Chapter 2

Adaah

Flashback

“Baby girl, wake up. It’s your birthday today. Won’t you go to the school and distribute sweets to your friends?” My mother asked me in a simpering voice. “Your dad is already waiting at the breakfast table to take you to the school.” She beamed, pulling out the covers from over my face. I giggled and jumped into her arms, with my eyes twinkling in excitement. 

“Yay! It is my birthday.” I jumped down off the bed and hustled to the bathroom to have a quick shower after giving my mother a bone-crushing hug.

I took a quick shower and walked back to my bedroom. Since my childhood, I have been fond of Barbie princesses and have grown up watching Frozen, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty at least a thousand times. My room was also decorated in a princess theme with pink and purple colours. Of course, I was a princess to my dad, which he always called me endearingly. My eyes landed on the blue, royal princess long-tailing ball gown, which was placed carefully on my princess bed by my mother. It was my birthday dress which I purchased two days back, going shopping with my dad. I liked it at my first glimpse itself. It had embroidery on the bust area, which made it more beautiful.

My mother entered my room and kissed my cheek with a smile and wished me a happy birthday. She locked the dress with a zipper by turning me back and did my hair into a beautiful long ponytail with little strands falling on either side of my face.

I carefully walked down the stairs along with her holding the dress and my dad looked out with a smile on his face watching me go down. 

“My princess has really become a big girl.” He twinkled, admiring me. When I reached the last stair, he got up from the dining chair and walked to me. Holding my cheeks in his big warm hands, he kissed my head and wished me a happy birthday. I hugged him in excitement, and adoringly he ran his hand on my head.

Like every day, all of us had our breakfast with lots of fun and cheer, but today I was more excited because it was my birthday. My mother prepared my favourite fruit pudding as a dessert and my daddy gave me a princess house as a birthday gift which I excitedly decorated in my bedroom. Both my parents are orphans and they married each other by falling in love. So I did not have grandparents or any relatives on either side. But the love of my parents was more than anything for me in this world.

Just before we reached the car to go to my school, my father’s phone buzzed. He quickly pulled out the phone from his pant pocket and held it to his ears. Within seconds his demeanour changed and he was burning like a sun ball shouting at the person on the other end. It terrified me to the core with the way my father reacted. The sudden change in his behaviour jolted me into agitation as he was always a composed man.

He went back inside the house, holding my hand and told my mother to lock all the doors and windows. I could not understand to date why all the doors and windows of my house were bulletproofed with iron frames and locks. My father always held a revolver tucked to his belt inside his coat, and the usual ‘men in black’ always followed us whenever we went out. I asked my mother several times why we required such security. But as usual, I was never answered clearly.

After the deadly call that my father received, he made a series of phone calls to various people. Within minutes our mansion was blocked by security.

My dad knelt down in front of me and kissed my cheek. His face held an emotion I couldn’t fathom. He brought me closer, hugged me tight and let out a breath. Holding my hands in his large ones, he told me in his ever-soft voice 

“Princess, come what may, never come out of that room.” He said, pointing to the study which was situated just behind where I was standing. “It is a bullet-proofed room and will always keep you safe.” He continued to teach me, “Baby, no matter whatever noises you hear, and the screams which reach your ears, never come out of the study.” He responded in cautioning voice which he seldom used, especially towards me.

Unable to speak, I just nodded at him as tears threatened to fall out of my eyes. My mother moved forward and kissed my cheek. She asked me to be strong and clamped a card in my sweaty palms. 

“Baby, in case anything wrong happens, call the number on this card.” With that, she nudged me inside the room and I closed the door locking myself in it.

Within half an hour, I heard bullets being shot like a heavy downpour of rain. I heard the yelling of people and their loud cries. I clutched my sweaty hands together and shivered in fright kneeling at one corner of the room and praying to God to keep my parents safe.

I caught snivels of people and some of them yelping in pain. But after a few minutes my mansion slowly died down to silence. Silently whimpering in grief and anticipating about the well-being of my parents, I steadily opened my door a little. Just in front of my room door was my mother’s resting form. Her eyes were closed, and blood was dripping out of her stomach. Tears poured out of my cheeks, looking at her wounded form. My eyes scanned down our living hall slowly and moved to every corner but I lay stationed at one person falling on the floor with blood dripping from both his knees and a bullet shot in his chest. I tried to run, but before I did, my dad cautioned me. He shook his head silently in warning, alerting me not to move out of the place. I clamped my mouth with my hand to let out a silent sob and locked the door slowly, once again careful not to make any sound. But before shutting it, I made it a point to notice the silhouette of one person who shattered my life. My eyes went angry and became red like live embers, and I took the most important and undoubted decision of my life. I will avenge my parent’s misery. Keeping my emotions under control I trudged to the desk of my father’s study and pulled out the front drawer where I know rested a revolver. I opened my door slightly and fired multiple shots at the slayer who made my life a disaster.

Within seconds the destroyer’s knees held out and he succumbed to the floor senseless. My dad dragged himself to his motionless form and examined his pulse, making sure to keep me safe till his last breath. A few seconds later, he looked at me with a proud and victorious smile. “Princess, he is dead. Now no harm can reach you.” He told me in a faint voice and sighted in relief. I ran to him in happiness from my hiding place. He hugged me tight once again and fell to the ground. Seconds later, his hands fell weak, and his eyes closed. I nudged him several times to wake up but was unsuccessful. Then I ran to my mother, pleading her to wake up for me. But neither of them moved nor opened their eyes. I wept, sitting beside them pleading with them to get up till my eyes went out of tears. Then I realised the tragic truth of my life. Both my parents are dead and left me all alone to struggle in this merciless world.

I opened my hands and looked at the card clutched in my palms that my mother had left. I noted the phone number that I was supposed to dial but the little sanity left in me taught me to do otherwise. 

I could be sent to prison for the murder I had just done. I went to our kitchen and pocketed a small knife for safety purposes, and ran away from the house to save my life.

Today is the day I was born twelve years ago, in other words, my birthday, yet it is the most disastrous day of my life.