Stars, Croissants and You - By Binish Iqbal
Written By: Binish Iqbal
Category: Novella
Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026
Binish Iqbal presents a thought-provoking novella titled "Stars, Croissants and You" as part of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This creative writing piece navigates the realms of identity, family, and self-discovery through an imaginative narrative. Set against a backdrop of celestial wonders and earthly challenges, Binish crafts a story that invites readers to explore the intersection of the extraordinary and the familiar. Join us as we delve into this gripping tale that promises to captivate and inspire.
About the Work
"Stars, Croissants and You" intricately weaves themes of adventure, identity, and belonging through a narrative brimming with vivid imagery and rich storytelling. The novella explores the protagonist's journey across galaxies and personal trials, blending science fiction with poignant human experiences. Binish Iqbal's mastery in creating a compelling atmosphere and a dynamic plot invites readers to reflect on life’s unexpected paths and the bonds that define us.
Stars, Croissants and You
Original Submission by Binish Iqbal
STARS,CROISSANTS AND YOU.
by Binish Iqbal
TO MY DEAR ANNA-KATS
I’M SURE YOU WON’T LET ME DOWN.
AND TO EVERYONE WHO DID?
WATCH THIS.
Prologue
You know, I’ve always had this deep bond with the stars. They’ve made me feel small in a huge and vast universe but in a good way. I used to be so interested that my dad, being an Archaeologist, somehow convinced my mum to get me an actual telescope for my 9th birthday!
I’d spend all my time till 3am watching the stars when it wasn’t a school night, Me and dad would even camp on Monts Lyonnais when mum would go visit granny in Toulouse. Why not all night if I was ever so tenacious? Well, because grandpa once told me that 3am was witching hour where unbelievable things like Aliens and Monsters would come out but I’d always laugh it off and eventually, after a lot of pestering from dad and grandpa, I’d finally fall asleep.
The thing I’d be especially interested in, and would spend hours reading on the kitchen table, was about Titan, Saturn’s largest moon with sheets of ice on the surface encasing the liquid water and secret civilizations.
But by the time I joined high-school, nothing stayed the same.
I’d lost interest in space since I felt Dad lost interest in me. Not just me, He even arrived late to the hospital when my brother was born!
All because of some random Gem thing he was looking for. So much that he booked a flight to Switzerland just to find it!
I’d spoken to my mum about it one evening as we were going through some old stuff and she pulled out my telescope and said while dusting it “Briar honey, I know how you feel and I’m upset too; neglecting your family for some random treasure?”
I sigh and continue folding my coats and say “I know he’s doing it for us but it’s stopped feeling like it”. Then I hear her say “Either way Ma Cherie, I don’t want you to stop being our little Astrophile. Why don’t you take this dusty thing out to Mont Lyonnais with Brody, it seems like a nice night for you both to relax! In fact, I’ll even pack you some sandwiches for supper after we’re done here”. I smile since it’s been far too long since I’ve last visited Mont Lyonnais and start folding and stacking things like my life depends on it!
Though Brody was pretty reluctant to leave his PS4, he agreed only because of mum’s sandwiches and an escape from unloading the dishwasher. When we finally reached, it felt like air in my lungs again and Brody’s jaw was glued to the floor as I jumped around an unassembled telescope. “I guess children just don’t get it now do they?” I say as I dust my hands. I lift my beloved telescope ‘Talia’ who’s name I’d marked with a Sharpie.
The pride on my face was self-explanatory as I watched Brody praise Saturn’s rings, his eye fixed to the lens. We spent the rest of the evening eating sandwiches and arguing about who’d unload the dishwasher when we’d get home.
But when we were riding the metro home that night, Brody stared at me, his eyes filled with horror as he showed me the time on his watch. “Oh Puh-lease Bud, I can’t believe you take that Witching hour nonsense seriously” I laugh as I ruffle the Brown jungle which Brody likes to call his luscious locks.
We finally reach our front porch only to hear sniffling from my parents’ bedroom which faces the verandah. It feels weird but I brush it off and rush in gripping Brody’s wrist and pulling him in with me, thinking Dad finally decided to come home and that everything would go back to the way it was; but Boy was I wrong.
My delusional thought vanishes as I see mum on the floor, her weeping reminding me of the time Brody knocked our family album into the fireplace. We rushed by her side, clinging to her trembling body, her eyes and nightgown soaked with tears. When she calmed down a little, a blank expression overcame her and the words she said were to forever seal our fate.
“Brody, Briar…. he’s dead.”
I’d never seen Brody cry before, except when he was way younger. I’m surprised I saw anything at all, my teary eyes made it nearly impossible to see, but I could make out a brown bird’s nest shivering and wailing in mum’s arms. I didn’t know what to do except cry. I stormed out of the room and out into the starry sky, tripping and scraping my knees bad enough to feel blood seeping into my socks. A big part of me felt that it was all my fault. Going out during witching hour? Whatever was I thinking? Just when I try stargazing without Dad, this happens! What am I going to do now?! maudit sois-tu, universe! CURSE YOU!!
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Chapter 1
I awoke to the sound of sirens wailing through my supposedly soundproof walls. I rush to the kitchen and see my bunker abandoned and filled with water up to my knees. ‘Why did I need to add that feature?’ I think to myself as I wade through it to get out of this soon to be swimming pool. I finally break down the door with my claws and spread them out. “NAURIAN AQUA MANIFESTO!” I yell as I crouch down and let my fins spread throughout the water. It’s a good thing we Titanese can transform into anything at any time. I rush towards my Methane powered jet-board and before I know I’m already rushing through the atmosphere at full speed. I heave a sigh of relief as I successfully dodge one of the huge boulders floating above my head and gaze at Saturn’s rings which somehow seem to be closing in on Titan. I grab my zoomer googles (human term=binoculars) and BAAM. Everything went black.
When I came to, it was gone. I realised I was bleeding, Shards of glass impaling my skin while I witnessed my purple blood clumping around me as I floated in the dark vacuum of space. Luckily I didn’t get close to Jupiter or I’d be toast. I was facing Uranus as I manage to face away, I see my world, or what’s left of it engulfed in flames. ‘Maybe I could go to Miranda, Uranus’ moon and ask for help. What if they all evacuated there? Though I’d never be welcome ….It’s worth a shot!’
I scramble onto my jet board and flew towards the gates of the capital Prospera’s edge and landed my jet board behind a Glass berry bush. I came back to my original form hoping to blend with the crowd. When it was finally my turn, the officer who looked like a sack of Fudlings (human term=Potatoes) scanned me head to toe and asked for my name and SCVC (space crossing validation card). I paused since I knew that if he got his hands on my SCVC he’d probably report me to the authorities and they’d kick me out just because I was Titanese. “Naurian Verillion” I say as I reluctantly hand him my SCVC with sweat dripping down my neck. He looked me dead in the eye, raised a brow and grabbed my shirt, his claws bigger and sharper than mine. “Titanese huh? BALDERDASH these Saturn lovers, isn’t it folks?” He announced, making the prosperans turn their heads at me and mock me for coming there. “I hear the Whole Moon got destroyed Sir, Good riddance I say!” A woman yells while mocking my efforts to loosen the officer’s hold on my collar. “Whatchu gotta say for yourself lad?, speak or face the torment faced by Intruders”. “LET ME GO! I’ll tell you!” I manage to yell before being choked. “I’m of no harm, trust me. Saturn’s rings crashed into Titan last night and I barely managed to escape.” I say as I show them the infection on my arm, trying to hold back the tears. “The planet’s flooded and no survivors, I figured they all came here since you Mirandians are ever so kind” I say as I force a small smile to look pitiable.
‘BAHAHAHAHA!’ An old man bursts out laughing at the sight. “It’s nothing less than Karma you know? You Titanese thought Saturn was everything, His majesty Prospero would’ve civilized your folk but how could your puny brains ever work? Now that ringed ball of trash has wrecked it all for you! And guess what…..You deserve it!” the crowd erupts as the teen about my age comes over and makes this claim, whispering the last part in my ears to spite me even more. His words echoed louder than the shouts of the officers as I ripped myself from their hold and made a run for it. They chased me till the exosphere and then shot Gamma rays at me which I somehow dodged through teary eyes.
From that moment I felt like I’d never be wanted among the Gas Giant Inhabitants so I grabbed my jet board and began my journey to the first name on my interstellar bucket list which I’d been dying to strike off for almost eons. ‘Earth’
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Chapter 2
I saw my home on the way and couldn’t dare to look, the Prosperan teen’s words still ringing in my ears. I fixed my gaze ahead to Jupiter and even from miles away, the red spot looked stunning. I took a Memorial capture (human term= Selfie) with it and even while soaking in a Carbon glacier pool on Mars’ north pole.
Then I finally saw it. I’m not sure if it was gravity or just my fascination but I couldn’t seem to close my mouth. My mother always told me, Naur, honey, a space bug may get in there. But suddenly a blaring siren, somewhat like the one that startled me back home, sounded and tiny robots made their way towards me and my Jet board. I backed away slowly thinking they were satellites or something. According to my coordinates on my watch, I stood confused in the Lagrange point (L2 for short) and I looked to my left to see a golden umbrella shaped thing the size of my Dropper Picker (human term= school bus) back home! I sheepishly moved towards it, the tiny robots right behind me. ‘James Webb Space Telescope’ (JWST) engraved in gold on the back, I couldn’t help but get déjà vu.
Till now I zoned out and didn’t realise that the siren was still blaring and the robots were closer than ever, I left the JWST thing alone and moved towards the earth only to see a long thing flying to my coordinates. My watch buzzed, alerting the danger as I set my jet board to Max Power and orbited the planet trying to get away only to come face to face with a white guy floating with a big backpack thing and pipe attached. He waved at me and I waved back going closer out of curiosity, ‘Was I meeting a human? Wow! My textbooks must’ve gotten humans wrong, if this is what they look like.’ I thought to myself as I approached the white guy. Suddenly I felt a burn on my back and saw another white guy now with a laser gun aiming at me from behind. I stopped in my tracks and looked up wondering if he really meant to do that or if it was an accident, which gave him the perfect moment to strike my jet board and send me plummeting down towards earth. I felt betrayed as I yelled ‘HEY! I WON’T HURT YOU! SAVE ME PLEASE!!’ to the white man who seemed nice enough to wave at me one last time before disappearing into the abyss. I kept falling with no one to save me about which I’m honestly surprized. I tried to get a hold of myself but a big part of me just didn’t bother trying. I hugged my jet board as I felt my skin strip away in the Earth’s atmosphere which my watch detected was 5000°C. I flew through fluffal balls(human term=clouds) and that’s when things started to get cooler, reminding me of rainy days back home. Then I see humans wearing colourful clothes while bending over in green fields, bringing me the relief of a potential soft landing.
Waking up surrounded by an aroma sweet and spicy at the same time, I feel a soft and wet brush of air like I’m being sniffed all over my face and its golden eyes gaze into mine. It’s face mango coloured with spots all over and its mouth boasting fangs probably as long as my palm! It licked my face, its tongue bumpy and pink. As abruptly as it appeared, it turned me over with its paw, claws somewhat like mine, and left; its spotted tail brushing my nose one last time. ‘I guess it’s a thing for everyone to abandon me’
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Chapter 3
I sigh lifting my wrist to check the coordinates on my watch out of curiosity. ‘ASSAM’ in India, the charming voice announces loud enough to make a middle-aged man’s head turn. I scamper behind a bush with aromatic leaves and decide to do what we Titanese do best, shift and kill. I know what you may be thinking, why don’t you talk to him, Naurian? Simply because I’ve been shot out of the sky and been burned up all because of my urge to befriend a human. Either way, I’ve never really done it since I didn’t need to but I know better than to mess up twice! I whisper the spell as I approach him from behind “Face to face… erase, replace.” I do so till I reach him and bury my claws deep in his flesh and silence his screams once and for all. My body burns and I struggle to stand but I guess that’s how you’re sure it’s working. Once I finally do, fulfilling breath of fresh air rushes through my new lungs as I take a look at my caramel-coloured hands which unfortunately lack claws. I jump with my longer legs but conclude that gravity here is higher since I didn’t get very high.
A young man with a cloth wrapped around his head grabs my hand and yells “Aditya! Kabse tumhe doondh raha hu!” I instantly understand “Aditya, I’ve been looking for you for so long!” and merely nod before picking up the basket beside me and following him as he grumbles some more in Hindi about how a leopard found a weird machine in the bushes. I realise the leopard was the mango-coloured predator which I met hours ago and chuckle, which makes Mr Head Cloth frown at me. I’m not sure what to think of my new name, I mean it’s not your average Titanese name so I’m really not sure what to expect with the other humans I’ll meet.
We walk further into the fields and my jaw still doesn’t close! It’s lush and green as far as the eye can see with butterflies and birds flying overhead. I pick the leaves as I see my companion doing, utterly silent which isn’t like me at all. I suppose you’ve noticed it dear reader, I’ve still not mustered the courage to ask him his name since it’ll probably be sus.
Once I figured it out I vanish yet another time and use my claws to get the job done faster. By sunset, I walked back to Mr Head cloth and the other men with 8 baskets filled to the brim with tea leaves loaded on my back under the gradient sky. They stand there astonished as I fall down on the grass, exhausted but proud. Head cloth grabs my hand and offers to buy me Chai and Pakoras. I give him a confused look and he smacks my head with a smile, urging me to take a sip cause I deserved it! After observing another guy, I let the brown liquid flow down my throat, burning my lips in the process; but boy was it good! It felt like happiness and somewhat like a warm embrace with a hint of elaichi(cardamom) and Adhrak(ginger). After that trip to heaven, I watched as Mr Head cloth chucked a Pakora in his mouth, I tried too but failed miserably, shoving it in my cheek though it was the size of my palm, the embarrassment I felt brought me back to Miranda’s Immigration office as the other guys we were with turned their heads and called me Pagal(crazy). I apologised and blamed it on exhaustion, gulping it down and making my way to my…. ‘home’. It was somehow wired within me to continue whatever the real Aditya would’ve done, proven by the way my legs kept walking into the bustling alleyway, dodging the oncoming rickshaws and nonchalantly walking past the colourful stalls and chattering people. Mr Head Cloth and the others drag and push me into a big box on wheels smaller than the dropper picker (Human term=bus) back home but bigger than my jet board; an Auto they called it. We all clambered in, me and Mr Head Cloth at the edge with our faces sticking out, enough to feel both the breeze outside and the stuffiness inside.
The auto croaked to life as we sped through the streets, watching little children running, adults bargaining and vendors screeching; All of it somewhat exciting and overwhelming at the same time! It made me wonder, ‘Is this really what humans are like? Noisy, kind, and weirdly interesting? If so, I might enjoy being Aditya, possibly better since I can harvest tea better than my companions thanks to my claws; During Chai, one of our friends was talking about how our company owner would increase our wages this month; I could even open my own company and ship tea back home if everything works out! Mr head cloth nudged my hand away from my cheek, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realise I’m supposedly ‘home’ and get off, waving to my friends and Mr head cloth who’s name I heard was Azar.
I let out a satisfied sigh and walked towards the gate, resting my hand on the latch. The sky was the deepest shade of blue spotted with stars, some shining brighter than others, and I hadn’t noticed it until my collar felt heavy that I was crying, it’s just that all the best and worst moments of my life happened up there and now I’m further away from it than I ever imagined. I quickly wipe my tears with my sleeve and open the gate stepping foot into a place that’s supposed to be mine. It’s a grassy patio with a tire-swing tied to the forked branch of a tree. The house is small with a steel grid roof and thatched windows with a wooden swing on the porch.
The rest is probably a mystery till sunrise, for there’s no light except faint moonlight and a dim glow coming from the left window accompanied by the sound of running water and clanking of metals. I approach the stairs adorned with flowerpots and push open the door slightly making it creak. I wince as a young woman probably 22 or something emerges in the darkness, flicking her wet hands and turning on the lights. I strain my neck and see that it’s painted blue all over with off-white furniture, another plant pot in the corner, freshly folded washing on the couch and unfinished colouring pages scattered on the centre table.
She snapped her fingers in my face and ranted about how I was late again and how her day was awful. She wore a flowy night-gown with a bow at the centre and her sleeves were rolled up, probably since she was washing the dishes which also explains the running water and dim light. I’m not sure how but I think it was the wire thing again and I blurted out “Pari kaisi hai?” “How’s Pari?”. She gave me a small smile saying that Aditi had a test today. I smiled and nodded assuming Aditi was Aditya’s daughter. I hand her the money I received for my tea harvesting and watch as she spins around and hugs me like I brought her a star from the sky. She kept on questioning where I got it from, like if I stole it or something but my answer remained the same. She asked me if I knew how much this even was sarcastically and I was dumbfounded enough to actually ask since I didn’t bother knowing out of exhaustion. ₹500! Adi, we can pay off our debts with this!
