Leap of faith...

There was always something like a forgotten memory in Reine’s mind. It was an itch that came back from time to time, but the memory never surfaced. It was like a void inside her chest that kept her yearning.

And the letter looked like a way to unveil it. But it sounded insane too.

Dear Reine,

You are grown up now. It took me so long to find you. But that I have found you finally, everything is worth it.

I am sorry you had to suffer so much for so many years. Those days are past now.

I am your aunt Tellisa. Your mother’s cousin. You probably do not remember me. But I have my duties to fulfill. And I am grateful to God that I will be able to keep my promise to your mother now. Poor Fenisha. Before she passed away, she had given me the responsibility to find you two and hand over the inheritance. And to tell you that mamma loved you both.

After your father took you two away, Fenisha had searched for you all over Medczar. You were six, and Ruya was not even one. Fenisha fell sick. Finally, she handed over the responsibility to me. Then I searched everywhere but never expected that he would take his Meddler children away from Medczar.

Your father was a Commoner. I cannot blame him for choosing Commoner World. What infuriates me is, he could not stay by your side. And you two landed up in an orphanage. He even changed your names. Only heaven knows how I found you.

 All these might sound insane to you, but I will give you two hints to prove that I am telling you the truth. Do you not have a secret tattoo on your left arm? And did someone not warn you not to take off the pendant around your neck? The one in the shape of a Lotus? And your sister has one too?

If you are still not convinced that this letter is not a hoax, I am attaching a copy of your inheritance agreement. Have a look.

On my part, I want you to do something. I need to be sure myself too that I got the right girl. Next Sunday, at six in the morning, you will go to Sunset Point, take your Lotus Pendant off, and jump off the cliff. Trust me. I am not trying to kill you. You will be safe.

Love,

Aunt Tellisa.

Sighing, Reine folded the letter after having read it the nth time. She ran her hand over the thick parchment paper with golden borders, which told that she had an inheritance of a few hundred million Medczar Golds. Reine could not remember which country Medczar was and which country on earth still had gold as currency.

It was early dawn. The eastern sky was just turning a faint hue of pink and dark blue. Reine sighed again. Beside her, Ruya turned in her sleep. Reine pulled the blanket over Ruya properly. Her little sister was eight now and was so different from her. Ruya was carefree, never taking anything seriously. And Ruya was her only connection to this world. The reason she kept facing life’s challenges.

Reine remembered her father’s words, “I am sorry, love. Ruya is your responsibility now. Take care of your sister. You are a strong girl. And I can only ask you to be stronger. Very selfishly so.” Papa had stopped catching a breath, lying in the hospital bed, badly injured from an accident. A ten-year-old Reine had cried and told him that she did not want to be strong. She wanted her Papa. He had smiled sadly and replied, “Remember what I’ve said. Use different names. Maybe Fiery and Fiona? Do you like it? And never take the Lotuses off your necks. Promise Papa. And go to the Monastery. You will be safe there.”

Reine now observed how her father had chosen the letter F for their fake names. Probably he did love mamma, and there were important reasons why mamma was not with them, and father never mentioned her. As for her, Reine did not even remember how mamma looked.

Her father had succumbed to his injuries. Life was never the same again. Reine had walked up to the doors of the Monastery, holding Ruya’s hand tightly, while they both wailed.

The strict rules here had tried Rein’s endurance to the limits, but she had persevered, fending for herself and Ruya. Papa had told her what was best for them, and she had stuck to it with all her might.

But now, he was no more here to guide her. She felt lost.

Reine stood by the window and looked up at the brightest star in the morning sky, her father. Reine wanted to know so much about herself. But again, she wondered if the letter was a cruel joke by someone who knew her well and tried to hurt her badly. Maybe even kill her. Or was it for real? She pleaded with her father to give her a sign. But he stayed shining in the same way in the sky.

The morning bell in the Monastery started ringing. It was time for morning chores, and then they had a field trip later. But Reine found it arduous to move. She was too preoccupied.

“Fi, are you awake already?” Ruya said in a groggy voice, bringing Reine back to the present.

“Hm,” Reine said, walking back to their bed. Noises from other children moving in the corridor came. “Get up. We have a trip to the Sunset Point today for apple picking, remember?” Reine said with a smile.

Ruya smiled widely. “We will gather the largest number today, okay Fi? We will win, and Sister Diam will give us ten bucks, and we will go to the market and get those earrings. You remember, the ones with the moonstones?”

Reine smiled. Her little sister was obsessed with the material world. Years of praying and meditation got her not a single inch nearer to spirituality.

***

“Where’s your mind today, Fiery?” Sister Diam’s voice echoed through the massive prayer hall.

