She discovered herself wrapped in nothing but a silver sheet in an enormous room. It was spectacularly illuminated by bright lights on every visible surface. Not really being used to the light, the brightness stung her eyes. She struggled to understand what was going on.

Trying to focus on something that could give her some clue about her current situation, she tried to get out of the silver sheets. Unfortunately, she found out soon, she wasn’t just wrapped in silver sheets, but she was tied down as well! She suddenly fell still, really petrified now!

She wasn’t used to confinement ever since her last encounter with Sceadusa and the voltors. But this, this was very very different. This was scary. It wasn’t dark. It wasn’t something she could handle. She was lost in her fear. But the thought of voltors had helped to revive her memory a little bit. The voltors…weren’t they following her. Her and Sophie! SOPHIE! Where was she? Where was the dead body of her child?

With renewed resolve, Aurora struggled to get out of the sheets. This was not something the prophecy had mentioned. The prophecy had told her about the voltors and she knew how to deal with them. Why wasn’t she then captured by the voltors. Why were they not torturing her? She felt like she was in an entirely different world altogether!

But what was this strange place she was in…and where had that green ghost disappeared. Her memory had finally extracted those last moments before her had lost consciousness.

Wasn’t there that apparition that had saved her? Or had he really saved her? And what about Sophie’s corpse? Where was that? All these questions riddled her mind. She felt she would go insane if she didn’t find answers soon.

She started screaming. Screaming out loud. Screaming with all her might. She could scream till the last breath left her lungs. She wouldn’t stop until someone heard her. Someone, anyone, man, ghost, voltor or anything else!

She didn’t have to cry herself hoarse for in some time, her green ghost was back. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air! He stood there in front of her once again. And she stared at him. He was green…the shade of envy. He stood there with what seemed like a smile on his face.

She tried to wriggle out of her sheets, but was unable to. She called out to him. “You, who are you? And where am I? Where is..where is my child’s body? Say something!”

Aurora’s face was a twisted knot of questions. She wanted so many answers and he just stood there.

Suddenly he moved. No he didn’t move, he just said something, “Lie. Just lie. Now is not the time. We shall speak and I shall answer your questions. But you are hurt. You need to rest.”

Aurora felt anger rise inside her. Who was this insane creature? didn’t he know she had to bury Sophie’s remains before the voltors found her body? Didn’t he know she couldn’t care less about any physical discomfort? didn’t he know she was not capable of dying?

She struggled. Struggled some more…but eventually gave up. And Aurora started to cry. Those tears that she thought had dried up inside her, found life again. The green ghost had disappeared by then. Leaving her even more puzzled than the night before.

She gathered the dead remains of her child in her shivering arms. She took one look around the empty room. She knew she would never be coming back. Never! She stumbled and hurt herself as she made haste. Her eyes weren’t ready to come out of their delirium yet. Memories were working like opium, slowing her down, numbing her mind, making her want the easy pain…pain of submission and defeat.

Aurora had to snap out of it. Submission is not what she wanted. She had to fight. Fight to get her baby to her final resting place. She had to tuck Sophie in for a long night ahead.

Aurora hurried to get out of the dark and twisted room, not bothering to cover up the evidence of her heinous crime. She didn’t have to bother about that. The moment she had held Sophie’s delicate neck in her icy cold fingers, they must have found out about it.

She left the house with Sophie’s limp body on her shoulder. It was raining when she stepped out. Pouring rather. She dexterously made her way through the maze of puddles and slippery rocks in her path. The darkness of the night failed to aid her.

Rainwater lashed at her face. Her face, white as a ghost was devoid all emotion except a sense of deep urgency. Her urgency to get out of the village took precedence over the bothersome rain that poured from the heavens.

Heavens! She smiled at the thought. A smile of resignation and irony. Heaven was not where she was headed. She didn’t even merit going to hell. Her crimes were far too grave for that. Grave – now that is something she was in search of. She had to reach the river before they caught up with her.

As she hurried through the streets, she did not have the time to stop and stare at her feet which were being brutally assaulted by jagged stones on the street. They bled, the blood mixing beautifully with the black-brown earth. She owed that to the earth. Her blood! She couldn’t giver her body. But her blood she could. Maybe if she bled enough to drain the last drop of blood from her body, maybe then she could die.

But Aurora knew that was not possible. Silly thoughts of a silly girl! The thought brought the image of her mother’s visage to her troubled mind. No, not this memory. Not now. She had had enough for one night. Not tonight. Not again. She didn’t want to scream. She didn’t want to feel more pain. She craved for the numbness that Jonathan’s memory always brought. It was easier to deal with.

With a stern warning to herself, she struggled hard to banish her mother’s thought that seemed to be creeping into her mind. She didn’t have to struggle to hard though, for precisely at that moment she could hear their pulse thumping inside her. She knew they were close. Close enough to be able to pounce on her soon. She could feel a burning sensation rising at the back of her neck…even in that pouring rain that chilled her to the bone!

She dared not turn around. The urge to look over her shoulder was immense but the fear of finding what she didn’t want to was beyond comparison.

She kept pushing forward, almost menacingly now. She was hopeful because the river wasn’t far now. She would be there in no time. She had to be there in no time.

She could hear them now. They were there…seven of them! She had never thought Sceadusa would send seven of them after her! Seven voltors! Dealing with one was equal to battling a certain death. And seven of them?

Aurora was almost tempted to give up. What could she do? How could she keep Sophie’s body from the voltors? She could possibly not reach the river without being met by the menacing lot. She had to find another way. She had to get away from where they could feel her. She had to vanish into thin air…somehow!