AFTER 14 YEARS......

I jolted upright, my heart racing. For the past couple of months, I had been plagued by recurring nightmares.
At first, they only appeared at night, a few years ago, and were just foggy dreams. I couldn't see their faces or hear what they were saying, and they were infrequent, occurring only once in a while.
But over time, they started to become more vivid and realistic, and more frequent. At first, I didn't mind them, but soon I realized that they weren't just dreams - they were glimpses of my past. And now, I'm desperate to know what happened next.
Every time my dreams come to me, they end abruptly, leaving me with unanswered questions.
I'm desperate to know what happened next and why I can't remember anything from my past. What happened 14 years ago? How did my dad die? And what about Rudra? Did he really die, or is he still alive? My dreams suggest he might be, but where is he now?
I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind, refusing to consider the possibility of anything bad happening to my brother.
If he's alive, I'll make sure he's safe, no matter what it takes. As I got lost in my thoughts, fragments of my memories started coming back to me, pieces I hadn't thought about in years.
As I sat there, lost in thought, memories from my past began to resurface, flooding my mind with long-forgotten moments, both sweet and painful, that I thought were lost forever.
Flashback......
14 years Ago....
As I slowly opened my eyes, the harsh glare of the hospital lights pierced through my brain like a sharp knife. I winced, groggily taking in my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, surrounded by the antiseptic smell of disinfectant and the soft beeping of machines. The bed beneath me was stiff and unforgiving, and the thin sheet was scratchy against my skin. I tried to lift my head, but a sharp pain shot through my temples, making me wince.
I fell back onto the pillow, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of familiarity. The walls were a dull gray, and the only decoration was a faded print of a sunset. A monitor beeped steadily beside me, tracking my vital signs. I felt a sense of disorientation, as if I'd been dropped into this sterile environment without warning. My mind was foggy, and my memories seemed shrouded in a thick haze. I struggled to recall how I'd ended up here, but my thoughts were jumbled and unclear.
I was parched with thirst. My eyes scanned the room, searching for a way to summon help. That's when I spotted a bell on the table beside me. I reached out a shaky hand and rang it. The sound was loud in the silent room, and the doors burst open in response. A woman in her thirties hurried in, her uniform and stethoscope marking her as a nurse. Her expression was kind and efficient as she approached me.
" You are awake! Let me call the doctor."
And with that she was about to leave..
"Pani"
(Water)
"Pani peena hai tumhe?"
(Do you want to drink water?)
"Yup"
"Ooh"...."okh"
With that, she moved towards the table, poured water into the glass, and handed it to me. I took the glass of water and drank gratefully. She then took the empty glass from me and put it back on the table.
"I'll call the doctor to check on you. Just lie here and rest." The woman said, Her voice was soothing and reassuring.
"Okh" I replied.
She went out.
I leaned in the bed back.
I starred at the ceiling fan
Blankly .
Suddenly some questions started to pop in my mind.
"why I am here?"
"What happened to me?"
"And most importantly who I am?"
Since I woke up, I haven't been able to remember anything about anything. My mind is a complete blank.
My mind was as blank as a white sheet of paper, devoid of any thoughts, memories, or recollections.
The door opened and a man in his forties entered wearing a white coat. Like a doctor. He is a doctor I think.
" Hello Shubhra!"He said
"Who is this Shubhra?"
"oh wait... is it my name?" I asked.
The doctor paused for a moment. And looked at me with a shocked expression.
"Um.. well... Yes!!!" He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice steady and calm.
"What happened to me?" I asked, interrupting him before he could continue.
He looked at me with a mix of expressions crossing his face.
"Well, you were found unconscious near your house." He cleared his throat again and spoke
"Oh!" I exclaimed.
"Well, did you know me?" he asked.
"Should I?" I questioned.
He looked at me intently, as if searching for any inconsistency in my answer.
After a few moments, he sighed loudly.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a man in his early forties burst in, shouting my name -
"Shubhra!" which I had just guessed was mine.
He strode in, dressed in a black tuxedo, his brown hair falling to his neck. At 6 feet tall, he exuded an imposing presence, his confidence bordering on arrogance.
As he approached me, I felt a sense of unease. He sat beside me, his hands reaching for my cheeks, his touch gentle.
"How are you, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice soft.
I pushed his hands away, and he looked puzzled. He turned to the doctor.
"She's suffering from memory loss due to the trauma." The doctor explained.
The man's expression darkened, his eyes filled with concern. He turned back to me, his smile gentle and reassuring.
I didn't know who they were, and my mind was a blank slate.
"Do you remember anything from before you came here?" He asked
"Not at all," I replied.
"I see," he said.
"Do you remember your name?" I hesitated, recalling the doctor's earlier reference.
"The doctor called me Shubhra, so I guess..."
"Oh!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah," I replied, unsure what to say.
The man cleared his throat.
"It seems we need to have a formal introduction." he said
"Seems like it" I replied.
He cleared his throat again and said softly, "Hello, Shubhra. I am your uncle, Jeremy York."
"Oh, I see," I said, still confused.
"Yeah."
"So! Do we know each other now ?"
"How come I believe you are telling me the truth?" I quired.
"Well is this proof enough?" He said showing me a photo from his phone.
A woman was standing with a 12-13 year old girl. That girl.
"Who are they?" I asked him
"Well. Your mother and you dear!"
"But... Wait how old am I? Or how do I look?" I questioned getting more impulsive since I didn't even know how I look.
"Bring a mirror for her." The man claiming to be my uncle ordered the staff.
A nurse soon rushed in with a mirror im her hand and passed it to me.
I looked into it and yupp it was quite similar to the girl present in the photo.
