CHAPTER 9Aurelia
Aurelia
Maybe this wasn’t the best idea , Aurelia thought to herself as she watched her hairstylist, Brandi, mix several different bowls of hair dye.
Her long chestnut hair was naturally wavy and had never been processed or chemically treated. Yet here she sat, with foils threaded throughout her head, actively lightening the strands in preparation for coloring.
Though her favorite color was turquoise, Aurelia loved all the bright colors of the rainbow. The beauty of colorful things like stained glass windows, freshly laid out produce at the grocery store, and the sunrise and sunset over the lagoon brought a quiet joy to her world.
It was fitting then that she boldly—and impulsively—decided to highlight her hair with quite literally a rainbow of colors. Each bowl of hair dye held a distinct color: red, hot pink, coral, teal, green, blue, and violet.
Initially taken aback by her request, Brandi's skepticism rapidly changed to excitement as she assessed Aurelia’s appearance, no doubt picturing the outcome.
Brandi clapped her hands together, assuring her that it would look amazing, and was thankful for the chance to try something so unique on a client.
Aurelia was excited too, but some habits were hard to break, and that familiar self-doubt crept in. But she didn’t voice it aloud. There was no going back, and she needed to see it through.Worst case, if it were awful, she could dye it back to her natural color and pretend it never happened.
Brandi set a timer and moved her to one of the hair dryer stations to speed up the processing. Aurelia sat there for a while, fidgeting in the chair and continuously looking at the timer. The minutes seemed to drag on.
She didn’t get much rest last night. After attempting to start the paperwork Charles gave her, she ultimately abandoned it until this morning.
Avoiding it until the last minute wouldn’t make anything easier, but she didn’t have the energy to deal with her emotions.
With foolish hopes of clearing her head and heart, she had gone to bed early.
Except she slept fitfully, afflicted by terrifying visions of the past and haunted by reminders of past pain.
After rolling out of bed and into the shower this morning, she finished the paperwork in preparation for her consultation tomorrow afternoon with Perfectly Paired Matchmaking .
But as she filled in the blanks in the documents about her personal history, a clear and very depressing pattern emerged—and it hurt more than any physical injuries she had experienced before.
No family.
Her mother had been more interested in her next high and whatever, or whoever, she had to do to achieve it. She was fairly sure her father was a one-night stand; potentially someone who had access to the substances her mother craved, and she let him use her body as payment.
Aurelia remembered a faint glimmer of a grandmother who cared about her for a little while before passing away, but she had been so young that the memory of her face was hazy.
Her heart squeezed as the brief but very real memory of what it felt like to be loved by someone overtook her consciousness.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that when they placed her in state care following her mother’s deadly overdose.
She had not experienced that feeling of affection again until Eleanor. Her heart squeezed at the thought of her dear friend.
No friends.
Bouncing around from foster family to foster family made it impossible to make friends at school. The other kids in the homes treated one another as rivals, constantly competing for everything. Siblings stuck together, but otherwise, you were on your own.
Fighting for any scrap of love and attention you could get from a parental figure.
Territorial when it came to what little belongings you had to your name.
Alone, somehow, even though surrounded by other people. Selene had grown to be the exception; she was the only friend she had made during that time.
But those skills, or lack thereof, had ingrained themselves within her, making it difficult as an adult to truly connect with others.
She actively volunteered in her community and participated in many local activities where she had met many wonderful people, yet she still failed to successfully take the next step towards building a friendship.
No lasting relationships.
She had dozens of past boyfriends, but every single one of them had a major character flaw that she overlooked, having been too na?ve and inexperienced to see it until it was too late.
If she were being honest with herself, there were a few where she had purposely overlooked warning signs in hopes of finally being loved.
She shuddered at the thought. Clearly, it had not worked out in her favor.
Reading what the matchmaking process needed from her was another punch to the gut. To her dismay, it required Aurelia to start unpacking the boxes of emotions and experiences that she had buried away in the back of her mind.
The nausea had slammed into her the moment she began to acknowledge them.
She hadn't decided if she was angrier with herself for turning a blind eye to all the red flags that each of these partners had…
or because she was so desperate for their love and affection that she lost her identity trying to get them to stay.
At that moment, Aurelia tried to block those feelings out and hurried through the rest of the paperwork, desperate to be done with it all. It was a heavy start to her day, and she hoped a little self-pampering at the salon would lighten her self-deprecating mood.
But as she sat baking under the hair dryer, an unwelcome image of Kyle Morris, her last boyfriend, and what he did to her flitted into her mind.
