Arc 2: In Memoriam (Part 6)

Aurélie Margaret Campbell; twenty-two years old; classics student at Royal Holloway—at least, I was up until last summer, when I stopped updating almost all my social media. My online presence wasn’t exactly robust even before that, but the near silence after it is still a little abnormal. The only information I’ve found dated within the last eight months is an obituary for one Helen Campbell née King. My mother. She died just three months ago.

Stalking yourself online is a bit of a strange experience, especially when you don’t even remember most of it. Aura Campbell had been an awkward looking girl, lanky and slouched, with dark brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. She liked to wear shapeless jeans and t-shirts, and she never showed her teeth when she smiled in photographs.

Looking at her now, I can barely see any of myself in her. She’s so ordinary, so pathetic. It’s hard to imagine how she might have caught the eye of Lord Canus.

It’s only been about a night since I’ve resolved to fi