Chapter 7 Not Yet Whole

• While Munda turned to the next page of her newspaper, Luxia glanced at the pretty gold watch on her wrist and then wanted to slip out of the room, she turned before Munda's voice stopped her.
• “Oh… Aura started college today, right?” Munda asked without lifting her eyes from the paper. Luxia smiled, and her freckled cheeks lifted along with it.
• “Yes! She was… well, typical Aura. Confident and mysterious.” Luxia chuckled softly and threw a quick glance back at her sister.
• “I figured,” Munda replied, her lips curving slightly. “That girl’s hard to read sometimes.”
• Their eyes met for a moment, and the two sisters, just two out of the five La Rosa girls, shared a quiet, knowing smile. The kind of smile that held a thousand memories.
• ★★★★
• Again, she found herself sinking into the soft seat of one of the many luxury cars the La Rosa family owned. But something felt different.
• The car she sat in now felt nothing like the one that had brought her to Italy for the first time years ago. Back then, her heart had been racing with excitement. She’d stared out the window wide-eyed, dreaming about everything the future held.
• Now? She sat still, eyes blank, hands in her lap. Her heart barely moved.
• There was no sweet scent in the air like before, no roses, no perfume. Just the cold, dull mix of metal, paper, and ink. The kind of smell you’d expect from a school. A big one. A serious one.
• But this wasn’t just any school.
• Università dei Nobili.
• A school known all across Italy, no, all over Europe, for being fancy, strict, and full of beauty and brains.
• But Aura La Rosa wasn’t impressed.
• “It feels stuffy in here,” she muttered, her voice calm but heavy with irritation as she looked out the window.
• The car passed through tall iron gates, and one side of the window rolled down.
• She caught her first real glimpse of the building, standing tall and proud on a hill, wrapped in trees and glowing under the sun like some royal palace.
• “I still don’t want to be here,” Aura said, leaning back in her seat and sighing.
• It didn’t matter how grand the place looked, this wasn’t what she wanted right now.
• Yes, she knew education was important. But this wasn’t the right time for it. Not when two people still walked the earth, untouched by the fire in her heart.
• Her sisters knew that too. Yet, all of them had come together to make sure she didn’t let that fire burn her to ashes.
• They’d all agreed: keep Aura busy, keep her safe.
• So, here she was. Starting college. With zero excitement in her bones.
• Her driver, dressed in the neat black suit required of all the La Rosa staff, gently turned the wheel, guiding the sleek Jaguar XJ into the grand courtyard.
• Even up close, the school building was breathtaking. But Aura barely noticed. Her eyes moved elsewhere, distracted by the sound of multiple engines shutting off.
• It was a busy school day. Almost everyone here had their own car, and finding a spot was a task.
• As the car slowly drove around the courtyard, Aura caught sight of giant stone lions standing tall like silent guardians. She stared at them until her attention was pulled by the bubbling sound of water.
• A huge fountain sat at the center of the space, water dancing beautifully in the sunlight.
• Aura’s breath caught in her throat.
• She looked away immediately.
• Her body tensed, her hands curled into fists in her lap.
• Water.
• She hated it. Always had. It scared her more than anything else.
• “Calm down, Aura. Just breathe,” she whispered to herself, trying to stop her hands from shaking.
• She didn’t even realize the car had stopped until sunlight flooded in through the now-open door.
• “Signorina?” her driver called softly.
• She looked up, blinking away her thoughts.
• He looked a bit worried. Maybe she didn’t look too great.
• “You can go,” she said calmly. Within seconds, her face was back to its usual expression: calm, distant, unreadable.
• “Of course, Signorina. Have a lovely day,” he said with a nod.
• Aura stepped out of the car with slow, steady grace. Every move she made oozed elegance, the kind that came naturally.
• Even in the school’s basic uniform, white pleated skirt and a dark long-sleeved shirt, Aura looked stunning. Effortlessly so.
• Some students passing by paused mid-step, their eyes stuck on her.
• But she didn’t notice. Or maybe she just didn’t care.
• With her head held high, Aura walked across the courtyard, heading straight into the grand arched entrance of Università dei Nobili.
• And as her car’s engine faded into the background, she disappeared inside the school.