Aurora’s P.O.V

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    A heavy weight sat on my chest, my breath caught in my throat as if some invisible force pressed down on me. My dreams had been restless, a swirling mess of distorted faces and whispered voices, none of which I could hold on to. The moment my eyes fluttered open, I wished I had stayed asleep.

    Harmona was looming over me, her face unnervingly close, a smile curling at her lips that sent an instant jolt of unease through me. It wasn’t a warm, weing smile–it was eerie, stretched too wide, her eyes glinting with something unreadable. My heart mmed against my ribs as I flinched back, my body jerking upright before I could stop myself.

    “What-” My voice came out hoarse, still thick with sleep. “What are you doing?”

    Harmona didn’t even blink. Her expression remained unsettlinglyposed, as if my startled reaction was expected. If anything, her smile deepened. “Today is a special day, Aurora,” she said, her tone syrupy yet firm, as if she were delivering some grand revtion. “You must get ready. The garments have been provided for you.”

    My brows knitted together. My mind was still fogged with sleep, but even in my haze, I knew something was off. Special day? My skin prickled. “What do you mean, special?” I asked, my voiceing out sharper than I intended.

    She tilted her head, a slow, deliberate movement that sent another chill down my spine. “You will find out very soon,” she murmured, ignoring my question entirely.

    That only made my stomach twist tighter. Harmona wasn’t one for games, not like this. And yet, here she was, practically dripping with secrecy, her words carefully measured as if she were savoring each one before letting it leave her lips.

    I swallowed, my throat dry. “Harmona,” I tried again, my voice lower this time, steadier. “Tell me what’s going on.”

    But she only took a step back, sping her hands together, as if the matter had already been settled. “Breakfast is waiting,” she said simply. “A feast has been prepared.”

    A feast? The word felt wrong in my mouth. Thest time we had a feast… No, I didn’t want to think about it. My pulse quickened as a sick feeling curled in my gut. Something was happening. Something they didn’t

    want me to know until it was toote.

    Harmona turned, already moving toward the door, her pace slow, unhurried, as bif /bshe had all the time in the world. “Get dressed,” she called over her shoulder. “It’s almost time.”

    And then, she was gone, leaving only the ghost of her smile lingering in the air, thick and suffocating.

    3:24 pm

    I stood there for a moment, staring at the space Harmona had just vacated, the silence she left behind stretching thin around me. My old dress clung to my skin, heavy with the weight of the day, and I knew I had no choice but to change.

    I headed to the small bathroom first, cleaning myself up and taking a quick shower before I changed. I hadn’t changed or showered for two days now, and I was starting to feel the ickiness cling to my skin.

    With slow, deliberate movements, I slipped into the flowy white dress that reached just above my knees. The fabric was soft, airy–toofortable, too light against my skin, like it didn’t belong to me. I didn’t say anything. What was there to say? The dress fit, and that was enough.

    A sudden knock at the door made me flinch. My fingers curled instinctively at my sides before I forced them to rx. I opened it hesitantly, my eyes widening as I took in the sight of my half–siblings standing outside. All four of them, waiting. Their expressions mirrored each other–puzzled, cautious, as if they, too, were caught in a game none of us knew the rules to.

    But what unsettled me most was their attire. The girls wore dresses identical to mine, white and flowing, as if we had all been plucked from the same page of some eerie fairy tale. And Ashton–Ashton was dressed in a crisp white shirt and matching pants, looking just as unnerved as I felt.

    “Did someone tell you to wear that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

    Maggie exchanged a nce with Avery before shaking her head. “No. It was just… there. In my room. Laid out like it was waiting for me.”

    My stomach twisted. “Same here.”

    Ashton exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, this is weird. But standing here isn’t going to give us any answers.”

    I wanted to protest, to demand that we question why we had all been dressed the same like dolls in some twisted y, but I swallowed my words and stepped out of the room. The others fell into step beside me, and together, we walked through the dimly lit halls to the dining hall, the air thick with something unspoken. None of us spoke. We didn’t need to.

    When we reached the dining hall, the sight that greeted us made my breath hitch. The long table was adorned with an borate feast, the rich aroma of food curling through the air, tempting yet… off.

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