Strangely Familiar

“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” - Alex Haley

Naina Shreeparna Patil is an orphan. At the age of five, she was adopted by a sweet family who raised her as their own.

She strikes through her words scribbling furiously and tearing the pages apart. She was blinking hard to stop her tears from staining her cheeks. She would not cry again.

Akira is still an orphan. All her life she lived a lie for she never truly belonged in this world. Her adoptive mother took her in and raised her for her ulterior motive. When times were desperate and with danger ahead, she conveniently risked her life.

The tears smudged her illegible handwriting on the page, blurring her sight to block its view in the process. She tore yet another page, crumbled, and threw it on the other side of the room.

“Desolating yourself is not going to help you.”

She could still hear his voice through the thick walls of her room or perhaps they were still wondering inside her head. She could not tell. Her thoughts were densely clouded.

He has been watching her for the last five hours. She had been wailing and acting miserable so much that he felt compelled to shake some senses into her.

“Please leave me alone.” Her throat was sore and dry. She has unintentionally kept herself dehydrated since last night.

“No!”

She argued. “I mean it.”

Shaking his head, he flicked his hand and a bowl of water appeared in front of her.

“I use glass,” She side glanced at him, muttering sarcastically, pushing the bowl away from her. “Always.”

“Formation of glass requires transparency of heat along with elemental pressure and some resistance. I can’t access that at this hour.” He answered disinterestedly, waving his hand.

“What does that even mean?” Her voice cracked as she forced the words out.

“That means you have a lot to learn.” He placed the bowl in front of her. “Now, drink.”

She begrudgingly accepted the bowl and gulped it in one breath. To her surprise, it truly felt good and all her stress lifted in a matter of seconds.

“That wasn’t water.”

Ayaan snorted. “Oh, well done, you are learning. It was a toxin that numbs your brain to nothingness. In other words, you lose your ability to think.”

She got up, startled.

“Why on earth would you give me that?” Naina made sure her voice was low but resonated with anger.

He supported his back against the table and crossed his arms across his chest. “Stop trusting people blindly.”

His eyes scanned her latest masterpiece, knitting his brows at the sentiments she was trying to pour in. Despite knowing the truth that it was her adoptive mother who blocked her magic and lied about her identity, a part of her always believed that she must have had a good reason behind it until she tore it away.

She pulled herself away from his reach and sat on the bed. “What happens now?” She pointed out at the bowl.

“Nothing significant. It will only help you relax.” He looked around the room casually like he wasn’t afraid of the consequences now that his secret is out. “It’s a toxin, yes - poison, but not poisonous enough to cause damage.”

Naina’s eyes turned skeptical. “Do I still need to raise my guard around you?”

“You need to keep your guard up all the time. No exceptions.”

“Brilliant. That makes me feel so much better.”

He narrowed his eyes down at her, his face twisting into something devious. “I am not here to make you feel better.”

She bit her lips. “Then why are you here?”

They were back in the Mansion’s East Wing. The magic running in the walls was sending a creeping sensation down her body. The closer you get to the wall the more it affects you both physically and magically. Naina would have patted herself on her back boasting that she found a loophole but that would mean explaining the back story as well, and she wasn’t sure if people around would understand her just yet.

“His Highness asked me to look out for you,” he said.

Naina rumpled up her brows. “Why is he so insistent on keeping me safe? Is it because I am a healer mage?” She whispered the last part making sure no one heard her.

Ayaan looked rather troubled at her question and decided to stay quiet. After a few hard moments, he answered in a tight voice. “You could say you are valuable to him.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing.”

His face twisted a bit revealing fine wrinkles. “Call me if you need help.”

“How?”

Ayaan stopped at the door and said without turning back. “Use magic, Naina. Your magic.”

He vanished her notes without flicking his fingers.

“Do you want to talk?”

Naina turned her head to see her brother standing at the doorway, slightly embarrassed.

“Yes, c’mon in.” She gestured for him to sit beside her. He quietly followed her command.

Samraat appeared hesitant for moments before throwing a verbose at her. “You know Ayaan escaped. We used an old serum in an injection to knock him out to know something about the other side. But I guess, it didn’t work.”

She listened to him carefully, her face masked and revealing nothing. “You did that because he displayed his powers?”

“Only because he could be with him.” He defended.

Naina shook her head in incredulity. Her adoptive brother has always been one better. “You had no clear evidence and yet you injected something lethal in him. What if he isn’t the bad guy, Sammy?”

“He knows magic.” He exclaimed.

“So what?” She matched his tone.

His face wore confusion. “Why are you defending him? You never liked him.”

“I still don’t but that doesn’t mean I’ll go hunting him for no reason.” She debated.

“Well, I...” he paused. “He’s also Tia’s ex but that didn’t work out well so they resumed being friends.” He answered, hunching his shoulder and leaning down a bit.

“What?” Well, that was news to Naina.

He nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, I know it’s foolish of me but, gosh, I can’t help but feel angry when he’s around. So angry that it does not even make sense. I don’t know why. I never felt this before.”

“So angry that you didn’t think about the consequences?”

Naina murmured, her thoughts drifting rapidly to something else. What if the Mansion’s dark magic was getting on him? It is a possibility.

