Aurora's fingers trembled.
"And it was not only them. There were many others, slowly pushed into that role."
The voice softened, almost gently.
"I am telling you this because you have finally reached a point where you understand others."
Aurora's breath hitched. Her mind flashed back to the warmth of a body she had held just yesterday, to shaky sobs and desperate gratitude. 'Yesterday…' Her heart squeezed painfully.
"Dorothy," she whispered, the name slipping out before she could stop it.
Realization struck her like lightning. Her voice trembled as she forced out the question.
"What… what was Dorothy's fate?"
The silence lingered longer this time, heavy and ominous. Then, without warning, the space before Aurora shimmered, and a vision unfolded.
She saw a world where she had never helped Dorothy.
Dorothy wandered from place to place, desperation etched into her face, begging for connections, for opportunities, for a way out.
