Disguised Darling|✓

Episode 3

The first time the sibling duo get themselves some friends is a month after they have entered the orphanage, ‘home away from home’ which safe to say, doesn’t stand up to its moto.

There is no water served with the food that their mother always made sure to give them, lest they bite into something spicy, or the chocolates that their father brought them after late nights from the office. There are no moments of the four being cuddled on their tiny bed with the little humans squished between their parents.

There are no such things as comfort or warmth here, but Mihir thinks it would be audacious to dream or demand something like this knowing fully well they are all alone in this world now, and so he doesn’t whine, neither lets his sister do that who at different intervals of time keeps asking him about their parent’s whereabouts, one he can’t find the guts to answer every time, making his sister concentrate on learning her numbers and alphabet, just like they are doing right now.

It’s then that a voice comes and distracts them from their activities, the siblings looking up as they hear a tentative, “Hi.” 

It is a pretty girl with long hair and big brown eyes who stands in front of them, her voice is too low and too gentle. To be honest, Mishti doesn’t even know if what she just said is a ‘Hi’ or something else because she couldn't hear her voice at all but looking at how her brother is standing up and responding to the greeting with his own ‘Hi’, she Mishti guesses that it is.

“My name is Ruhi, what’s yours?” the girl asks, her gaze flitting between both of them, but it is her brother who answers. “My name is Mihir, and this is my younger sister, Chutki.” He grins, petting her head while the girl in question frowns at the introduction, halting her hand where it was busy colouring the picture of Winnie the Pooh in red and yellow.

Mishti flicks her chin up, squinting her eyes at her brother before she turns her face towards the elder girl, standing up. “My name is not Chutki, that is what Bhai calls me. My name is Mishti.” She finishes, throwing a bright toothless smile towards the older girl, who returns it, and just as she’s about to ask the girl about the class she is in, two boys come and stand beside her - one a slightly taller who seems to have a kind face, and the other a bit shorter, looking the same age as Ruhi’s.

“Who are you and why are you talking to my sister?” the shorter one asks with a furrow between his brown, his one hand busy holding a packet of wafers which Mishti hasn't ever got since she has come to this place, and the other placed on his hip as his narrow eyes flit between Mihir and Mishti until it settles on the latter, deeming the other guy to be too big for his age. But what he doesn’t know is that the little girl is even feistier than the boy.

“We are not talking to your sister, she is the one who came to us and disturbed us, right, Bhai?” Mishti looks up at her brother for some support who is busy staring at the chocolate in the girl's hands because why else would he be looking at them without even blinking his eyes.

“Bhai! Bhai!!” Mishti tugs at the sleeves of her brother’s shirt until he finally gazes at her, his eyes widening slightly as he crouches in front of her. “Yes, Chutki, what were you saying? Sorry, Bhai couldn’t listen to you.” The boy says gently, pinching at his sister’s chubby cheek who giggles in return.

“Silly Bhai! I was just saying that it was her who had come to us, and not the other way round, right?” Mishti asks again and her brother nods immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly as he takes in the sight of two boys standing beside Ruhi, the younger one seems two years younger than him which makes him settle his gaze at the older.

“Hello,” he says almost defensively, but gradually starts letting his guards down as he sees the older guy giving him a small smile in return, the younger boy following his brother's footsteps and smiling at him as well albeit with a confused frown on his face.