Birth of the Queen

Chapter Seven: Betrayals and Haunting

Prita P.O.V.

I couldn’t believe that my parents were gone. It was like they just disappeared. And they left no trace of what might have happened. The moment we entered the first floor I could feel the tension rise and my heart felt like it was gonna burst out of my ribcage. Rome felt me tighten my fist and he held my hand to make me relax. It didn’t work much but it meant something to me. I entered my parents’ bedroom and it was same as I found it this morning. Rome went inside the kitchen and the other guys followed me. I sat on my parents’ bed and whispered to myself, “Where are you guys?” I couldn’t control my tears anymore. Streams fell down my cheeks. I couldn’t hide it. Erion stood in front of me and kept his hand on my head and patted it quite a few times intending to calm my mind. But I couldn’t stop. Although I was a bit relaxed with his little act, I still couldn’t get over the feeling that it was my fault that my parents had disappeared. Tristan kept walking around the room as if looking for something. I was sobbing violently that’s when I heard sirens wailing and I rushed out of my parents’ room and saw that Rome had also come out of the kitchen. He looked a little relaxed than before. “The cops must have arrived.” He said and beckoned me to come with him, “Let’s go.” The other boys looked at each other but said nothing. I opened the gate for the cops to come in and saw Benny come out with them. Rome must have informed him. I brought them upstairs. They looked around the house and asked me some questions about today’s incidents. They also asked the boys’ identity. I told their names and also mentioned that they were my friends. A constable noted down my accounts and asked for my cell number and assured me that they would find my parents. They told that they would send an investigation team to look for any other clues in and around the house. Everything seemed a blur to me and I spoke to them very mechanically. Erion and Rome did most of the talking. After the cops left, I sat down on the sofa in the living room and Rome and Benny sat on my sides. “Everything will be fine, sis,” said Benny. “Okay, now that the cop drama is over, can all of you leave? I have some business with Pri.” Said Tristan, in an I-mean-it tone. Erion and Rome denied in unison, “No way.” Rome continued, “No way am I leaving her with you. Never.” Tristan looked annoyed. He frowned and said through his teeth, “Listen, boy. I’m not gonna hurt Pri but I can easily hurt you. I’m sure you remember. Don’tcha?” Rome shifted a little beside me. I could feel that he was scared but then he rose and walked toward Tristan and said, “I know. But you won’t do that. At least not here. You don’t wanna see Pri hurt. Do you?” Everyone in the room was shocked. Tristan looked like he was amused, then his expressions turned sour and he said with a grin, “Whoa! You’ve got a big tongue on you. Wait until I tug it out.” Rome didn’t answer but didn’t move from his position too. Benny was silently watching them, now, he asked me, “What is this? Who’s that guy? Why, no, how is he threatening Rome in front of everyone?” Rome turned around and stated, “That’s Tristan.” Benny had a surprised look on his face. He started, “Tristan who?” Then he stopped. He said, sounding alarmed, “Oh no! Man, please don’t tell me that it’s him.” “Congratulations! You’ve got a sharper memory than your friend here.” Tristan passed a snide comment. Benny looked at me and asked, “What are you doing? How are you allowing him inside the house?” Erion was quiet all this time. Now, he finally spoke, “That is the most intelligent question anyone ever asked in this f*****g room.” He, then, walked up to me and sat on the sofa and put his left hand on my right. I shot my eyes to him and was about to say something but he stated in a very serious tone, “Listen, Prita, the cops will do their typical things now. Let them do whatever they want. But we’ll do our search in our way. Okay?” I was about to nod but Tristan cut me off, “What the f**k? Who the f**k are you to run a search party? Prita doesn’t know you, neither do I. so, you can f**k off right now. Pri doesn’t want you here.” Erion rose from his seat and pushed Rome aside to face Tristan. “Listen princess, you’re not someone who can make any decision here. Let Prita decide whom she wants to stay and whom she doesn’t.” I was overwhelmed by everything that was going on. I didn’t have the energy to get up, so I said feebly, “Listen, guys, thank you for everything. But I think I believe in the cops and I don’t need any of you to run a search party.” “Whom do you think you’re trying to fool, Prita?” asked Erion, eyeing me up and down furiously. “Hey. You have no right to speak to her like that.” Said Benny, knitting his eyebrows. But Erion didn’t take any notice of that and continued in his usual cold voice, “Okay. Say, we leave this place and then, what? Do you promise that you will sit around and wait for the cops to find your parents?” I couldn’t say anything because I knew myself. I was never gonna sit back and relax but I also wanted nobody to be involved because whatever it was I had to deal with it alone. So, I said, trying to maintain a blank face, “Yes. I’ll rely on the cops. This is something beyond our abilities. And, I don’t want help from you guys. You’ve already done more than enough.” I rose from my seat and looked at each one of them. They all looked like they had to say something. But I wasn’t gonna let them. “You guys can go now. I need to rest for a while.” I fake-yawned so that they took the message clearly. Neither of them