Strangely Familiar

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction” - Pablo Picasso

Present time

MASSIVE DESTRUCTION

At the bottom of the screen, the words were shown in large, bold characters.

There have been fatalities. There were a total of 127 documented deaths. Rescue operations are underway. The earthquake in the eastern part of the country caused widespread devastation and havoc. On May 23, 2010, it was seen that the City of Flowers, a formerly stunning Garden Valley, had been destroyed when the Earth beneath it fractured and devoured it all in less than a nanosecond. The scale read 7.4 out of 10. The shifting of the tectonic plates is dangerous. According to analysts, the city is still unsafe. Let’s see what our reporters have to say.

Then, after a little pause, the screen began to flicker again.

“An immediate evacuation has been ordered by the government.”

Camera buzzes. The display flashes.

“... Some say it’s the fury of nature.” As a consequence, fear has taken over the surrounding districts.

“Please turn down the volume. I’m trying to study here.” A frustrated voice rang out across the room.

“It’s breaking news, Naina. N.E.W.S. This information is essential for any topic you’re studying.” Samraat, three years her junior, is a man of average build with an angular smile, black wavy hair that often obscured half of his large forehead, and dark brown eyes that frowned at her.

Naina Shreeparna Patil was an orphan. At age five, she was adopted by an affluent family who raised her as one of their own. Although the couple had always desired children, her adoptive mother’s infertility was caused by several issues. As a result, the couple decided to adopt Naina and Samraat to complete their family.

So, it came as no surprise to anyone that she looked so different from her parents. Unlike her mother’s black eyes, she has a shade of brown that contrasts beautifully with her unnaturally curly and frizzy black hair.

“If you must know, I already read about it on the Internet a while ago,” Naina grudgingly replied, flicking through the pages of the book she held in her palm, attempting but failing to memorize the topic.

“Bor-i-n-g”

“I hardly ever describe the Internet as boring.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t talking about the Internet.” He responded wittily.

His sister, who had a fiery temper, frowned at him. She slapped her book shut and took a quick step, towering above his sitting form due to her height.

“What’s the problem? I have an employment assessment in three weeks. Can’t you leave me alone so I can study?”

Her brother sighed, sensing her anxiety as clear as crystal. “The epic center was Garden Valley, Nans, nearly two hundred kilometers from here. You know what that means.”

It wasn’t a question. She knew it, and frankly, she tried her best to escape the inevitable. It has only been three months since she quit her last job. The never-ending grind of being a job seeker and caring for her younger brother while their adoptive parents were away on business, not to mention the seismic tremors they felt last night, didn’t help. The stress was taking a toll on her. She despised her age of twenty-three.

Naina rubbed her swollen brows and threw herself on the couch next to him. “I know.”

She spoke quietly, rubbing her palms together to relieve the goosebumps she felt almost all the time. Her lips quivered slightly as she closed them.

“Hey, chill out. We got this.” Her brother was wiser than her in numerous ways. She never directly acknowledged it to him because she didn’t want to boost his inflated ego. “I am confident that the government would relocate our area if necessary.”

Naina smiled slightly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I suppose you should quit acting like you’re studying. You didn’t seem to be paying attention.”

Her head snapped at the sudden allegation, and just as she began to defend herself, his voice cut in with a flat tone. “Stop bothering. You were so tired that you didn’t notice the book you were holding was in an upside-down position.”

She tried to talk, but her words backfired on her.

“All right, Smartypants. How can you keep such a cool head?”

He answered, “Simple,” and sluggishly spread himself across the couch’s arms and legs, causing his sister to trip and fall out of the way. “I am optimistic.”

Naina nibbled the insides of her cheeks but remained silent. Despite their odd similarity, this was the primary reason why everyone assumed they were not siblings almost immediately. Their personalities were diametrically opposed. She becomes easily agitated, terrified, and anxious for no apparent reason, but he remains cool, calm, and composed with no regard for the world. People frequently comment that they make a good team since one can easily cover the gap the other lacks. According to Naina, people only say that to console her if the sympathetic looks they offered her were any indication, which she detested. After all, she was a strange bird.

She was pulled out of her reverie by the jarring doorbell. She anticipated her brother’s response as she watched him make the same move back. For a moment, they exchanged a brief glare before he sighed, mumbling something illegibly, and stood up to answer the door, leaving Naina grinning behind.

Samraat was unexpectedly embraced by one, then two distinct individuals, causing him to shriek a little despite being himself.

“Oh, thank God. You are okay.” His mother squeezed him into an embrace before rushing over to her only daughter to provide her with similar treatment.

