Awakened One Night Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Just then someone knocked on the door. Kara took a step back and looked at Leena whose eyes had widened.
“Leena?” a woman’s voice called. “Are you still awake?”
“It’s Mom!” Leena whispered to her. She pulled her arm and led her in front of another door. She opened it and pushed her inside. “Don’t make a sound, okay? Just trust me.”
“But…”Kara started to say, but the door had already closed. She stared at it blankly and blinked. Where was she? She turned around to see hundreds of clothes hung all around her.
“Mom.” She heard Leena say. “Everything okay?”
“I heard a noise. Why are you still awake?”
Kara sat down on the floor and found that it was covered in soft carpet. She was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, but she wondered why Leena looked as if she was hiding something. And why couldn’t she meet her own Mom?
“I couldn’t sleep.” Leena said. “And then I just remembered that I didn’t study for a test.”
“Leena, that’s very irresponsible of you.”
“I know and I’m sorry but I have to study now.” Leena said.
“Fine. But you’re going to be so tired tomorrow.”
“I’ll drink loads of coffee.”
Kara hugged her knees closer and wondered when Leena was going to let her out. Something about being here seemed to frighten her.
“I’m going back to sleep. I’ll deal with all this in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Mom!” Leena chirped.
“And why is the bathroom light on?” her mother asked.
“I’ll switch it off right away.” Leena said. “Go back to sleep.”
Kara swallowed when she finally heard the door being closed. She heard Leena sigh loudly after which she finally opened the door.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I was scared.” Kara replied and quickly got up.
“Oh! I forgot!” Leena said slapping her forehead.
Kara narrowed her eyes and looked at her.
“You’re claustrophobic.”
“I don’t understand.”
Leena led her to her bed and made her lie down. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Just go to sleep and if you do wake up before me, just stay in this room and be very quiet.” She bent down and kissed her forehead gently before drawing the duvet over her.
“I really did miss you a lot.” She whispered and Kara saw her eyes moistening. “So please, just trust me okay?”
Kara nodded and wondered what her sister was up to. Why was she finding it so difficult to remember her? She saw Leena walking out of the room and turned away. Her mind seemed weary and the room seemed strange yet familiar to her. She looked out the window and saw the sky starting to lighten. Her eyes drooped and she felt herself drowning in the darkness.

****
“Are you awake?” Leena whispered.
Kara opened her eyes to see her bending over her. She nodded and started to get up.
“Okay, here’s the plan.” Leena said and sat down next to her. “Mom is in the kitchen so that means I can get you out of the back door. I want you to walk till you see a red building.”
“A red building?” Kara asked.
“You do remember your colors right?” Leena asked and then proceeded to show her a book on colors.”
“I do remember…”
“Great!” Leena said and closed the book. “I want you to wait there and talk to absolutely no one.”
“Why can’t I meet Mom? Maybe she can help me remember…”
“Trust me, okay?” Leena said. “I’ll explain to you later. Right now I have to get you out of the house before the exterminators come in. Mom saw the ‘friends’ you brought in last night.”
Leena jumped out of her bed and opened the room where Kara had seen all those clothes.
“It’s the closet.” Kara said, still wondering about Leena’s ‘friends’ comment. What did she mean by that?
“Yes!” Leena said distractedly and pulled out a long jacket and a cap. “Wear this. This should make you inconspicuous for a little while.”
“Why are you hiding me?” Kara asked and took the jacket and cap.
“I’ll explain later.” Leena said slowly and started to pull at her arm again.
“I don’t like being pulled like that.” Kara said.
“You’re disoriented and taking way too long.” Leena said and dragged her down the stairs. They reached near a wooden door and Leena pulled it open. “Now walk through that gate and…do you see that red building over there?”
Kara looked to where her sister was pointing and nodded.
“Stand in front of it and I’ll come pick you up.”
Kara started to walk and gasped when the sunlight touched her skin. It was too bright for her and her eyes were taking their time getting used to the light.
“Here!” Leena said, jogging towards her.
Kara took the pair of sunglasses from her hand and looked at it before finally remembering where they went. Her eyes immediately felt less strained and Kara started to walk again.
When she reached the red building, she stopped and stood uncomfortably. She could see people glancing her way and Kara thrust her hands in the pockets of her jacket. It was cool but not cold and her skin seemed to tingle inside the heavy jacket.
As she looked around, she could find herself finding everything familiar. She had been here before and she had walked around here before. But why couldn’t she remember when? Her mind still seemed jumbled, but standing here in the warm sun made everything feel lucid somehow.
