Aru Shah and the Chamber of Lies

Older Sibling Duties

Aru climbed all the way to the top floor, and followed her friends as Kara led them to her room.

"Come on in," Kara invited, opening the door.

Her room was slightly similar to the one she had in the Sleeper's lair. Bookshelves filled with novels lined her walls, and a bed with a white, fluffy mattress with yellow pillows stood in the center. A neat and tidy desk stood at the corner, and papers placed into an organized pile on the edge of the table. Her windows let plenty of sunlight in, but when Kara stepped inside, the room seemed to get even brighter all of a sudden.

"Woah," Nikita said, nodding approvingly. "Impressive. I like the décor."

"Yeah," agreed Mini. "It's...sunny."

Kara beamed. "Glad you like it! Take a seat anywhere you guys want!"

Brynne immediately went for the swivel chair near her desk, and Mini, Rudy, and Aiden settled cross-legged on the carpet. Aru flopped down on her sister's bed, spreading her arms and legs out like a spider.

Kara joined Aru on the bed. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, what brought you guys here?"

Aru sat up, feeling a little guilty they had barged in on Kara's vacation. She was supposed to be catching up with her family, but here they were, dragging her off to another possible quest. Immediately, her expression darkened.

Kara's former easy-going expression quickly vanished. "What's wrong, Aru?"

Aru sighed, but began to explain the whole situation, with her friends jumping in at certain times to add something that she missed. At the end of it, Kara looked worried. "So, according to the prophecy, you guys need me on your new...quest? But why?"

"Maybe it's because we need all the Pandavas together?" Brynne said suddenly. She looked pointedly at Kara. "Remember, you're one too."

"I am," Kara agreed, but she said it like she had to remind herself of it as well. Then, she turned to Aru, and she frowned. She placed a hand on Aru's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay, Aru? I mean, with all the nightmares and all..."

Aru leaned on Kara's shoulder, suddenly feeling very exhausted. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Aiden watch her curiously. "Yeah," she responded after a moment. "I'm fine. Or, I will be once I stop getting all these nightmares and all."

Kara nodded. Then, she got up from her bed and headed over to her closet.

"Are you choosing your outfit?" Nikita asked hopefully. "I could help?"

Rudy nodded eagerly. "I can too!"

Nikita shook her head. "Definitely not, Rudy. Leave the fashion stuff to me."

Rudy was about to argue back, when Kara popped her head back out and holding a bag, she cheerfully said, "Found it!"

"What's that?" Aiden asked.

"It's my emergency bag for situations like these," Kara explained. Then, she looked around. "Well? When are we leaving?"

Aru was stunned, and judging by the looks on her friend's faces, she guessed they were equally surprised as well. Kara agreed this easily? She had thought they were going to have to do a little more convincing. She even had a whole speech prepared.

"Why?" Brynne asked, gaping at her.

Kara frowned. "Why what?"

"Why did you agree so easily?" Mini asked, sporting a confused expression.

Kara smiled, and she turned over and looked at Aru. "Because...it's the right thing to do? I also don't want my younger sister to suffer from nightmares anymore."

Aru smirked. "You're still holding onto the whole 'big sister' thing, aren't you? You're still the same age as me, you know?"

"Well, technically," Kara said, nudging Aru's shoulder. "I'm at least ten whole years older than you. And I was the older sibling of all the Pandavas before I was reincarnated, so..."

Brynne shook her head. "You're never gonna let that one go, are you?"

Kara grinned. "Nope!"

Aiden rose from his seat. "Well, now that we've gotten you on board, Kara, where are we supposed to go now?"

Rudy was about to say something, probably to tell them some useless comment, when Sheela gasped. Her eyes gleamed silver, and her braided hair slightly rose in the air.

"Seek the turtle from the gate of gold for guidance; But be warned, for he shall reveal one's deepest secrets," she announced, her silver eyes slowly returning to their normal ice-blue color and her hair listening to gravity again.

Aru and her friends exchanged serious looks with each other.

"What turtle?" asked Brynne.

"And what's this gate of gold?" Rudy demanded. "If there is one, I want to purchase it."

"Gate of gold..." mused Mini. "Is that in Lanka?"

"Nope," piped up Kara. "It's in San Francisco."

The others stared at her. Kara tilted her head.

"You know, the Golden Gate Bridge? Don't tell me you guys have never heard of it?"

Rudy was the only one who shook his head.

"Yeah...you think the prophecy is talking about that?" Nikita asked.

Kara nodded.

Mini shrugged. "I guess it makes sense. How far away is it from your house, Kara?"

Kara hummed as she thought. "Maybe about 2 hours by bus?"

Aiden pulled out his phone. "Alright then. I'll try to find a bus nearby that can take us there."

"I could have my parents drive us?" Kara tried.

Mini shook her head. "Nah, it's fine. We wouldn't want to bother them. Plus, they're working, aren't they?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Brynne's stomach rumbled suddenly. She groaned and hugged her stomach. "Hey, Kara? You got anything to eat?"

Kara laughed. "Yeah, let's all go back downstairs. I've gotta tell my parents that I've gotta go with you guys without letting them know about the quest, right?"

Aru nodded guiltily. "Yeah, we haven't told any of our families about the whole prophecy and nightmares thing. Sorry."

Kara smiled. "It's alright. I've just gotta come up with some sort of excuse."

As everybody started to herd out of the door, Aru grabbed Kara's hand.

"Hey, Kara?"

"Hm?" Everyone else paused and turned to look at Aru.

Aru hesitated. "Do you mind if we talk in private for a while?"

Mini caught her eye and sent her a questioning look, but Aru shook her head.

It's about...you know... Kara's and Mom's relationship, she secretly messaged through the mind-link.

Understanding dawned upon her face and Mini quickly ushered everyone except for her and Kara out.

"So," Kara said, turning to face Aru. "What did you want to talk about?"