Backing away I go to my room exhausted, Too much happened in the time I was awake; planet destruction, asylum rejection, arm infection, universal dejection (AYY this rhymes!), first hand embarrassment, police chase ,astronaut meeting, getting shot and plummeted towards the earth, crossing out bucket list destinations like red spot, glacier pools and earth itself, first kill, tea harvest jackpot, leopard interaction, first friend, first rickshaw ride, first human meal, first earning and finally first home on earth.
I wet my pillow again, my eyes closing slowly but still flickering with the images. The worst part is that I’m taking on the role of a middle-aged man when in reality I’m just 17. “What’d I do to deserve this?!” I say to myself, whimpering and clasping my blanket closer than ever to avoid the chill blowing through the window. Knowing I can’t do
anything about it, I turn over and close my eyes, forcing myself to doze off so that reality doesn’t feel as worse.
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Chapter 4
My eyes flickered as tiny drops of water landed on my face, some even going in my mouth. I jolt awake, eyes wide and hands gripped to my blanket, Afraid of being back in my flooded room on Titan and that I’d have to relive every wretched moment again. Ugh, even the thought of it all makes me groan and bury my face in my calloused hands. A gentle hand places itself on my shoulder and I assume it’s my so-called wife but it’s actually a shorter and more childlike version of her. Her freckled cheeks red and full of concern, she stands there, one hand on my shoulder and a comb in the other, wet tresses hanging from her bare shoulders.
It clicks instantly, she must be Aditi, Aditya’s daughter, who’s supposedly just gotten out of the shower. “Papa, ap thik hain na?” “Dad, you good?” was the thing she kept repeating while shaking me. I snapped out of it and reassured her that I was fine. Then she went back to tossing her wet hair around like a maniac, splashing my face with water again! At this point, I’m wide awake, ‘Is this what parenthood feels like? I couldn’t have been this bad as a child.’ I think as I make the bed which was another one of the wired instincts.
My nose twitches like a rabbit as the air smells just like the café I went last evening. I stroll over to the kitchen and see Mrs Wifey flipping something on the stove alongside a kettle brimming with Chai. I smile since I find Chai as the only source of comfort in my anything but comfortable life. ‘What about sleep?’ you may ask, Well I just got disturbed doing that too! After an awkward breakfast with Mrs Wifey and her younger clone, I get dressed and find myself staring at a family picture, guilt making me nauseous.
I rush outside almost tripping over a flower pot as I make my way towards Azar head cloth and the gang, who all look especially annoyed. After hearing his rant about how the gang’s gonna ditch me if I come late tomorrow, we finally shove each other into the rickshaw and get back to the farms for another day of ANNOYING labour. I returned to the meeting point under the gloomy sky, pushing a cartload of tea leaves with a satisfied smile on my face; though I couldn’t say the same for everyone else, who’s faces were as dull and annoyed as the thundering clouds above us. Long story short, they’re jealous, in fact they even challenged me to a picking contest and if I lose they’d be sure I was using a gadget I ordered with money from who knows where. I felt like using the spell on Jamal, the guy who came up with the whole plan and I almost smacked his face! “Who does he think he is?!” I tell Azar Head cloth as we eat our lunches to warm up before the battle.
I was toast and I realised last minute; UGHHHH I groan, pulling my hair. I could’ve declined but then their Gadget claims would seem true except that alien claws are the tools here. Who knows they could even call the white men with little robots to capture me! I start hyperventilating, as I usually did, knowing that there was no way out of a situation. A few minutes go by, my mind? Blank as a slate and those annoying jerks?! They keep pounding on the door, calling me chicken and scaredy cat. I hold my head in my hands and lean against the wall like your average melancholic idiot.
I do the only sensible thing I can think of, revealing my claws, I stab them into the metal bidet, enough to make a jagged edge and stab myself in the hand with it, letting bloody water and muffled screams fill the room.
Azar head cloth pounds the door and eventually knocks it down, his horrified face at a loss for words. Managing to lift myself up without seeming guilty was the hardest part but I succeeded, somehow. Azar dragged me outside and urged me to wash my wound while he unravelled his head cloth. Shards of rusty metal crowd the small drain, blocking my blood from being washed away. The sight was horrific and I’m sure Azar had guts of steal with how effortlessly he wrapped his head cloth around my wound to stop the bleeding, which made me wonder why he’s a farmer when he can be a nurse or even a doctor. He smacks my head with a smile again “kitni padhai aur degree lagti hai pata hai?” “Do you have any idea how many degrees and hours of studying it takes?” to which I grimace since it hurts soooo bad!
After some awkward silence, he asks me what happened even though he literally witnessed it. I tell him that I was in a hurry and accidentally tugged the rusty bidet too hard, ripping it and sending sputtering water straight into my face, disorienting me so much that the broken bidet ended up INSIDE my hand. He and the others fortunately buy the story and send me home early since no picking could be done with a bleeding hand and I’d already picked way more than the others could’ve.
On the way home, Azar kept asking if everything was okay with me and Mrs Wifey since he feels I’ve been really weird and distant lately. The guilt stings harder than the disinfectant Mrs Wifey applies on my hand and I know what I have to do. I can’t keep being Aditya, not when people who love him expect a different version. I’ll just keep letting them down, falling into more trouble and ruining things for everyone like I always do!
That night as I lay in bed, the chai warming up my throat, I give Aditi and Mrs Wifey one last look before slipping out into the moonlight. I stare at it, thoughts rushing through my head; “If I stay, the gang will expose me and They’d shower me with love I’ll never deserve. If I leave, It’d just hurt them once and then they’d learn to live with it, like me.” The thought brought me to tears as I despised myself and wished the White men killed me. Slumping on the bed, I spot a watch, glistening in the moonlight, underneath it was a coat with crumpled ₹50 notes.
An idea spirals in my head and I suppose I have no choice but to go for it. Back in the blanket, “The Act’s begun, Mask undone” I whisper the spell as my fingers tightened and Aditya’s skin slowly detached from mine. The wind hitting my raw skin like a storm, I rush towards the mirror, my reflection bringing back unwanted happy times. I look at Aditya’s lifeless body, the guilt making me nauseous, I staggered back as Mrs Wifey murmured in her sleep. Grabbing three ₹50 notes, I slipped on the coat and watch. Looking ordinary, insignificant and blend-able, Perfect! Closing the door behind me, A small sob escaped me as I waved at the sleeping girl by the window. Leaving behind the life crushing my sanity.
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Chapter 5
I’m not sure what time it was, but I found myself staring at trains tearing past me. The ₹50 notes in my hand nearly slipped onto the tracks. The silence was deafening. All I could do was lean against the wall, waiting for one to stop just so I could disappear without a trace.
When exactly? I’m not sure but I dozed off only to awaken in a small bed wrapped in a knitted blanket, my mom looking at me from above with Saturn’s rings swirling outside my window. My mom stroked my hair, her claws short and painted, as she whispered our prayers to Saturn. I couldn’t hold back a sneeze and my mother spread out her arms, bringing me close. I’d do anything to stay there forever, even holding on tighter to her cloak; “But Naur, dreams aren’t always sweet you know”, I pull away, confused, trying to give her the “What do you mean by that!?” look, An ashen face with red eyes met mine as I felt myself slipping from her embrace, almost like being sucked into a black hole!
I fall for what seems like an eternity, total darkness surrounding me, until I land into a pile of feathers, neatly arranged in a brown box thing that’s hovering above a bed of ‘grim roses’, usually the flower used in funeral processions back home. I straighten my back only to be met with the same desolate face of my mother, only this time she’s on her knees wailing in front of me, shackles wrapped around her blistered feet.
Behind her, Azar, Mrs Wifey and little Aditi were horrified at my true form. Tears flooding Azar’s eyes as he yells “ You….TRAITOR! You SCUMBAG! Adi was like a brother to me, HOW COULD YOU?! His head cloth twisted in his fists before he slammed it onto the floor. A little hiccup sounds behind him as I see Aditi hugging her mother’s Kurti, soaking it with tears of fear and grief. Suddenly a violent clatter and clink of Anklet bells echoed as Mrs Wifey rushes towards me, Anger and hatred fill her bulging eyes with tear streaks across her face.
“Bhabi! NOO! Don’t get near that Murderer” Azar grabbed her from behind as Aditi refused to let go of her mother’s scarf, Neither letting her get any closer. “YOU ABOMINATION! YOU MURDERER! YOU PYSCHOPATH! YOU……..MONSTER!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking and her breath shaking as she choked on her words. Her trembling fingers desperately tried to rip me apart. A moment of silence till they both scream “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS! Aditi’s wails and their screams getting louder, sharper and shriller every second as I clutched tightly to my mother who felt solemnly lifeless in my arms. I’d never felt the urge to be erased from the universe more than I did now.
I jolt awake to find myself against a wall behind a café, a strong wind brushes past my sweaty face, cooling it instantly. I lift myself up and stagger towards the CRUSTY-MUSTY train in which a bunch of giggling boys, about my age were boarding. A shady man with a brief case, lingered behind them, concealing it with his trenchcoat. I felt this unexplainable urge to follow him and I sprint over to the train before it departs, grabbing a rusty pole to avoid falling onto the tracks.
From the dimly lit station to the bluish toned darkness, I stumbled into the man, his coat reeking of chemicals. He shoves me aside with a swear or two and disappears, leaving me alone; coughs and snores filling the air and sending shivers down my spine. I walk along the eerie aisle, scanning the rows for the man or an empty seat. A rattle sounded near the lavatory followed by the smooth rustling of money and the clink of a glass. I made my way towards them, curious to know if that sus man was behind the noises; and as usual, I was right!
The man was chuckling near the window, two gentlemen in Tuxedos sitting across the mini train table cluttered with uno cards, 500₹ bills and glasses of beer, smirked and tried not to laugh as well; looking like they’re supposed to be lounging in a luxury hotel on a beach unlike us BROKIES. I found an empty aisle seat where a malnourished man lay above me. With the North-western wind blowing in my face, I focused on their conversations trying to remember the mind reading spell I’d often use as a way to cheat on tests back home. “But even if I were to dive into the depths of my brain, I’d probably not find it since the whole ‘shape-shifting kill’ thing with Aditya took an important piece of info from my brain; it’s pretty much a curse and a blessing depending on what info was erased”.
A holler snapped me out of it as I leaned in to see the culprit. The sight? Practically horrific. The brief case guy was swallowing a mysterious substance like there was no tomorrow! His eyes red and his hands trembling, spilling the contents on his Trenchcoat. The Tux-buddies? They passed out with foam coming out of their mouths and more white powder spread on their tuxedos. Brief case shot daggers at me (metaphorically) and seemed like it’d be best if I minded my own business before this Psychopath decides to take it literally, but that’s what brought me closer. You see, Though the crocodile seems bigger than a snake, the snake ends up swallowing it whole; and this snake just found its next snack!
I creeped around the foaming Tux-buddies, the dark making them seem like luggage as I locked eyes with Brief case who was still smothering his face with that FOUL SMELLING garbage. One hand covered my nose. The other plunged into his neck, I recited the spell “Face to face… erase, replace.” Until his screams and body vanished.
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Chapter 6
The fresh Bihari air filled my lungs as the intercom said we’d arrived in Patna, Its capital. The crisp ₹500 notes and a bunch of zip lock bags with the dangerous chemical stuff from last night, bulged out of my trenchcoat pocket. I felt brand new as I set off in a posh BMW which supposedly belonged to Jaffar, A.K.A brief case. As the wind ruffled my hair and fluttered my tie, I gazed at the tall buildings and corporate offices, their glass paned windows reflecting the scorching sun.
I thought I’d hit the jackpot with this kill, no mushy family and weird friends, just ‘your wish is my command’! The car roared as we sped up a hill lined with palm trees, A large penthouse stood at the top, rose bushes being tended to at the right and a Cabana overlooking an almost cyan pool to the left. The falcon doors rise and I shield my eyes. The Garage is white with metal beasts surrounding a thinner and flatter one with spikes at the back. I stood there clueless, unable to even figure out the colours since they changed wherever the light hit them!
Opening the door of the spikey car in the middle, I placed my hand on the velvet dashboard, ‘Koenigsegg Jesko’ written in gold. The urge to hit the road gnawed at me but my body spoke otherwise. Like I’d been living there my whole life, I trudged into the elevator bound for the 10th floor, hollering a certain Kaylee’s name as I hovered over the Ganges, my breath fogging the glass.
I was greeted by a lean woman in a Salwar-Kameez, her hair in a messy updo, a few strands covering her glasses as she tried blowing raspberries. I figured she was my assistant and heard her rant on how I never follow my diet and that I’m lacking on protein. A chuckle escapes me as I stuff my face with a juicy stick of celery; she lets out a sigh and yells “Papers Lao!” “Get the papers!”, her voice echoing since it’s just us in the kitchen and possibly the whole house.
My ‘phone’ buzzes and I struggle to open it; It’s clamped like a suitcase but cold and metallic. A dozen notifications cause chaos as I patiently go through each one of them, not because I’m interested but because I’m DYING to know about Jaffar. Turns out He’s an ‘Investor’? who’s got shares in big snack companies and even went on ‘shark tank’? ‘WOW, no wonder Jaffar has so much, he dove into a pool full of sharks, these humans probably pay a lot to see grown men risking their lives huh?’ The thought grows in my head as I read more about ‘My Assets’ in the local headlines, my thumb sore from scrolling.
“Say Kaylee, when did I go on Shark tank?” I say as I look up from my phone. “I see the Nootropics aren’t working J.J, it was a Christmas special 2 years ago, Merissa and Harshit? Remember?” She sighs again, her fingers twirling her hair, soft curls framing her face perfectly. She snaps her fingers in my face, “Earth to Jaffar? You here J.J?” I snap out of it as I realise I’ve been staring at her. She gives me a disgusted look as I facepalm hard, the heat refusing to leave me. “Creepy weirdo!” she slams the table and storms out.
Sticking my face in the freezer, trying to cool down, A sharp tingling hits my neck, an ice-cube sliding down my back and making me squirm. “GOTCHA CREEP! Trying to steal my ice-cream huh? Not on my watch.” “Kaylee?! Uhh, yea, I’m gonna go…..Looks like the Ice-cream police caught me red handed!” Kaylee stands behind me, an ice-cube melting in one hand and a spoon near my eye, like she’s gonna duel me for it or something. I back away chuckling, arms in the air as I surrendered to this Ice-cream goddess.
My head feels hot as I rush to a room and stare at the mirror. “GET YOURSELF TOGETHER NAUR!” A sharp knock on the door followed by Kaylee's voice makes it even worse. “HEY DUMMY!, stop moping and sign these papers, OH my lord! I’m telling Mum you’re slacking off if you don’t hurry up!” .She finally stopped grumbling and left me alone. I pinched myself, hoping I’d wake up in Aditya’s home or the train station, as if being home was an option. I knew I was red, sitting across Kaylee, being chill was a lost cause. “If you wanna increase the thermostat then just do it, wait, you’re too lazy” She giggles, a twist of her arm makes it even warmer.
I needed to know more about her, ‘Is she Jaffar’s fiancé or something? Are they related? This can’t be right, probably the spell’s side-effects or fatigue. A quick google search makes me slam my head in the marble table and throw my pen in a corner. ‘HOW AM I SUCH AN IDIOTIC FOOL?’ UGHHH, WHY DIDN’T I FIGURE THAT OUT BEFORE!’ I scold myself as I scroll the headlines “Kayara Jassim opens skincare brand ‘No rays please!’ with millionare brother Jaffar Jassim in late august 2023.” I shrug, no wonder she called me a ‘creepy weirdo’. Another facepalm later, I finish signing the papers and head over to the garage.
The wind hits my face as I speed down the hill from the driveway; A convertible was a wayyy better option than the ‘Jesko’, especially if I wanted to chill. My big back needed a snack, speeding up to ‘Pasta la vista’, I met up with a friend at the signal. Atleast I think we were friends since he waved at me, but he seemed frustrated like he wanted something. He followed me till the parking lot, A block of cash clenched in his fists as he stomped towards me, his metal choker glistening in the sun and the metal chains at the end of his jacket clinking to his pace.
