Uncle Arjun

The waves came crashing rapidly, eroding at her skull and drowning her. First one, then ten as she collapsed onto the faded bedsheets, closing any sources of light and releasing a pained groan.

“This is fine.”

Scorpions crawled through her mind. Oh, what she’d give to punch a number through her scratched telephone and, with every agonising pulse, send venom dripping through the line. Nobody wanted to hear that. Nobody could hear that, even if she tried; energy continued to drain from her body like a sieve. He’d announced his appearance for a reason- she could feel it. Swimming through her vision, degraded shapes of black and gray distorted her view; trying to drown it out, she buried her head into the pillow as a wave of fatigue swept over her. 

Surfacing from the bedroom, She stumbled through the bright kitchen, burning her eyes and threatening to reawaken the raging migraine she’d fought off. The hazy sunlight had long subsided, and she was greeted with a tired mumble- Hannah had returned from work. This alone usually lit up Ava’s mood, but the sight wouldn’t cut it today. Her anxiety hadn’t subsided; Uncle Arjun rarely made an appearance. In fact, the man hadn’t shown his presence since Ava’s childhood. But whenever he had returned from his long lacunae, trouble followed him like a rook. Time after time, he’d dragged the wool over her family’s eyes; she refused to be another victim of this wolf. Letting out a sigh, her wife turned, eyes wide open like a deer in the lights. 

“Are you ill?”

“…what?”

“You’re never usually this down. You good?”

Ava relaxed her rigid body, meeting her worried gaze. Releasing another sigh, she grabbed a shot of coffee and swiftly polished it down.

“Something’s wrong.“

“Don't ‘cha say that every family gathering..?”

“Hannah-“

The woman ran her hand through her disheveled hair, releasing a small laugh as she perched on a wooden stool at the table. She never understood what Ava had against these ‘meetings’; they were a regular occurrence. In fact, she’d gone with her multiple times. Ava’s family weren’t especially aggressive towards either of them, and conflict between parties was quickly suppressed. Pouring a drink for herself, she watched as steam danced through the humid air. Milk and two sugars. She never understood how people could drink black coffee.

“What’s wrong then, hun?”

“…I don’t think you should come tomorrow; Something’s gonna kick off.”

“Are you sure? If something happens we can leave early, I-”

“… Please..?”

Lifting her hands in a mocking manner, she laughed once again, causing a smile to penetrate Ava’s otherwise weary expression as she hopped from her seat and neared the door.

“Suit yourself. Could do with working tomorrow, anyway. I’m getting food- you want the usual?”

A slight nod, and once again Ava was plunged into the silence. 

***

The day was upon them, with blinding rays of sunlight penetrating through the window and clawing back the serenity of the darkness. Great. Arriving early was an expectation for these gatherings, as if they’d never heard of the afternoon. The city hadn’t fully risen from their rest; few shadows roamed the streets ahead.

“Lucky bastards”

“… Who’re you talking to?”

She wasn’t alone. Right. Submerging herself in a sea of cool water, she’d attempted to wash Arjun’s arrival to the back of her mind. Unsuccessful, Ava let out a pained groan. She’d attempted to call her family beforehand for more information- everyone had uttered the same words. ‘He’s your uncle, and deserves your utmost respect’.

Respect is earnt, not deserved. Draping herself in fabrics of white and grey, then quickly pulling them over her mouth, head and nose, she proceeded out into the street. The dust was unrelentless today. 

Navigation through these storms quickly became difficult, as buildings phased into view, then quickly disappeared as sand pummelled the surroundings. The streets were glazed in a multitude of yellows and oranges as she passed through the roads, kicking up dust around her and attempting to shake off the constant bombardment of grains. She was walking blind, or at least, no blinder than she had been in regards to this event. Her arrival at her destination was prompt, and she shook off her clothing.

“Ava! You’ve grown so much since I’d last seen you, child!”

***

When people you have no recollection of meeting begin to sing praise of your growth in height or maturity, It’s difficult to describe the feeling. Discovering it was best to ‘appreciate’ the attention, she rode the compliments, lest she wanted to drown in the cocoon of bodies surrounding her. Before long the attention was diverted to her recently-arrived brother, and Ava slid into the kitchen.

“Why are you here? Your uncle is arriving soon-”

“I don’t want to meet him, dad.”

“That’s not your choice. I heard you’ve been asking about him, so seeing as you’re so interested, what makes you so adamant against meeting him?”

Evidently this wasn’t up for negotiation. She crept back into the hall, and began searching the rooms like a dog; something was wrong. It had to be. spinning on her heels, her eyes tracked through each doorway she arrived at, one at a time, inspecting every crevice with forensic detail. That’s when she saw it. Barely large enough to see from a distance, a collection of cracks grappled at the dark wall from behind a cabinet. The wall had been caved in. Upon further inspection, a small thread stretched into the light.

“You aren’t ruining this for me.”

***

There was barely enough time to compute the sentence before a jolt of pain erupted over her back. Slamming against the cabinet, Ava charged at the male, forcing him back in surprise, then landing a heavy punch on his face. Sputtering, only one word tumbled from her bloodied lips.

“…Arjun?”

He retaliated in pain, tearing at her body and spraying crimson across the dull wall. Fighting wasn’t working; she had one more chance. Being pinned down to the ground, she forced her rigid muscles into relaxation, feeling his grip around her shoulders slightly loosen. Grabbing him by the shirt, Ava forced her body-weight to the side, momentarily stunning him, then stumbled backwards into the hallway, out of his reach.

***

“We need to get out of here, now!”

“Are we really going through this again? Your uncle hasn’t been here; go clean yourself up.”

She watched her family, speechless. Returning to their conversations, rage powered through her body as sticky shades of vermilion and scarlet painted her attire. Curling her hands to a fist, she turned to the entrance, pupils drilling into the flooring as she neared the exit, preparing to disappear into the storm.

”You leave now, kid. Nothing personal, yeah?”

The uncalculated decision paid off for Ava, as the building erupted into columns of flame and smoke, stroking at the air and turning the yellow sky to charcoal. Plumes of gas shattered through the roof; the home was in utter disarray, and the structure had been torn to shreds like paper. 

When unconscious, the body is unable to maintain its centre of gravity; the heavier the victim, the more difficult moving them becomes. Yet she fought the flames head on, scouting for any life.

***

Huddled in the corner, her face was burning as she rested her head against the cold wall. Ava never usually cried.