Strangely Familiar - The Flaw in Time

Chapter 7 - Part II

"Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears." - Rudyard Kipling

***

Naina loomed in through the doorway choosing the very moment Ayaan decided to make his way out, almost bumping into his retreating form. She looked at him in horror, wide-eyed.

"Wha-?"

She appeared like she had seen a ghost.

He narrowed his eyes at her and winced as his jaws ached even at the slightest flexing of muscle. Refusing to continue to be in her presence anymore, he stepped past her.

Unable to comprehend what just happened, she hurried inside the attic. Her hair flowed like wild waves after climbing up the stairs, breathing ragged as she spoke in a trembling voice. "I can't find them anywhere."

They looked at her crazily.

"Mom and Dad." She said, blinking her eyes furiously. Her voice still latched with fright. "They are nowhere. I checked the entire wing."

Tia stared in trepidation, speechless.

Panic gripped her senses as she continued to babble, feeling her hands shake in dread. She was hyperventilating. Her world suddenly blackened before her, and she felt herself falling. A strong set of arms wrapped around her to set her straight.

"Hey, we got this." her brother said in a tight voice.

"What if something happened to them? What if he took them? What if -"

"Naina, calm down." It was Mr. Kazmi. He squatted down to her level. It was then she realized she was sitting on the floor. "They are gonna be okay. We'll find them."

She heard him say, but couldn't gather enough focus to be able to see him.

"But how?" Tia asked, bending down next to her. She took in the family's current predicament, squeezing Naina's palms in reassurance.

"When was the last time you saw them?" Mr. Kazmi asked, shaking her shoulder, trying to bring her back from her state of anxiety.

It was enough to snap her back to reality, as she looked at him unsure, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Yesterday before going to bed." She hiccuped. "I told her to tell us about the history of this place."

"Perhaps she was not willing to share?" Tia asked in a soft voice. It was a possibility.

"She was reluctant at first, but then after I told her about strange happenings, she agreed." Naina jerked her head in response, hoping her words would make some sense.

"Where's Dad?" Samraat, who still had his arms around her, whispered closer to her ear, frowning.

"Can't find him either." Naina ducked her head down further, wiping her tears off. She looked at her brother with slightly swelling eyes. "What do you think happened to them?"

He sighed, plopping down on the floor next to his sister, and resting his head on her shoulder.

"We need to find clues on our own." Mr. Kazmi said logically. He believed he was the only one among them who could guide them, considering the present scenario, the younger ones around him were tearing their confidence in defeat.

Naina hoped she had misheard him. It was then she knew she could no longer make up her mind anymore. "We were about to do that and look what happened. What are the chances that if we delve any deeper, none of us would end up getting hurt or worse?" Her tone was incredible.

None of them uttered a word for a moment.

"But that's exactly what he wants." The former undercover officer countered her logic. There was a tinge of strain and tensity in his voice.