NO SILENT READING PLEASE!

AT LEAST VOTE!

Captor.

  I blinked my eyes rapidly to get rid of the heaviness from the vague eyes, even though it didn't go away entirely. I tried, tried, and tried without giving up.

  "Ssshh, your endeavour won't work, little one, and neither will your fights. So, stop trying so hard, my dove," he said while continuing his assault on my face and hair. “Succumb to sleep.”

  Why was he touching my hair?

  Scalding tears spilt out from the corner of my eyes, hiding in the sides of my hair. I was scared—no. I was terrified, and I just wanted this stranger to stop touching me. Who was he? Who had permitted him to assault my hair?

  Fighting the urge to keep my eyes shut, I fought—hard. And with certain luck, my vagueness subsided.

  On an impulse, my eyes widened in fright when the realisation hit me hard. Without mulling any further, I looked frantically around me to search for Shaurya, my baby, but no one was there in the entire large car except for the two of us.

  My eyes watered.

  "He is fine and sleeping soundly," he told me, catching my eyes. “Do not worry. No one is going to hurt him or you. So go back to sleep, little one," he said, nonchalantly, his voice as cool as a cucumber. “I promise, when you wake up, he'll be with you.”

  Again, I felt like something was being administered somewhere at the side of my neck, and eventually, my eyes started to drop steadily. And I reluctantly let the sleep overpower me before embracing the sluggishness.

  “From now on, you both are my responsibility.” His thumb seemed to be gently roaming around my face, and I fell into my barely awake state. “You're my responsibility that I am going to abide by, with the passion I have.”

  •

  •

  •

  The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was daunting and overwhelming emotions.

  "Why the hell is she not waking up?" Someone with a deep, severe accent said it loudly, accompanied by the loud cry of a baby.

  Baby?

  My baby. Shaur! With certain difficulties, I instantly opened my eyes, only to have them close tightly because of the blinding lights. The lights were flashing and blistering embers into my eyes.

  "Shut the little kid, will you?" The earlier voice snapped again, impatiently.

  This time impulsively, I slowly and carefully opened my eyes when my pupils adjusted to the brightness. I saw the ceiling, plain but with complex designs above. My heart palpitated inside my chest.

  "It could be the side effects of—" another professional voice deduced but stopped abruptly.

  "Look, she's awake!" The earlier voice exclaimed after a pause with relief barely contained. “Impeccable timing.”

  In a fleeting moment, everything went silent, except for my brother's loud wail.

  On impulse, I quickly, but tentatively, sat up to glance at my brother. My eyes gingerly searched for him, awash with anxiety. I was alarmed when I immediately found him, struggling to get out of the clutches of a very scrawny young girl who was trying to console him by rubbing his back back and forth.

  Nonplussed, right away I raised both hands, motioning for the young girl to hand over my brother to me. I tried to talk too, but nothing came out of my parched mouth. I parted my lips to intake some fresh air, staring at her.

  She didn't move an inch. As if waiting for something.

  Again, I passed a pleading look to the girl, looking straight at her and only at her. My entire brooding was on the girl who was holding my brother with vexation. Utterly astounded and somewhat relieved, my whole concentration was on them—on the most important person in my life: my brother—without regard for my surroundings.

  Dully, she turned her face to the right side, staring behind me. Jumbled, I too turned my face to see what had made her look behind me, but stiffened on the spot when I saw two other people in the room apart from me, my brother and the scrawny girl. Then I only noticed I wasn't alone. Veering, I saw them staring at me.

  One with a poker face.

  And the other with the look of exasperation.

  Wide-eyed, I instantly looked over to the girl, who gave a nod to one of the people before coming in my direction. With certain relief, I quickly took Shaurya from her arms. Cradling him to my chest securely. I rubbed his back while kissing his tear-stained face. And after a faltering movement of time, he stopped crying. Finally, I had him in my arms. Unseeing, someone sat on the bed beside me. I abruptly looked to see—the very man from the past night peering at me impassively. Roaming my eyes in the vicinity, I tried to see but found— no one but him.

  Where did the other two people go?

  I looked back at him again. We both stared at each other without uttering a word. And after innumerable minutes, he started,

  "Look, everything is alright,” he paused. “You don't have to panic, and your brother is with you too. No harm will come to you an—"

  Unintelligibly, I cut him in half. "Who are you—" I tried to say but ended up in a fit of coughs.

  I coughed while trying again. Cupping my mouth, I stifled my coughs.

  He passed me a glass of water from beside the bed, which was kept on the bedside table. But I did not take it. I continued to stare at him. Asking questions through my speaking eyes without saying anything verbally. However, I tried to open my mouth to inquire more about the question that kept occurring inside my head, but again, I ended up in fits of coughing.

  "Don't be adamant; drink this. It will be quite a relief for your sore throat if you do drink it,” he said, nodding at the glass of water. Bringing the glass near my lips. He held it, and without mulling more of it, I gulped it greedily due to my thirst.

  ~•~•~•~