“Dad, let go of me. I’m fine.” Naina heard her brother muttering.

“As soon as we heard the news, we hurried home because we were so terrified. Do you know we had to make a specific request because the transportation was sealed?” Her Father gasped, his words slurring in the air when he stopped to take a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he entered the room. “Are you children alright?”

His somewhat wrinkled face was furrowed with concern.

Mr. Rajan Patil, Samraat and Naina’s adoptive Father has been a professor of History and Ruins for the last fifteen years and is intensely dedicated to his study. Mrs. Shreeparna Patil, their adoptive mother, is an artist by choice who spends most of her time recording exquisite beauty. She regularly claims that a person’s vibrant and vivid spirit may be seen in their piece of art. It would not be incorrect to say that she inherited this ability and talent from her forefathers, who are still remembered for their contributions to art and creativity.

Naina said, “Yes, Dad.”

“Liar,” Samraat chimed in, his eyes accusingly fixed on her, laced with humor. “She was terrified. I am not going to lie and say you shouldn’t cut your work for us short. I’m delighted you did.”

Naina smirked. “He, too, was terrified. Pretending to be too cool to admit it.”

When no one replied positively to her statements, she huffed in disappointment, mumbling softly. “At least, I wear my true feelings. I’m glad you’re both here.”

“Well, I’m relieved as well. At the very least, you’re safe.”

Naina smiled at her but couldn’t escape the peculiar feeling that wouldn’t go away. She has the most loving family in the world. Who knows what would have happened to her if they hadn’t come to take her with them eighteen years ago? Despite her gratitude, she often felt out of place. It felt as though she didn’t quite belong here; there was something wrong with her, something lacking that she couldn’t just point out and grab.

It was aggravating in a lot of ways.

Two hours later, they were seated for lunch when a phone call disrupted the ambiance.

“We must evacuate the place.” Mr. Rajan Patil informed, holding the cell phone in his hand. “Urgently!”

“Right now?” The worry in their mother’s voice was palpable.

“Yes, there have been slight shakes and tremors around the city, currently barely felt. However, it is projected that the city may experience major tectonic activity during the next twenty-four hours.”

Naina and Samraat exchanged troubled looks, one in fright and the other positively thoughtful.

“Where would we go?” He inquired. According to Naina, it was more out of curiosity than genuine concern.

“We can go to the Brickstone Mansion.” Mrs. Shreeparna Patil reasoned so vehemently in response to the unexpected change in events that she somehow missed the flaw in her theory.

“The what?” Both of the younger family members simultaneously yelled.

Mr. Rajan Patil appeared torn between agreement and apprehension. He knew the place like the back of his hand. The sentimental values it carried for his dear wife never truly escaped his thoughts, and no matter how much he loved her, he couldn’t bring himself to consent. Something about that place sent shivers up his spine.

“It’s her ancestral home near the coast, though it has been locked for more than eighty-two years now.” Shaking his head in disapproval, he continued, “Or that’s what we thought. The last I heard, twenty college students planning to camp for one night opted to reopen it. Nobody is aware of what occurred. They were too shaken up to offer any logical explanations.”

“Don’t tell me that’s a haunted house.” Naina tightened her fist, her anxiety erupting.

“Brilliant,” Samraat said almost simultaneously “Let’s go!”

She glared at her brother, drawing him back to his seat. He responded by rolling his eyes. Such a wuss, his sister was.

“Stop scaring the children, Rajan.” Mrs. Patil eyed her husband meaningfully, interjecting before looking back at her children sitting across the table. “They used it without permission, and I’m the only legal heiress. Think about it logically, if you were to trespass on someone’s property and got caught red-handed. What will you do?”

“Run?”

“Bribe?”

“Make tales,” she said incredulously, shaking her head, amazed at their absurdity, “that’s what one would do to avoid punishment, and that’s exactly what those students did.”

“I think bribing works,” Samraat said quietly to Naina.

“Wouldn’t you say that? I spotted you buying the cheat sheet multiple times.” She retaliated.

“When have I ever,” he complained, feigning shock.

Their adoptive parents were busy discussing various arrangements. Mrs. Naina listened closely as Mrs. Shreeparna Patil tried to reason quickly, dismissing all the tension.

“Oh, that’s a relief.” Naina sighed, believing her words. She was relieved that the haunted stories were just rumors.

“That’s a bummer,” Samraat grumbled under his breath, only to be elbowed in the side by her sister. He hissed at her sudden attack.

“It’s not like we have any other option.” While their mother was still negotiating, the two kept glancing at their Father with interest. The final decision came down to him.

