AISHA: The Cursed Name

Chapter -5 The Choice

The Choice

Aisha slowly walked to the stage and then sat on one of the low lying stairs, saying,
"Why does it always happen to me? Why?..."

She screamed, her voice echoing in all directions, when Bani indicated towards Shashwat to leave them alone. Although he wasn't sure that it was the right thing to do, he obeyed his junior and walked away. When Bani was sure he was nowhere around, she walked towards Aisha and sat beside her, clutching her hand tightly. Aisha immediately pulled away, saying,
"Stay away from me. You are also one of those who cheated me. One of those who lied to me. You should also leave me alone and lead a pleasant life as you desire."

Aisha was mad at her when the calm tone of Bani brought silence to her heart,
"See, Aisha, I never cheated you. It's the rule that we must not disclose our secrets to the Low Mortals. Moreover, I was not aware of Maya Lok until fifteen. My parents lived without magic. And when I was told about it all, I never knew you were like me. And... Did something happen to..."

Aisha stopped her mid-sentence. The last thing she wanted to hear now was anyone questioning if her parents died. They did! She was an orphan now, and since ever. But, to admit it, her soul always pulled her back. She looked at Bani with rage, though there was a pleasing look in her eyes begging to just let her be by herself, she said.
"No! Now to hide in denial will make it all even worse. Its no use to hope for what is not real.
Don't tell anyone.
My parents were not mine. They adopted me. Circumstances occurred. What I have been told is that my father, who is not my real father, was friends with, or maybe knew, my parents. Had seen them at their last moments. So when they... Died... He carried me away without informing my actual family, gave me a place in his home and his heart. He said something about my real family, that they won't accept me or something or maybe don't exist. There was a lot to process in the past days. He and his wife lied to me for the whole eighteen years of my life.
Nothing happened to them... My family... I knew of... Its just I've been brought here to be like you all."

She rolled up her sleeves, pointing at the mark on her left, blood running out from it. The wound seemed fresh for the first time in all her life. Since ever, she had only seen a healed brown mark of her name, never affected much. Her face was so crumpled to allow no more stress to reflect over it. Her shock might have only made her eyes grow bigger, but she closed them to possibly prevent them from rolling out of their sockets. She told herself to calm down, and then she continued,
"This... Umm... This is what they left me. This is not something I was told to be the mark of some ritual performed after my birth, it's a curse left by my actual parents. Dad said... A lie! It's not a mark of some stupid ceremony, it's the punishment I got for my birth.
My mother... She said I'm some monster. My father said they might kill me if I don't come here. They... I've seen them, how they just couldn't stop me. They... Didn't stop me. And they still lied to me. Telling me of my parents' death in my face and then saying that I'm not supposed to know the entire truth. Not even their names. It didn't take any time to just erase my entire existence and identity.
And so wasn't enough that the one thing I have, one thing left with me, my name, its a curse. ITS A CURSE IN YOUR BLOODY WORLD!"

Bani was hearing her, but her main focus was on the bleeding wound. Aisha's name, carved on her hand, was not a new thing that she had seen. They grew up together, she had seen it a thousand times.  But today, a dried, dead wound opened up. Not only what was on her hand, but Aisha's entire life was shattered and hurt like a wound. The deep red trickled down her fair skin, seeming to look as if her entire body, her soul, was tearing apart. Wasn't much big cut, but the intensity of the blood that escaped looked as if her entire body had burst open, and the blood wanted to detach from the pain she carried in that body. Bani stood up as she said,
"I dare you, don't move! I'll be back in a minute."