KISS in Paradise – Part 24
By Heloisa
 
Aurora blinked at the first rays of the sun that entered the deep 
and dark cave. She couldn’t remember much of what had happened to 
her, but she knew it was something good. Looking around, she 
realized she was alone. No sign of Drakkon or anyone else. 

It was a hot day that was dawning… she felt the sweat running 
down her spine. Her clothes were torn… and there was a bit of 
blood in them, but Aurora couldn’t find any injuries in her body. 
Whose blood was that?

She decided to walk by the shore and watch the sun rising. That 
was the time where she felt peace in heart, like being 
transported to a world where no disgrace or sadness would ever 
exist. No beasts, no blood, no pain. Only peace.

She sighed, feeling the sea water kissing her feet, her blonde 
hair flying with the morning breeze. If only everything could be 
that way, she thought. If only she could get rid of that curse. 
If only she could know about her origins.

Suddenly, she felt fear and darkness getting a hold of her again. 
She shivered and felt tears on her eyes, hugging herself on a 
desperate attempt to find some protection. The sunny sky quickly 
changed into a big mass of black clouds, and the sea seemed to 
have changed into something wild and unknown. A heavy fog was 
forming. She was scared.

Aurora feebly tried to get away, to escape to somewhere else. But 
she couldn’t. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t 
move to another place anymore. She couldn’t try to hide by 
becoming invisible. She had to run for dear life. But something 
was keeping her by the beach… she fell to the ground, trying to 
cover herself.

Inside her mind, she could hear screams. Gelid screams, someone 
was in mortal danger, and the terror could be felt in the air. Or 
were the screams really audible? Maybe there was someone else in 
there with her, someone Aurora wasn’t willing to meet. She tried 
to cover her ears, praying with her heart the nightmare would be 
over forever. Suddenly, all that was left was silence. 

Aurora Dawn stood up and looked at the sea. The fog seemed to be 
fading, and all that left was that terrible silence. Through the 
clouds, the sun was trying to show itself. She walked in a fast 
pace to the direction the screams were coming from. Unconsciously 
her feet weren’t walking anymore, but running. The wind on her 
face seemed so cold…

She reached an unknown part of the beach, with big rocks 
everywhere. A group of birds flew to the horizon. Birds… Aurora 
realized the screams weren’t human, but it seemed like a bird’s 
cries. By her feet, she saw a trail of feathers… maybe some bird 
lost track of where it was going to due to the mist, she thought. 
But there was something strange about those feathers… they 
weren’t normal, not the kind a common bird would have. Brown and 
white feathers spread on a mess. That wasn’t good.

Aurora walked around, following the feathers. She gasped in 
terror when she recognized those feathers, and it all came clear 
in her mind. Among the feathers, there was blood. Lots of blood, 
still fresh.

Not far from here, behind one of the huge rocks, laid a tiny 
form. The sun blinded Aurora’s blue eyes. If only she were saved 
from that sight.

The tiny form turned out to be a horribly mutilated body, a 
woman’s body. The flesh seemed to have been ripped from her 
bones, and the body itself was severed in the middle. But Aurora 
recognized that woman. Blonde hair, and wings. 

Calista.

She felt absolute terror getting hold of her body and mind. Then, 
there was darkness. 

Drakkon Fyre closed his eyes, savoring the breeze on his face. In 
his heart, he truly hoped she had been freed from the curse. But 
he knew it wasn’t that easy. There was something about that girl, 
but what? That fragile and candid appearance, he couldn’t stop 
thinking about her. Yes, he knew about her past. But nothing more 
was supposed to be said. It wasn’t the time yet.

He noticed the heavy clouds forming on the other side of the 
beach. Another storm coming, he sighed. Storms were common on 
those islands, although they weren’t always a good sign. Every 
time a storm gathered, something bad happened. And he knew this 
time it wouldn’t be different. 

He was walking back to the cave when he felt it. That odd feeling 
again. The feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time, ever since 
Moureau’s nightmare came to an end. Or it didn’t?

Aurora… her name was whispering inside his mind. It was Aurora, 
it had to be her. She was the answer. How could he be so fool not 
to realize this before? And the more he thought about Aurora, the 
more he felt the odd feeling. His heart was becoming tight, 
something was wrong with Aurora. 

Drakkon ran… where he was going to, he didn’t know. Something was 
attracting him to that dark side of the beach. In the distance, 
he could see the heavy fog forming. 

There she was… his Aurora. Drakkon Fyre quickly reached her, 
pressing her tiny body between his… no, it couldn’t be true, she 
couldn’t have died. He knew she couldn’t, the curse wasn’t broken 
yet… then he saw what was left of Calista. Swallowing hard, he 
tried to move away from that place, taking Aurora with him. A 
nauseous feeling took hold of his body… no human or beast could 
have done that. Something supernatural was on those islands… 
maybe those natives were right. There was a beast, only not from 
this earth. 

He gently placed Aurora’s head on his shoulders, effortlessly 
carrying her. But then, the fog increased. He couldn’t see 
anything, he didn’t know where he was going to. Fear and cold 
surrounded them. For the first time, Drakkon was scared. So 
scared he’d prefer death. 
 

Aurora saw the beach… Calista… the fog… she felt she was falling 
down into a black hole. There was no escape. There was no hope. 
All that was left was pain, sadness and darkness, forever. But 
she knew it wasn’t the end, not for her. She had to escape, there 
was still work to be done. Some kind of strong bond linked her to 
those islands, those people, the New Ones. And she had to fight… 
fight until no forces were left.

She opened her eyes. Drakkon was lying beside her, unconscious. 
He was breathing, she could still feel life in his body, but 
totally unconscious.

No, not him… the Beast wouldn’t get Drakkon. Not her Drakkon. 
Aurora Dawn covered his body with her own, holding his hands.

"You won’t have him!! Leave him alone!! Take ME if you want, but 
leave him alone!!!", she screamed. For whom, she didn’t know. But 
there was this strange force surrounding them both. 

"GO AWAY!!", Aurora yelled, feeling the power in her blue eyes. 
It was like she was possessed, possessed by something very 
powerful, something stronger.

And suddenly, there it was, larger than life… was that what the 
natives called the Beast in the Mist? It couldn’t have been more 
horrendous. Not in the worst nightmares.

Aurora embraced Drakkon’s lethargic body, holding him as a 
precious treasure. The expected wave was coming from that… thing. 
An outburst of energy was released towards them. 

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Aurora screamed on the top of her lungs, placing 
herself over Drakkon. She realized he wasn’t unconscious… he was 
stunned, paralyzed. Hypnotized. 

It all happened very quickly. From Aurora’s tiny body, a strong 
field of energy came out. Light yellow and red sparkles were 
launched to the fog, knowing exactly what to reach. She was 
incredibly tired, but fought like a warrior. She had to protect 
him. He was her only salvation.

Then, it ended. The fog quickly dispersed, the black clouds were 
gone, and the sun was shining again. Aurora collapsed, on the 
arms of Drakkon, already awoken.

He stood there, holding her tiny forms in his arms. Why, he 
thought. Why she? He caressed her face. He loved that woman more 
than life. And nothing could take her away from him. Not now.