That moment took me straight back to Miranda again. Geez, can’t take a break from that place, can I? This “friend” of mine grabbed my collar and almost strangled me, demanding “The Loot” he called it, or else he’d call the cops on me. “Hey man… Ah you’re choking me, ugh, I think you’ve got the wrong guy, I swear….Arano what you’re on about, loot? Never heard of it hehehh…. “You dirty liar! If you wanna live, you better hand it over or I swear old Jamie won’t let you see another day” He kicks me, sending me hurling towards my car, my legs remained outside as I endured a semi-soft landing. The airbag shielded me from his punches as I scrambled in and slammed my foot on the gas. The engine roared like the leopard in Assam, Assam…
I rammed into him as he lunged again; his position looking like a right angle which I remember reading in Aditi’s texbooks. Aditi…. I look up, trying not to let my eyes overflow this time as I dragged him into an alleyway and drift my way over to Mcdonalds; even shape-shifters can break character dear readers.
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Chapter 7
A big mac supreme and soda combo later, I was stuffed. I wondered what loot he was talking about while I waited for my Mcflurry. Certainly not money. Cuz right now he could rob a sack full and I wouldn’t bat an eye! What was Jaffar up to though? I flipped through the pages of my memory, trying to piece together why I got beat up like that, suddenly, it clicked.
Those packets! He’s after whatever’s in them! They’re trying to end up like Jaffar did before I got to him, bloodshot eyes and trembling hands, at the verge of death. It’s no wonder he threatened to kill me for it, too bad he’s got no idea I’m immortal. The wailing of sirens brought me back as I nibbled on the oreo chunks in my mcflurry, my heart unknowingly increasing its speed. I knew something was wrong, but we Titanese unfortunately aren’t psychic.
Buff men with pistols at their waists swaggered in as the place went silent, except the sizzling patties on the grill and the humming soda machines. A notification from a cat video channel disturbed my gaze and made me grin. The tallest one was checking everyone’s IDs and the other two interrogated staff, all while the walkie-talkies produced static. I crouched behind them, trying to chuck an empty sod can in the bin; which didn’t end well as I felt the head of a revolver stick to my back, a chill running down my spine. “ID, passport copy and Aadhar card..NOW!!” The bearded one shrieks. One rummages through my Fendi fanny pack on the table and the other pins me to the floor, clicking handcuffs onto me.
I squirm as they sit me up against the wall. I honestly don’t get what people have against my collar; whenever they’re mad, they just have to grab my by the collar now, don’t they. They ask me if I’ve been carrying ‘Illegal substances’ across the country. When I deny, they show me camera footage of my fight with Right angle. They further explain that he’d reported me, Jaffar Jassim, for Illegal substance trafficking; which is why I’m in this mess right now. I ask for a call, urging Siri to call Kaylee as we speed over to the police station, speed bumps jerking the phone and stalling it even more!
I was thrown into a disgustingly dark jail cell, my head slamming the floor overrun with cockroaches and who knows what. A deep voice echoed in the darkness “Kaun aur Kyu? Jaldi bol varna unse pehle mein marunga!” “Who and why, Spill the tea or I’ll deal with you before they can!” I can’t say I wasn’t intimidated by this Wannabe gangster, but the tone? Not so tough. I am a shapeshifting alien millionare after all. The setting sun’s final breath gives me light, I can finally see him. “Jaffar Jassim, Illegal substance trafficking” I say with my arms folded, a proud grin on my face as he sits there and stares back.
He finally sighs and lays down his rug. With an arm on his face and his torso to the side he finally speaks in a normal, less Wannabe tone. “You’re the English spitting rich boy with a spoiled sister? Is this a movie shoot or something? Don’t you kids have better things to do than spoil your lives? May the Lord save this generation full of Idiots.”
I smile as the light bulb flickers above us. I observe his every move. He lurks in the corners, his eyes red and tired. His skin like burnt caramel. His body thin but agile. His face malnourished with an unkept beard and unwashed greasy hair. His clothes, an orange, or was orange kurta with a ripped pair of grimey trousers. I fold my legs and try to ignore the dirt and crawling roaches, explaining how it isn’t a movie scene and celebrities could possibly go to jail if they messed up, somewhat like I did. He seemed to like me as he opened up about why he was here, even though I didn’t ask.
“I used to work in a restaurant with my father, which belonged to his brother. Technically a family business. A stupid day came, the restaurant got a big order for a rich man, something about a son being born. They made ME, of all people, deliver the order in pots that were almost twice my size. Knowing I had no choice, I made my way through the bustling traffic of Patna. Cars honking, bikers speeding past, traffic lights changing abruptly; It was all so overwhelming and the fear of fumbling never left me till I approached a hill. Oh Brother! I can still see it, shimmering pools and rose bushes with palm trees lining the driveway, all surrounding the massive palace in the middle. My lorry climbed up slowly, croaking of the engine and clanking of the pots made chills run down my spine. Will I make it? was the only thought racing through my head, making me queasy.
Finally, I reached the top. My 15 year old self couldn’t take it anymore as I wiped tears of joy while accepting the payment of ₹23,000. After they loaded up the empty dishes in the back of my lorry, I sped down the driveway with a satisfied smile. Only for bad luck to surround me from all sides. Those rich rascals didn’t tie the huge pots properly and they crashed into a child that was supposedly hiding one of the palm trees and decided to run right at the back of a speeding lorry. The sound of screaming children, wailing mothers, angry fathers and police sirens made my head spiral and my face red. I was as helpless as the criminal I became and still am. I tried to explain myself but they just hit me with sticks and tossed me in a dark van, handcuffs tightly locked on my wrists. That’s my story in a nutshell kid. Couldn’t forget it even after 2 decades.”
I paused, embarrassment flooding my veins even though I was Naurian in Jaffar’s body. This innocent man who didn’t wanna let his family down was stuck in this filthy place, all because of rich people like Jaffar. I blamed myself, I’m not sure why but I’m sure the real Jaffar would be just as embarrassed as I was. After all, it was his being born party which ruined this poor man’s life. “You’ve got no idea how sorry I am sir. It…..was my being born party you went that day. I hadn’t realised how weird life is where someone’s happiness means a total stranger’s loss which you might never even know about. I consider myself lucky to land here even if it’s not like the cleanest place ever. Atleast I learnt something here.” I sigh, my eyes following the scurrying roaches as silence takes over the room.
A loud clang echoed through the corridor. Keys rattling and clacking Footsteps, somewhat like the heels Kaylee wore at home. The man beside me shot up, his eyes darting toward the bars like a hunted animal. I, on the other hand, just groaned. If this was another angry officer, I was prepared to get tossed around again, not like I hadn’t been the whole day. “Move aside!” a familiar voice snapped.
My intuition spoke for itself as the cell door rattled open and there she stood, hair messier than usual, glasses slightly crooked and an expression that screamed “I am done with this hooligan!” Kaylee! Relief hit me harder than the punches earlier. “What took you so long?” I said with a grin. She glared and marched in, grabbing my arm roughly and inspecting my face like I was some app on her phone that didn’t work when she needed it to. “What did you do, Jaffar? No wait, DON’T answer that, I don’t wanna know.” she muttered, pulling out some folded papers. The officers behind her looked appalled, like the roaches in the cell started speaking or something.
“I’ve cleared it. False report from a road rage misunderstanding.” she said, shoving the documents at the guards. I blinked. That was… fast. “A teeny bribe works wonders J.J. Don’t question it, just move.” she whispered, dragging me out before I could say anything else. But I stopped at the gate.
I don’t know why but something in me refused to move. “Wait.” Kaylee turned, annoyed already. “What now??” I glanced back at him. “He’s innocent.” The man scoffed lightly, shaking his head like I’d just told a bad joke. Kaylee followed my gaze, her expression softening for just a second. “No one here is ‘innocent’, Jaffar. That’s not how this works.” But I stepped closer to the bars anyway. “You told me your story. I… I believe you.” He looked at me properly this time. Kaylee groaned. “We do NOT have time for a moral crisis right now.” But I ignored her as I turned to the officers, lowering my voice slightly. “Run his case again. Properly.” Something in my tone must’ve worked, because they hesitated. Kaylee sighed dramatically. “Fine. You’d better have an explanation up your sleeve that isn’t stupid like you. But if this backfires, Say goodbye to Kwality walls, the ice-cream company’s mine.” I watched as one of the officers unlocked the opposite cell.
The man didn’t move at first. Then slowly… a tear glistened as his eyes filled with hope. He rushed toward me, grasping my hands “You’re a thousand times better than those other rich people who framed me. I don’t know how to thank you, for the gift of freedom is better than a million rupiah! May the lord bless you kid, and make you sensible enough to avoid trouble, especially if that angel of yours isn’t around haha!” He hugs me and points to Kaylee who looks at the floor, trying to hide her tears. I’m sure she’ll break down as soon as she hears his story and how we’re related to it.
As the officers rummage through the files, I let out a sigh of relief. I finally did something good! Something that didn’t ruin, but instead fixed the lives of others. Oh I’ll never leave this body, Thank Saturn for this, I surely deserve it after all that’s happened. I shudder at the thought of everything. A hand goes to my chest as I wave to the man, who steals one final look of gratitude before disappearing in the darkness.
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Chapter 8
Outside, the night air hit me hard, my blond hair getting in my eyes. Kaylee’s Louboutin heels were the only noise being made till we reached her Maroon Porsche. Kaylee shoved me into the passenger seat and started the engine aggressively. “Congratulations. You’ve officially had the worst week possible and it’s only getting worse if you don’t take things SERIOUSLY.” I chuckled. “Hey, I just saved a guy.” “YEAH, NO .You got arrested, nearly exposed yourself, and somehow turned it into charity work. I’m impressed and concerned.”
We both laughed this time, her ombre nailed fingers pinching my cheek like I was a child again. “You haven’t changed have you? I figured you’d change if we weren’t in the same school and college, guess I was wrong; you’re still the dumb idiot who steals my snacks and sanity like it’s no big deal.” She sighs and keeps driving, handing me my phone and gesturing to the screen. “Doja-Central Cee” “Your wish is my command Kay” I type in the lyrics and press play, the two of us rapping with the windows down like I hadn’t just come back from a crime scene.
As we roll up the driveway, I couldn’t help but stare, the lights shimmering below us and the palm leaves rustling in the wind. “You gonna tell me what that was? Or am I just gonna have to find out from him?” “Don’t. It’s Dad’s fault technically, and also whoever’s child had a death wish.” “I need more context so stop being such a depressed idiot and just TELL me!” I look at her wide eyed. “Sorry J.J, just a relapse of ‘Incomplete nap syndrome’. Go ahead, I’m listening.” “That man’s life was ruined Kay, neglected like…trash! It’s not FAIR!” I groan and tell her everything and I was right; My sister almost crashed into my Lambo cause of her blurry glasses and teary eyes.
As I opened the door for her like the gentleman I am, she stepped out and wept in my arms; my shirt soaked with tears. I wiped her eyes and she hugged me one more time before rolling up her sleeve. What I saw made me realise why Kaylee never hesitated to free him in the first place. A scar ran from her shoulder to her elbow, damage only sharp things like glassware could create. “And you blamed yourself for being born huh? The real culprit’s standing right here J.J.” She sniffled and sank into my arms again, crying more than ever now. “I bent down to her face and groaned when she wouldn’t let me wipe her tears. “You’re calling yourself the problem even though you’ve been hurt too?” I say as I stroke her arm, her hair flowing through my fingers. “A quick trip to doctor Sheridan fixed it, his life? It took 2 decades to fix that!”. “Kay, look; You gave him freedom, he said so himself! Trust me, now that he’s got a will to live again, he’ll forget about it. Just like You should.” “I guess so.” She says with a sniffle. “You call me the baby and look who’s crying now! How about some Cornettos, wouldn’t that cheer my cry baby sister up?” She laughs through the tears and pushes me away, strutting over to the elevator. “A Cornetto sounds nice Big back, not if I beat you to it!” With Cornettoes in our hands and sleeping bags in another, we head over to the private cinema.
“Frozen 3? Or Inside out 3?” she asks with a broad smile. “How about Indian? Shahrukh Khan maybe?” “OOH how’s a Classic? Mein hoon Na!” Impulsive thoughts make me clap when I say that. We hi-five like little girls when they see puppies or something and get it rolling. During a part of the movie’s main songs, She turns over to me, a stern look on her face. “You need a break Jaffar.” “Break from what, the movie? I can doze off any minute sis, you’ll see.” “You know what I mean Jaffar” I knew she meant business when she said my name twice. “A resort? Or Dad’s place?” “France. Lyon to be precise.”
I’m flabbergasted, the movie pauses as I raise a hand to it. “No way, you can’t be serious. I hate Europe.” “Exactly the point. Maria told me her brother was looking for an investor for a fashion brand in Lyon. The exchange rate for Euros have skyrocketed as well, so it’s a fair trade for the losses you’ve acquired over the past month.” “UGHH, I should never have thought this would last.” I grumble and fold my arms. “I’ll be booking your flight and arranging you a chauffer. You can choose the car you want but mind you, Jesko, Porsche, Alpina and Benz stay with me.” Awkward silence since we both know I LITERALLY have no choice. She holds my face in her vanilla scented hands. “Don’t gimme that look, I’m doing this for you! You’ll have fun and make some money in the process. It’s a win-win situation J.J, you know it.”
I hesitate since I don’t wanna leave her and this gorgeous life, but who, as an alien, could turn down the offer of exploring an unknown planet? From what I’ve learnt in school, Earth’s got 204 countries! And I’m stuck on one? NAUR WAY! “Ugh, fine. When’s the flight? Also, I wanna take Mustang or Pagani.” She giggles “Whatever dummy, I’m glad you’re on board with this. It’s for your own good. And no, I won’t stop saying that so don’t go around taking that seriously and wasting my movie time!” She raises a hand and the song continues with Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen taking the lead. We cry when the two brothers finally reunite and I enter dreamland, missing the end.
The next morning, I find myself snuggled up in bed, my own bed. Confused, I wake up groggy and called my Robo-butler in for some pancakes! After that scrumptious breakfast in bed, I text Kaylee who’s probably wading in the pool habitually.
A quick question to Siri made it clear, That RAT! “She wants me outta here tomorrow afternoon?! UGHHH, now I’ll have to pack” I whine as I reach for the closet door and walk in. Fur coats, luxury bags, designer suits and what not hung neatly in rows with a glowing mirror at the end. I felt every piece, the fun never ending. Then a thought struck me, ‘Aren’t I a rich boy with butlers? I could just make them do it!”. Turns out I had a screen with buttons mounted on the wall where an AI would ask me what I wanted and categorise the butlers accordingly. Wasn’t that exciting? I toyed with it, figuring out every function. I rush out and call Kim, who was supposedly the “fashion butler’. Together we finish intime for some ice-cream, which I was kind enough to share.
The time to leave my beloved new life even though I just got here came quickly. As I made I may to the garage and dumped in my suitcase, Kaylee appeared, holding a large tub of Butterscotch Ice-cream. “Hey! My Favourite!” I jump and rush towards her. “Uh uh uh! J.J, It’s for the trip.” She sniggers and places the tub into the car’s mini fridge. “Don’t mess this up J.J, I’m counting on you.” She hugs me goodbye as I make my way to the gate. “You know you can’t trust me, guess you’re dumb enough to try. But really Kay, don’t worry! I’ll be fine and try not to get arrested!” She smacks me and urges the gatekeeper to let me go. I see her waving in my rear view mirror till I join the traffic below. That was probably the last time I saw Kaylee’s sweet smile.
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Chapter 9
The airport was stuffy and crowded but I managed through immigration just fine. It reminded me of Miranda again, except here a ‘Passport’ rather than a SCVC was used. They were these tiny books where a guy would stamp a page to show you’re going to another country or something. I was intrigued and walked around ‘JAY PRAKASH NARAYAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’, bumping into strangers and getting weird looks. Besides the average Bihari conduct, the looks were because I decided to wear a fur coat with the baggiest white jeans. Then I made my way to Kaylee’s Maroon private Boeing, the bodyguards closer than ever; especially since the whole ‘Just got outta jail’ thing’s going on.
As I drag my suitcase across the diamond studded jetway, I wondered why Kaylee loved Maroon so much. Sure, the real Jaffar would know; too bad he’s been killed by an alien hehe? The plane itself was pretty big, with 6 full length cubicles with another maroon coloured aisle leading to a literal Japanese Hibachi!
For the readers who might have to google it up later, Hibachi is one of those restaurants where a Japanese chef cooks live. Sometimes the diners help by catching tossed grills and laughing to jokes. It’s pretty fun and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kaylee begged ‘our’ mother to add that to the plane. Further in was the Lavatory turned Bathroom with a Jacuzzi and a shower overhead! The shelves were lined with Kaylee’s skincare and makeup bottles, which made me ponder why I hadn’t flown to France in my plane in the first place.
