Saviour of His Heart (Sequel to Keeper of the Lion's Heart)

Chapter 24 - Timid rabbit no more

"Hello new sis, welcome abroad!" Nishal smirked.

"Hi," Sayumyi said tentatively.

"Don't worry. We'll be an awesome family," Naduni promised, coming forward and patting her shoulder. Sayumyi flinched involuntarily under her touch. Naduni looked taken aback by the reaction.

"Sorry," Sayumyi said apologetically. "I am just overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all. That's why I am jumpy. It's nothing personal," she assured.

Everyone smiled at this. Harshani's smile was relieved. Narendra's smile seemed rather smug.

"It's okay," Naduni beamed.

"That happens when you find you have a brother as handsome as me," Nishal said arrogantly.

"Keep avoiding mirrors at all costs if you don't want your bubble to break, dear brother," Sayumyi shot back in the next instance making everyone in the room look shocked.

Then Naduni started to laugh. "Aww, I like this Sayumyi better."

But her mother looked worried. Her pupils were dilated in panic. Sayumyi noticed this.

"Why amma, you were the one always said I need to be stronger!"

"It must be because you can turn into animals other than rabbit now," Narendra stated quietly.

Sayumyi looked up at him in wide eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes. I made a few improvements when I revived you."

Sayumyi stared at him for a few moments like she didn't believe him. Then she asked incredulously. "Can I try?"

"After eating," Harshani said in rather stern voice.

I was so excited about turning into any animal I want that I downed the breakfast as fast as I could. My new brother laughed at me for eating like a pig, but Naduni was more understanding. She announced that she was enthusiastic to see the colour of my wolf. And so was I.

After breakfast, Narnedra took the whole family to the large mirror on the corridor of the house at which they were living.

"Sayumyi, first turn rabbit. Then you have to imagine yourself as a wolf and focus the energy in your body to turn into it," he instructed.

Sayumyi took a deep breath. Here it goes!

Her cloths fell on the floor as she turned rabbit. She hopped out of them and looked at her white and brown self in the mirror. Then she closed her eyes and imagined herself as a wolf. I want myself to be a grayish white she wolf... that looks like smoky snow.

Sayumyi felt her body changing; her built getting taller and powerful. She could also feel her senses sharpening from those of alert prey to those of confident predator. When she finally opened her eyes, black eyes of the grayish white wolf she imagined stared back at her.

Her mother whooped in delight and gave her a hug. Her new family also cheered like they just won the world cup finals.

"Shall we go out? I want to run!" Sayumyi couldn't stand in one place, so thrilled she was at turning wolf.

Harshani gave Narendra a worried look. But Narendra said soothingly. "It's alright. She deserves to try out her strength. Then she can learn to use it sparingly."

"What do you mean?"

"You get tired too, you know, like every other machine out there. So you can't over exert yourself," Nishal said airily.

That is when I first decided that I don't like my new brother. Even though no one noticed it, it didn't go unnoticed by me that he compared me to a machine, not merely for fun, but because he considered me as such.