When the two worlds collide...

Ouvert

                As Swayam walked out of the shadowed region of the terrace, his tall figure standing up to the two most trusted people in his life after his family; his best friend and his girlfriend.  He couldn't believe that these were the people because of whom his twin sister suffered, he looked straight into their eyes when Sharon's eyes refused to meet his stare he knew she felt guilty even though there wasn't much of her fault in the situation. While Rey looked very firm about his stand.

             "Look, Swayam I know I might look like an ass right now but..." Rey tried to explain himself to the tall guy, but it definitely was a failed attempt.

              "Why don't you  spare your energy? I'll tell you what? I know my sister, okay? she is my twin! And I'll tell you this loud and clear. Taani isn't a liar, alright? she would never lie" Swayam said confidently, though something inside him kept telling him that it wasn't true. Swayam very well knew Taani and her lying business, there have been numerous occasions where Taani lied so efficiently that he having witnessed all of her deeds in childhood, still was manipulated to believe her innocent facade. He knew Taani was the queen of liars, but he believed she wouldn't lie to Rey out of all people.

              "Swayam I think you should hear him out, Taani hasn't been herself for a while now. she just keeps on behaving so bizarrely, its improper" Sharon said as she moved forward to face her boyfriend. Her head held up high, as she met his ice cold stare. 

               Swayam's eyes turned towards something more interesting on the floor, as he took a deep breath in his lungs and then looked up at Rey signalling him to begin with his explanation. That's when Sharon sighed moving out of the way and sitting on the empty drum that was dumped on the terrace, letting the two boys converse.

             "Look Swayam, all I am saying is that Taani is lying to me, to us about something. I... I just don't know what it is but there is something. She is stressed about, I don't know what it is, can't seem to put a finger on it, but there is clearly something that is worrying her. She tells you, that she is going out with me but she isn't, tells me going out for shopping with girls but doesn't. Tells Sharon that she is busy with some household chores but she obviously isn't. She is just missing out of our lives didn't you notice Swayam? No more hanging out with the gang, no more movie nights? It's....it's like she is running away from us to be somewhere else...."

               Rest of Rey's explanation was given a deaf ear by Swayam as he started analysing everything from a particular night.....

                                                        *****************************

SEVERAL MONTHS BACK

Night 3 A.M 

            Taani shivered as she sat on the sofa of their living room, with her twin pacing around thinking of everything she had described to him critically.
   
           "Do you think we should you know... we should go there and check out?" Taani asked as she eyed the conflicted expressions on his visage.

             "Well, no it was just a dream Taani and I am sure if we were needed there they would have contacted us!" Swayam said after good 15 minutes of pause between his answer and question.

            He had taken enough time to think about the situation, surely they would have been contacted some way or the other. But if they aren't it obviously meant that whatever Taani saw was just a nightmare.

            It took another hour for Swayam to explain Taani and convince her not to go back in those dark allies.

                                                                       ***************

     "It's not like I haven't tried, I did Swayam. I asked her, I questioned her but we only ended up fighting. It was getting worse, also she started taking me for granted. I... I.. I didn't know what to do.." Rey's final words were now hitting his eardrums.
         
         Swayam did not say anything but just ran, ran for one thing he wanted  to assure himself about, that whatever Rey said wasn't true. And if it was, god knows he would never be able to forgive himself.

          Sharon and Rey followed Swayam, the trio went to the Shekhawat house in Rey's car. They saw the twin's white mini Cooper parked in backyard. As they entered the house with the help of Swayam's spare key.

         Swayam and Rey started running around the house, calling out for Taani. Sharon rolled her eyes and simply just walked towards the younger Shekhawat's room.

         "Swayam do you have a spare key for Taani's room?" She called out as she fumbled on the locked wooden door of Taani's room.

          Swayam soon walked in the small passage that leads to his twin's room. Rey was just a few steps behind, the uncertain feeling he felt when he saw Taani leaving the rehearsal hall had never left him. But this time it grew a little stronger, like she was just a few steps away bit still out of his reach.

        Swayam tried to open the room again for the 3rd time with the key but the door wouldn't budge. Sharon and Rey kept on calling out for Taani, but they were only returned with a cold reply; not consisting of any words but the jingle of the keys in Swayam's hands.

        "See?! There is something wrong with her I am telling you!" Rey pointed out, his eyes darting towards the door, which refused to budge even after 15 minutes of continuous key fumbles, knocking, yelling everything.

         Sharon tried to calm her over agitated best friend and if she would have spared a look at her boyfriend she would have noticed the  terror on his face, who sat on the sofa of the living room.

         Before Rey could say anything more for making Swayam to degrade himself a little more as a brother, they heard a loud thump through Taani's room. And a sound of a shattering glass, they once again ran back to her room continuing the process they did a few minutes ago, but to no avail.

       "Oh, fuck it!" Rey cursed as he ran through the small passage and straight out of that mahogany door. His feet passed rapidly through the gravel road in the backyard, so he could climb into her room through her window.

       Sharon who was about to follow him out, heard another curse from behind and turned to see Swayam bringing out a stick from his yellow shirt.

     "Ouvert!" Swayam whispered, and the wooden door flew open. He ran straight in, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. His black eyes were mirrored with terror watching his twin sister.

          "Rey!" He heard Sharon's desperate calls. He closed his eyes before he picked her lifeless body up in his arms and placed her on the bed, covered with white duvet, he looked down in his palms and shivered watching her blood that covered his long fingered palm.

           He saw her body covered in blood, cuts on her on her arms and the damp area on her stomach covered by red t-shirt indicating the blood oozing out of the area.

(the image of Swayam's wand attached above)