“It’s not like it was life-threatening. We read the journal of the first witch, she clearly stated that any magge.... maggie, uhh mage, yes that’s it - some sort of magical being, or if someone is under its compulsion,” he shook his head before continuing, “can be identified using this serum.”

Naina stared at him in disbelief. That was imprudent. “You tried an untested thing on someone. He could have died.”

“He escaped.” Smaraat couldn’t stress anymore.

“So what you are gonna try untested chemicals on others?” She expressed her annoyance in a small voice, sneakily asking the next bits. “Should I be wary too, Sammy?”

Her brother appeared gravely offended. His scowl deepened with every word.

“No,” He denied straight away. “How could you even think that? I would never do anything to harm you.”

Naina wanted to believe him. She really did, but recent happenings kept her suspicions at the apex that she couldn’t help but doubt.

“You guys thought he was possessing me.” She added lamely.

“Yes, and Mr. Kazmi wanted to use it on you. Frankly, I think the man is desperate and obsessed with Shaurya Lomhani for some reason,” he said with a shrug and his words rushed when he saw Naina open her mouth to interrupt him again, “but I denied it in a heartbeat. I would never do that to you.”

“Do you trust me?” She asked softly.

“Of course I do.”

Naina knew it was now or never. There was so much he needed to know. The truth of her life, the betrayal of their adoptive mothers, the danger of Aruha, and the darkness lingering and lurking in every corner.

With firm determination in her eyes, she lifted the sleeves of her arm to reveal the mark that though he has seen an ample number of times before, this time would be different. Taking in a deep breath, she recounted the tales of past events effectively avoiding her promise to Shaurya. He doesn’t need to know that.

Samraat’s face grew from impassive to startled to horrified. He was dumbfounded by the time she finished reciting.

“No,” he whispered in hoarse.

His knees felt weak as he fell on the bed next to her. Naina supported him from falling to his face as she looked at him in concern.

Samraat was not entirely shocked at her proclamation of being magical. He always knew things happened around her, too subtle to notice. There was a time when they were teenagers, he almost believed she was magic and searched the entire Internet that could help her with whatever she was going through but their mother found out one day and scolded them for wasting their time in a bunch of lies.

However, what caught him off guard was how cruelly she locked her magic inside her mind. Samraat knew his sister wasn’t lying to him. He just knew. Perhaps, it was their bond over the number of years that helped him see right through her.

Naina contemplated whether or not she should tell him about their adoptive fathers’ unexpected demise. She knew he was closer to him than her. But then that would mean disclosing her promise with Shaurya himself. After witnessing the clash of their magic, she knew she would be powerless against him should he decides to attack her.

“Oh Nans, you have been going through so much.” He took both her cheeks in his hands, his face reducing to a glimpse of pain, “I knew something was not right. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was scared that -”

“That I would use that test on you?” He completed the statement for her.

She only nodded pulling out of his embrace.

“I’m sorry.” Said he, his voice sharply drowning in despair. “I have been so annoyed and irritated lately that I can’t reason things out as I used to.”

“Gimme your hand, Sammy.” He did as she asked, completely confused.

Naina took his hand and created a passage for her magic to meet him. She familiarized her magic with a new recipient to create a link between them. Her latest piece of the study was about to be tested. She has read that healers can create connections with whoever they wish to save from forthcoming situations.

Samraat felt he was flying in the air, over the mountains and the clouds. The feeling was ecstatic like there was no tension in the world. It almost felt like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder and cleared his mind inviting rational thoughts in. A feeling one might feel on a pleasant summer morning rain.

“So good.” He whispered and opened his eyes to catch her smiling widely. “What did you do?”

“I created a passage between us. Whenever you’ll feel angry, my magic will get activated and it will reach out to you. But that will only happen if your moods are being affected by dark magic running in these walls.”

Samraat stared in awe. “Know that even if you don’t do any of this, I’ll still defend you.”

“I will count on it.”

Naina does not want to admit how much she might need it in the near future considering their adoptive mother informed the entire magical world about her special powers.

“Does that mean it was you who helped cease my pain the other day?” He asked putting two and two together.

She nodded in response.

Samraat closed his eyes and sighed, “No wonder it was hard to explain how the pain suddenly diminished. It all makes sense now.”

“Know that whatever my heritage might be, I’ll always come back for you. You are the only family I have.” Her voice cracked slightly as she was trying hard to stop the tears from spilling.

“I know you hold Ma responsible but maybe she has a good reason behind it.” He reassured her.

“No reason is enough to justify what she did to my younger self.” Her voice raised as her subdued anger started to mount once again.

Her brother raised his hands in surrender. “Calm down, okay! I said maybe. I just don’t want you to pinpoint your fingers at her without knowing the entire truth.”

Naina looked like she wanted to say something but was too exhausted to speak. Another voice loomed in their doorway.

“Naina, Samraat come quick. You have got to see this.” It was Mr. Kazmi He was halfway down the stairs by the time he completed his statement.

The duo instantly got up at the reference and went downstairs. Shock wouldn’t be the right word to describe her inner state as she stood staring right into the eyes of her adoptive mother - Shreeparna Patil.