UNEXPECTED
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PROLOGUE
I don’t like to spoil the story. So better read it yourself. For those who first rush to the last page. It is of no use.
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Maya
“I want to get home as soon as possible” the excitement in my voice isn’t new to me.
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Every year I and my family celebrate the day we bought this house. 5th May. I have a father, mother and a little brother. I’m the eldest.
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“Would you like to tell your details for this lucky draw coupon mam” the supermarket boy asked.
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“Yes” cause I can possibly be the happiest girl in this world now.
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“Name”
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“Maya! Its getting late” mom called from behind.
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“Sorry dude! Fill yours in my stead”
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“Great day girl” the boy shouted as I ran out.
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I went to my car and kept everything in the boot. Mom checked the list again before letting me close it. I drove down the alley and reached my simple and lovable house.
“Ma” I sighed as she kissed my forehead before sending me off.
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“Come as soon as possible” she told this for the 1000th time from morning.
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“Sure ma”
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The sun shone bright. The clouds moved slower than ever. As I drove to my studio my favourite song blared. I reached there just in time and ran into Grace. My colleague and friend who behaves nothing like her name.
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“Got a sunny soul?” she roared.
“Think so” I replied while taking the stairs while she waited for the lift.
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I took no more than 5 steps before I fell badly on the railings. I still finally reached my studio before Grace. She edits all my drawings and posts them in social media. More or less she is my manager.
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The day was pretty cool until I received a plagiarism complaint from another artist Jay.
“IT IS MY WORK! Doesn’t he dare to accuse me like that” I shouted.
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“I’ll handle it” Grace’s brother assured. He was a lawyer.
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My phone rang from the nearby room. I silenced it. Once we sorted it I took my phone. Dad called me 10 times.
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“Damn. Sorry guys I got to leave” I rushed out and grabbed my jacket.
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My car stood alone in the parking. As I got in I just found that I lost my keys back there. It wasn’t a wise idea to walk for 5 mins and go to the 4th floor and then get my keys and again come all way back. I took a cab.
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I tried calling dad but he didn’t pick. I went home with the same excitement as morning. BUT.
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* * * * *
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MAYA
Smoke devoured our street. Police sirens wailed. Awful pleas of ambulances echoed. I slowly got down. An unknown fear curled around my heart and it suddenly froze as the fire fighters brought my father and mother in stretcher. My mom’s nylon scarf stuck in her neck and my favourite necklace in her lifeless hand.
Neighbours tried to console me. But I wasn’t crying. I didn’t know why. My heart felt heavy as if it would sink inside the earth. I was not ready to accept the fact that my parents were NO MORE.
“It can’t be. It really can’t be” my voice broke. My heart felt like it stopped. Suddenly my heartbeat went high.
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“Where is my brother?”
I tried to go into that still burning house. A dozen of people pulled me back. My shrill scream rose above that chaos.
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“Maya.” My aunt hugged me. “Oh my child! This should happen to no one. Be strong dear” she cried. Still not a single tear came out of me.
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An hour passed. I stood still watching my burnt house and my parents. My aunt kept weeping beside me. Grace’s brother was talking to the police about my brother. Grace never left my hand.
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The fire fighters cleared the place. A car came. My cousin Jane rushed out of it. She hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry. We have to go” she rushed me into the cab.
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After a not-so-long journey we reached a hospital. She pulled me out. Still Grace didn’t leave my hand. She took me to a room. A relief. Actually it was something good no, the only good thing in this evening. My brother laid there. ALIVE.
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“What happened?” my voice was barely more than a murmur.
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“He got into an accident. Your parents were about to come here. They tried calling you but........” Jane stopped when the doctor called us.
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“In what way the patient is related to you?” the doctor asked
“My brother” I spoke
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“He is under supervision. Only after observations we can conclude anything” He paused for a moment and continued “His body is so weak. He got some internal bleeding. We want you sign this so that we can proceed with the surgery.”
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He gave me the papers and a pen. I hesitated.
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“It should be done as soon as possible mam”
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Once I signed it they allowed me to meet him. He laid like a doll. His eyes slowly opened. He removed the oxygen mask with trouble.
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“Ma... Maya..... Take... ke... care of mom and.... dad....” He stammered.
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The nurses took him inside the operation theatre as I held back the urge to tell him everything and lament. I held his hand tightly as a sign of affirmation.
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* * * * *
Maya
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“Did she sleep?” Jane asked Grace.
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“She didn’t even blink” she replied. Still holding my hand.
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HOW THE NIGHT CHANGES. Nothing can define it better. Morning, noon and evening flew in the blink of an eye. Grace’s brother called every hour to ensure that everything was alright. The operation got over.
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“He is out of danger” the doctor’s words were the only thing I yearned to hear. He smiled. “How will you take care of him when he wakes up? Go and have something or else I’ll have to arrange a bed for you near your brother” he teased.
