Blood Relation

A chill wind screamed down the deserted streets as Maya emerged from the taxi, her heart racing against her chest. She had spent the past two decades attempting to erase the memories of the past, but destiny had brought her back to the last place she ever wanted to be, her childhood home.

The big old house stood ominously still, its former bright walls now overgrown with vines. She lingered before pushing open the door. Dust swirled in the faint light, and the smell of old wood wafted through the air.

Her fingertips ran along the weathered wooden table in the living room. This was where she had seen her brother, Aarav, for the last time before all had broken. The scene replayed in her head like an old movie—Aarav, sixteen years old, standing by the door, eyes brimming with betrayal.

"You think you can just leave?" he had shouted.

"You don't get it, Aarav," she had breathed, her eyes brimming with tears.

And she had gone away.

Standing now in the quiet, Maya felt the pressure of guilt against her breast. She had been called a week prior, Aarav was gone. She had been shaken by the news. Years despite, distance despite, they were connected by blood. And blood never forgot.

There was a creaking noise coming from upstairs. Maya stiffened. There was someone inside. Her survival instincts told her to flee, but something stronger, the same thing that had driven her back—prevented her from moving.

She crept upward, each step slow as she made her way up the stairs. The hall was as it used to be, save for one slightly ajar door, Aarav's former bedroom.

Maya opened the door. The air was damp and had a metallic smell to it. Then she saw it.

An album of photos rested on the table, the pages stained with age. It was their family photo album, the pages full of pictures of childlike giggles and birthdays past. She edged nearer, her fingers shaking as she went through the pages. A picture drew her attention—it was her and Aarav, one that had been taken just days before she had departed. A red X had been marked across her face.

A loud noise caused her to turn around. A figure shifted in the corner.

"Aarav?" she breathed.

Nothing.

Her heart racing, she moved slowly towards the figure.

Then he emerged into the light.

It was Aarav. But he was not the same. His once warm brown eyes were now cold, his face etched by time and suffering.

"You returned," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Maya swallowed hard. "I had to."

He looked at her for a long time before he turned his back to her. "It took you long enough."

"I tried to forget," she confessed, the words bitter on her tongue.

He gave a hollow laugh. "Forgetting doesn't erase what happened."

Maya's chest constricted. "I did not want to leave you, Aarav. You have to believe me."

He breathed out slowly, ruffling his disheveled hair. "For years, I made myself believe that you never cared. That you were just like them."

Maya's throat constricted. Their parents were never nice to them. Aarav had borne most of the brunt, protecting her when he could. When she had finally been able to flee, she'd hoped he'd follow. But he hadn't.

"I waited for you," he went on, his voice cracking. "But you never returned."

Teardrops sprang to Maya's eyes. "I was afraid."

Aarav gazed at her then, truly gazed at her. "And now?"

"I'm here," she breathed. "And I'm not leaving without you this time."

Silence hung between them for a moment. Then, slowly, Aarav moved forward.

Blood had bound them, and despite the efforts of time to tear them apart, it had failed. They were family. And family always returns.

As the first rays of dawn poured in through the shattered window, Maya and Aarav stood side by side, no longer strangers, but siblings.

At last, after all these years, they were home.

Writing By: @usman8000

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