Those memories always came with phantom aches and pains, a brutal reminder of what that love had cost her.
An instant swell of a panic attack rose within her.
It had been about a year since she left him, but what he did—what she allowed him to do—still haunted her every day and every night. Though no longer in her life, his control over her still lingered like invisible strings in her subconscious, tethering her to him.
Aurelia hated it—hated herself for allowing it to happen and for not prioritizing herself more. She hated the version of herself it created.
She straightened in the chair and swore to herself that she would never again be in that position. Realizing that was easier said than done, especially considering she hadn’t always been the best judge of character either, caused her to slump back into the chair.
Aurelia's mind circled back to her conversation with Charles and the instructions not to share details of the inheritance with anyone, not even Selene. She wondered if it would truly alter their friendship if Selene knew.
Then a question came to the forefront of her thoughts, like a whisper on a gentle wind: What is it that I want?
She reflected on the night she had met Adelen for milkshakes after their impromptu practice in the park.
It had been such a small thing to share greasy fries with thick and too-sweet milkshakes at a corner diner, but to Aurelia it was a major milestone.
For once, she wasn’t treated like a complete outsider.
Aurelia knew there was more beneath that unruffled exterior, but she wasn’t going to push for more information than Adelen was willing to give. Perhaps someday, Adelen would see her as someone trustworthy enough to hold her secrets.
Adelen hadn’t felt compelled to drive the conversation or ask uncomfortable questions. She simply sat there, the picture of cool, quiet confidence, cracked a few jokes, and in her uniquely stoic way made space for Aurelia to simply…exist.
Smiling faintly at the memory, Aurelia could admit to herself that she had a mild girl-crush on her.
That moment stuck with her. The kind of simple, easy friendship she hadn’t dared to hope for. Maybe there were people out there who wouldn’t expect her to fight for their attention or earn their approval, people who might understand what it felt like to simply survive.
Because that’s what she wanted, a real connection and a life that felt more than just endured—
The answer beginning to take shape was interrupted by the sound of loud buzzing.
Aurelia blinked, momentarily forgetting where she was.
She shifted uncomfortably in the chair as Brandi approached her and peeked inside a couple of foils to ensure they were ready.
Taking a deep, steady breath, Aurelia walked to the washing station as instructed, reclining in the chair towards the sink so Brandi could remove the foils.
The shampoo rinsed the chemicals down the drain, and she tried to let her fears wash away with it, taking an imaginary step across the line towards regaining her identity.
Aurelia stared at the woman reflected in the mirror.
It was her…and yet it wasn’t.
She had the same large almond-shaped eyes, naturally thick eyebrows, straight nose, and full lips as Aurelia, but she looked more polished and confident. Beautiful .
Brandi begged to do her makeup once she finished blowing out Aurelia’s hair, offering to do it free of charge because “it would be a crime to walk out without finishing the look.” Aurelia eventually relented but made sure she paid for the extra service.
It was worth every penny.
And her hair…it was amazing —no, it was sensational .
The terrifyingly vivid colors in the bowls gave way to vibrant colored strands that blended in perfectly with her naturally dark hair.
Instead of being too overpowering like she had feared, they peeked through in different shades and blended into the long, soft waves that cascaded past her shoulders, as if they had always been there.
“You obviously must practice some type of dark magic to have pulled off such a magnificent illusion,” Aurelia whispered, leaning in closer to the mirror to get a better glimpse. Brandi stood tall behind her, arms crossed in satisfaction as she watched Aurelia’s reflection.
“You were a knockout when you walked in the door. All I did was highlight what was already there.” Authenticity shone brightly in Brandi's eyes as she gazed proudly at Aurelia.
“You have no idea how badly I want to ruin this moment with an awkward hug of thanks.” She couldn’t stop staring at her reflection, worried that if she dared to look away, it would stop being real. “Can you show me how you did my makeup?”
“I thought you'd never ask!” Brandi didn’t waste any time as she pulled out her magical makeup set and began her tutorial.
By the time Aurelia made it home, she was exhausted but in the best way. It was remarkable how a small physical change could drastically impact one’s self-esteem. While she knew it wouldn’t fix all her problems, it was a step in the right direction.
Her eyes caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she was changing into pajamas, and she couldn’t help but notice the lingering smile. A different and more assured version of herself emerged from the salon, one that was here to stay.
She fell asleep easily that night, excited for her consultation, and with a smile still gracing her lips.