I settled in the biggest seat since it was just me and fastened my seatbelt which a kind woman demonstrated with a smile. Apparently, you’re supposed to know that as a person who has enough money to own a dozen planes; At least that’s what I heard her sneering to the other nice woman who welcomed me aboard. What could I expect from humans, most of them? Rotten like my mum’s moldy fudling pie!
Lifting off wasn’t a big deal, except that I felt like throwing up as the seatbelt tightened around me till the time we hadn’t reached ‘Cruising altitude’. The only thing I wanted to do was get the Jacuzzi out in front of the Hibachi! So I could dine and relax all at the same time, especially since I had almost half a day to do whatever my heart desired 30,000ft in the air too!
After a call with Kay, It was clear that I couldn’t get a pool in front of a burning stove up in the air. “That’s the most RIDICULOUS idea you’ve had so far dummy!” Her screams blasting in my headphones. I settled with more ragebaiting and hung up, oiling my hair as part of the pre-spa routine the instructions stated. Staring at the clouds gave me goosebumps as I recalled the awful feeling of helplessness and pain while surging through the atmosphere. Luckily I dropped dead as the water soothed my muscles, giving me peace like never before.
The Hibachi chef barged in and waved a raw fish in my face, waking me up in disgust. Waddling over in my bathrobe, I watched as the Chef cooked the salmon right in front of me; onion rings erupting in flames and creating a caramelized sauce which he drizzled over the salmon. My mouth wouldn’t stop watering but I managed to take my mind off it by staring at the gulf. I could see the Burj Khalifa and other sites gleaming, smaller private jets cruising the cities almost crashed into us; good thing Kaylee’s pilot is a professional or we’d supposedly have to dig our own graves.
The meal? Exactly as I imagined it; a warm sizzling party on my tongue. The fried rice hits. Honestly I thought rice was just rice. Apparently not, this one had personality. Little bits of egg, some magic seasoning I will never understand, and I’m already full but still eating like I’ve been starved for years and don’t have private chefs for me back home.
He offered to make me noodles, which I would’ve agreed if we didn’t have to land in Lyon already. I scrambled outta my seat into the bathroom. A quick shower and I was heaving my luggage out into Kaylee’s diamond studded jetway again?! “That girl is so weird” I scoff and wave goodbye to the Hibachi chef and the rest of the crew; This trip wasn’t as bad as I expected.
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Chapter 10
You wouldn’t guess what came to pick me up next. Another plane? A small car? A big car? A horse? Well lemme cut to the chase; My very own Yacht stood outside the car I thought was gonna take me to my hotel. A French man greeted me. The beret and stripy shirt with the whole accent made me question the authenticity of him actually being French. I said Hello either way and unloaded my luggage, the smell of ‘Escargot’ lingering in the air. After a slimey meal of ‘Pasta de Escargot’; ugh! The fake French guy won’t stop trying to teach me how to say it, even though saying it sounds like the experience; like you’re gonna throw up. I rushed to the roof since the sunshine was enough to give me a sweet tan, as if I wasn’t already.
The captain announced “Monsieur Jaffar, Bienvenue sur le Rhône!” I gave him a puzzled look, not only cause I didn’t get it but cause I’m not sure why I didn’t get it in the first place! That’s where I crashed out internally. ‘Like I am a supernatural extraterrestrial lifeform capable of shapeshifting and surviving in conditions no silly human could ever! Languages are no biggie! Didn’t I play along in India? Speaking fluent Hindi wherever I went. Then what’s up with me now?! No wonder Kaylee calls Jaffar stupid, It’s probably his body that’s reduced my mental capacity this way!’
We sailed the clear blue waters with the sun in our eyes. Whenever we’d stop at a bridge, the water would cascade down the hull of the boat, leaving behind chrome coloured silt. The river Rhône was quite fascinating but locals say that the river on the other side, Saône, its beauty undefined. My Pagani Zonda C12 awaited me at the dock, not to mention the relentless paparazzi that showed up only for the car; How offensive Tsk! After I bunch of fan pictures I was ready to hit the sack early tonight as jetlag gnawed on me.
The room service guy woke me up, “Monsieur Jaffar, ta soeur est applle vous” Not the best start to my day, especially since I don’t get French! “WHAAT? DIDN’T QUITE GET YOU MONSIEUR!” I holler. It’s followed by silence and I’m forced to charge my phone just to check if Kaylee had something important to say.
J.J- Kay? Forgot me already? *left on read*
“Well that’s a bust”. I let it sit on the table while I go and get my face together.
“I’m sorry Monsieur, I didn’t quite get you there.” I pull out google translate and explain. “Je ne connais pas francais. Desole!” He smiles and shows me an inbox, full of Kaylee’s messages.
Kayara Jasssim- Jaffar? Where on Earth are you?! Is your Phone dead? I’m getting worried here! Text me ASAP.
I call her up and get bombarded with a truck load of “I was so worried”,“You idiot!”, “I’m done with you”-s.
I hang up on her midway and head out to the other side of the city for a hearty French ‘petite dejuner’ or Breakfast. Locals stare as my Pagani rips through the bustling crowd, fast enough to blow berets off their heads. I enter a bunch of cafés but nothing feels authentic enough like there’s even Hash browns and Chicken Tikka masala on the menu! The café owner suggested that I go to the other side of Lyon to satisfy my cravings. So I rush to the car and spawn at the dock, urging the Captain to take me across the river Saône. He merely waves his hand in my face and goes back to sleep, leaving me standing helpless in my own Yacht.
Having no choice since France has strict meal times, I hop on the local ferry and find myself a seat. I wished I’d thought it through before landing in this mess. At least 60 locals with crying kids and rising tempers. The driver wasn’t in any mood to talk and swore at me when I asked where he was taking us. Besides all that, the river itself was prettier than Rhône with turquoise water so clear that the bottom shells reflected the sunrays, creating a rainbow halo-sorta thing.
The moment I got off; The aroma of croissants led me to a vintage café with only a few customers. It was pastel blue with flowers and white furniture. The reason why it was so empty was probably because the croissants were 15€! “But that’s expensive for me, not for Jaffar” I whisper with a smirk and whip out my American express card to pay for a cup of Chamomile tea and the freshly baked croissants.
A young man served the tea and called a girl in the kitchen. “BRIAR! CROISSANTS!” and she balanced the tray on her fingers and slid it on the counter. She had short brunette hair with jeans and a full sleeved top, an apron over it. “A simpleton huh?” I scoffed under my breath as she brought it out from the microwave. “Excuse me? At least I don’t wear trash just to seem rich!” pointing to my outfit which was just a simple tuxedo! Well one thing’s for sure, she can probably hear things from a mile away. The tea-serving man high-fived her and came over to me. “Cash or card sir?” I tap it and grab my plate, ignoring the question. “Never mind Ray, I showed him.” “You said it Bri, left him speechless”
I'm truly offended, what IS her problem?! But she seems elegant like Kaylee, and it seems dumb to not ragebait her. “Briar, isn’t it? Jaffar Jassim, probably heard of me.” She spoke with a French British kinda accent and threw daggers at me, metaphorically by the way.
“Never asked and yes, I’m Briar what’s it to you?” The frustration on her face makes the morning even better! “Just thought I’d give you this” I announce and slide a 50£ bill into the tip jar.
“Is this for annoying me? I don’t want it, I saw u paying so don’t worry about it” “ I wouldn’t put it in the tip jar if I already paid you know. Idiot” I say the last word under my breath and leave. “You’re the Idiot!” She yells and follows me back till the door, the note in her hand . “What does he think he is? A trillionare? Well I’m not looking forward to seeing him again” I turn around as she takes back the finger she was pointing at me, embarrassed, she ran into the kitchen.
Since I’ve nothing to do, I snoop behind the cafe, near the kitchen, and hear the most lovely things! “Uh Bri? He... kinda is a billionaire” “I said trillions not billions silly! Anyway, he was so rude, muttering things under his breath like that!” “He did tip you 50£ you know? He’s probably the younger sibling; Annoying people brings him pleasure! I should know, before my sister moved to the states, I would go and hide my nephew in my car and let her find him!” “NO way!! RAY how could you?! She probably left because of you! Haha” “Look the point is, he’s just another customer who’s got no idea how to spend his money. I don’t think you should be overthinking this especially since 50£ is for a random reason is better than not being able to afford something your brother wanted just because you can’t. Forget it, I’m gonna clock out now, Cya Bri”
“I’ll try not to, I guess. Bye Ray.” She sighs and turns the lights off, packing up all the leftover croissants under a lightbulb. I scurry off to my car as she gets out with a huge bag on her shoulders. ‘Is she a big back or just poor’ I wondered. My luck is crazy! As I revved the engine, she almost jumped and I knew I was in for another rant session which I was exhausted for, especially since I had to take the ferry.
Another round of crying kids, moonlight reflecting waters, squished adults and on top of all that, cringe couples later, I finally entered my hotel and fell asleep in my bathrobe. I had to sleep since Kaylee wanted me to meet Maria’s brother for the whole fashion brand investment thing later that evening.
I haven’t been dreaming at all since the whole train incedent or as I like to call it, “Walk to fame”. It’s just pitch black darkness or dreams that make no sense like rockstar cats on hotdogs flying through a rainbow! Stupid, I know. After another one of those episodes, I slicked my hair back, wore my tux and pulled up to an office near ‘Musée des Confluences’ which was a science museum in Lyon.
We signed deals and I invested 2 million€ into a female fashion brand worth around 40 million€. I exited the building with a broad smile on my face and felt intrigued to explore the museum since I literally completed the thing I was sent to do! I stepped in and looked at everything, from the insect specimens to the rifle anatomy of guns used during the frecnh revolution. Everything changed when I came across something that could change my mind about going back to India anytime soon.
Displayed in a locked glass case in a room full of stars, was my jetboard from the time I landed in Assam. Everything rushed back like my memory just hit the refresh button and that kinda made me dizzy, not to mention the tears that stained my face and shirt. From betrayal to guilt to friendship, everything overwhelmed me. I grabbed a pillar and took a deep breath, trying to handle the mental breakdown I was having. Calming down, I got closer and saw the information plate.
The gem was a gift every Titanese teenager gets when they turn 16. Since Titanese children can only shapeshift after 16 the gem was to reverse the side effects of each kill, incase they reach the limit which is 10 kills, it can even revive the dead person and their victims! You usually need to earn it because of it’s extraordinary power by being an all rounder throughout school. I stared at it and almost felt myself glitching, my body breaking into a sweat. I rushed out and felt the cool air on my skin which made me shiver.
Cruising down the highway with the roof down sure made me feel better and I kept at it till 4am and climbed some Mont Lyonnais thing? Which was the closest mountain with a rest stop and gas station. I climbed to the top and made myself cozy, snacking on some macarons while doomscrolling; how generic of me to doomscroll amongst nature. I then see a young boy about 14? Using a telescope while a girl slept on the grass beside him. The were merely silhouettes until the sun rose in deep shades of red and pink with hints of orange on the horizon. I stood up in awe as it got even better when the clouds decided to join in. Swirls of white patches mixed with the colour changing sky made it feel like on of the Van Gogh paintings I saw back at the museum.
The boy turned around as I crumbled the empty pack of macarons and airballed it in the trash perfectly. His face kinda reminded me of that stubborn big back from the bakery, what’s her name again? Uhhh Briar! He bent down and imitated the airball as I disposed the pack properly this time. A quick morning hike down to my car made me hungry for food and ragebait! Which led me straight to that bakery from yesterday.
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Chapter 11
Ever since dad died, nothing stayed the same. Mom, me and Brody grew further apart than I could possibly imagine. Barely any convos and just me working my usual 9-9 shift and Brody going to school. Can’t believe it’s already been 4 years, Brody’s 10 and I’m 17. Mom lives with granny in Toulouse and we’re on our own. I know what you’re thinking, generic backstory? I guess so. It’s been a while since I started working at ‘Simone’s Crumbery’. Rayyan, a Pakistani immigrant, is really good company and we often spend our time baking or judging customers like that Jaffar guy. I cannot believe the audacity of rich people. Like, we’re working harder than you are and you say your wealth is a result of hard work? Well if that’s so then I should be on my private island chilling with Brody.
I finally agreed to go stargazing with Brody after dad died. It was only because he got good grades and a medal for hockey. I had to quit school since it didn’t match my shift timings and Mrs Simone was the only one kind enough to lie to the authorities just to employ me; after all I was underage and underqualified but I made my living of 30€ an hour and managed to keep Brody’s future afloat, even if it meant I had to bake croissants.
After that beautiful sunrise, I walked Brody to school and rented a scooter since I was late. Almost crashing into a pigeon, I dropped it on the ground and rushed in, intime to turn off the oven which Rayyan carelessly left on 400°F. I saved them for Brody since they looked fine for him but disgusting for the rich snobs beyond the counter.
I mix the butter with the sugar and cream to make the custard filling and take down the orders Rayyan yells from the front. But the problem with Rayyan is that he CANNOT pronounce French words so I usually have to do it myself. To my not so nice surprise, He…was back.
“You should do something about your sleep schedule you know.” He grins. I freeze and stop whisking. “Are you stalking me?! Creep!” I yell. His laughs, “If you say something offensive to someone and they laugh, just know that it didn’t work. Also, I have brand deals and multi-million € investments to make. Why would I stalk a weirdo like you? Get a life Thorn bush!” Embarrassed, I pull him to the side to apologise. “I’m…sorry for accusing you like that. I’ll try to hold my tongue next time.” “I didn’t take you for a night owl though Thorny, but I get that stars ARE pretty nice to look at” “H-how do you know that?” “I saw you’re brother and figured you were the girl next to him” He points at my star shaped necklace with a smirk. “Well then, why are you here? To call me Thorny which I really don’t get or to just make fun of my sleeping habits?” I fold my arms and set the bowl aside, glaring at him.
“First of all, I’m here for breakfast and second of all, your name’s Briar which kinda means a Thorn bush and you certainly act like one, hence the name Thorny” He shrugs and walks over to the table, taking a seat and scrolling on his phone.
Suddenly a blue and white dressed man comes as I serve him his coffee. “Is there a Jaffar Jassim here?” I look up and he seems like someone shot him, eyes wide in disbelief. Me and Rayyan exchange glances and pretend everything’s normal and no billionaire is sitting among us.
We both can see the fear in his eyes as his hands tremble and his eyes go blank, slowly starting to hyperventilate. “I think he’s having a seizure! Bri let’s check on him!” Rayyan whispers. “Not now, it’ll blow his cover Ray”. He deliriously walks over to the bathroom, the man sneakily trying to follow. The thing is that this used to be a house before so the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom now turned pantry were all pretty close. I signalled Rayyan to distract the customers while I figure out what’s going on.
The next thing I saw was horrific, the man lay in a pool of blood, face down as a set of long claws withdrew from his back. I slammed the door behind me and rushed to the kitchen. Soft screams pierced the walls and I only went in when they turned to sobs. Jaffar just killed someone.
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Chapter 12
I’m not even sure how to describe it, it was a mix of Jaffar and alien skin; which made me wince the moment I saw him in the light. He gave me one look of pure terror and ran through the back door, blood trailing behind him accompanied by his spikey tail and clawed hands. I hesitated to follow him, after all he was an alien monster kinda thing. Instead I began by deleting the security footage so the police could think it was just an accident where the man was hit by plates which he bumped into in the dark. The best time to go find Jaffar was closing time when no one was around. The authorities came and did a bunch of investigation which luckily made the customers leave.
I followed the trail of blood, that forgotten roll of tissues in my bag finally coming to use as I reached an alleyway. Rayyan was long gone and so were the authorities as the sun started to set. Jaffar sat there alone, his head in his knees and his shirt stained with blood. I approached him and just sat there, handing a murderer a tissue just cause he was moping around. How smart Briar, A true genius.
The alley was strangely quiet compared to the bakery. No ovens roaring. No customers complaining about coffee. Just distant traffic and the occasional bird. Jaffar looked at the tissue in his hand like he'd never seen one before. "You should probably use that, y'know. "He laughed weakly. "I think the situation's a little past tissues." "Fair enough." Silence again. I stared at the dried blood on his shirt and his terrified face. “So you’re an alien?” “Kinda.” “What’s with the blood and the claws and the whole MURDER you’ve just committed?!” my laugh turning into a yell. “I didn’t mean it Briar! Stay out of this!” He trembles as he says it. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll report you to the police.” I lean on the wall and try to seem tough. “Been in jail once, not a big deal, Go ahead.” A small smile appeared on his flickering face.