looked convinced. Benny looked at his phone and declared, “Okay. I’ll go and Rome, you’re coming with me. you two have some serious explaining to do. But that can happen later. I’ve informed Moira. She’s coming shortly.” He didn’t wait for my consent and walked past the living room door and went downstairs. Rome said, “I don’t wanna leave you here alone. I can’t trust anyone.” He eyed Tristan and Erion up before finishing his statement. Tristan rolled his eyes and Erion looked bored. Rome continued, looking at me, “I’m not gonna leave until they go.” He had a point. The other two guys could be a potential danger to me. But before I could speak, Tristan commented, “Oh! Come on. I won’t bite her. Go. Your boyfriend, sorry, ‘friend’ is waiting downstairs.” What the hell? Is he talking about Benny? How did he know that Benny was a gay? Moreover, why is he speaking such nonsense? Rome was taken aback and asked, “What’re you..” But before he could continue Tristan laughed, “Seriously? You guys are not dating?” I was really annoyed by now. I rebuked Tristan, “Stop it. Not that it’s any of your business but Rome is completely heterosexual. And, why the hell does it matter to you? Get out of my house.” Tristan laughed so hard at this as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century. Rome’s face darkened a little. I glared at Tristan and shouted, “Get the hell outta my house, NOW!” Tristan said laughing and coughing at the same time, “Okay. I’ll go for now but oh God! You guys are so naïve.” He left the room, still laughing. Rome shifted his gaze towards me and asked, “Who’s he, Pri?” “He’s the one who saved us that day.” I stated plainly. Rome looked at Erion and sighed. He then said in a placid tone, “I’m grateful for what you did for us. Thank you. But we can’t let you stay here. So, it’s better if you leave. Erion looked like he was too bored to even answer but when he did I wished that he would have kept his mouth shut. “You all are so stupid, especially you.” He said looking at me and left the room without even waiting for me to reply. I was so angry that I wanted to throw my cell at this head but I checked my anger. Benny shouted form downstairs, “Alright. Let’s go, Romie.” Rome hugged me and asked for the last time, “Are you gonna be okay?” I made an eye-gesture to reassure him. When all of them left, I sat on the sofa again. The house felt empty. I was too tired to even cry. I remembered last night’s incidents with my parents. If only I knew they would be gone the next morning, I would have told them the truth. My chest felt heavy and my eyelids felt like they were on fire. I closed my eyes and could see my parents’ face before dozing off.

I woke up with the lingering sound of the doorbell. I looked at the clock and saw that it was already midday. That meant I slept for two hours straight. Anyway, I yawned and moved my legs forcibly to the front door, downstairs. I opened it and saw Moira. She gave me a wide grin and said enthusiastically, “Hey. Whatcha doin’?” I let her in and shut the door and brought her upstairs. She ran her eyes through the space and sat herself down on the sofa and said, “Did you fall asleep, babe?” I yawned again and managed to say, “Yeah. Just dozed off for a while.” “You can sleep again if you want. I’ll be on guard.” She said, getting up to fetch a glass of water. I chuckled a little bit and said in a mocking tone, “As if you’ll fight off the death eaters when they come to take me.” She laughed at my words and said, “Yeah. Something like that.” I stretched my arms and legs and yawned again and said yawning, “I dunno where all this sleep is coming from.” She was facing the fridge, so I couldn’t see her expressions but she sounded serious when she said, “It’s natural, babe. Just go to your bed. You’ll feel better.” I listened to her and wasted no more time. Today’s incidents made me exhausted. I went to my bedroom and slipped under the sheets. I closed my eyes and could see my parents’ faces again. I was kinda happy to see them and sad as well. I didn’t want to open my eyes as that would take away this little privilege. I wanted to keep my eyes closed. If possible, forever. I felt like I wasn’t just sleeping, I was travelling into a parallel world where I could see my parents again. If this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up and at the moment, I couldn’t. I couldn’t open my heavy eyelids, for real. I could feel something was happening around me. I wanted to get up but couldn’t. I tried to scream Moira’s name but couldn’t find my voice. I was as puzzled as a little worm in a big land. ‘I have to open my eyes, ‘ my mind screamed. But the problem was I didn’t have any power left in me to do that. Then, suddenly, I felt a certain cold splash around me. I flinched and my eyes felt less heavy by the second and finally, I opened them. I sat straight on my bed and saw three people standing in front of my feet. Erion, Tristan and another girl whom I did not recognize. Saying I was shocked would be an understatement. Tristan came and sat beside me. I was too weak to say anything, let alone protest. Tristan cupped my face in his hands and asked, looking worried, “Are you okay, Pri?” I freed myself from his touch and said feebly, “Yeah.” I was lost. I couldn’t understand what happened here. I looked at Erion whose expressions were unreadable and asked him slowly, “What happened here? Do you know where Moira is?” Erion drew near me and said in a surprisingly soft voice, “Listen, Prita. You’re fine now. You’re okay. But you need to come with us right now. Please don’t say no. because this is for your safety and your parents’. “ I intended to ask many questions but I felt very drained to even open my mouth. The other girl came to me and gave me one of her hands and helped me down the bed. That’s when I heard Tristan say, “She’ll be safest with me. Let her come with me.” I heard Erion say in anger, “No.” “Listen, granny, you may be her protector or some s**t but it had always been my duty to take care of her.” Tristan said, his voice rising by a degree each second. Before I could say anything, the girl spoke, “Drop it, you guys. She’s coming with me.” I turned to the boys and said, “What’s going on?” The girl came beside me and took my hand in hers and made me look into her eyes and started saying in a very strange voice, “Listen carefully as I shall not repeat this. You come with me. you stay with me. you don’t ask questions. Because you know it’s for your own good.” At first I thought she was kidding, but then by looking at her I got that she was being very serious. She had a strange glow in her eyes. I felt weird, so I asked her right away, “What are you doing?” She looked like she had been hit by a thunder and shot her head towards the boys and asked, “Oh Heaven! Did she just…?” The boys started smirking and grinning. Tristan said while grinning mischievously, “Tol’ja, Nads. She’s something else.” The girl called Nads started and stuttered, “B..But, my influences..” But she was cut off by Erion who looked impatient, “Now that it doesn’t work, I should be the one to take her with me.” At this, both of the others protested in unison, “Absolutely not.” I finally seemed to have found my voice and said with a wrinkled eyebrows, “What do you think you people are doing? I’m not going anywhere with any of you.” Tristan asked, “Why? Do you not understand it’s for your safety?” I walked to the living room and the rest followed. I sat on the sofa and asked, “Where’s Moira?” The girl said venomously, “That b***h’s fled.” “Hey. How dare you call her a b***h? She’s my friend.” “Oh really? Are you usually friends with people who want to kill you?” She said with equal venom. I was shocked at her arrogance. I stood up and faced her, “Don’t you dare speak bad about my friends.” Now, Erion stepped in and said in his cold voice, “It’s true, Prita. Moira betrayed you. She sold you to the ‘Azka’s.” What the hell is he talking about? I asked with a deep frown, “What the hell? What is this Azka?” Erion grabbed my elbow and said, “Please come with me. I’ll tell you everything.” I jerked my arm free and shouted, “No. I don’t have a reason to trust any of you. Erion, I don’t even know you and you look like an extreme control freak.” Erion protested, “No. I’m not.” But I continued, “Yes and you’re not safe. You just appear and disappear anywhere anytime, which is very fishy.” At this, I could see a hint of a smile forming in his lips but it was gone in a split second when Tristan announced, “It’s fixed, then. You’re coming with me. Oh! Come on, I am the one whom you know the longest, Pri.” I glared at him in anger and disgust. Years of sorrow and angst oozed through my voice when I said, “You? You’re the one I trust the least. You made my life a living hell. Even after all these years, I still get questions like was I really crazy or not. I can’t ever forget those two years. And then, you left me. I don’t wanna go through that nightmare ever again. Understood?” Tristan was about to start, “But I had my..” But I didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t control my words as they came out, “Do you know what you did? When I didn’t agree with you, you sent men after me.” He shook his head in denial and said, “No. I..” But I continued, tears streaming down my cheeks, “Do you know what they did? They scarred me for life. I dunno how I was saved that day. I couldn’t..” I really could not continue anymore as sob after sob tore away my words. My vision was blurred but I felt Erion hold me and sit me down and ask, “Let it out, Prita. Let it out.” I looked at him and then at Tristan who looked like he was confused. He asked feebly, his voice trembling, “What did they do, Pri?” I was sobbing violently, but somehow managed to form words, “They tried to r**e me.” I could feel Erion freeze beside me. Tristan came closer and kneeled down in front of me and asked, “What did you say?” “You wanna hear it again, Tristan? Does it make you happy? Okay, fine, then. Here it is. The men you sent tried to r**e me. They tore half of my clothes and gnawed at my stomach and bit me in the neck and touched me…” I was screaming and then suddenly Erion shouted, “Stop. Stop it.” Then he looked at Tristan, hatred clear in his eyes and said, “I knew you were a pig but I never imagined you would be capable of doing something of the sort.” Erion stood up grabbing Tristan by the collar and said, more like threatened, “Get the f**k away from her.” Tristan did not protest or say anything, for that matter. He freed himself from Erion and kneeled down in front of me again. He said in a heavy voice, “I can’t even say sorry now. But I’ll let you go, Pri. But I have to tell you something before I go. I never sent those men. I would never do something like that. I know what I did was terrible. But I was scared. You know, I always tried to protect you but I did it the wrong way. Please forgive me if you can.” He rose and took one last glance at me and said, “I promise you, Pri. Whoever did that to you will pay a heavy price.” He left the room without saying anything. The girl, Nads followed him. I was left with Erion. He looked at me, his gaze soft and held out his hand, “Come. We have to go. We have to find your parents. This house isn’t safe anymore.”