I DIDN'T DO IT

THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVED ME

It was tricky to roll up my jeans, as the dried blood, was stuck to it. The running water glided down my knee, the sudden sting when it passed down my skin brought me back to reality.

There wasn't anyone around to lift me. Here I was all alone; trying to run in a race I never registered for, everyone I knew, I loved, want me dead. They no longer believed me, according to them I'm a murderer. How long will I hide, where will I go? What will I do? Is there no end to this mystery?

The bleeding had stopped, I gently dabbed a cotton cloth over it. The bruise would heal in a couple of days, but I would remain emotionally torn for the rest of my life. I grabbed the handbag from the lounge and walked out of the house. It was a good thing she shifted her room from 1st floor to ground floor, with this wounded leg I couldn't have walked down the stairs, instead, I would have rolled over them to reach the floor.

The Sun was high above the sky gleaming in its glory. Would it be fun to be the Sun? I wonder.

"Don't you feel lonely out there though" I took a glimpse up and questioned the Sun, A little boy with his ironed, tucked in a crisp yellow shirt, dark blue trousers, oiled and neatly combed hair laid his eyes on me and then back at the sky, He looked back at me once again and gestured me to level up with him, I bent down and, he asked

"Would you ask your friend, to stay in tomorrow and allow the clouds to take over the sky if it rained heavily, Lydia said the school might give us a holiday," I loved the way he called the Sun my friend, the innocence in his eyes and his small voice reminded me of Joy.

When we were young, Granny would entertain us with some weird horror stories. There was this one story she repeated a countless number of times. It was about a young boy who had lived next door. He was strange and never spoke to people. One day granny saw him talking to a tall lady, and by the time she put on her glasses. The boy and the tall lady were gone.

From the very next day, the boy had been and is still missing. Joy would force Granny to repeat this story, and hear intently like that was the first time he was listening to it. He would act undaunted during daylight and nudge closer and closer to me; I could feel his breath against my neck and murmurs of hymns at nightfall.

"I sure will, Sun is not just my friend, he is my favourite person and, I'll tell him to sleep in, so it will rain tomorrow. By the way, who is Lydia?" His little cheeks turned a blush pink; he scooted away from me, shouting a thank you as he left.

I got into an auto-rickshaw and asked him to drop me at Yelahanka; right now the only person I trust and can seek help from is Raj.

I untied my sweatshirt from my waist and put it on me, I used the hood to cover my head cause by now, there is a high possibility that Tanya's death could have come to light, and my loving parents would have blamed her death on me. I had to escape from the dangerous men as well as the cops.

Every time I travelled. I would crave for the corner seat with headphones on sometimes engaged with the lyrics or lost in thoughts is such a pleasure. Right now, I don't have my ear - pods nor a charger. I cannot view things in peace, everywhere I turned I was scared and frightened to death, I would be caught or even worst killed.

I closed my eyes and laid back on the seat, recollecting the day I first met Joy.

He was standing right outside my so-called temporary home. Wearing a bright red t-shirt with Lightning McQueen from cars printed on it; matched with white shorts he was holding a cotton candy in his hand. I saw him staring at me while I stood at the corner of the tall black gate wiping away my tears. He gave me his cotton handy and ran away from there. I was about to take a bite when the other kids from the orphanage especially, Miss Bossy Purvi took it away from me.

He came back with two other people, a pale-complexioned lady and a grumpy man who were his mom and dad they had accepted to adopt me. Packing away the only accessories I owned six sets of clothes. I tugged my fingers onto his sleeves and, his warm hands touched against mine. I knew my life would never be the same again. He would be there at every junction of my life. A silent agreement passed on between us.

"I'm Joy and I'm so happy to meet you, my baby sister" he smiled, showing off his two missing teeth.