𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

── escape routes

          𝕹ow, Aurora never said that she was mature. Despite the façade she put onto to the general public and her fans that she was a cool, level headed teenager who was well in control of her emotions and always happy, Aurora was still just sixteen and thus, had no emotional control.

Any of her siblings, or her dad, would be able to tell you that Aurora was perhaps the least mature person in the cabin. It was all because she'd been forced into the limelight and had never had a normal childhood.

That was her excuse at least.

Aruna's was because that Aurora was a wimp and didn't want to speak to Luke or his new girlfriend, she was becoming more and more immature.

That had gone down about as well as expected with Aurora.

But unfortunately, that was the truth of the matter. Aurora was trying to hide from Luke, and Millie, mainly because if she found herself liking her crush's girlfriend then her feelings of hatred for Millie at the situation would become irrational, and Aurora would look like an absolute bitch.

She huffed to herself, going back to scribbling down lyric ideas and notes into her notebook.

Aruna had kicked her out of the cabin and told her to go and find some sunlight, so Aurora was in a hammock by the lake, writing her thoughts down in her trusty notebook.

"Aurora?" 

Someone was calling her name.

Aurora peeked out from over the edge of the hammock, before spotting dark curly hair and a tall figure and cursing. Lying back down, Aurora wondered which god hated her so much as to send the one person she really didn't want to see to the place that she was hiding (though it was admittedly in plain sight). Taking a deep breath, Aurora leant to the other side, before flipping herself out of her hammock and sprinting in the other direction to avoid him.

Escape #1 = Success

At least, that's what she wrote down in her notebook.

∘☽༓☾∘

"Anyway, mum's thinking that maybe I should come back and go to school." Mack sighed, flicking something at Chris, who was scowling. "I told her that I couldn't and that you would die without me."

"I wouldn't."

"You would." Mack pointed out. "Your mum thinks so too."

"When have you been talking to my mum?" Chris hissed.

"All the time. She likes to give me a call, you know?" Chris smacked him in response. "Ow! Take a joke! Your mum talks to my mum, pointed out that your an idiot and I'm supportive."

"I thought she said that both of you have attachment and separation issues." Aurora pointed out.

"That too, but different issue." Mack waved her off as Aurora rolled her eyes. Mack and Chris were practically joined at the hip and to see one without the other was a rare occurrence. Where Chris went, Mack followed and vice versa. "Anyway, good news is, I talked mum out of it."

"You definitely cried down the phone." Chris pointed out.

"For sure. You seem like a crier, Mack." Aurora shrugged as Mack groaned. 

"I hate both of you so, so much." He huffed before pausing. "Shit, Rory, tree now."

"What?"

Chris pushed her upright, holding his hand out for Aurora to scramble up and into the tree as someone came huffing over.

"Where's Aurora?"

"Who?" Mack shrugged. 

"Don't know an Aurora." Chris grinned as Luke shot both of them exasperated looks. "What?"

"I need to talk to her and I know you three are always causing chaos somewhere, so where is she?" Luke sighed. Luke wanted to speak to her? Aurora's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why did Luke want to speak to her? This was odd.

"Honestly, Luke, haven't seen her. You tried asking Aruna?" Mack questioned. Aurora would have to get them something later for both covering for her without question. As much as they bullied her, they were good friends.

"Course I have. Aruna said talk to you two."

"What a snake." Mack sighed.

"Snakes don't hiss, they just rat you out to your older brother." Chris muttered.

"Okay, well I know she was with you, because those are her things." Aurora cursed, peering through the leaves to look at her purple sparkly notebook on the floor. Luke was standing with his hands on his hips, an unamused expression on his face.

"Actually, those are mine." Chris grinned.

"Really?" Luke look even more unimpressed if that was even possible.

"What? Can't a guy have a purple sparkly notebook? I didn't expect that sort of toxic masculinity coming from you, Luke."

Luke rolled his eyes at Chris.

"It has Aurora's name written on the front." He pointed out. "Look, if you see her, tell her to come and speak to me."

Luke walked off and Escape #2 was complete.

"Sure."

