She’s Invincible.
AURORA
She/Her
Aurora loves fashion, drawing, and dancing.
She is 16.
When she was little, she would dance and dance for hours with her mom
Mom would whisper in Spanish, “You are my special, sweet dancing girl.”
The dancing stopped one night when Aurora was 10,
when Aurora’s mom passed away unexpectedly, no one else in Aurora’s family thought a boy who felt like a girl on the inside was special.
In fact, they said it was wrong and would not let Aurora wear the clothes she wanted wear or express herself as a girl.
Aurora was picked on at school. She only danced in her room.
One day, Aurora came home and the house was locked.
Her dad said Aurora was not welcome any longer.
Aurora walked to a friend’s house.
She didn’t have any of her things.
Her friend’s mom said she could stay a few days.
Walking in the neighborhood, she met a guy who said she was pretty.
He said, “You should be a model” and invited her to a party the next day.
At the party she danced. He asked her to take her clothes off.
She said no, but he threatened to tell her secret to the friend’s mom
So she danced, naked.
At the end of the night there was cash.
“I love you for doing this for me” the guy said.
She hadn’t heard the word “love” in six years. She agreed to dance again.
Aurora was so excited for the next party. Yes! She wanted to dance all night.
She was free!
She was a dancer!
She! Her! Hers! Yes!
Aurora went to the next party, but she was the only girl there.
She turned to her “friend”, the guy, but he walked away.
That’s when some man came up and grabbed her.
Aurora woke up hurting and alone in the bathroom.
She woke up like that every day for a year.
One night, she decided to fight.
She fought and fought.
She jumped out of a window.
Someone called 911.
At the hospital, a social worker asked,
“What happened to you?”
Aurora told her everything. She told the police, too.
That night, she slept in her hotel room after eating a real meal for the first time in months.
The next morning, the social worker said, “There is someone here I want you to meet. They can support you.”
Aurora was not sure she could trust this lady standing there. But, she liked the bag of clothes and food this social worker had.
The woman sat down on the bed and said, “Aurora, what do you like to do for fun?”
Aurora smiled and said, “I love to dance.”