Samaira Lakshmi Deshpande is caught between two worlds, two masks. Amidst the hunt for her missing twin and the pressure to fit her family's mold of the perfect daughter facade, she's trapped in a life she despises.
Everything shifts when a strange...
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Samaira's POV
The night covered us like a dark blanket as Adithya and I quietly left the house after dinner. We tiptoed to the car, trying not to make any noise. The car keys made a soft jingling sound as we unlocked the car door and slipped inside, trying to be sneaky. Nithya was fast asleep as she was tired.
Adi, trying to make things less serious, commented on my outfit. "Isn't this too fancy for a secret mission?" he said with a small smile putting the car in ignition and driving out of the street quickly, as if trying to lighten the heavy mood.
I rolled my eyes, glancing at my jeans and a corset briefly and replied, "I don't get to wear what I want every day. So, why not wear something nice when I can?" Adi chuckled briefly, a small attempt to distract ourselves from the tension.
It was not like I could wear Western clothes and my comfy clothes whenever and wherever I wanted. So whenever I got opportunities I seized. Like these. Midnight endeavours.
Our journey to the secret location was filled with silent anxiety. The car stopped, and we waited quietly, watching the clock in the car inch closer to the set time. I looked around nervously, on the lookout for anything suspicious, while Adi tapped his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel.
"Adi quit it. It is getting on my nerves." I whispered as if someone would hear us. But my brother like every other sibling continued thrumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
I got out of the car closed the door behind me and focused on the impending meeting. But my thoughts raced, remembering about all those mysterious calls we got ever since Amaira's disappearance. Each call led us to more questions than answers. It felt like a complicated game was being played, and Amaira was caught up in something bigger and mysterious. Because there were zero outcomes for those. Half of them felt like a prank. It never led to anything until this one where we are meeting someone.
I could tell this is going to be different. I had a gut feeling about this meeting.
A sudden light in the distance signaled the arrival of a vehicle breaking my chain of thoughts. I kept my eyes fixed, and as the car stopped, a person wearing a mask stepped out. The night seemed to hold its breath, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves. My spine straightened when I sensed something behind me and I relaxed immediately when I sensed Adi and his protective hand resting in the middle of my back.
With a motion of his hand, the mysterious person signalled to follow. Adi and I moved cautiously together, stopping immediately when the other person did. he turned back and his eyes stayed on both of us for a moment before he looked above my head at Adi with a long, lingering stare. I knew why he was looking at my brother but I was not going to be the first one to acknowledge it. Then he pointed at me, gesturing me to follow him and I let out a sigh before turning to look at Adi.
My eyes met his, and I tilted my head, giving a subtle nod while blinking reassuringly. Adi, in response, briefly locked eyes with me before adopting a stern expression and issuing a threat in a voice I had never heard from him before.
