Darkness.

It felt as if my head hit something because my eyes snapped open and I looked around with a blurry vision trying to decipher where I was. My senses came back and like a violent wave of an ocean, I was hit by reality.

I was in a moving vehicle and my hands and legs were tied up. My mouth was gagged and I looked around trying my best to get up but failing miserably because of the motion of the vehicle.

"She is the one because of whom our Chotu and Chetan are in jail. I will teach this bitch a lesson," I heard someone and then there was another man who was laughing.

Adrenaline rushed in as I tried to look out of the vehicle. It was dark and the only thing that rung in my mind was, I was drugged and kidnapped. How stupid can I be for letting myself kidnapped? Judging from their conversation, I was pretty sure, they were companions to the guys I sent behind the bars in the afternoon and probably they kidnapped me for revenge.

Shit!

Even though I was kidnapped, still I had no idea why I was calm. My heart was racing against my chest but still I managed to keep it down as I closed my eyes for a little thinking what to do.

This was heinous.

My first International tour and already in a blunder.

The first thing that came in my mind was, I was kidnapped and I knew only two suspects. Judging from the interior of the vehicle and the space in the back, it seemed as a Van. My first priority was to get away from these people without getting hurt.

To top of that, I saw my luggage next to me. I was bit skeptical of carrying my luggage while on the run, but made sure to get my essential with was my purse and passport in the handbag.

I could always buy a new phone but my passport was essential and money.

The vehicle came to a halt and I lied down, closing my eyes when I felt them checking on me.

"She is still unconscious,"

"Leave her alone. Let's fetch some food before traveling along. Guard the van while I am away," I heard their conversation and knew one was right there, guarding me while the other one was gone.

As I heard the door of my vehicle slamming shut, I quickly lay on my back to find some support and sat up. Suddenly, a headlight from another car shone directly into my eyes, making me squint and strain to see who it was.

Maybe, I could ask for help.

Like a miracle, someone from that car, saw me and instantly came out narrowing his eyes at me.

"What the hell are you doing with her?" I heard the man yelling and all of a sudden he called out his other fellows who came rushing out of their car and looked my way.

In an instant, there was a commotion and the man who had been standing guard outside was forcefully dragged toward the van, causing me to slip down. Despite being disoriented, I could hear the assailants yelling and shouting. Finally, the door of the van slid open and I sat up, overwhelmed with gratitude to the almighty that I had been saved.

Or so I had thought.

"Yes, we found her," the man before me talked to someone in a phone and reached out to get rid of the tape from my mouth.

I breathed in deeply, relieved and ready to thank the man before me for saving me. But before I could utter a word, he pulled out a bottle from his pocket and a handkerchief, which he quickly pressed against my face. In that moment, I realized with horror that he had used chloroform on me.

My mind raced with questions about the man's intentions as I struggled to resist him and avoid breathing in the chloroform. But despite my efforts, he used force to overpower me, and the familiar scent of the chemical invaded my nostrils once again. Before I knew it, I had lost consciousness for the second time that day.

While I lost control, I had this on my mind, how and why did the man do this to me?

~

Flashback<

"Wait!" I called out as I watched my best friend, Celine, sprint ahead of me.

"No can do! It's already half past six in the evening. Mom is going to kill me today," she shouted back, continuing her dash towards home. We had been playing in the park, and I hadn't realized how late it was until Celine checked with the park guard. I followed her as she ran, feeling a twinge of worry for what might happen to her when she got home.

"Oh my god! Mommy is really going to kill me today," Celine said, her voice catching as we slowed down.

I couldn't understand why Celine was so scared of her parents. Weren't parents supposed to love their children? Why did she have to worry about getting scolded?

"I told you to keep a tab on time. If my mother gets mad at me today, then consider she is not going to celebrate my ninth birthday tomorrow. I am so done!" I stopped running and looked at Celine, who had come to a stop at the end of the street. The streets were deserted, and Celine looked back at me.

"Sometimes, I get jealous of you! You don't have to get all these scoldings, you can go home anytime you want!" Celine huffed, making me feel guilty.

Is Celine really jealous of me?

Is it really better to have no parents at all?

"Anyway, Maithy, it's already late. Get back home soon. I am off! Bye!" Celine waved and ran across the empty street, grinning broadly.

I waved back and made my way to my house. The lights were on when I arrived, and I could smell delicious Indian food coming from the kitchen. My caretaker had made dinner and set the table for me, but I was again alone.

Why did we have all these extra chairs when there was never anyone to fill them?

I was always alone, eating my food silently and cleaning up after myself. There was no one to scold me or celebrate my birthday. I didn't even know when I was born - I had just been given a random date.

Was my life really that appealing to others?

Especially to Celine?

At least she had someone looking out for her. But here I was, all alone.

I played some music to distract myself, but I still felt empty. I saw my caretaker cleaning up a broken vase that I had accidentally knocked over earlier in the day. I couldn't tell if my caretaker was kind or just indifferent. She never seemed to care about my mistakes, no matter how big or small.

I tried to befriend her, but she remained professional and distant. It was like I didn't matter to her at all.

I lost my appetite and went upstairs to my room, knowing that my caretaker would throw away the food in the morning whether I ate it or not.

Why did I have to be the only one with this kind of life?

Why wasn't I blessed with a family like my friends?

What did I do wrong to end up like this?

But there was one thing I knew for sure: my caretaker received a check every year. It was the only clue I had to who was paying for my care. I had asked my caretaker many times, but she always refused to tell me. But I was determined to find out.

Finding my family and getting answers to my questions was my life's mission. Why had they abandoned me? I wanted to show them my scrapbook of how much I missed them, even though I didn't know who they were. And even if they didn't want me, I still wanted to let them know that I was glad they were taking care of me, or else I would have ended up in an orphanage.

But would that have been any better? Would I have found another family to take me in? These were the questions that kept me up at night, but I knew that I had to keep searching for the answers.