seen at the roots from where the dye was wearing off. She put down the clear mug of coffee she was holding and wiped her hands on her apron before settling down beside me with a soft smile.

​I waved my hand dismissively, a small smile still resting on my face.

​"Oh, nothing really, Sue. I was just counting how many days I'd have to work at this dastardly place before I earn enough to buy that apartment, you know. I don't think I can stand Sour Steve anymore, especially since the divorce. He's bullying me now more than ever." I laughed slightly in a joking manner, but the truth of it was far from a joke. I had been waitressing for about three and a half years now, and I couldn't wait to drop it. Not to say the pay wasn't fine; it was enough to get along. But my heart was itching to do something more than this. I felt I had to.

I had my eyes set on a publishing firm in the south side of London-Braxton Publishing. The only problem was finding an affordable place to stay.

​I eyed the notepad again before handing it over to Sue, who looked through the calculations I had scribbled down so fervently. She smiled slightly, making wrinkles appear near her eyes, and waved the notepad gently in my face.

​"Honey, you realize this notepad is for jotting down orders, right?" She joked, poking my side, and I laughed at the mock-stern tone she used.

​"Who cares about that anymore, Sue? Just a few more weeks and I'm outta here." I exclaimed, pointing towards the door. I let my mind wander to all the infinite opportunities and amazing experiences I could explore in London. I could be free from this job and from my "parents."

​I shook my head dismissively and turned to look at Sue, only to see a frown settled on her features. She was in her early 40s, raising three children as a single mom, and I admired her strength. Despite this, she still listened to my small problems as though they were more severe than her own. Her features were very rounded and soft, and she looked at me with a frown on her red, puckered lips and a pitiful look in her eyes.

​"I hate to break it to you, doll, but your calculations are a tad wrong," she said simply, before handing me back the notepad with a deep sigh.

​I grabbed the notepad and read through the calculations vigorously, slowing down sadly when I saw the error. I threw the notepad and pen on the small table in front of me before putting my head in my hands.

​"I'm so stupid," I sobbed silently to myself. I was more upset at the fact that I had gotten my hopes up and allowed my mind to wander to a world beyond this hellhole.

​Sue hushed me gently before moving closer and taking me into her warm embrace. The rickety sofa creaked slightly under the sudden movement.

​"No, you are not stupid, Aeryn. You are an amazing, intelligent being, and I will whup anyone who tells you otherwise," she said firmly. I laughed into her embrace before remembering my previous plight. I shook my head slightly, moving out of her arms.

​"No, I know it's stupid of me to get excited over such things, but I just can't help it. I feel stuck and limited here. I don't know why. Everyone seems as though they belong, even you. I just want to feel that sense of belonging." I rambled pathetically, and I cringed when the words fell out of my mouth. Sue nodded sympathetically, putting a hand out to rub my back, but the look in her eyes told me she didn't understand.

​Ignoring my words, she pulled me into another embrace before drawing back with a warm smile on her face.

​"Look, I know you're excited for this publishing job, but there is plenty of time to pursue that. As of now, just know that you have me to help you tolerate this place. Remember, I'm with you all the way." Her voice was kind and encouraging, and I willed myself to listen to her words and nodded.

​"You're right. Just another year and a half. You can do this," I muttered to myself, but loud enough for Sue to hear, and she slapped my back a little harder than necessary.

​"That's the spirit!" she gushed before glancing down at her watch. I smiled that she had still kept it. I had gifted it to her for her last birthday, almost eight months ago, and it still looked brand new. I remembered how she had struggled to keep up with her shift times and how our manager, Steve, would take advantage of this and make her stay for longer than necessary.

​There were no clocks in the cafe. "The Groove" was its name, and it held a very vintage and retro look, but not by choice. Steve was very particular with where his money went and chose to leave most of the original old furniture and label it a 'vintage cafe.' He boasted about this 'innovative idea' of his at many staff meetings. Of course, we all knew it was more of a means to save money, but no one said this.

​"It's 12:30 on a Tuesday, which means you have a seminar in half an hour, I believe," she said, a smirk on her face as she knew that I had forgotten like always.

​I yelped, getting up from the sofa with a loud creak before running over to the cupboard where my bag and coat were. Sue got up slowly before repeating the same question she always did.

​"You know, I could drop you off. I am on my break and it will just take a ten-minute drive." She offered, but I shook my head before draping my coat on. Last time I had accepted the offer, she had come back late due to unexpected traffic and received quite the earache from Steve.

​She opened her mouth to offer again, but I was already nearing the door. I shouted a loud 'bye' over my shoulder before running out of the backroom and through the hustling and bustling of the cafe. It generally was never busy on weekends or holidays. Only on weekdays was it busy, because it was close to the University and was very cheap in comparison to the Starbucks that was a block down.

​I moved towards the door but was stopped by a long arm.

​"Where do you think you're going?" came the taunting voice, and I rolled my eyes before looking up. Esme stood in front of the door, her brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She smiled at me before folding her arms over her black apron. Yes, a black apron. While the rest of us had white aprons, the assistant manager was allowed to don a black apron to show that she was better than us 'working class' folk.

​I plastered a smile on my face, my eyes flitting to the door to see if I could successfully flee, but I halted those thoughts when I realized she would complain to Steve, which would inevitably lead to a reduction in my wages. I sighed, knowing I'd have to tolerate hearing another one of her incessant remarks about my 'sad and morose life.'

​"Esme, hi! I was just running late to a seminar, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be seeing you tomorrow," I said in a clipped tone before circling around her. I watched, shocked, as her dark brown eyes followed mine, a smirk on her face, but no words came out of her mouth.

​I shut the door behind me and turned to look at the surroundings. The sky was a dark and gloomy grey, and the flapping of birds could be heard from above. I watched, fascinated, as a sharp wind blew the naked branches of the trees as they danced from left to right.

Looking around, people were running to and fro, their bodies shaking from the cold. I glanced at the crowd of furry coats, striped scarves, and bobble hats. It was January and, with the excitement of Christmas and New Year's over, people had begun to realize that winter was truly the worst season of all. Well, everyone except for me.