Another round of silence later I finally find something that can relate to something literally out of this world. “I saw a gem in ‘Musée des Confluences’, they say it’s not from here, just like you.” He stares at me in shock and rushes to leave before I yell from the other end of the alley, “Jaffar wait! I know how to get in there! If it is so important, I could help!” he turns around, fury on his face.
“First of all, It’s Naurian, second of all I’m from Titan but not anymore… and finally, get in the car if you can possibly help me without getting both of us killed!” “WAIT… uhh lemme process that. Ur from where exactly? Like the moon or is there some other planet in the milky way also called Titan?” “Does this seem like a joke to you Thorny?” He glares at me, his voice rising and his eyes blinking everytime I said Titan. “No…I kinda had an interest in Titan but…not anymore.” The moment I said that he calmed down and put his head in his hands, trying not to let the tears flow. “Get in the car Briar. You’ll get to know soon enough.” He clenched his fists and stormed past me to the back door.
He runs back to the kitchen window and jumps in like a parkourist. “I didn’t think Titan people could do parkour.” I blurt out. It seemed like something from an action movie where the hero does a bunch of cool moves, except this was reality and there is no hero, just an intergalactic murderer about to rob a museum.
He sees me day dreaming at night and yells “Water! Now!” I stumble and rush to the kitchen drawer, a bunch of keys sat there, all labelled and colour coded. You can’t blame me I’m just a girl. The bathroom door creaks and I try turning on the lights. But I can barely see anything but whatever the moonlight shone on and Titan boy’s glowing green eyes. “Get outta here Thorny, I can see just fine.” Of course he can see in the dark, why hadn’t I thought of that.
The transformation? Crazy! It’s almost like all this never happened except that his hair was drenched. He changed into a fresh shirt which he somehow had in his car? And started the engine, “You might wanna hurry up Titan boy, we gotta get there before they close the main gate or it’s on to round two of murders with you.” I fold my legs and laugh as I say it. He groans and turns up the music to silence my laughter with one hand on his face.
That Pagani of his was fast! As we zoomed past empty streets. “Tell me now Ja- uh I mean Naurian,” I say as an Ad for ‘Westfield la part-Dieu’ which was a new mall in the area; interrupts the song and makes way for a truckload of awkward silence. He hesitates but sees the glare in my eyes and turns the volume down with a sigh before starting from the night he woke up alone, on Titan.
From there he got to how he was denied asylum, got hit by gamma rays, plummeted to Assam, met a leopard, killed someone, made friends, lived a fake life of responsibility and poverty, got his hand impaled by a bidet, left his old life, met the real Jaffar and took over his life, met his sister and spent the past month living a life of absolute luxury while also going to jail and how he ended up in France from India. I’m honestly surprised how I remembered all that.
I just sat there, fiddling with my fingers, trying to make sense of it all. The only thing that made sense to say just exited my mouth. “I’m sorry Naurian…I don’t blame you for cursing the universe and giving up Aditya’s broke life. To be honest, I did the same thing, except that I didn’t kill anyone in the process.” I smiled at the last part and waited for him to say something, spoiler alert, he didn’t.
I felt like he didn’t bother and instead of saying something, I opened the window, letting my hair flow with the wind as we raced under the city lights. A red light was all it took for him to ask. “Well Thorny, That’s all about me. But this isn’t an interview so you might as well open up. Either way, I don’t think we’ll cross paths after tonight. I get the Gem, stop myself from going insane and head back to India to continue Jaffar’s life; and you go back to doing whatever you did before I showed up which I would know about if you got to talking.”
I stared at him for a bit as he spoke before taking a moment to decide whatever I’d tell this alien. I figured he deserved to know a bunch of stuff about me but my life only got interesting since he showed up. Like I can’t tell him everything about me like that one time in 7th grade. What do I mean? Well me and my friends were at a sleepover and were playing with the mum’s hair straightener. Long story short, I ended up with a bald spot that I hid with a cat shaped beanie till graduation. But he seemed like he needed something to brighten him up even though it was almost midnight, so I told him anyway.
His laugh seemed maniacal and the cars behind us honked like crazy, urging us to move since the light turned green. We sped straight and I noticed his eyes filled with tears, luckily this time they were out of laughter. “I bet that’s the funniest thing you’ve heard in a long time huh Titan boy?” “Yup, too long!.” He wipes his tears and tries calming down. “Was that EPIC fail a way to avoid the question Thorny?” “NO. I mean it IS part of my life y’know.” I get into a surrendering emote with my hands in the air.
“Wait lemme frame it this way; What’s with you and Titan?” I notice his fingers gripping the wheel hard as he says ‘Titan’. That’s when I begin from the start, like when Talia came into my life. And even how dad left us and died in the process. I laughed when I explained how Grandpa was mostly right except that aliens and monsters could come at any time not just witching hour. I slid up the sleeve of my uniform and showed him a scar. “I thought It’d be better if I just….didn’t stay” I mumble.
He says nothing but instead slows down and pulls over. He hands me a tub of half-eaten butterscotch ice cream from the cooler along with a spoon with the car’s logo engraved on the handle. His eyes never left the road after that as ‘Death bed: coffee for your head’ by Powfu played in the background. The ice cream was from an Indian brand so I figured that ‘ice cream goddess’ must’ve given it to him. The lights blurred past us and after 45mins of driving we finally pulled up to the parking lot; in absolute silence.
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Chapter 13
In reality, my plans for a heist were as blank as a sheet. It seemed easy since even little kids could pull one of them off, at least in the movies. He killed the engine and leaned on the bonnet, gesturing me to hurry up as the night wind blew on. I got out and realised my Mary Janes were clacking too loud on the pavement so I just threw ‘em in the car. “Thorny? Why’d you stop?” I sneak up in front of him with my bare feet in the dark; the only noises surrounding us were Rhône and Saône flowing nearby and the crickets chirping.
“BOO! Just ditching my loud shoes Titan boy!” He literally jumped with his hands ready to push me outta fear; Luckily a back bend kickover was all I needed to dodge the “scary alien boy’s attack!” When I flipped into the kickover, he squealed like a baby as my feet swooshed in the air and landed gracefully onto the pavement. The keys to his Pagani had a mini flashlight which he almost blinded me with. “What on EARTH are you doing Briar!?” “HAHAHAHAH! Never in a million years would I have thought that a supreme alien being would be scared of a little girl like me!” I laugh while shielding my eyes.
He turns it off with a groan “Briar we’re technically the same age, aren’t you 17 too?”. “So, you’re telling me that Titanese people age the same way as we do? That’s sick!” I say with a pep in my step. “Kinda, like I just turned 17, I guess a week before this STUPID adventure started.” He sighs and speeds up his pace, trying to avoid the titan-related conversation. I run ahead, trying to find a staff entrance, leaving the moping Titan boy behind.
“Thorny wait! It’s too dark, you’ll get lost!” “Don’t worry about me Titan boy, I’m not the one who just screamed!” He runs to catch up to me. “Thorny stop! I’ve got night vision remember? We can’t get caught just because you scream in an empty TREX exhibit just because you didn’t see it coming and ended up with your head in its jaw!”
“PUH-LEASE Titan boy! Wow, we should make that TB or something, It’s pretty tiring saying Titan boy all the time; I’ve got nothing less than night vision y’know. I mean I did spend most of childhood researching about space, which IS dark, if you didn’t notice!”
“Ugh, just call me Naur or something not TB, doesn’t that also elaborate to Tubercolosis? Like that disease you humans get where your lungs fill up with water? And yes Briar, I did notice space is dark, in fact I know it better than you do cause unless you forgot, I travelled 1.03 billion miles to get here from Uranus.” “So Naur like Naur way? What? Nooo!! We stick to TB even if it means Tubercolosis which I’m not sure why you’re aware of but I’ll pretend I never heard an alien talk like a doctor. Besides, like the disease YOU too are the ABSOLUTE WORST!”. I karate-chop my hand to show I mean business before rushing further as I see another bus depart from the gate. “Only a fool would deliberately argue with an annoying human like you Thorny. In fact, I bet you have no idea what you’re doing and just coming along because you’re a reckless naïveté who thinks this is cool”
He storms ahead of me and vanishes into an exit? ‘What a melodramatic weirdo.’ I scoff and follow him in where I was greeted by a yellowish corridor with a flight of stairs to the top. Goosebumps sprung on my arms as I recalled the ‘backrooms’ and more stupid ‘#creepy pasta’ videos that I used to doomscroll during my breaks. “TB? TB!!!? Ugh, Naurian?”
My mind rushed to how controversial my death would be if I was found dead in a yellow corridor of a museum of all places! “I thought you were stubborn, thankfully I was wrong.” His voice echoing through the stairwell as he climbed higher. Turns out we were in a warehouse parking thing where the staff and trucks that brought in the displays parked. “I thought you wanted MY help! I can’t be helpful if you abandon me in a creepy yellow corridor!” “You offered Thorny, I really didn’t ask.”
I scoff and we rush over to a back door which glowed at the top floor? He almost crashed into it but instead fell head first which sent me spiralling to the wall with laughter. “What on Earth are you laughing like a maniac for You...Maniac!?” I clench my stomach and finally hear it. The place was 10 floors tall and the laughter kept echoing like the sound effects of a horror movie, If I’d heard it out of context I would definitely pass out from fear or run as far as my legs would’ve taken me. “My bad… But It’s not my fault you’re horribly hilarious!”
“It’s locked by the way.” His fists clenched like he’d punch the door if the place wasn’t swarming with cameras. “I can pick a lock, just uhhh act like you’re telling me to tie my laces? Then I’ll bend down and pick the lock when it seems like I’m tying my laces! I’m actually a genius at this sorta stuff y’know.” “Great plan Ms. Genius; One problem though, you’ve got no shoes on.” His smirk almost reaching his ear. I stared at my feet and let my intrusive thoughts win which made me jump and twirl like a little girl instead of a burglar. “This part of you’re plan too Ms. Genius?”. “"If you're so smart, why don't you do it yourself? You've got two things going for you: one, shoes. Two, the AUDACITY to spite me. Especially since you need me."
“Quit rubbing it in, Briar.” He snapped before grabbing his laces. The grin on his face disappeared like the light from under the door; which caught me off guard as I pulled the bobby pin out of my hair, revealing my bangs and making it almost impossible to see. “Here, you’ll need to bend this. Left, definitely left.” “Which left?” his voice intimidating, like he’d smack the next thing that bothered him. “We’ve got the same left bro.” “Now what?” “Stick it in like a key and twist right while inserting the second bobby pin into the hole above and jiggle it”
The silence besides occasional grunting gave me enough time to figure out what we’d do next. Maybe sneak around till we found the gem thing he so DESPRATELY needs. “UGHHH, Briar!” he glared at me as I realised I was leaning on the already closed door. I blinked and turned around to see him still trying, his laces still undone either way. “It takes you this long to tie your ‘LACES’?” I said it extra loud with folded arms to seem believable. “I’m almost done, just relacing my crocs…” he scoffed as he signalled to hide him. I stood between him and the camera as he released his claws, clicking the lock open in less than a minute.
I took out my house keys and twirled them in my fingers just to show that we were part of the staff and were just tying our laces?. “So we’re not celebrating what we just did?” I ask while he dusted his ‘Armani’ jeans. “I, you mean. Who picked the lock? Me!” “Who helped? Me!” “Who was the most annoying? You can have credit for that! Besides, I opened the door with my claws since YOUR instructions just ended up sawing the pins in half.”
I grumbled “I should’ve thought of that” “You need braincells for that Thorny” he laughed as we went through the door; The cool A/C air hit my bare feet making it feel like I was in ‘Massif Central’ with mum and dad again.
We ended up in the ‘Insectarium’ or as Mr. Walking talking dictionary would call it, the “Hemiptera” exhibit which was the “Scientific term for bugs”. I sniffled and shivered on the cold dark floor as he sighed and snooped around the corridor, eyeing bugs floating on top of each other and reading the labels and info like a child. For the first time since I met him, he seemed more human than ever. First it was murderous Jaffarian. Then depressed Jaffarian. Now it was just Naurian. No billionaires, no pretending, no “I’m a tough emotionless guy who’s always cool”. Just Naurian.
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Chapter 14
I just stood there, shivering barefoot while a gazillion things ran through my mind. Dad, Naur being human? How I’ve left Brody home alone to commit a felony on a school night? Oh my milky way!! Thanks to this alien murder spree, I’m 60% sure I might’ve left the oven on! “It’s almost midnight Thorny, you didn’t have to leave your shoes in the car. I mean no one’s around and I don’t think cameras have voice detection so you were just paranoid.” “We’re committing a crime here Naur! Ugh, how would I not be paranoid?! I’ve left Brody home alone, and at this point I don’t know why we’re doing this! I’ll be completely straightforward Naur, I cannot go to jail and if I do, I can’t kill myself to get out of it because either way Brody needs me!”
By the time I finished I couldn’t see him anymore, I’m sure he was still there but my eyes were blurry and I don’t think anyone other than Naur has night vision. “I-I….I’m sorry Briar. I know what it feels like when you’re on the verge of losing everything. To make things worse, We Titanese are terrible at consoling people and just threaten the sad one with a water gun. Kinda like trying to cheer them up, but just getting something to cry about ourselves.” I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was bluffing or that kinda stuff actually happened on Titan. Then a small chuckle escaped me and I giggled till my stomach twisted which echoed through the whole exhibit since I realised how ludicrous he was trying to be.
“At this rate, we’re bound to get caught… but I’m glad you’re not blind with anxiety anymore.” We moved further, passing through butterflies, bees, worms and more insects of which I’d known the name of if I went to school. Well, that being said about sad and generic backstories I noticed how weird he actually was. Staring at the glass like a child who’d do anything to get his hands on those perfectly preserved masterpieces.
I slowed down when I saw a sign saying “Feast your eyes on the T-rex before you’re the feast!! He walks up to it too, his arms folded like he’s the museum’s personal critique “The person who approved of that sign increases the disappointment levels I have with humanity” “Of course you’ve set a scale for that too, what’s it gonna be 7/10?” “Nah, it’s a five, 3 of those points belonging to you.” He says with a smirk.
We pass under the huge long necked Brachiosaurus and made our way to the Ankylosaurus who’s club like tail and armed body looked like a mix of a Rattlesnake and an Armadillo. I kept clicking pictures and taking notes of the plaques, trying not to make a sound. “Brody would’ve loved this” I sighed and I craned my neck to capture the T-rex. “Loved what? The bones?” He said while reading the plaque. “No! The dinosaurs! He’s always loved them, you can… thank dad for that.” I felt my throat burn, like I’d break down if there’d been a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I just walked away, trying to avoid the convo altogether. “Wait, you can tell me stuff y’know. You forget the night vision part when it comes to hiding those tears of yours.” “It’s just dust, they probably don’t dust the fossils, them being all fragile and stuff.” I say while wiping my eyes and faking a few coughs.
We walked over to the Triceratops exhibit before he stopped to ask “Your dad was a Professor right?” I froze, my chest tightening as I tried taking deep breaths. “What made you think that?” I said with a sigh “Arano, you seem like a nerd, who likes space and museums and stuff so I figured.” “Archaeologist. That’s what he was.” My voice cracked while I said it and my head felt light but not in a good way. I ruffled my hair and sat against a wall behind the T-rex, letting the grief stain my face pink.
“You’re red, y’know that?” “Leave me alone. I- I need a minute.” “Leaving you alone is gonna make things worse.” He said pointing at my wrist which he knew was scarred. That was enough to make me start sobbing. “Woahh Briar, calm down… I- I’m sorry, no more dad stuff okay?” He sounded really nervous while he did the only thing he could; sit down beside me. “He used to take me everywhere. This place was like the mall and Mont Lyonnais was like my second home. Besides that, I’d go to his dig sites during the summer and he made me this necklace out of a piece of opal he found in Austria. It’s the only thing I’ve got left of him.” I hiccupped half the time and I’m not sure if he even understood half the stuff I said.”
He sighed and stared at his shoes, dusty like they were hand me downs. “Speaking of necklaces, my Mum had one too; Dad’s present.” He fingered with his croc charms. “Never really met my dad, Paralysis at Miranda”. “Atleast you had your Mum, mine left me like your dad, just different reasons.” I sniffled. “She left me home alone; going to Miranda to check on him since they captured his SCVC or as you’d call it a space passport.” Silence echoed besides my usual sniffling. “Mum just pulled the plug on him when I was 8, told me he would stay in Miranda forever. Turns out… he did.”