Feeling all eyes on him, the family’s patriarch slouched the long-tensed shoulder and scratched his weary forehead. “If that’s what you guys want, so be it, but we still have to leave right away,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll go pack.” Naina stood up.

“Only the things you require.” Their mother’s tone was authoritative. She is the only one in the house who enforces rules and discipline. Naina and Samraat both took her seriously.

Nodding at her words, they made their way to their respective rooms.

“You don’t think it wise to return to that place, do you?” Mrs. Shreeparna Patil correctly identified the source of her husband’s concern.

“In light of everything that has occurred.” Her spouse gave her a meaningful glance before turning toward the empty corridor and then back. “Why didn’t you let me tell them the whole truth?”

She spoke in a hushed tone. “We promised to give them a better life when we adopted them. Keep them safe. It’s either the mansion or we live on the road, and I can’t see them on the road. Her voice cracked slightly.

“I understand, but...”

She interrupted him by grabbing his hands in her warm ones and gently but firmly squeezing them. “Don’t be concerned, dearest. We’ll make sure the west wing stays off-limits.”

Ten minutes later, Naina finished packing and moved to get up from the bed when a sudden force caused her to tumble. She had the sheets inadvertently gripped in her fist to stop herself from falling, but it came undone, revealing the bedding underneath.

Her forehead pinched achingly before swiftly reverting to normal. Her brow furrowed in response to the shocking exposure. Perhaps she had been thinking too much about relocating. Everything will be just fine. She needed a mental break.

When Naina questioned her mother about the place, the Lady of the house was busy packing the supplies.

Her adoptive mother defended herself by claiming, “The subject never came up before.”

Naina found it a bit hard to believe. If she owned a Mansion, she would have had its pictures uploaded on social media. Why would her mother hide it?

“So, what is this place like?” Naina was intrigued.

Mrs. Patil gave her a frown. “Big place, many rooms, natural ventilation, and...”

“And?”

Her adoptive mother pursed her lips. She changed the topic and inquired sternly. “Are you finished packing up?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She nodded and walked off.

Naina was perplexed. Did she say anything wrong?

“Dodge!”

A voice yelled.

Naina quickly turned around. “What?”

A football was thrown towards her face, and she closed her eyes in fear, her legs quickly following the command as they moved on their own in one rapid motion.

“Nans, Brill.” Samraat had a gaping mouth. “Even professionals don’t do that.”

Naina felt her heart beating in her ears as she blinked her eyes open to stare at him. “What the hell, Sammy?” Her breathing was still rapid, and she appeared fatigued. “I could have been hurt.”

“But you did it expertly.” He wore an appreciative smile.

“You,” she was going to say before their adopted Fathers stopped her.

“What’s the fuss about?”

“Ask him,” Naina growled.

Rajan Patil lifted his eyebrows inquisitively at his son, who responded defensively. “I was only bringing my Dredo-signed football along for nostalgia’s sake.”

He ducked his head down in shame.

Mr. Patil laughed. “The Manor has a huge garden with plenty of vacant space. We could play outside if Naina agrees.”

The woman under question stood with her arms folded. “As long as you don’t specifically target me.”

“But-” She looked at him in seriousness.

He nodded in resignation.

“Just don’t let your Mother know.” Rajan Patil went to get some tools and left his children alone with each other.

“Honestly, Nans, I wasn’t aiming at your face.” With a feeling of guilt, he said.

“Quit the act, Sammy.”

“No, really. Instead of going west as I had intended, it went north.” The slight pucker in his forehead indicated that he didn’t understand his logic.

“Either you’re lying, or you’ve forgotten everything you’ve learned.”

“It was almost like magic.” He said in a small voice.

“With the current scenario, I find it absurd, regardless of how enthusiastic you are about Mansions’ haunted past and, I don’t know, whatever lurks there, but stop pinning everything as magic.”

“When we take away the impossible, what remains is usually true.” He applied logic.

“And now you are quoting,” Naina retorted sardonically. “Badly.”

“You used to believe in magic when we were teenagers.”

Naina understood precisely what he meant, and she had no desire to go back down memory lane.

Doctors

Counseling

Sessions

“Are you watching way too many horror shows, kid?”

“Her mind is tricking her into believing in the unreal.”

“She thinks it’s all magic.” Her classmates laughed and made jokes about her.

The tears welled up in her eyes as she yanked them off There were times in her life when nothing made sense. She would simply add this incident to her ever-growing list. They will treat her normally, as long as they remain ignorant of the odd emotions surging inside her.

“I grew up.”

Naina shook her head and retired to her room one last time.