Reine shut her eyes immediately.

“What’s wrong, Fi? You are like this since yesterday evening. Is it because of the envelope the gardener boy brought you? Anything wrong?” Lia whispered from behind. Reine shook her head and kept her eyes closed, pretending to concentrate on the chanting.

But she kept pondering over the letter. What if she genuinely had a huge inheritance? She would be able to fund Ruya’s education with it. And they would be able to move out of the Monastery too. She did not want to be a nun. She did not wish Ruya to be one either. She wanted to explore the vast world and wanted Ruya to be anything she desired. With the money, all these would be possible. A few hundred million golds meant a lot of money anywhere.

The only uncomfortable part was the clause - taking the Lotus off and jumping off the cliff. Reine never took the pendant off because it was Papa’s last request. If Reine took it off now, he would be sad. But she reasoned, if they received the inheritance and had a good life, Papa would only be happy afterwards. He had always wanted the best for them. She wondered if he knew about the inheritance? Then why did he not tell her? Reine considered what the letter might have meant by “your father was a Commoner.” Maybe that meant he was someone ordinary. But then how was it different from what they were? Reine had so many questions. She decided to ask for her father’s permission to take the Lotus off.

The bigger problem was jumping off the cliff. Reine had a fear of heights. She could never climb the Monastery Bell Tower, even with friends. There was a scar over her left elbow from a broken bone during childhood, but the incident had left no memory. Could it be that she had fallen from somewhere high and hurt herself, and even if the memory was lost, the fear of heights had stayed?

And what if she died jumping off the cliff?

***

“Fi, let’s get this last basket done. Fi!” Ruya shouted, bringing back Reine from her thoughts. “Fi, what’s wrong with you? We need more apples. Otherwise, we will not win! I want that earring. Can’t you help me get even a tiny earring? Don’t you say you will get me anything I wish?”

“Doing it, dear,” Reine said with a smile. That was so typical of Ruya. She always used emotional talks to make Reine do things. That was adorable but immature. Reine did not blame her. Rein was her sister-cum-parent, her place to make demands.

And Reine would be that for her, forever.

***

Reine stood by her window, looking longingly at the brightest star in the sky. Ruya had thrown a massive tantrum after losing the apple picking competition. Sister Diam had punished her. In retaliation, Ruya had beaten up the girl who won. Finally, Sister Diam had warned Reine that she would evict them from the Monastery.

Thankfully, Ruya was asleep now after crying for hours.

“Papa, you asked me to take care of Ruya, but I’m failing. Tell me, what should I do? And what with the Lotus pendant, Papa? Why didn’t you tell me anything? I need you to tell me what to do,” Reine asked the distant star as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Are you coming to bed? I’m sorry, Fi, for everything.” Ruya’s voice startled Reine.

Reine wiped her tears secretly and turned smiling. “No, I’m sorry, I could not win the competition for you.”

“We will win it some other time, Fi,” Ruya said from her bed.

These were the occasions when Ruya acted all caring and matured and made Reine realize that her little sister was growing up fast and that Reine would have to work harder to make her path smoother. These gave Reine the determination to face life more bravely for the both of them.

As Reine took one final glance at her Papa, she decided she would take a leap of faith. She had to take a chance. And strangely, she felt that her Papa twinkled too.

***

Reine stood at the Sunset point, holding the iron railing at the cliff edge with all the strength she had, and tried to look down. Her heart was hammering. She breathed heavily and already felt giddy. The bottomless valley gave her a bout of nausea.

Over the last few days, she had climbed up the Bell Tower twice a day, with Lia first, and then alone. Lia had asked her what she was up to, but she had stayed silent.

She had walked to the Sunset Point every day to get over her fears, if that was possible. Standing away from the cliff edge two days back, Reine was considering what would happen if she died. She did not believe in miracles. So, of course, if she jumped, it would most likely be jumping to her death, and that would leave Ruya alone and vulnerable. Reine also thought, what if the letter was right? She would not die, as the letter had promised, and they would get an inheritance. She almost decided it was foolishness to believe in fairytales.

“Miracles do happen, you know. Have some faith.”

Reine had jumped at the sudden words. Turning, she had found a man in a long overcoat leaning against the railing, facing her. The vision itself had given her dizziness. The man had smiled at her.

“Yes, I’m talking to you, Miss. I have been watching you for the last two days, and you seemed immersed in some profound thoughts,” he had said.

Reine had subconsciously walked away from him.

“Don’t worry. I am not here to harm anyone. I love this view, so I keep coming back. And these autumn evenings are serene, so I am not missing a single day. Ask anyone if you want. You are the new one here.”

