Coming Home!!

Chapter 68

"You have to believe me. This is magic" Saki exclaimed as she rolled over the rug at the floor of the tree-house-shed while Inaaya was busy putting up the lights. She shook her head, "For last time, I am telling you. It was a coincidence"

"You said magic is real. You told me you secretly wished upon the bracelet that Ayaan was your boyfriend. So, magic is real" Saki argued. Inaaya looked at her with a smile, "Fine, magic is real. Now, pass me the tape"

Saki kept talking, "Oh, this carpet is so soft. I could sleep on this whole day. I was wondering if indirectly, I am the cupid of your love-story"

Inaaya started laughing, "Yes, you are the cupid. Saki, just pass me the tape. I have to complete this before he gets here"

"Then go and get dressed. I can finish it. It is just the lights" the little girl jumped on her feet. Inaaya squinted asking, "Are you sure?"

"I am a big girl. I just turned 10, last month. I can handle this" she replied placing her hands on her waist and posing as superhero. Inaaya shrugged, "Okay, I will leave it to you"

As Inaaya was walking out, Saki called out, "Also, don't forget to get your laptop from my room. It has been charging for hours now"

Inaaya gave her a thumbs-up over her head as she continued walking. The girl jumped on the stool with tape and started hanging up the string of lights. She switched on the music on Inaaya's phone. She had always loved Inaaya's taste in music.

Zara walked in the back grounds of 'Hope'. She had visited this place once when Mrs. Kapoor invited her. She did get annoyed with kids but kept a smiling face, 'the matters of impressions, you know' she would say. After that, she vowed to never visit this place. As she had to break that vow today, she wondered what her sister liked about this place and then a storm of uneasiness filled her body, their thoughts never matched anyway. She stopped in front of the wooden house. It was time to start the plan.

The cool breeze made the woods, a ghastly place, the leaves rattled. When she saw Inaaya walk out of the shed, she immediately brought the plastic cans from her car and started pouring the liquid all over the house. As she was pouring she could hear Inaaya's soft chuckles in her head, the murmurs of her happy and squeaky voice as she was planning this evening with that deadbeat Charlotte. She could not imagine Ayaan going to a place like that, in woods which smelled of dead carcasses and ground as damp as sewage. Inaaya made him change. Her AK would never come to this place, yet he'll be here. He will come for Innaya. The thought made her insides burn. The bruises on her arm reminded her of all the things Inaaya took from her. That bitch didn't deserve happiness, Zara was determined of that as she struck a match and threw it at the house. Small flames started swallowing the ground of the house. A silent relief came to her heart as she watched the flames and she automatically smiled. Years of hatred had finally come to show. She started walking back to her car, without turning back even once.