“It’s not all that different from you humans. We just have powers and extra responsibilities. I hated them both, especially Mum for it” “Your mum tried to help at some point, right?” “She let him go and He didn’t bother.” “Our parents would’ve gotten along well” I scoffed. “I moved out the moment I got the Gem and it’d only been a month after my birthday when all this happened. After that, I just chose to forget them.” It’s like that Kreekraft meme ‘Your mom doesn’t love you, your dad left you, your grandma doesn’t like you and you grow up to be a bakery worker.” I’d forgotten my own problems for a minute, just because it wasn’t an Alien whose backstory lined up almost perfectly with mine.
Silence settled between us while the T-Rex loomed over our heads. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "You Titanese really suck at comforting people." "I told you. We use water guns." "That makes me wanna add a Titanese disappointment scale of my own." "Well..." He glanced around the exhibit. "I think a fire extinguisher could substitute for a water gun." A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Let’s hope that laugh is genuine.” He said as he made his way to the wall adjacent to us, checking for a fire extinguisher. “You’re not seriously looking for it. Are you?” I whispered. “Can’t read minds so it’s better that I cheer you up anyway” His hand running against the wall.
“Noooo, they don’t have one. Now how am I gonna give you a face full of ‘Sodium bicarbonate’!!” his arms crossed like he was genuinely disappointed. “Too bad too sad TB!” I smirked as I made my way to the next Exhibit. To my dismay, it was astronomy. Is this it? This feels way too easy, like no cool laser parkour? Just walk in and take it?
“What’s next Thorny? Human history? Renaissance?” His voice having a hint of curiosity. “Nope. It’s here Naur, the Astronomy exhibit where we saw the gem last.” My "My arms tensed like I knew something bad was about to happen, but I shoved the feeling into the annoying paranoia chamber and kept walking.” “Trying to lift the mood huh? Well, You’re definitely better now.” “No! I’m not kidding Naur. The next door leads to the astronomy exhibit.” My arms pointing to the glowing path. “Wait, what?!” His face grim, like he hadn’t loathed for this moment since I told him about the gem.
“Something’s…. wrong.” He whispers. “TB?! What? You’ve gotta be kidding me!” My voice echoing through the exhibit. “Stuff like this isn’t THIS easy, right?” His voice uncertain. “I wouldn’t know, I mean with the fact that I don’t wake up with my life’s goal being ‘Ooh let’s commit a felony!’”. I gesture a double quote just in case this guy can’t take a hint of sarcasm. He throws his hands in the air and walks through the star-studded corridor, leading to the latest exhibit… ‘Titan’.
He paused, his fists clenched and his eyes on the floor. I knew he was uncomfortable but even Aliens have boundaries and a destroyed planet on display is probably his. I came closer to the sign, “TITAN, Extinct civilization”. I stared at it then back at Naur, unreasonable confusion filling my head. ‘Didn’t he say that his people left? Like without him?’ ‘I don’t remember him saying anyone died in the collision; let’s hope it’s just another museum hoax.’ I lose myself in these thoughts, the cold A/C air making my bare feet numb. “Thorny? Thorny?... Earth to Briar!” His hands waving inches away from my face. “My bad.” I whisper as we walk further in. Each step felt like agony but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it, even to myself.
A telescope stood beneath a blanket of stars, literally! A dark blue cloth with shining gems hid the real beauty. I threw it off, reminiscing the first time I laid eyes on ‘Talia’. The blue glow of the room combined with the silver sheen made it mesmerizing to look at that I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I snapped out of my trance and saw him staring at a plaque, his arms wrapped around him like a monster would come out and make him relive his worse moments. I walk over to him, somehow; and stare at the plaques he’s shooting daggers at.
I freeze, the cold reaching my blood. I meet his eyes, his face grave like he isn’t some super natural being but a kid who’s not sure if his closet’s clear of monsters. “I’m the only Titanese here Briar. There’s no way they’d know what Titanese Females are like.” “Oh, C’mon Naur, it’s probably some museum nonsense which lures the crowds in, It’s not like this info’s actually accurate…right?” I try playing it cool. “It is.” We both back away, slowly. “Let’s just get this over with before something bad happens.” Fear making my voice crack. “We finally agree on something.” He scoffs as we turn around to face a tall photo wall.
Most of them were just rocket launches and medals but something caught my eye. An old yellowed photo of two twins, both holding a pair of scissors in front a red ribbon. ‘Inaugration of the 1996 Astronomy exhibit’ The label said. I didn’t think much of it, but Naur definitely kept staring at the rockets. “You don’t need rockets on Titan, right? Just get your ‘space cars or bikes’ and move?” I hit my usual emote with my arms folded. “Yea. We did.” For once, he actually seemed uncertain; and that… was NOT okay.
“Well, what’s with the rocket then?” “It was the reason I’m in this mess, technically.” “Oh yea… If you hadn’t crashed thanks to the astronauts, you’d have your gem.” “And I’d be chilling in a Pagani rather than snooping around a museum of all places. Not to mention you’d be in dreamland considering whatever the time might be.” He shrugged as we left the photo wall and made our way to the main exhibit which had his jetboard, and the gem of course. But right before we entered through the velvety curtains; something sent shivers down my spine. It felt like we were being watched by literal eyes, which we were right about; except that the people watching us were replicas floating in yellow stuff. There were a lot of things floating in the yellow stuff like minerals, old rocket parts and astronaut replicas wearing suits; All lining the main exhibit with the curtains in the centre.
We split up as I moved to the right, where I felt the eyes following my every move. Paranoia pounded the doors of adrenaline in my veins, trying to get me outta here; but my legs didn’t budge. Not because I was scared but because I faced a horrific sight. The plaque read ‘Before and after prolonged effects of space travel’. Under the before sign, A perfectly normal guy stood frozen in time while the one under the after sign was bruised and brutally burnt with his skin practically orangish red; just the sight of him was enough to make my stomach twist.
“That’s not how it works.” He creeped up behind me, making me jump. “Oh my god Naur! The last thing you can do in a dark museum behind a glowing human, is scare me!” “This isn’t funny Briar, something’s wrong. First the Titanese stuff, then this? What’s next they have a Titanese person’s replica even though our civilization was hidden from you humans for Millenia?” “Don’t say that! Manifest good stuff Naur.” “Passe." He brushes the curtain aside and storms into the exhibit, leaving me and the two replicas alone in the dark.
The main exhibit had an ominous glow, turquoise and cyan lights bouncing from the ceiling to the floor and back. He stood there, almost like he’d go all ragdoll and fall flat any second. Infront of him stood the Jet board, a wall dedicated to explaining every part. And to the left, enclosed in an invisible glass case, was the thing we’d both been longing to see; the Gem.
It glowed purple, the colour of his blood. I couldn’t take my eyes off it no matter how hard I tried; showing how powerful it truly was. When I finally managed to look, what I saw made my heart spring into my throat. He was on his knees, his breathing unsteady and his hands trembling like they’d give up on him the moment something went wrong. The same purple spread through his irises like ink in water, replacing the usual brown. I finally looked at him. Terror had drained every trace of colour from his face, like he was staring straight at the Grim Reaper. He hyperventilated as he blurted “When’s he coming home Mum?” If it wasn’t impossible, my eyeballs would fall out. I shook him violently, “Naur c’mon bro! What’s with you?!” Tears flooded my eyes as I relived a memory of my own; the night dad died.
Those tears slowly turned to rage as I knew I was doomed. Alongside that terrible memory, Paranoia finally broke down the walls of my sane mind. We hadn’t come this foar for him to collapse now. My worst fear would come true! I pushed him so hard he fell to the floor, the trance finally snapping but his shaky breathing and purple eyes still haunted me. I couldn’t hold it anymore even though I’d just gone past an emotional breakdown in the last exhibit. The fact that I lost everything but still had Brody and now because of this STUPID, STUPID ALIEN he’d lose me?
Deep breaths were enough to partially calm me down but life just had to give me it’s worst menu just as I decided to aid an intergalactic creature in a felony. He was glowing. His wobbly steps making him stagger towards the gem. All I could do was watch in complete horror as he got his claws out and shattered the case with one powerful stab. The gem floated towards him and glowed bright enough to blind someone. Each detail made my eyes go wider as I noticed how he hovered a whole 10 inches from the floor.
Then? Sirens roared through the whole museum as footsteps clambered through the halls. All I could see was a mix of red and purple in an awful ratio through my blurry eyes. I knew I was done for and this time? I can’t get out of it no matter how hard I tried; but, atleast I know that Brody is asleep in his room, safe. One of us had to be.
Men in midnight blue uniforms rushed to the scene and hurled him into a cage big enough for a beast. He collapsed lifeless with the dull gem still clinging to his heart, maybe since it was the only piece of home he had left. The gem wasn’t the only thing that lost its shine; The once alluring exhibit was now just another dark hallway. I ran to the back of the exhibit walls and hugged my knees. I closed my eyes, hoping it was just a bad dream and I might’ve just overslept with croissants in the oven.
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Chapter 15
White. All I saw was white. The only contrast being my hair, the handcuffs, and the darkness stretching far beyond the glass window. Every part of my body ached as I sat up with a groan. The room was mostly empty. A bed sat in the centre and a weird nightstand-like thing held a few pills I was apparently supposed to take. They obviously didn’t bother to explain where I was and all I could do was sit in this excessively bright room alone. With my head in my hands, I went through everything that happened, now that I’m sure that all this wasn’t a dream.
For starters, I’m trapped in what could possibly be Juvie, rehab or a mental institute just because I was dumb enough to try helping an alien get his gem back. Not to mention Brody’s probably going insane since I’m not the type to go out partying all night and he might catch on with the fact that I’m in horrible trouble. Speaking of the Alien, Goodness knows where he is. At this point, I’m trying soooo hard not to care; I mean I am in this mess thanks to HIM.
While I deal with this existential crisis, the once dark window suddenly lit up, revealing a lab with a CAT scanner in the centre and a table with bags of blood and ampules scattered around it. Intrigued, I tried walking but stumbled and fell, hurting my knees coincidentally in the same spot I did 4 years ago; luckily, I didn’t end up bruising them. I took a good look at myself only to realise that I’ve sprained my ankle, which explains the bandages and the unusual pang I get whenever I try touching the ground.
Instead, I lunged towards the wall adjacent to me and held on to the wall’s ledges for support. I hopped my way to the window’s edge where a man was mopping the…blood stained floor. I almost fell again, this time out of pure horror. Then it hit me like a truck on the highway. The twins….in the picture. The space replica thing! Ohhh no,no,no,no. This CANNOT be real. I tightened my grip on the ledge, afraid my legs would give out beneath me. I tried to believe it wasn’t real, but the fact that Naur told me those marks weren’t from space travel and with how realisticly similar they were to the twins it was undeniable. It wasn’t the same person’s replica from before and after, it was two completely different people floating in yellow stuff with one of them being… brutally tortured. Naur wayyyy, the migraines were getting to me. They had to be. Because if they weren't...the museum hadn't displayed replicas; It had displayed people.
As if my life wasn’t horrible enough, I might’ve literally collapsed if it wasn’t for the fact that I was hurt. He turned around and almost dropped his mop as our eyes met. “This can’t be real. NO.NO.NO.NO.” I figured that’s what he was saying as his face went pale when he saw me. For the first time in years, I was actually lost for words. I stood firm in the silence, staring at the floor; as he rushed over to the glass, horror spreading through his face. And no, It wasn’t Naur dear readers….It was Rayyan.
“Wha… what are you doing here? Pleaseee….tell me this is a dream.” He rubbed his eyes hard and smacked the glass window, genuinely terrified. I stared at him, wide eyed; trying to figure out what I’d say. “You’re part of this too, aren’t you?” I whispered, tears flooding my eyes. “You’re not…supposed to be here.” He stared at the floor in embarrassment. “You CANNOT be serious Ray!” The horror transforming into rage. I pounded hard on the glass hard enough to make my knuckles hurt.
With the look on his face, He’d heard something I couldn’t and went back to mopping. I’ve been betrayed before, specifically the time Mum left us after dad died. But even that didn’t hurt as much as this did. Defeated, I limped back towards the bed; a scraping noise stopped Rayyan wasn't looking at me He kept mopping the floor like nothing had happened. A white keycard slid through the gap beneath the glass. Very, very accidentally.
I began yelling louder this time, not knowing if he could hear me or not. “You expect me to trust you with just a white piece of plastic? No answers?” But instead of actually giving me answers or atleast bothering to look at me? He walked away, holding a peace sign at his back. I stood there, feeling helpless until I took a closer look at the keycard. ‘STAFF ONLY: LAB ACCESS’. A sudden smirk slid across my cheek as I realised Ray was smarter than I’d thought. The peace sign wasn’t an apology; it was the room which the keycard would open specifically.
I knew I needed to get a grip, I’d already lost Naur but I can’t afford to lose myself, For Brody’s sake. I limped towards the door and shoved the keycard with the remaining strength I had within me. And..? It didn’t work. I kicked the door with my working leg out of angry and groaned when I fell head first. Wha…? What if I’ve been experimented on already? Maybe that’s why I’m hallucinating Rayyan and the whole keycard to escape thing! But…it all felt… soooo real. I jumped and screamed when the pain ran through my body as my injured foot hit the floor. It was as real as it could get.
I looked around, trying to figure out what went wrong. Did he give me the wrong keycard in a rush? I tried it again. And again, and again and, again. Until I finally realised I had to slide the barcode into the sensor which was on the other side. The door slid into the wall with a creak as I felt a gust of wind blow across my face. The hallway was completely grey as if I was inside a well- lit vent. Goosebumps sprang up my arms as I ran, looking for room no.2.
I almost tripped when my eyes caught sight of a man. Not just any man; a man asleep in a capsule kinda thing. The yellow stuff from before slowly bubbling to the top. I knew this wasn’t a museum anymore; I mean it looked pretty small from the outside. Too small to have a whole secret rendezvous going on in there. I slowed my pace when I got to rooms 1-10 and crawled when I heard clanking or footsteps.
Finally, the door I’d been loathing for finally stood before me; the rusty iron frame letting out a fluorescent glow. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, afraid of what heinous thing I’d see when I stepped foot through that door. Instead, I was met with a wall full of pictures with a chair and desk in the middle. A smile ran across my face as it reminded me of going to Brody’s parent teacher conferences. But what I saw after made my smile vanish instantly.
The wall was full of pictures, awards locked in cases and files on the shelves. But what horrified me in particular wasn’t how decent this room was compared to the others, but the third picture frame to the right. It was the twins from the astronomy exhibit except that a bold title flashed over their frame. “MOST SUCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS”. Fear made me hiccup which would be funny if I wasn’t the one feeling it.
My suspicion was true. Which meant...I was still inside the museum. Probably somewhere under-ground. I stepped closer, dangerous curiosity dragging me forward. "Innocent lives ruined just for money," I whispered. My heart felt emptier than usual. My fingers brushed against the glossy frames; each one holding a story of suffering. A loud sechoed through the hall and that’s when I knew I needed to figure this place out as fast as I could. I sprinted towards the shelves holding mountains of files and slid the keycard in; almost crashing into the glass casing.
It opened with a ‘hiss’ and I grabbed the files, hoping to find something that could help me get out of here. Rayyan better have been right about this room because there’s nothing that’s gonna keep me here if I find a way out. On the top shelf rows upon rows of photographs stared back at me. Some were old while others looked recent. Every single one had a number beneath it. Not a name; A number. Like, somebody had forgotten they were people. A loose piece of paper fluttered on top of the stack, thanks to the A/C; thankfully taking my mind off of this murderous business.
I jumped and grabbed it, hundreds of files hitting my head. I couldn’t even hold onto anything and my ankle was bombarded with thick folders, making me wail in pain. I was buried under dead trees with dead people’s history written on them? Great; Just Great. I didn’t even bother getting back up since my wails were muffled by the stacks of papers on top of me. I’d never felt physical pain as badly as now and imagined the reaper standing above me. I closed my eyes, thinking this was the end of my story; I failed Brody.
Suddenly, a picture of a woman landed on my face. It was hell to move my body but I managed to push away the files covering my upper body and grabbed the picture. The woman looked oddly familiar, somewhat like….mum. I scoffed at the word and blew it away from my face, knowing I wasn’t gonna leave Brody alone like she did. Speaking of Brody, I mustered up the last ounces of leftover strength I had and kicked the files away; my hand over my mouth just in case I screamed.