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I asked Grace to stay back and went to the hospital cafeteria. I was about to order a coffee when Grace called. I attend it. My phone fell and broke into pieces. I stood like a stone.
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A boy accidentally spilled his coffee on me. The hot liquid dripped down my arms. The boy apologised and handed me some tissues with anxiousness. I made no sound. I tried to walk towards the door. My limbs weak and heart sore. I went out. I continued walking. I didn’t know what to do. Still the heat imparted burnt my skin. But I took no notice of it. I was in the footpath outside some unknown store. My mind urged me to die.
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All of a sudden a tall guy with a mask rushed towards my direction. A bunch of cops chased him. He took out his knife and held me as a hostage. The cool metal’s presence in my neck made no difference of how I had been all day. He grabbed me by my shirt sleeve as I not tried to escape and forced me into a car. He asked me to drive and warned the cops to not come near.
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We reached the outskirts. He allowed me to go. I stepped down. I fainted.
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* * * * *
Grace
“Doctor... Doctor” I shouted.
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Maya’s brother’s body shivered frantically. His pulse started to go down. The doctors came in. The tried everything possible but... he was gone. His tearful eyes stared right through me. My heart broke at the thought of Maya hearing this. I sat down. Jane and my brother went out. I heard them talk to someone. At a sudden thought I rushed out.
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“Did you tell about this to Maya?” I screamed
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They nodded in affirmation.
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“Don’t you have basic common sense. She is already broken”
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“However she’ll get to know it right?” Jane protested
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“Can’t you wait till she comes back?”
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I yelled and ran towards the hospital cafeteria. People discussed in groups about something .Maya’s broken phone laid there. It had coffee spilled on it. A man told me that there was a girl on whom he accidentally spilled coffee and informed that she went outside. I ran outside. I asked possibly all the people on the road about her. I finally saw her outside a perfume shop and rushed towards her.
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I was late. A tall lad caught her with a knife on her neck. Her eyes looked soulless. She did even make any effort to save herself and just sat in the car with him. The cops were helpless.
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As the car went I urged the cops to follow. He denied it as it would end as a threat to her life. Only one cop tried to follow them but returned in an hour in vain. I gave her details to the police.
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“Who is he?” I asked the police.
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“Thats what we are searching for”
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“Actually, why did you chase him?”
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“Did you see that guy whom we admitted in the hospital?”
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“Yes. With a broken leg”
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“He broke that guy’s leg cause he stepped on his sneakers”
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“Will he.... Will he do something .... to my friend?”
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“The possibilities are high”
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“Sir the data have been recovered” a techie called the cop with whom I was talking. As I accompanied him they’ve copied each and everything to a new phone and gave it to me.
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“Hey Grace” my brother called out.
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“Are you serious? Where is Jane?”
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“She is handling all the formalities. She is busy”
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“Are you really my brother?”
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“Why... Is something wrong?”
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“Yes you idiot. Jane was like Maya’s little sister. You left her all alone there to suffer? You don’t have a heart. Do you?”
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“Why does everything I do turns out awful?” I heard him murmur.
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* * * * *
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Maya
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My eyes felt heavy. I wanted to close my eyes again. A soft scent of jasmine and the smell of freshly baked chocolate cake filled the place.
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“Wake up. I saw you open your eyes” a firm voice told.
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I woke up with much trouble. A tall, medium built man sat in a chair in front of me. He wore a blood stained T-shirt and black pants. His socks had more blood than his T-shirt. He went into another room which seemed like the kitchen.
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I turned around to look at the room I was in. Only then I noticed that my left hand was cuffed and was locked in the rails of the bed. A jasmine plant curled around the window. There was a bloodstained knife in the table. Near it was a reading lamp. A black wall clock seemed odd in that white wall. No paintings, no photographs nothing. The room wasn’t clean but neither was it messy. A few clothes hung outside. The only odd thing in this whole place was me. Like a sparrow in a hawk nest.
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He came out with a breakfast tray. A cup of milk, few grapes, 2 slices of bread and a piece of chocolate cake. He handed that tray to me and went inside again. He brought one for himself and sat in the chair in front of me.
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“I don’t want it” my voice was feeble yet clear.
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“Do you want to faint again. I won’t bother to bury you in my garden” he pointed to the jasmine curled window outside which laid a small garden.
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I was about to take a bite of the bread when he scoffed.
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“First drink the milk.”
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“Can’t I even eat how I wish to?”
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“Ok. Go on. Choke yourself”
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Only then I remembered that I had starved for more than a day and fainted and it is advisable to take liquid food first. When I stopped from picking up the glass he said
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“I didn’t poison it”
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We had our breakfasts in silence. He cleared my dishes and went to the kitchen. After a while he sat near me in his chair. He seemed to search something while talking to me.
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“Why did you bring me here? What do you want? Who are you?” I asked without a break.
