Where am I?
With a yawn opened her eye. Dusky pale walls, small congested like store room, having no windows no ventilation and no sunlight. Only a years old deem bulb barely lighting the room trying hard to light up the area but failing. The room has lack of oxygen as it wasn't opened often. A rough wrapping her legs while she is laying on a old ragged mattress.
"Where am I?" First thought struck her.
Scanning around the tiny room with some study materials and a tiny table, never meant to be a study table but burdened with pile of books like crying to set free. Junk placed neatly in a corner as if it was a treasure.
After few minutes, she got to her senses. She felt a chill discovering she wasn't in her own house but in some kind of store room. The first thing hit her is she being kidn*pped? To verify that she grabbed courage, got up from that old ragged mattress and headed towards the door. After opening it she found a staircase which lead her to a place she had never imagined.
Italian marble flooring that too is all bright shiny white. The hall is so large that it could host a marriage ceremony with a number of five thousand people. And not a single dust on it. Like it's been wiped in each succeeding second. While she was mesmerized by the beauty of the hallway, she heard some being annoyed by her presence.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" White shirt, badge color suit with formal shoes, he said in a harsh tone.
Confused she mumbles Me?..
"Why am I talking to her? Let her be." Saying this, he walked straight up the royal curved stairs.
Strange, a stranger was frustrated at her not being at school. Why should she be at school? She had graduated way earlier and is a professional lawyer. Ignoring everything, she headed towards the gate to escape. Huge, the lawn as huge as a parade ground with gardener caring the beautiful flower plants. Trying not to get discover from those almost dozens of gardner she managed to escape.
But she cannot escape the reality. As she went out she found she is not in her city. She have no phone, no money, nor anyone to rely on. Hungry and devastated she roam around and went to the police station. As a lawyer she belies in law and order more than the God itself. On her rival the station seemed shaken. Maybe she was missing and the police are stun to see her perfectly fine. They'll help me forsure. It was in her mind. With her high hopes and faith she went to the desk and ask for help.
"Officer! I Renu..."
"Renuka Mittal, the long lost daughter of Mittal family." One police officer said. But with a confidence that felt true but it isn't.
"Sorry! It's Renu Kumari, from Bondamunda! Rourkela?...Odisha?" Looking their puzzled face she cant spare a minute and busted out loud.
"Listin! It you are not going to co-operate, I can sue you for that."
Yet she got that puzzled reaction with shock in their eyes, as if they saw a ghost.
"At least tell me which city this is? Where am I? I'll figure out something. Can I get to call at least?"
Finally one in a lower post slid the landline a pit forward which caught her attention. Hurried, she dialed few numbers but it failed to connect. After several failure attempts, panic surged though her veins.
"Young lady! May I help you?" An Officer in a much higher post, in SP or DSP rank, approached her. She sigh a relif.
"Finally"
"Officer, I have no idea how I ended up here but it is certain that I have been abducted by someone. And being a lawyer I want you to register my FIR, help me out, investigate the matter which is cognizable under section 138 of BNS."
His face is expressionless, as if he had makeup his mind much prior he approached me. "What is going on? Why does everything seem different? The clothing style, the buildings, the streets, everything, even my voice." A chill spread through her entire body when she found something off about herself.
The officer calmed her down by offering her a packaged fruit juice. Told her to have a seat and to clam down, he showed interest in her case and assured her for quick response. But treated her as if she was a teenager. A rebellious teenager who gets offended by every single word and run from their house. She sat there to see what's cooking.
Soon, some utterly weird and overly dressed up couple showed up. They had a deep discussion with that officer and to some conclusion, which they agreed, seen from far as they node they approached her.
"Bam!!!!!" A slap right across her face by that overly dressed old man.
"Mr Mittal! This is not what we agreed for." With a worried expression, the officer stopped the old man from further hitting her.
"What's up with this old geezer?" Renu thought.
"You! Hadn't we provided you enough that you came up with another idea to humiliate us?" That old man yelled.
Old enough in his late fifties or in early sixties, specs of rose gold frame, in a chocolaty three-piece suit. Who wears a suit in this hot climate yet in regular day-to-day life? Mustache not die to reveal the age or else no one would have said on year more that forty. Seems a rich guy, branded watch, ring with a diamond which will not worth less at least six lakhs. Once she defended a robbery case in a jewelry shop, so she figured out. But a rich man in an attire worth millions, why would he get involve in any a*******n or conspiracy? Why would he act? Do he know me? I don't know him. Her head was exploding with those thoughts. She had barely pulled herself together that that very guy from that place showed up.
"Officer! It is our family matter, we will resolve it in home."
Saying this he grabbed Renu, in spite of her struggle, she was dragged out of the station, shoved in the car and drove back to that very mansion from where she managed to escape. She is clueless about the situation. Observing the current situation calmly was the only option for her.
"You ungrateful brat. How dare you try to create a scene out in public? We took you in, is it not enough to you? You never let a single moment humiliate us." The old man started as a record player with no pause or stop button. It ended when the entire frustration was vented over.
Wait! Did we miss something?
Sobbing sound distracted her. She looked around and saw that overdressed elderly woman appearing with the old man was standing behind Renu sobbing like she is watching a melodrama. White dress with hair up bun, pearl necklace, lots of emberals ring and pearl earrings, out of the party look.
Suddenly, a hand nearly hit Renu. Stopped by her. She had enough of this nonsense. This gesture of her shocked the entire people present in the hallway, including the staff, the sobbing lady, the young but annoyed guy and the old man whose wrist was held by Renu.