I scoured the files, looking for a map or some kind of clue that would get me out of here like a floorplan or blueprint in which I’d get out through the vents like a cartoon character. Instead, I kept bumping into blood reports and a bunch of non-escape related nonsense. I know what you’re thinking dear readers, I’m selfish; Deal with it. As I flipped through a file, a page suddenly gave me a papercut making me squeal. I was about to crumble it up, my fingers tight around the corners of the page. But what was on there made me grip the keycard so hard, it slit my hand; staining the Turkish carpet beneath my feet.
It was Naur’s file. My stomach dropped when I saw it. But the icing on the cake was that my name and fingerprints were near his; captioned:
‘Briar Connor: Close associate Status- Under observation.’
There is absolutely no way this is real. I held it with my bloody palm. The words turning crimson and spread even further when my tears hit it. They…know. My chest tightened with fear as I think I went through something like a Panic attack. I collapsed again, my head feeling like it’d explode. A few horrifying minutes later, I finally stopped shivering. But that wasn’t the end of it. I sobbed loudly, the physical and mental pain being too much to bear. My ankle and palm both throbbed in pain as I held my head in dread.
All I wanted was Brody. If everything that ruined me stood on one scale and Brody stood on the other, he’d obviously out-weigh the worst. I knew my legs would give up on me, but I lunged towards the desk in search of a map anyway. I pulled the handle, the dust getting into my wound and making my eyes water again. I guess you gotta go though some stuff to get what you want; even if that ‘stuff’ is unbearable internal torture. And I finally did; technically. The blueprint of the facility lied crisp in my hands. I read it through blurry eyes, trying to figure out the exit.
Remember when I said life was a horrible chef with an even worse menu? Well, I think this was the dessert. The nearest exit was blocked due to ‘renovation purpose’ and the next one was right next to the main research facility a kilo meter away; and on top of that, there was security stationed there at all times. I facepalmed hard, despair and hopelessness dawned on me. I lifted my head up to loathe my life, but instead came back down with a grin.
The vents! My weird cartoony idea worked! I shoved the papers away and dragged the armchair towards the table, hosting myself up with the newfound strength I suddenly got. The vent grates were screwed in tight and I did NOT have the strength to punch them through, being an official felon myself. I ripped out the half-sawed bobby pins from last time and unscrewed the grate one at a time, each screw hitting me somewhere or the other.
Finally, the grate came crashing down, missing my face by an inch but not my ankle. The vent echoed my wails. But it didn’t last long as I finally took a deep breath and pulled myself up, my bobby pins dropping down to the table as I wiggled in, almost slipping back down. The vent seemed endless. Every movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my ankle. The metal walls pressed in around me until I felt more like the icing squeezed through a piping nozzle in croissants than a person.
Weirdly enough, it reminded me of the tunnels in those McDonald's play places. Mum used to take me there when I was little, before Brody was born. I'd get lost on purpose and wait for her to find me like she always would. My chest tightened; I felt like my eyes were burning, probably because of all the crying. I shoved the thought away and kept crawling. I couldn’t believe myself being found dead in a museum vent of all places. Like, what was I doing in there? Blame the Alien for it.
I wasn’t sure if it was just me or something glowed on the next turn but it made me want to crawl faster; thinking it was the end of this nightmare. I finally approached the turn in the nick of time; I rounded the corner so fast I nearly impaled myself on a sharp edge. A faint glow escaped the vent grates. I felt my eyes were deceiving me but turns out I was wrong. I wasn’t really one to have favourite colours; not like it mattered. But now I know my least favourite one; Purple.
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Chapter 16
I almost considered turning back; not wanting to get myself into trouble again. But I couldn’t possibly turn back now; not when the exit could potentially be beyond that trashy purple light! I crawled forward in dismay trying to avoid the light completely and clear my head. I finally reached the vent and prepared to lift my legs and dodge it but fate is a cruel mistress. I felt the grate shake as screws fell down with the weight of my ankle cast with a trill.
I knew I was next and braced myself for the worst; thank dad’s trust fall games for that. The grate dropped down with a clatter, hauling me down with it. missing I yelped as I plunged through the opening, catching the edge at the last second; missing the vent related fatality rate by 0.1%. For one horrifying moment, I just hung there; dangling like a ragdoll. “Should’ve known Goody No-shoes would come back for me.” The heat of embarrassment flooded through me as I froze, my grip slipping and dragging me down. I screamed loud enough to make him flinch as my ankle was officially more than sprained.
“I despise you.” I whimpered while crawling towards the nearest hand-hold. “Not surprized.” He rolled his eyes. I got on my knees and scoured the place for something to throw at him. A screw. I flung it at him with all the force my arm had. He caught it effortlessly. Even though he was the one sitting in the corner exhausted with purple blood streaked across his clothes and arms. “Missed me.” He groaned. “In what way?” I glared at his smug face. “Mainly the screw.” “UGHHHH YOU RAT!” “Not from earth remember?”. I stared at him, concern and hatred overlapping each other in my head. He too sat there in silence, his breaths slow and genuinely worn out.
“So, what are you doing here? Like in here?” he asks with a hint of curiosity in his tired voice. “I was trying to escape.” “Through the vent? What are you, a cartoon character?” He asks, confused. “The nearest exit was blocked and the other one was too risky; if not, I would’ve been asleep in my room by now.” I looked at the floor while regretting my life choices. “So, you chose the vent?” He grinned. “Better than being stuck in a human sized pickle jar.” I scoffed and hugged my knees. “What are you on about? Is that an earth metaphor I’m unaware of or are you being literal?” He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms. “It’s pretty hard to explain. Complicated to the core.” I sighed in despair.
“Knowing my story, you think I can’t handle some lore you drop on me? Ouch.” “This place is a death trap!” My sanity was on the line with the whole ‘I wanna know about all the horrifc things you’ve seen and I’m gonna pester you to remember it and tell me!’ “Life is a death trap; specificness please?” He looked annoyed now. “Well. You were right about the twins, the wounds had nothing to do with space travel.” “Twins? You mean the replicas?” “They weren’t replicas. They were the twins from that photo wall we saw before the chaos happened. Let’s hope Titanese have good memory retention.” I hugged myself tight, trying to hold myself together.
He was lost for words; his eyes wide with tears dripping down his face. I looked away. Hoping he wouldn't connect the final piece. Because if the twins had become exhibits...Then sooner or later, he'd realise what I already had. He wasn't trapped in the system. He was becoming part of it.
The silence was ominous. Both of us were lost in our own thoughts except that his were probably way worse. My eyes wandered the room. It was like mine except that a blood stained alien was sitting in one of the corners surrounded by….my bobby pins. I immediately followed the metal dust towards the vent I came from. “You…did it.” “Did what?” He said from inside his knees. “You unscrewed the vent, or…at least tried to.” “Look where that got me.” He lifted his head slowly, his face a deep maroon hue.
“You can…still escape with me; go back to Bihar and your life with Kaylee!” I plead. “I’m sure you know more about this place than you’re telling me. Yet, you still don’t get it, do you? Pathetic.” His eyes were red and I wasn’t sure if alien eyes would pop out unlike ours. I realised I messed up and zipped it. I took a moment to think things through since he’s oblivious to the idea of escaping. “You’ve probably assumed your fate’s written already and just because you failed to escape once doesn’t mean you’ll give up!” I tried reasoning with him with my patented ‘Brody uplifting’ speeches.
“You really think this is an escape room, don’t you?” he said with a laugh though humour was practically non-existent. “I-…. I don’t want you to… never mind.” I cut myself halfway to avoid getting him madder. “What?! You don’t want what?” He snapped. “I can’t bare looking at you when your stuck in a glass case and I didn’t do everything I could to help.” I blurted out. He didn’t know what to say again. We both just sat there dejected for our own reasons. If I wasn’t such a stupid little empath, I’d figure out how to get back in the vent and be long gone.
A red light flickered a few times before it finally caught his attention; And when it did… panic struck. His eyes went blank for a second, the purple coming back. “Thorny! Get back in the vent! I’ll give you a hand.” He said with fear coating every word like Chouquettes coated in honey. He rushed over to me, his head whacking from the door to me and back like a pendulum. “What? NO Way!” I stared at him confused and afraid. “Briar. The vent. NOW!” He cried out from across the room and pointed towards the vent. “NO! Not without you!” I yelled. Before I knew it, his claws dug into my shoulders. Not enough to hurt; but enough to make me stop and think twice before doing something stupid. Our eyes met and there wasn’t room for anything but dread in his.
He was genuinely horrified and started yelling like a maniac. “BRIAR YOU’RE GONNA DIE!” “HUH?” I look at him wide-eyed. “YOU DON’T WANNA DIE RIGHT? WHAT ABOUT BRODY?!” “Excuse me?!...DO NOT bring him into this!” I yell as I struggle for freedom from this clawed maniac. “JUST GO BRI-” Click. A lock dial slowly started to turn. The silence made it easy to hear even it’s gears turn with each passing second.
Throughout the times I’ve looked back and compared his present reactions nothing was more dreadful than this. I remember having the same look on my face a while ago. When Naur and I were caught last time. The kind of look you have when you know you can’t get out of it no matter what. Everything you’ve ever loved and worked for just slips out of your fingers like sand. For the first time in forever, we finally agreed on something. We were so screwed.
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Chapter 17
His face went blank. Like, literally emotionless. I tugged hard, trying to get myself free while he dug his claws deeper to the point it hurt. “Let go!” I whispered through gritted teeth. 2 men and a woman in Lab coats entered the room. I stared at them long enough for them to notice me first. The First one was a tall dark-skinned man with braids and a beard; with a face that meant business. The next one was a Tanned woman with a blonde bob and a file and checklist in her arms. The last one was an olive-skinned man with glasses and freckles and a buzz cut? He clutched a taser and handcuffs in his hands and tried to hide them in his coat pocket once he saw me staring at them.
It wasn’t like they just stood there and let me assess them. Instead, the first one came in and ran back out; probably to report me. Then the last one was whispering as the blondie went through the files and ticked off things in her checklist. Me and Naur just sat there confused and uncertain; But we did know something. Nothing good’s going down in this museum. “The files.” I whispered. Nothing; just a tighter grip which made me wince.
The man probably noticed the claws and looked at the blondie. “Willow, Subject 117 is displaying elevated aggression.” The word stung as much as when Mum said the word dead when referencing dad. That insensitive idiot! “He’s got a name y’know.” I snapped and pushed away from Naur; who’s grip loosened out of pure shock. The room went silent.
Blondie moved Taser boy aside and crouched down to face me, her face cold like a fresh Icee. “Miss Connor. You’re interfering with something that doesn’t concern you. We’ve been on his tail since he landed in Assam; which in turn, is before meeting you.” She stated with her fingers drumming on the file. “Well…It- It does concern me now that I’m here. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t write my name near his as ‘Close associate’.” I looked her in the eye as Naur gasped.
“Trying to help a potentially hazardous being gain its power source is anything but praise worthy Miss Connor. Not to mention the fact that you’re inside the premises after closing hours and were about to teal our latest artifact.” “He’s nothing less than a human! You cannot put Naurian and hazardous in the same sentence!” I was on my knees, trying to get back up on my feet to seem more intimidating.
She actually looked disappointed like she’d do anything to get me out of the way. Naur was her prize and I was the obstacle. “It’ll be the last time this has been warned to you Miss Connor. Step aside and let the professionals handle this infestation.” She almost smirked when she said that but tried being non-chalant. “INFESTATION? You’re not the interstellar pest control! You…insensitive soulless creature!” I was almost up, my hands gripping the wall ledge tighter than ever. I looked at Naur for a second. He just sat there on his knees; his stare somewhat unsettling and lowkey creepy. Like he wasn’t really there. She facepalmed hard with my response and turned to Taser boy.
“Go for it, Daniel.” Her words sending a chill up my spine. He rushed over to Naur and struck the 500volt taser straight to his neck. Naur collapsed straight to the ground; his lifeless body looked like it’d been cooked internally. “NOOO!” I screamed loud enough to make the taser boy cover his ears. “Let go of him! You’re hurting him!” I cried as I hopped over towards him as he trembled in pain.
Willow came closer with a pout on her cold face; plotting something sinister. To the surprise of no one, she tripped me; making me fall right next to Naur. I screamed in pain as I felt warm blood flow from my head to my eyelashes; making it hard to open my eyes. He reached out to help, his fingers barely able to move. I rubbed my eyes hard till both my eyes and hands were stained red. “Leave her out of this Willow.” His voice intimidating like the time he was mad at me when we were picking the lock.
Taser boy approached me, grabbing my arms to drag me away. “DO NOT touch me!” I resisted like someone brought Broccoli to my face as a toddler. A loud thud echoed across the room. Willow almost dropped her checklist and my heart almost stopped as the same man was gonna take me away; was now laying lifeless in a pool of blood. A greyish purple tail slithered behind Naur as he leaned across the wall exhausted. I was astounded.
“Th- There’s M-my pr-proof, Miss Connor.” Willow stuttered while rushing to grab her things. He groaned while stroking his blood covered tail. Willow's grip tightened around the file. For the first time since entering the room, she looked uncertain. Then she looked at Taser boy’s body and left. I rushed to the body, checking for a pulse. Not because I was against Naur but because someone out there might’ve lost their dad. Turns out; they did. I’d never seen death live; especially not ones where a tail is involved.
“They’re not all wrong.” He whispered. “Wh- Wha?” I sniffled while trying not to have another emotional breakdown. “I’m dangerous.” Silence swallowed the room. “She’s gone, we can put all this behind us and run.” “I’ve only got enough energy to push you up the vent. Don’t make me waste it on arguing with you.” “Naurian…” I try holding back the tears. He stands up, persistence giving him strength. He holds out a hand, claws and all. But yet, it looked gentler than anything in the room. “Let’s get you home Thorny.” A soft smile along with a hand to hold made me almost take it. But he knew how to get to me. “Stop deciding things for me. Besides, you’ve just proved how bad Titanese memory really is.” “How come?” He tilted his tired head in confusion. “I told you I wouldn’t leave without you. Remember?” He groaned with his hands in the air.
Before either of us could react, a dart struck his arm. His eyes rolled back and his breath choked him. His legs gave out beneath him, sending him crashing towards the floor. I caught his head before it hit the floor out of sheer luck. I panicked and shook him violently; His bobble head heavy in my weary arms. The blurry eyes made it hard to conclude if he woke up or not. “Naur! Naur c’mon! No.” I stared at the first scientist with braids in absolute fury but saw a firm yet elegant hand holding him back. Willow.
His drowsy eyes finally opened and met mine. “Still here huh?” he grinned. “You scared me half to death!” I wiped my tears hard. He could barely keep his eyes open. “I’ll say it till the time you’re here. Come with me.” I said with a teary smile. “Y’know, I won’t. Earth isn’t big enough for two trouble makers.” He laughed though I was lucky enough to hear it. “Stop saying that.” I frowned. “Wha?” “Stop hinting that you’re leaving. You’re not.” I gripped his shoulders like he did mine. “For someone who’s awesome at making my life difficult…” “Yea?” My voice cracked. “You somehow made it easier…” his breathing slowed down dramatically. “Made what?” I blinked. “Being human.” My tears hit his face, but unlike Rapunzel, they weren’t magical.
He smiled with all the strength the dart hadn’t taken and twitched. His eyes drifted shut. “Naur?” My body stiffened. I felt my arms trembling while my brain played the worst-case scenario. My cream shirt was now stained purple, permanently. I waited anxiously for him to wake up. His sarcastic voice was all I wanted to hear when we were surrounded by fathomless silence. I needed him to persuade me to go home one last time or atleast call me Thorny. “This can’t- be the end…right?” I whispered, hoping he’d hear me somehow. “Naur…I’m not home yet!” I pounded my fists to his chest like I was throwing a tantrum.
My brain and heart were fighting a doomsday battle up in my head. I knew the truth; but my heart refused to believe it. “You don’t get to do this….” I held his pale face in my hands. “You don’t get to...say all that weird stuff and just…” I couldn’t bring myself to end the sentence. The feeling was unexplainable. I didn’t care but found myself sobbing hard while layed there, pale and motionless. A hand rested on my shoulder. I shrugged it off hard and sunk my head. The room was empty besides the 3 of us; by that I mean Willow. “Miss Connor I-” “Wake him up.” The words were quiet but firm which was unexpected. “It was… the highest dose of Euthanizer. I’m sorry.” “You took him from me!” I screamed, tears rolling down my face. “It wouldn’t have ended this way.” She sighed and sat down to avoid meeting my eyes. “By the looks of that office, it would’ve been a lot worse.”
