The Scars ✓

Prologue

"Wake up Vrinda, it is five thirty." Arjun said.

Vrinda groggily rubbed her eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm up, you get the gifts, I'll just freshen up and come out."

Vrinda and Arjun switched on the lights in Kiara's room exactly at six am. They went up to her and pulled down the blankets from her face and saw Kiara scrunch her eyes from the sudden exposure to the light. She stirred and moved her hands around in search for her blanket and then, when she couldn't find it, opened one eye and saw her parents standing over her head, grinning from ear to ear. She slowly sat up, pulled the blanket that was near her feet, closer to her body in order to attain the now lost warmth in the winter days.

"Good morning sweetie, happy birthday!" Vrinda and Arjun cheered.

"Thank you so much mom!" Kiara said, rubbing her eyes.

"Rise and shine darling, see what we have got for you!" said Arjun.

"What is it dad?" Kiara asked pointing to the hand which Arjun hid behind him. What she saw left her in shock!

"Keys? What are these keys for?" asked Kiara.

They both looked at each other and chuckled at the adorable expression on their daughter's face.

"These are for your new scooty!"

"Wh-What? Like my own scooty?" Kiara stammered.

Both Arjun and Vrinda nodded, smiling at her.

"Oh my God! This is unbelievable. Thank you so much!" exclaimed Kiara, recovering from her temporary state of shock.

"Kiara, even I have a surprise for you!" said Alia, entering Kiara's room, trying to hold a huge box behind her back.

"Show me?" said Kiara enthusiastically, ignoring the failed attempts of her younger sister to hide the box behind her back.

"Oh my God, such a big box! What is in it Alia?" Kiara spoke with enthusiasm.

"A collection of your sixteen favourite things!" Alia said.

"Wow, this is so cool! Thank you so much babe. I love you! You're the best sister!"

"Haha, I love you too Kiara and thank you. I finally got my compliment!" Alia replied in a playful tone with a sly smile.

"It's really a one time thing. Don't flatter yourself." Kiara remarked trying to tease her sister.

"Really?" Alia asked in a fake hurt voice placing her hand over her heart.

"Obviously. Duh!" Kiara said laughing.

"Okay. That is enough. Get up both of you and get ready for school before you put up another fight here."

"Okay Mom..." both Kiara and Alia spoke in chorus.

***

Tenth of October, Kiara's sixteenth birthday turned out to be a milestone in her life in all aspects.

She went to the school in the morning and all her friends wished her. They all wished her and sang the happy birthday song. She wasn't very popular in her school but she definitely was not a loner. She had a charismatic personality and could blend with anyone that came her way. She was liked by all her friends and teachers.

Once she returned from school, she was bombarded with phone calls from her relatives and cousins. She was extremely happy with the special attention that she was being given.

At seven in the evening, they all got ready for going to Kiara's birthday dinner. She wasn't really a party person so she just preferred to celebrate her birthday with close family and friends only.

They all went to a fine dine restaurant and ordered their food and conversed. She was having the time of her life. They soon left the restaurant after paying the bill. They all came home singing along to the radio. Kiara reached home completely exhausted from the activities of the day but smiled when she remembered the events of the day.

Everything was almost perfect.

Almost.

What bugged Kiara was that the whole day had passed and everyone wished her, except her paternal relatives. Not that she expected them to, because they never did, lived far away and had their own busy lives, but her grandmother? She lived with them in the same house and had crossed Kiara many times throughout the day but didn't wish her even once!

With anger running in her body mixed with blood, she sat in her room alone and closed her door.

After an hour or so, Vrinda noticed that Kiara had not come out of her room. She went near the room but sensed no movement in the room so she went in to close the lights and kiss her goodnight when she saw that Kiara was sitting on her bed, her knees pulled close to her chest and her head buried in them.

"What's wrong baby? Why are you sitting alone in here?" Vrinda asked with concern in her voice.

Kiara looked directly in her mother's eyes and a silent tear slipped from her eyes. She wasn't crying because she was upset. The tears were of anger. They were a proof that she had an almost perfect life.

"Nothing mom. Go away. Let me be and leave me alone." Kiara replied not really paying attention to what Vrinda was saying.

"And leave my princess crying? I don't think so." Vrinda spoke caressing Kiara's face.

She couldn't hold back herself now and asked her mother, "What is my mistake mom? What wrongs have I done to deserve such treatments from my own blood relations? Is it because I am a girl?"

Vrinda looked a little taken aback with the sudden outburst of questions from Kiara and hesitated in answering. Kiara sensed her mother's hesitation and her eyes became a darker shade of brown when she sarcastically commented, "So there is a reason. Great!"

"You are a grown up girl now, sweetheart. I am going to tell you the whole story from where it all started. Please listen carefully and eventually you'll get answers to all your questions." Vrinda said, fiddling with her hands. A habit when whenever she was nervous. Then she placed one hand on Kiara's cheek to caress it.

"Okay. Tell me. I've waited enough for this. I think I'm ready." Kiara spoke with urgency as she couldn't think of what possibly could have been the reason for her paternal relatives to give her a cold shoulder for the last sixteen years of her life.

Vrinda nodded her head and began.

"So, once upon a time...."

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Hey guys, 

I'll be editing the book to a major extent. Though the basic plot of the book remains the same, I will include some changes in the already posted chapters.

Also, please don't forget to hit the star and all kinds of criticisms are welcome so if you have something that could help me improve this, feel free to tell me in the comments below.