Reine felt awkward, realizing that the man was right. She had never visited the Sunset Point alone before.

“So, Miss, I was saying, miracles do happen. Don’t you think nature itself is a miracle? The red sky, the shadowed mountains, the evening star? Have some optimism. Take a leap of faith if you are in doubt.”

The mention of the “evening star” had done the magic for her. Reine had looked up at the sky for her father, and at that very moment, a speck of cloud had shifted to reveal him, shining bright in the early evening sky. Reine had decided to jump.

But now, it felt impossible.

Reine closed her eyes, gulped down her nausea, and sucked in a deep breath. Pushing away the thoughts of death from her mind, Reine passed through the broken section of the railing and stood at the cliff’s edge. She kept her back towards the valley, for if she looked down, she would never be able to jump. It was still dark. The eastern sky was just stained a pinky blue.

She checked her watch. Another five minutes. She remembered Ruya’s sleeping face. She had left her tiny gold earrings beside Ruya’s pillow before coming out. Reine hoped Ruya would use the earrings diligently if anything happened to her.

Sighing, Reine held her Lotus pendant, passed it over her head, and then very carefully threw it on the clifftop, away from the edge. The moment the Lotus left her hand, she felt as if a weight lifted from her soul and the world turned. The feeling startled her. Faint memories of her floating in the air flashed through her mind. She held the railing tightly and let the moment pass.

When she looked at her watch again, it was two minutes past six. The sky had started clearing. Before any misgivings could cloud her decision, she let go of her hold on the railing and fell backward.

Falling down the cliff, initially, Reine felt nothing at all except for the rushing air and the dropping feeling in her stomach. Then it was just blasts of air flapping her dress like mad. After a few more seconds, though, when her brain registered what was happening, she started flailing her arms. She felt as if she was hurtling towards the ground for a crashing death. Involuntarily, she started screaming.

Then she realized the ground was taking too long to arrive, and instead of speeding up, her fall had somehow slowed down. She was drifting like a leaf and not falling like a stone.

All confused and frightened, Reine thought either she was dreaming or was already dead. She dared not to look down and kept staring at the fading morning star as she floated down. The sky was a pleasant blue now. Reine soaked in the beauty of the early morning and the fading morning star, accepting that she was about to die. The peace that came with that acceptance was overwhelming. But she still felt an ache in her heart. She prayed one final time to her father to forgive her for the stupid decision and take care of Ruya.

She was about to close her eyes when a face popped up from her side. She was horizontal, floating down, but the face was vertical. It was the man on the cliff from two days ago. He smiled at her and said, “Welcome back!”

Reine gave a jolt, and suddenly she started falling fast, but the man caught hold of her. He pulled her up and made her vertical. Soon they touched the ground. Reine stumbled over while the man landed gracefully.

“What was that? How am I even alive? And who are you?” Reine sputtered out in a single breath.

“So many questions! Hold your breath first,” the man said.

“No. Tell me. Who are you?”

“My name is Derrel Niz. One of my Meddling skills is Air, which we just used. I have Space and Earth powers too.”

“Are you joking with me? What’s Meddling?” Reine asked. She felt exasperated.

Derrel Niz, instead of answering, walked over to Reine and turned her head upwards. The Sunset Point looked high up, almost near the sky.

“You think a Commoner survives that?”

Reine swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said. Her head started reeling.

“You are an Air Meddler, maybe a Water Meddler too, that we will find out at your Assessment Test. Your mother was an exceptional Air Meddler. Meddling is to meddle, to do things with elements. We are not sure about Ruya, though. She was taken from Medczar too early.”

“Medczar,” Reine muttered, remembering the name.

“One of the continents of the Meddler World. This is the Commoner World for ordinary people. You will have all your answers once we reach Medczar. Let’s get your sister first. Come.” Derrel started walking.

“Wait. Why didn’t I know all these?”

“We knew you wouldn’t believe us, so we had to take the risk of this demonstration. There was always the chance of you failing to Meddle Air and having a freefall after years of no practice. You had broken your arm once. Now there was no real risk, though, with me guarding. Why you didn’t know about Meddling is because of this.”

Derrel dangled the Lotus pendant from the thread.

“Reine Yoyakey, your father was intimidated by the Meddler World, and it’s dynamics. He tried to adjust. He genuinely did. But after you broke your arm, he considered Medczar was too dangerous and escaped with you two. Being a father myself, I can’t blame him.”

Reine sat down on a nearby rock, too dazed.

Derrel pulled her up. “Come, we have to collect Ruya, and then we have an exciting journey to embark upon.”