Aru Shah 3.5 (DISCONTINUED)

Temptation

Aru drew Vajra. Something unpleasant crept down her spine. "Guys," she started. "Do you--"

She was interrupted by a woman's laugh nearby. Her mother's.

Aru whirled around.

"Suryodhana, you know I don't like flowers."

Her mother stood there, smiling at someone. She looked younger, and there were no worry lines in her face. She wore a green sleeveless dress. Aru's heart leapt as she realized that the other person was the Sleeper. Her dad.

Suyodhana handed Krithika a bouquet of white flowers.

As Aru stepped closer she realized the flowers were folded paper...origami birds. Their wings rustled yet there was no wind.

"These aren't ordinary flowers," the Sleeper said. "Whisper your worries and the birds will carry them for you."

"But I have no worries," K.P. Shah said, laughing. "Not with you."

The origami birds flocked from the bouquet and took flight into an endless sky.

Aru's head spun. Her heart pulled her closer. She felt somehow that she was an intruder...but these were her parents. How could she feel this way?

The Sleeper's head turned as he saw Aru and he smiled. "My daughter, my light. Come and join us."

"Join us!" Krithika said. "You've been away for far too long."

"I'm sorry," Aru said, picking up her pace. "I didn't realize!"

Her dad held out his arms in an oddly familiar gesture. Well, of course it would be. He was her dad...

Aru thought she heard music playing, a distant melody. It made her hesitate for some reason. If this had happened before, why did she suddenly feel something cold travel down her spine?

"Come give me a hug, my daughter," Suryodhana said. "Then there will be only us three, our family, and that's all we need."

"All we need," Aru repeated dreamily. This was all she'd ever wanted. And now she had it. Had there ever been a time she hadn't?

A smile spread across her face and she broke into a sprint, veering for her father's open arms--

Something pushed her back. Her heels dug into the floor as she tried to break away.

"Aru!" her parents shouted. "What's wrong?"

"I'm coming!" she yelled. She made one last effort to free herself but the force started dragging her backwards.

"NO!" Aru screamed, desperately struggling against the force that was dragging her away. "LET ME GO!"

A familiar voice reached her. Aiden's. "Shah! Snap out of it! It's not real!"

"Not...real?" Aru echoed. The words sank into her head like stones.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't--

But as soon as the words left her mouth the scene dissipated in front of her eyes and she found herself standing at the very edge of the floor. Below her there was only empty sky, with no bottom that she could see. Aiden's arms were wrapped around her, keeping her from falling off.

But she might as well have plummeted anyway. The impact hit her like a slap to the face and she staggered. She'd had everything she'd ever wanted. And then it was yanked out from under her feet like a rug. Like a cruel joke. She would never have her father back. She would never have a true family.

Aru turned around, burying her head in Aiden's chest, and sobbed.

Aiden pulled her tighter to him. "It'll be okay, Shah. It'll be okay. Just breathe."

She inhaled shaky breaths, letting Aiden's warmth seep into her.

Aiden kept talking to her, his voice calm and steady. "You're not alone here. I saw things too."

"Saw things?" Aru asked, pulling back just a little so she could look at him.

Aiden swallowed. "My parents," he said quietly.

"I--I did too," she whispered.

For a moment they stood there. Aru hoped her eyes conveyed all the things she didn't say aloud.

Finally, she took a deep breath as she separated herself and tried to pull herself together. "We should get back to the others."

Something that might have been disappointment flickered through Aiden's eyes, but it was gone in a moment. "Yeah, of course," he said quickly.

The others waited in the center of the room. Mini looked thoughtful. Brynne was ashen-faced, spinning Gogo in her hands. Hira had a hand on her shoulder. Rudy paced the floor, turning a blue gem over in his fingers. He looked up as Aru and Aiden approached. "You two okay?"

"Yup," Aiden said. "And thanks. Your music saved us. Well--" he glanced at Aru-- "most of us."

"Music?" Aru frowned.

"Yeah." Rudy turned the blue jewel towards her. A lively, sharp melody drifted from it, clearing her head. The same one that hadn't been enough to stop her from chasing the vision. "It didn't affect you for some reason."

Aru's mind raced. "We all saw things...what happened with you guys?"

Mini's face turned dreamy. "My family's happy with me. I'm a doctor. I help people all over the world."

"Anila," Brynne said simply.

"I fit in," Hira mumbled, her eyes on the floor.

"My family accepts me," Rudy chimed in, looking lost.

"I have a family," Aiden murmured.

"Me too," Aru said quietly.

They'd all seen what they most wanted. Aru had never known how badly she really wanted her real family back until it had been ripped away from her twice. Kubera's words came to mind: Prove that you have what it takes to defeat the greatest enemy there is. But all they'd been fighting against was...

"Temptation," Aru said. "That's our greatest enemy."