“I’m here!” Leena announced as she rode on her bicycle. “Get on behind me.”
Kara looked at the two wheeler and then back at her. “I don’t think it’s safe.”
“I have an extra helmet somewhere.” Leena said and rummaged through a bag. “Here we go.”
“I don’t want it.” Kara said and stared at the helmet Leena had offered her.
“I’m going to be late for school, come on.”
Kara walked behind her and sat down. “This is uncomfortable.”
“I know, and it’s going to be hard to peddle too, but Mom doesn’t trust me with the car yet.”
Kara closed her eyes as Leena started to peddle slowly.
“If only you had learnt to ride a bike.” Leena said.
“I don’t know how to?”
Leena laughed. “That was way below you.”
“Am I younger than you?” Kara asked and Leena started to laugh again.
“I wish!” Leena said in between chuckles. “No, you’re the elder one.”
“But you’re so…bossy!” Kara thought for a while and nodded. That was the right term.
“You should have seen yourself.” Leena replied and Kara raised her eyebrows.
“Here we are!” Leena announced suddenly.
“I don’t see anything.” Kara said getting down.
“We have to hide you and the perfect place is right here.”
Just then two girls appeared from behind the wall of a vacant lot and gasped loudly.
“Oh my God! I didn’t believe you when you said that.” One of the girls said.
“Come on, let’s take her.” Leena said and the two other girls started to pull her arm towards the vacant lot.
Kara started to pull her arm away. She didn’t like it all when her arm was being pulled.
“Okay put her in here.” Leena said as she opened a door.
Kara looked ahead and saw a yellow bus in front of her with missing tires. “It’s a bus.”
The two other girls looked at each other and then tapped Leena’s shoulder as she made her way inside the bus. “She doesn’t remember anything?”
“It’s coming back to her.” Leena replied and pulled Kara up the stairs. “Take her right at the back.”
“She’s going to freak out when she remembers everything, you know.”
“Mattie, shut up!” Leena said. “Sheila, just help me make Kara sit down over here.”
Kara found herself being pushed in between seats and she winced. “I don’t like this.”
“This isn’t the time to remember you’re claustrophobic!” Mattie said.
“Will you relax?” Leena said and opened her bag. She took out a plastic box and a juice box. “Eat what’s inside this and drink from this…” she pointed at the juice box, “when you’re thirsty.”
“This is so unbelievable.” Sheila said and took out a small blanket from her bag.
Mattie sat down next to her and touched her arm. “She is real.”
Kara pulled her arm away from Mattie’s and stared at Leena. “What am I doing down here?”
“You’re hiding.” Leena said.
“You know…” Sheila said thoughtfully. “We could cut her hair, give her makeup and get her admission in the school. It would be easier to keep an eye on her.”
“Yeah right!” Leena said. “So that whenever she gets her memory back, she could kill me for touching her luxurious locks?”
Kara touched her hair and looked at it. It was clean and long, and she liked the way the strands glimmered in sunlight.
“Well, looks like she’s finally remembering how obsessed she was with her hair.” Mattie said.
“Actually, it won’t work.” Sheila said. “Not with that huge picture of her in the corridors. Someone would eventually notice the resemblance.”
“I wasn’t even considering that.” Leena said and burst out crying. The two girls immediately reached out to console her.
“You’re a strong girl Leena.” Sheila whispered. “It took a lot of guts to do what you did.”
“I’m so happy she’s here.” Leena blubbered. “I just don’t want to lose her again. I’m such an emotional mess right now.”
“Don’t worry.” Mattie said. “We won’t tell her.”
“Tell me what?” Kara asked and shifted her legs. She was really starting to feel stiff.
Leena shook her head at Mattie. “Nothing.” She said and wiped her face.
“She is going to remember, you know.” Sheila said. “It’s better that this happens right now, instead of when nobody’s here to keep an eye on her.”
“I think you should tell her.” Mattie said.
Leena sat down and took Kara’s hand. She took a deep breath and bit the inside of her lip. “I can’t tell her.” She said and bowed her head.
“You’re gonna have to tell her that she was murdered.” Mattie blurted and Kara stared at her.
“What?” she whispered.
“Mattie!” Leena said. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry.” Mattie said. “I’m just a little freaked out.”
“I was murdered?” Kara asked and she started to feel a dull thud near her heart. It was as if she was close to the answer, yet distant from the truth. 

Let me know what you think of this chapter :)