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“To which one should I answer first?”
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“Why did you bring me here?”
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“What did you think? To marry you? Of course to kill you”
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“But ... why? You offered to let me go right?”
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“At that time you didn’t see my face nor know my hideout. But now....”
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“Then why the hell did you save me” I screamed “Why didn’t you leave me there?”
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He casually picked up a syringe and filled it with something. With a hell of a grip he held my hand and injected it.
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I woke up after a few hours. The clock ticked. I found something on my cuff. A note.
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In case if you wake up do not try to create a scene. Sit quietly. There are no other houses nearby. Hope you understand.
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I looked again. There was a draw in the table. I pulled it out. A pair of scissors, a pen, a medical kit and a diary were there.
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I took that diary with my legs which was not at all easy. I opened that diary. REN. The neatly written name seemed familiar. “It is a common Japanese name” Grace would often tell this. The leather jacket of the diary appeared old. I know that it is not good to poke our nose into someone’s privacy. But I got nothing to do. So I started reading it.
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2nd Jan 20XX,
I’m Ren. I’m 5 years old. Is it only common for people to make resolution on the 1st of Jan? Why not on 2nd?..................................
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* * * * *
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REN
I was careful enough to not stir any suspicion among the people. I grabbed a few groceries and stood in the queue. I got my things billed and threw them in the boot. A mother and her child hurriedly followed an angry man who was scolding them and kept urging them to move fast.
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I was controlling myself from making mincemeat out of him. The bruises on the lady’s hand were very disturbing. I didn’t dare to call the police and I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to me. I drove past them with overwhelming memories.
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It was New Year’s eve. I was 5 years old. My mom gifted me a diary.
“Won’t this get completed?” I asked.
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“Yes. Then I think you should write the things which are important for YOU. The things you never want to forget.”
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“I don’t know what is important”
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She smiled and hugged me. Her scent still lingering in my memory. Her soft hands gently held my shoulders. My mom was my world. From then on I used to record my MOST memorable moments.
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After she gifted me the diary the very next day a man broke into our house. He was my father who tortured my mother often. He kept stirring something in me. That day when he proceeded to beat her I couldn’t hold it anymore. I drove the kitchen knife into his back. My mother’s scream was loud enough to wake a town. I continued. Not once or twice but till I found no movement in that body. At last the man’s lifeless eyes closed with a sigh.
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My mom sat it terror my face was covered with blood. I laughed like mad. She tried to process what happened. The sirens wailed. As soon as she heard the cops rapping our door she grabbed that knife from me. She surrendered to the police. I was taken along with a few of my belongings which included that diary and my mom’s favourite necklace.
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I was made to sit in the police station. After an hour I came to my senses. I cried hard. I cannot believe that I killed someone. Something happened to me. I took my mom’s necklace and held it tight till its crystals drove into my tender skin.
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I was sent to an orphanage from where I continued to go to my regular school. On hearing my mom’s arrest my classmates bothered me like mosquitoes and made fun of me. I always cried and I wasn’t able to do anything. There she came. The angel of my life. Her name was Rina. I use to add my name behind hers and often tell it when I’m alone. I loved those syllables “Rina Ren”. She use to get me out when I’m in trouble. I saw my mom in her. She was the apple of my eye. She was only one who treated me like a friend. She used to talk to me about many things but never about family. She was concerned even at that very young age.
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Years passed. When we were 10 I brought my mom’s necklace to give her as a birthday present. Unfortunately my classmates found it out and took that necklace and started to make fun of me. I lost control.
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After 10 minutes when Rina came 2 boys laid down with swollen face and bruised limbs. I was still angry. As she came in and saw me in that state I ran away. I thought she would leave me forever.
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But she came behind me and kept calling me. Once I stopped she came near me and held my hands tightly.
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“Its okay. It wasn’t your mistake. You are a kind boy. Don’t mind what others tell about you. I BELIEVE in you. Do not worry”
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For some reason I didn’t feel bad to cry in her presence. She gently patted me. I didn’t know that this was the last time I would meet her. I was sent to another school.
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She was the only one I had. When I came back after 2 years to the same school she was gone. Her parents transferred her to a better school in another city. After completing my education I joined my college senior’s start-up team.
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After Rina’s separation I started to feel terrible. Soon I received the news about my mother’s death in the jail. It broke me. Even when someone teased me casually I wasn’t able to tolerate and beat them. Thats when he met me. Mortimer. That was my senior. In my 2nd day of college, when a group of seniors bullied me I broke one’s hand.
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He bailed me out of that issue. From then on he treated me like his own brother. For some reason I liked that feeling to have someone, at least as a moral support.
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Years passed and now here I am. Police running after me for a kidnapping case. A girl in my custody who is not even aware of the reason why she has been kidnapped. Most importantly my senior who is desperate to get me out of this mess and the devils that got me entangled in this mess.
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