My eyes trailed over to her. There wasn’t a clipboard between us. I think professionalism just left the chat. As she sat with one knee up and the other laid flat; her body leaned to the wall. I’d seen a lot of Movies and T.V shows where after a character dies, their friend sees them in everything. Somewhat like a glitch. I never thought I’d have a friend close enough for me to experience it. He sat that way… twice; covered in blood both times. Once in the alleyway and the other in the corner when I dropped through the vent. “Miss Connor?” She nudged me.
I went red with embarrassment as if I wasn’t already red enough. “You’re not wrong.” She sighed. I ignored her and stared at the ceiling. “You think I wanted this to happen?!” Her voice lacked its usual elegance and composure. “Don’t you DARE!” I shot daggers at her. “Miss Connor…” “Oh don’t you ‘Miss Connor’ me, you murderer.” “I tried escaping once too. Except that I wasn’t captured for helping the wrong cause.” “I’m sorry what?” She looked away. “You heard me.”
Before I could reply, the door opened. The men who put Naur in a cage now tugged at his lifeless body. I gripped harder; though I knew it wouldn’t make a difference. He drifted further away, the floor turning purple. My fingers tangled in his messy hair as I took one final look at his scarred face. A man approached me but Willow kept her hand as a barrier; shaking her head in denial. And just like that; he was gone. Never to be seen again…or so I thought. I sobbed as she embraced me; stroking my hair. Silence started getting on my nerves.
“What…were you on about?” I backed away. She hesitated at first but after a long sigh she folded her legs and turned over to face me. “I was exploring the place. Like a normal person 6 years ago.” “They just grabbed you then?” I stared. “No.” She smirked. “I was a regular. Volunteering, memberships, you name it; this place was my second home.” She pushed her glasses higher up her nose and continued.
“Over time, they favoured me…a lot. Enough to let me stay after hours and explore the place. I’d get updates on new exhibits through text and they’d even ask for my opinion on wall colours.” She laughed though the story lacked humour.
“One night, I heard screaming. I followed the noise and saw something I wasn’t supposed to. That’s when they gave me a final choice. Zip it and stay or never leave.” “What…do you mean by…stay?” I hugged my knees; uncertainty rushing through me. “I could work here…help with everything.” She focused on the word ‘everything’. That’s when I realised it. She was me 6 years ago. A naïve ‘Museophile’ who was too invested in the museum to see the trap she fell in. We both zoned out, lost in our own thoughts. “You do know why I’m telling you this. Right?” I froze.
The truth stung worse than a bee sting. “I’d rather die than work for this horrendous place!” “That’s the almost inevitable part.” Her voice softer. “I just witnessed death, Willow!” I cried. More silence. “A little star told me you need to get home.” She squeezed my hand. “Shut up.” I tried ripping free. “This…is your only shot Briar. Go home while you’ve still got a reason to.” “Even if that means I gotta show up to the place that ruined me?” “You can answer that question. But get this; This place pays well.” She smirked and got to her feet and back to her usual professional stature.
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Chapter 18
I sighed and stared at the empty room. The air suddenly felt colder than usual. I looked up to see her hand inches away from my face. “I can stand myself, thank you.” I huffed and pushed hard against the ground, trying to get back on my feet. “If you could; you’d be out by now.” She stared right into my eyes, an annoyed look on her face. I realised I couldn’t get past her knees and accepted defeat.
I grabbed her hand and wobbled like my feet were suddenly Jello. She went back to ‘nice Willow’ and stabilized me till I could stand with just her hand for support. Every part of my body hurt more than ever. Every movement felt like agony and I felt my throat tighten like someone tied a Palomar knot in there. She led me out of the room slow and steady; her grip firm. As we approached the door, I couldn’t help but stare at the scarlet corner where everything ended.
The door hissed behind me as I was back in the dingy and dreadful corridor. Room after room, my eyes yearned for atleast a tiny glimpse of Naur. My feet automatically hit the brakes as I finally saw a purple glow in one of the rooms; the light pulsing and fading. Willow tugged on my wrist hard, but my feet stayed glued to the crusty concrete floor. “Briar. It’s not what you think it is.” She tugged even harder as I felt like a doll which both Naur and Willow wanted. I heard my wrist bone pop which finally made my legs move again; though I never wanted them too. Ironic how I wanted to stare at my least favourite colour. “It’s him…I know it is!” I urged like a child begging for a pain au chocolat but the thing I was begging for…was nothing to do with sweets. “Briar! If you want me to take you in there then say goodbye to that brother of yours. They won’t let you out once you’re in! Do you UNDERSTAND?” Her face was red like she’d literally smack me if she wasn’t at work right now. The words echoed both ways, through the corridors and my head.
We finally reached the main door which made me heave a sigh of relief. She put her hand out, like she wanted something from me. Both horror and betrayal replaced the relief faster than I could comprehend as I realised my life had a price tag which I needed to pay Willow for. “I…I don’t…” I was completely lost for words, a faint ringing in my ear followed by a headache made it even harder to speak.
“The keycard, Briar.” She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder as she opened the door. I stared at her for 2 whole minutes, disbelief making me question much more than my life choices. Then, my eyes caught Rayyan; wearily polishing an artifact in the distance. “Ohhhhh…” I fumbled while checking all my pockets, including the one in my flour- stained apron. Finally, I fished it out and placed it on her palm. “You’ll get yours next week.” I got the sudden urge to smile but saved it for when my feet touched anything but cold tiles and crusty concrete.
The door opened like any average door; except that it spilled freedom into this educational hellhole they called a museum. It was morning; proving that I did infact, live to see another sunrise…though I can’t say the same for…him. My eyes lit up as I felt my feet warming up; sunlight making them glow. It finally hit my face and that was when I twirled; peace making me go light headed in a good way. I ran out like the bell rung for the last day of school.
I turned around, tears in my eyes for what reason this time? Arano. She stood there with her usual straight back, tired eyes and checklist in hand; except that her face had a smile small enough to be overlooked but genuine enough to make me run back in and hug her tight. “I owe you my life y’know?” my voice cracked. I wiped my tears with my sleeve one last time, watching the purple spread further up my sleeve. Now that was a bold fashion statement. “Don’t be late on Monday.” She handed me a tissue with a smirk. “You’re unbelievable.” I say while wiping my eyes. Just like that, she sighed and walked back in, but stopped halfway to wave goodbye. I waved harder than necessary and slid down the railing, my feet finally touching grass. The warm breeze rejuvenated me like coffee in the morning. The sky was painted in hues of pink, gold and lavender with birds completing the picture perfectly. Then, cars honked, cyclists yelled and shops began opening.
I walked home, slower than usual, taking in every ounce of freedom I could since going back to my normal brokie routine was anything but freedom and the museum job was just the cherry on top. Halfway through the street; I heard something and followed the sound cause for some reason it felt like someone was calling me. Even though I was horribly sleep-deprived and didn’t need another side quest; my legs kept moving as the sound got louder. What I saw made me sob. Not because it was heart breaking or anything; but because I could officially say that my troubles were finally over, somewhat.
I was across the street from Simone’s Crumbery which was closed. A blue backpack rested near the door and a familiar pair of Converse and a brown bird’s nest was all I could see among the speeding traffic. That was enough to make me sprint through it all though the light was red. I almost got hit by a bus at the end and stumbled face first onto the footpath; a rock missed my eye but hit my cheek instead. Half my face was stained Carmine as I layed there, motionless.
“Briar!” He screamed as I felt him tug my shirt hard enough to get me off the footpath and into the alley where blood wasn’t really a rare sighting. I could barely keep my eyes open but I tried harder than ever; just because there was something worth seeing. He held me close as I heard him sobbing. I did it; I’m back to Brody! Yay….
I opened my eyes slowly thinking it would hurt, surprisingly it didn’t. White…again. I assumed the worst and screamed like a maniac. It was…A dream?! Nonononono! I gripped my sheets tight and pulled myself up. I hate those moments where I assume the worse and there’s barely anything to worry about. This? Was another one of those moments. The room was white, but not lab white. Hospital white! I stared at the IVs snaked around my arms to the drip hung on a metal stand. I wore a blueish nightgown with hydrangeas all over them, my favourite. I touched my face, it was surprisingly clean and my head and cheeks were wrapped in bandages.
I sat there and scanned the room; wondering if all of that was a dream and I had an accident at work. But a quick glimpse of my purple stained shirt on a chair nearby made it clear that it was as real as it could get. I was lost in my thoughts, until a creak made me jump. So much so, that I turned and almost ripped the IV off the stand. The converse came through the door, followed by a brown bird’s nest and a bag full of snacks.
“Brody!” I yelled loud enough to make him drop the bag and stare at me with a look that said ‘I’m surprised you’re awake’. “Briar!” He sprinted towards me, almost tripping over the bag of snacks. I was lost for words and started sobbing the moment he wrapped his arms around me; gripping him tighter as if he’d be gone if I loosened my grip even a little.
A minute later, he pulled away; his nose scrunched in disgust. “You reek of disinfectant y’know that? And I’m not even gonna start on how your face is so botched up that I can’t even convince people we’re siblings.” I held his face in my hands and pulled him back into an embrace; that seeming the only sensible thing to do. He groaned and rushed to the door the moment I let him go, getting the bag of snacks and something else behind his back. He threw the bag of snacks at me and set a vase on the bedside table.
“What’s the vase for?” I asked with a sniffle. “These” He pulled out a fresh bouquet of hydrangeas and placed them in the vase, leaving one out. “Brody…My favourite” I said with my head tilted with a smile. He sat on the bed beside me and placed the flower on the sheet before grabbing the bag and shoving a croissant straight into my mouth. “Pain au chocolat! Yummy!” I mumbled. I offered him one but his face was furious. His jaw was clenched and he struggled to talk calmly. I wouldn’t blame him. I just made him feel what I felt 4 years ago even though my main goal was the opposite. I lied back down and sobbed while the two of us sat there in silence.
He grabbed one of the croissants and went back to his bag, setting up his books on the floor close to me. He sat down, back against the wall and started solving math problems. Suddenly, it dawned on me. “You missed school?!” I sat bolt upright and folded my arms, internally hoping for a real conversation. “If you’d be okay with being left to die in an alleyway then I might be able to go for half day classes.” He glared at me, his voice intimidating like we’d actually fight. I sat there, mouth shut and eyes wide kinda like if your kitten suddenly decided to bite you.
Abrupt and extended silence at this point was a part of my life. He sat there, munching on chips and hissing when he was stuck on a problem. I just layed there, staring at the hydrangeas, then Brody, then the window. “So…Where’d you meet him?” He slams his book shut and stares into my soul. “Who…?” I stare too, appalled. “Oh, don’t play dumb, that guy Simone told me about! The guy you ran away with! The guy who left you barely alive!” He stands up, his face red with rage and his finger inches away from my terrified face.
“It’s not what you think it is!” I pushed away the blanket. “YOU LEFT ME BRIAR…you’re definitely mum’s daughter.” “EXCUSE ME?!” I yelled, the words stung harder than ever. His eyes filled with tears as he looked up, trying to get a hold of himself. “If it’s not what I think it is, then Simone’s lying?” “She isn’t…I…didn’t mean to…” “Your voice explains what it was perfectly.” He grabbed the hydrangea near my pillow and ripped it half. The stem snapped and blue petals littered the perfectly white floor. Then, he’d realised what he’d done as he stared at the crushed petals in his palm. “Serves you right.” He whispered as he dusted his hands against his sweatpants. As he went back to studying, silence swallowed the room as the main course. “I got a new job.” I said with a sigh. He looked up, confused but curious. “So…your guy got you a job?” His brows furrowed. “For goodness’ sake Brody, I DO NOT have a guy!” I shouted “Simone just gave you the story at face value! It’s much more complicated.”
“Complicated how?” He folded his arms and settled on beside me. “I got a job at a museum” I start with closed eyes. “Which museum?” “Uhhh…The dinosaur one.” “So, you were out job hunting? With a guy?” His face confused and grossed out. “Say the word guy one more time and I’ll smack you!” I glared. “So there absolutely is NO guy?” He asked with genuine concern. “No…I’d never leave you for some guy.” I held his hands tight. “Well…if there isn’t a guy, then I don’t expect you to tell me everything now.” “O-Okay?” I had the same face customers have when something tastes off in our food. “I thought someone did this to you...” “You’re close.” I stared at the floor.
“Well…I need you to tell me this. Now that you’ve got a job…how are we gonna pay for this place? Like I’m not gonna assume you’ve got your wages in advance.” He hit me with reality hard enough to make my head hurt again. But I couldn’t let him worry even more so I smiled and stared out the window for a moment. Sunlight poured into the room and the fresh summer breeze made the hydrangeas’ petals sway. Weirdly enough, it felt nice having to hear anything that didn’t concern Naurian or Museums. I squeezed his hands tight and sighed “We’ll figure it out…like we always do.”
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Epilogue
“Briar, you need to finish formatting files for subjects 160-230 by next week.” Willow yells from across the room. She’s still the same though she’s often nice when we go out once in a while. We made a deal on my first day that I’d take her out for dinner as a form of gratitude for the ‘purple incident’. She’s always got my back when I mess up but I’ve gotten used to this place so much that I often just work and clock out obliviously. I haven’t even sorted things out with that duplicity loving Rayyan.
Brody’s getting into high school next month and I’m finally earning enough for him to quit that idea of an illegal overpriced gum business. I still work shifts at Simone’s to earn some extra cash but only because most of my wages now go into rent, school fees and food. He’s forgotten about the whole guy thing once I told him the main idea. He’s afraid to go even within a mile’s radius from this place, considering the image he’d seen me in a few months ago.
And I’ve…moved on. It’s not like I forgot about that day completely, you can be sure of that. But because I figured it out; like I said I would. I still pass by Naur’s exhibit every day, giving him updates without expecting a reply. He’s the main exhibit for the astronomy room and everyone seems to love him; I bet they’d love him even more if he wasn’t frozen in time. I guess that breaks the ideology that you gotta know a person for a long time to actually feel attached; let’s hope 12 hours is a long enough time.
I sat there in the darkness, the spotlight shining on both me and Naur as I blabbered about how I almost spilled coffee on one of the files in the break room and burned my leg instead. “Briar?” A faint yet familiar voice echoed through the empty halls. I checked the time…Naur! I forgot to clock out and was late again. I touched the glass “See you tomorrow TB” I whispered. “So that’s your Guy. A museum exhibit?” He stood there with his head in his hands. “Not exactly…” I whispered. “You gonna tell me now?” He stares at Naur with a smile. “Sure, why not?” I smile and grab his hand as we walk home under the starry sky.
I told him everything I remembered as we passed the streets of Lyon. From the quarrel on my simple outfit and the murder in the café to Naur’s own backstory which he couldn’t tell Brody himself. I told him about the alley confrontation and the ride in a Pagani with butterscotch ice cream and pure vibes. I struggled to tell him about the death scene and laughed when I mentioned the part where I crawled through a vent to come home. At the end of the story, Brody’s face was a blank slate. “Well…He sounds like a nice guy. Too bad he’s gone.” “He’d love you, trust me on that…so much that he’d take you out in his Pagani without telling me just to rage bait me.” I chuckled and smiled at the stars.
“Bri, you love naming things, right?” He tugged on my star shaped keychain. “Uh Arano, when have you ever seen me naming things?” I pause. “TB? You call your guy after a disease.” He smirked I pushed him in pure rage “We were just acquaintances” “Okay…okay Miss insecure.” He nudged me. “What would you call us if we were objects?” He stood infront of me, demanding an answer. “That’s so random Brody.” “C’mon Bri! Just asking”
“Well, He’d be the stars. Since they’re so close that you never stop looking for them yet so far, they seem beautiful.” I say as I keep my eyes on the brightest star in the star in the sky though I’d probably be staring at Venus. “And You?” He said while munching on a croissant I didn’t even notice him stealing from my bag. “Croissants, duh!” I snatched the half-eaten croissant from his hands and helped myself. “And me?” He looked into my eyes for this one. “You, just you.” “You is a word not an object Bri” he rolled his eyes at me. “Exactly, nothing can replace you.” I ruffled his hair as we finally came to the stairs of our apartment. “So, it’s something like Stars, croissants and you?” He giggled. I finally found something worth smiling for “Something like that.”
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THE END
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About the Competition
The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, celebrates diverse voices in the literary arts. This prestigious event invites writers worldwide to share their unique stories and poetic expressions. Each submission is a testament to the power of language and creativity, fostering a global community united by a love for the written word.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Binish Iqbal for sharing "Stars, Croissants and You" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Your imaginative storytelling and profound themes have enriched our literary landscape. We look forward to witnessing more of your creative journey and the stories you will continue to tell. Thank you, Binish, for this remarkable contribution.
About Hashtag Kalakar
Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.
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