Gimme the mic!

Ouch, Judah! You’re pinching my hair. Ouch. Now give me the mic. Judah! There is no way you’ll be able to explain the beginning. Judah!

Uhm, hi guys. Sorry about that. My brother is just...ugh! Nevermind. *sighs* Yes, so..first of all, I actually never wanted to do this but my uncle offered me free pizzas for a year if I do so, which of course, I couldn’t deny (what? It’s pizza). So, without further delay, let’s start. Okay so..let me take you back to November 28th. It was-

Ella! I should’ve never let you do this! You never gave the introduction! 

I know it, Judah! I was just about to! If you would stop interfering.

Let’s have a bit of an introduction, shall we? Hello, my name is Ella Mason, and I am here with my annoying little brother Judah, who is just two years elder than me and thinks of himself as a superstar. Do you know what happened one day? He-

Ella! You’re going off track again!

No, I am not. I am just telling them what’s true. Now, will you let me speak?

Sorry about that, again. Where were we? Oh yeah. So, the November days were burning off and two normal kids were spending a normal school afternoon. I and Judah made our way out of the school building, arguing about something vague. The air burnt a particular smell of mustard and garlic as it made every passer by’s nose tingle. Our argument was disturbed by Charlize and her all-time innocent smile. 

“Hi, Ella. Have you seen Mrs Thoron? I need to give them these files.” She asked, her voice sugar-coated as usual. 

“I don’t know” I shrugged. It was true even though I do not like Charlize very much. She is just so...so girly, with long painted nails, glossing lips and always chasing after stupid boys.

“She’s in the library. You don’t have to worry. I’ll give these to her. You can go home. Your car must be waiting.” Judah interrupted taking the files from her hand. 

“Aw! Thank you so much, Judah. You’re so kind.” Charlize exclaimed, placing her palm lightly on his shoulder and went her way back. 

Okay, I'll be honest, Judah was awestruck. He looked like a motionless carved statue who had just met the beauty of the world. His cheeks were blushing red, a strange sparkle in his eyes. I had to give him a few jerks to bring him back to his senses. Sometimes I doubted if he really is my brother (Is he? Hm...)

Oh c'mon! You’re just over-exaggerating, I did not look that dreamy. 

So you are saying you do not like Charlize?

I don’t! I mean, maybe. 

I was sitting on the passenger seat, while dad and I waited for Judah, which seemed like hours. Maybe, he met his dream girl again!

Ouch, stop kicking on my foot, Judah!

Usually, dad and I would talk for hours. He would share his work highlights or ask me about my day, but that day, an awkward foam of silence hovered the car. And we both knew the reason. It was mom’s Birthday. I never really knew my mom, just that she died while giving me birth and dad never liked this topic to be brought up. 

Time over. It’s my turn now.

What! No! I was just about to go on the real thing. 

Sorry, kiddo. Gimme the mic.

Ugh! I hate you so much. 

Hey people! Judah here. My lazy sister is not the storyteller type, but no worries, I am here now.

Who did you just call lazy?

I adjusted my feet beside Ella’s, as dad turned the key in the car. We hit the main road with screeching tires and it did not take me long to remember that it was mom’s birthday. Sometimes, I really wish I knew her, but a two-year-old wouldn’t have had that help with memory. When I closed my eyes, a fainted smile would still reflect in a few nerves of my mind but nothing else. I was humming with the ongoing tune playing on the radio when suddenly, a loud noise dominated the quiet air. The peaceful expressions were then overlapped with anxiety.

“Duck” Dad yelled from the front seat, still maintaining his tight grip on the steering wheel as he swerved to his right. I and Ella obediently sat on the base of the car, hugging our knees while our face painted fear. Tears were already streaming down Ella’s face as our minds tried to process the sudden change. A shudder crawled down my spine, involuntarily evoking the big brother side of mine. I laced my hands around Ella’s trying my best to console her. It wasn’t hard to understand the asset of the sound with the continuous dripping of harmless bullets.

A watery drip on my forehead drew my eyes to look up. At first, I assumed it to be a sweat bead. But sweats don’t come in red colour, do they? With a lifeless hand losing control on the steering wheel, our car tumbled down sideways and before I knew it, everything went pitch black, driving me through an ink soup that I feared to never come out of. 

Uh, hello guys. This is Adam, Ella and Judah’s uncle (I think they mentioned me before, did they?) The kids are having their lunch right now, so I’ll drive you through till then. 

My brother’s death and the bullet spectacle was a mess, but somehow I had gotten the whiff that it would happen. I warned my brother about it but he tossed my words as usual. 

The day after Ella was born, Joel (my brother) had called me and said that he wanted us to meet immediately. And that’s when I was introduced to reality. 

The truth was, Joel’s wife never died. After giving birth to Ella, Joel had sued her in charge of stealing his money and using it for her own benefit. Joel had left the kids at my place while he circled around the courts and lawyers. The jury’s final verdict found Joel’s wife behind the bars for the misdeeds she had performed. And trust me when I say, she was really worth it. 

Her brother, Carl was my best friend. We both graduated from the same university and the bond between us never weakened. Joel’s wife and Carl had nothing similar except for the inevitable blood relation. As a matter of fact, Carl hated her sister. Two years back, he had gone out to attend a party at his friend’s house but when he returned, his whole house was soaked with blood and a bloated carcass of his wife laid listless on the attic floor with a note on the door- 

‘You never told me you married her.

-Your sister.’ 

A day before Joel’s car accident, Carl had called to inform me that his sister had been given bail but her intentions did not seem pure. She was up to something. 

Who was up to something? 

Oh no-one Ella. Have you done your lunch? 

Almost. But we have something to show you. 

Okay, I will come in a second.

Sorry guys, I gotta go. I have not yet told the kids the truth about their mother but I plan to someday. Some day, when they will be mature enough. Goodbye for now.

----

Writer's note: This story is followed by another piece of art if you want to check out.

'It was her' by Keya Jadav.

Thank You so much for reading!