"Well but how can I believe she is my mother and you are my uncle! And if she is my mother than she should be the one present here! Where is she?" I interrogated him
"You will got to know but right now I can prove it to you through a DNA test!" He offered
"Okh!" I agreed.
"So! Do we know each other now ?" He asked again
"Seems like.."
Then he turned towards the doctor and both of them started to move outwards.
But my uncle stopped in his tracks and turned towards me and said
"I will be back soon after talking about your conditions and paternity test and when can we discharge you?."
"Sure!"
After that they left leaving me and the nurse alone.
She asked me in a sweet tone.
" Are you hungry sweetheart?"
" Ya! a bit."
" okh ! I will bring you something to eat."
And then she to leaved leaving me alone in this big room.
I settled down in my bed and started to wonder.
Who I am? What happened to me?Why I am in a hospital?
I checked myself for any injuries but didn't find any . During my search I felt a pain in the back of my head and now I know where I was injured. Then again I started to wonder
Why only my uncle came? Where are my parents? Am I am orphan?
All kinds of thoughts about my life started to flow in my mind.
I think I should ask about that to my uncle when he will come back.
The nurse retuned after a few minutes with a tray in her hands .
The meal was simple Indian food.
She fixed the table at the bed and putted the food upon it and asked me to eat.
I digged in the food.
I didn't realise until now that how hungry I was but even after being hungry I can't eat more.
I told the nurse that I am full and she taked the table and tray from there and putted on the coffe table. She came back with a basin of water and I washed my hands .
After that I layed down.
sleep drowned me .
After almost an hour someone waked me up.
I waked up and found the doctor and the nurse. Doc says that he wanted to ask some questions to me .
I nod in response.
He started to ask.
" So , Shubhra do you know what happened before you went unconscious."
"No"
"Do you remember anything else?"
"No"
"Do you remember about your parents or your brother?"
"Well, no"
"Okh....I see"
After that he asks a few more questions about my wound and said that we have to went to another room for some medical checkups that taked probably a few hours.
He draw some blood too for the test.
I came back from my checkup to the room back. The doctor started to move when the door opened and my uncle entered and asked to doc.
"So , what do you think ? "
"Well I think she is fit."
" can she travel?"
"Ya!"
"Okh!"
"What about her memory?"
"Well I think she can't remember anything because of the trauma .."
"Let's talk in my office."
" Ya ! Sure."
And then they left.
It was almost 5 hours since I was here in the hospital awake.
After a few minutes my uncle entered.
He had a white paper in his hands he gave it to me and it shows a 25 percent rate.
So I am actually related to him.
He said that we can go back home as I am discharged.
My uncle sat on the chair near my bed .
I asked " Why am I here?"
As it was the question roaming in my head for a really long time.
He ran his fingers through his hairs and left a heavy sigh before starting
" Your house caught a fire , some of your neighbours noticed it when the fire flared up . "
He paused...
The look in his eyes were of sympathy..
Joining the dots in my head...
"But I don't have burning marks!" I exclaimed
He looked in my eyes and said
"Well you were found a few metres away from your house..."
"Did I ran due to the fire?"
"Seems like..."
"Where there anyone else to in the house?"
His eyes darkened..
"Well your father and brother were there too..."
"Are they fine?"
He paused..
"Well....ummm...well....
It's...like....it's like ....."
"Are they burnt? Or they have any other injuries?"
He steal his gaze from me...
Now his eyes upon his hands...
Millions of questions where bubbling inside me...
And this silence was giving me more discomfort and negative thoughts...
And then he finally spoke..
"They can't survive!!"
My heart sank into my stomach...
I could feel a heavy burden on my chest. I don't remember anything but still there was a pain an uneasiness.
My heart was unsettled . Tears ran through my eyes.
My uncle came near me and pulled me in his embrace
My head was resting on his chest
I snuggled into his embrace and broke down into sobs....
I don't know when I passed out in my uncle's arm but when I opened my eyes I was sitting in a car.
My eyes roamed and I found my uncle sitting next to me .
"Where are we going?"
"To home!"
"Didn't my home burned down?"
He fell silent again
Then said..
"We are going to my home"
"Did you live in India?"
"No"
"Oh! So where?"
"Italy "
"We have to go there can we not stay here?"
"No I have to go back and now you also don't have anyone whom I can trust you with."
"Ooh"
"What are you not going to have a debate with me upon that?"
I chuckled." Did I always behave like that."
He smiled and said " not always but ya sometimes.
"How much time will it take?"
"Probably 8 hours "
"Oh!"
The rest of the drive was quite.
No one said anything.
Soon we reached at the international airport.
And after going through all the procedures we went to the flight.
I sat with my uncle.
" Did you live alone there?" I asked.
"No! Else than me your aunt, cousin and grandma also live there."
"I see!"
After talking a few more things about the family the silence emerged again.
I got to know about my cousin who is just a year younger than me and my aunt and grandma.
The rest of the flight I was drowning in my dreamland.
........ Present Day........
The door of my cabin creaked open, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I watched as Jarek entered my office, his brown hair tied back in a small ponytail, his glittering green eyes sparkling with a hint of excitement. His tall, muscular build seemed to radiate energy, and he moved with the enthusiasm of a child who had just received a new toy to play with.
He came on my desk and said
" Guess what?"
"What?"
"Just guess?"
"Fuck off I am not in the mood to play games"
He pouted.
"Huff! Why are you so boring sorella!!"
("Sorella= sis")
" I have work to do!"
"So now back off"
"Well ! First hear me?"
I leaned on my chair a sighed than said " continue!"
He gave me the file that he was holding to his chest all the time.
I read the words on it and a smirk appears on my lips.
The words written on the top of the file said
"Mission red heart"