"Of course." Both boys grinned, before looking up at her. Aurora's eyebrows were still furrowed. Jumping down from the tree once they gave her a thumbs up, Aurora sank back down beside Mack, still confused with everything. Why did Luke want to speak to her? What could it be about? Was it about Millie and how Aurora treated her? Or was it because of how she was acting? "Now, far be it for me to be preaching about being nice to Luke and all, but why don't you go and speak to him?"

"I don't want to." Aurora managed to stumble out. In reality, she really wanted to speak to Luke, but she had a crush on him and then it wasn't fair on Millie if Aurora was around and getting in the way. She'd heard all those horror stories about 'the girl best friend who has a crush' situation. She didn't want to be that sort of person, or cause those issues within a relationship.

"You can't just run away." Chris pointed out. "We know we bully Luke a lot, cause he gets annoyed really easily and it's funny, but he's still our brother at the end of the day and deep down..."

"...deep, deep down that is..." Mack added in.

"...We do actually love him and want him to be happy and shit." Chris sighed. "It doesn't hurt to speak to him. You never know what he's going to say."

"Just don't start trying to infect us with all those sappy, lover girl feelings, go back to writing hate songs." Mack stopped the conversation from getting too sentimental, him and Chris cackling to themselves as Aurora sighed.

"I'm going to find Aruna." 

"We'll tell Luke that you left Camp." Mack and Chris beamed.

"Don't do that!" Aurora pointed a warning finger at them as the pair cackled to themselves and went back to plotting.

∘☽༓☾∘

"This is a surprisingly mature take." Aruna and Lee sat with their little sister, who was picking at her nails. "Never did I think I'd see the day that you decided to be the bigger person and not run away from responsibilities."

"In other words, Aruna thinks your a wimp and chicken out of difficult conversations." Lee translated, chewing on his bread as Aurora shot her older a sister a horrified look. Aruna merely shrugged.

"I'm right though, so?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to voice it." Aurora huffed. "I don't even know how to start the conversation."

"Hi Luke, sorry for continuously airing you, let's chat." Aruna suggested.

"Hi Luke, I am trying really hard to hate you and your girlfriend, but you wanna speak?" Lee added in.

"Hi Luke, I am sorry for running away like a wimp, but I promise I won't run away when you try to have an emotional conversation with me?" Her other sister, Caroline, added in.

"Hi Luke, I wrote songs about you instead of speaking to you, but I've had an epiphany and can speak now?" Paul, one of the healers working under Aruna piped up as Aurora sank lower and lower into her seat, wondering why her dad had so many kids.

"Hi Luke, I'm still like you but don't want to ruin a relationship, let's hang out." Kay grinned, as Aurora huffed.

"I get it! Thanks!" Aurora glared. "I won't be using any of them."

There was a lot of disappointed groans and annoyed faces as Aurora shook her head.

"Look, Rory, now's your chance." Michael appeared behind her, shoving Lee up the bench so he could sit down. "He's just walked in."

Sure enough, Luke was standing with the rest of Cabin 11, Chris and Mack on either side of him. He had locked eyes with her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and his mouth was starting to form her name.

"I lie, I'm a wimp. Aruna's right." Aurora jumped up, turned tails and ran. 

Escape #3, success.

Now, Aurora did know that this was stupid, but she just couldn't do this. She'd talked herself up, practiced what she needed to say, thought of all the right things to do, but one look at him had reminded her of him kissing Millie in front of his cabin and how if she started to talk, she'd ruin their relationship and it could affect her friendship with Luke or Chris or Mack and what if he hated her.

She came skidding to a stop in the woods, trying to calm herself down as her anxiety began to spiral, thinking of all the horrible things that he could say. 

Aruna was right, she was a wimp. And not emotionally mature in the slightest. Who runs away from people who are trying to have a conversation with them? Why did she have to be so dramatic? Why did she have to cause issues for everyone and this wouldn't have even happened if she hadn't of d-

"Aurora, no more running." She paused her spiral, spinning around to see Luke in the corner. His hands were held up in peace, eyes watching her carefully. "Please."

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Aurora is a wimp and hates having conversations with people and is just running away from Luke. Luke is trying to be mature but what do we think the conversations going to be about? I'm super hyped for next chapter and this is going to be so much fun. Anyway, I love the Apollo cabin and I have plans for Mack and Chris, fun plans.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx