by Onaiza Khan
He started picking a pace, and soon we were out. I called a cab and ushered him inside. I quickly dashed in myself.
"Take us to Bandra," I muttered looking straight ahead steering my mind in action.
I had never been to Mumbai before but, I knew all twists and turns on the road. After giving him directions for fifteen minutes, we stopped in front of a building.
Sweat trickled from his palms moistening my own. And I registered the fact that I hadn't let go of Daniel's hand yet. My face flushed, and I released him.
Daniel paid the cabby and sighed, “What now?”
“Let’s go upstairs.”
He followed me quietly with a bored look on his face. I knocked on a door on the 7th floor and a man in a white shirt tucked into his gray pants opened the door. He was half-bald, and most of his hair was gray but his eyes, they were just like Daniel’s.
“Hello Sir, Are you Mr. Rajesh?”
“Yes, I am Madam, why?” he replied sipping his coffee at the same time.
“Have you ever been to France Sir?”
“Yes, I have. Why? What happened?” he was confused now. Not just confused, his face was red with fear when Daniel took me by my arm and dragged me away, “Sorry, there’s been a mistake. We’re looking for someone else,” Daniel said to the man.
He had realized that the man behind the door was no one else but his father. The man he has been looking for ever since. To find him, he had volunteered to marry me. His behavior as he took my hand and rushed me downstairs perplexed me, and I kept asking him, “Daniel, he's your father, I found him through my power, you must be happy," but he didn't answer me or even look at me. He did nothing except dragging me and looking enraged. But as we reached downstairs, I yanked myself free and facing him asked again.
“Why didn’t you talk to him? You’ve been looking for him for so long. And now I’ve found him for you then why?”
“Because I never wanted to talk to him Noor. I wanted to kill him. That is why I was looking for him. My mother committed suicide because of this man; this man cheated on her. He left her when she was pregnant and never returned. He’s got another family now. He’s probably gotten over her. But my mother, she’s dead. And she’s not coming back.”
“They why don’t you want to kill him now?”
“Noor, it’s not easy to hurt someone. I’ve realized now. It hurts you more, breaks you more than that person. It’s not worth it. I told you. Why did you have to find him?” he continued, his head in his hands. “I wanted to forget him and move on. I wanted to forgive him for what he did to my mother. But now that I’ve seen his face it won't be easy.”
He was on his knees now. I wanted Daniel to be happy, so I did whatever I could to find his father. Had I known the whole story, I would have never done it. After that, we quietly went to the airport without another sound. His face was hard, and he wouldn’t look at me after that. I was broken; firstly because I had hurt him and secondly because perhaps I had lost him again.
We quickly booked a flight to Delhi and landed soon after. We had the day to ourselves and the next morning we had to go to my father’s lair.
He had sent a car for us, and we reached my father’s property early in the morning at around 7 am. There were two guards who took us inside blindfolding me.
“Why are they blindfolding me?” I was asking Daniel when one of the giants spoke: “So that you don’t suck powers from anyone.”
“Oh God, I don’t suck powers. Never mind. Daniel hold my hand and don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t,” he replied squeezing my hand. We might not have talked in the last few hours, but that touch told me a million things. I’m with you, Noor. I love you, and I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.
We started walking hand in hand following those lamebrains, and it felt like we crossed a threshold. I could feel the darkness around me, the cold temperature and the screams.
Screams of what I guess were more than ten people at once piercing through my ears made me lose my balance. Daniel steadied me, holding me with one hand and placing the other on my waist.
“What is this?” I didn’t realize that tears had already formed in my eyes.
“What do you think? He keeps people here to torture them so that he can unlock spirit powers.”
“What are they doing to those people?”
“Noor.”
“Daniel tell me, what do you see?”
“There is a man, they’ve cut off his foot and are burning the wound with an iron rod.”
“What else do you see?”
“Someone’s getting lashed at by a horsewhip.”
His voice was pained, it hurt him to say those words but my father was doing these things and just because I was his daughter he had spared me from this kind of suffering. I was crying. I couldn’t be strong anymore. How could I be?
“What else do you see?”
“Nothing,” we had walked into an office now, and we were asked to sit. They wouldn’t let me open my eyes. And Yousuf hadn’t arrived yet, so we had to wait. I put my head on Daniel’s shoulder and lay there motionless without even a tear. I felt so broken inside. There was no way I could carry out my plan now. With what I saw or heard, I couldn’t do what I had planned to do, but since our phones were snatched already at the gate, we couldn’t change a thing. The plan was in motion.
“My darling daughter. How are you?” his voice and his words created a strange anger in me. No way can I let him go. He has to pay for his sins.
Chapter 25
I didn’t move. Daniel spoke, “We have come to tell you, Yousuf, that Noor doesn’t have the power you’re looking for. If you don’t believe us, you can see for yourself. I’m sure you can feel it.”
“But she does have something. Doesn’t she?”
“She can find things out. It’s just a small thing. Nothing powerful.”
“You’ve grown to be more beautiful my love,” he was speaking to me now. “I believe you and your husband. But whatever it is you have. I’ll take it. Finding things out might come handy in fulfilling my ambitions.”
“I’m ready.”
“Give me your hands love.”
“I have one condition. I want to do this outside. If I die, I want it to be under the open sky. I’ve already had my fair share of cages, thanks to you. But I’m not dying among these people who are praying for their deaths every minute.”
“I’ll try not to kill you, baby.”
“Let’s go out. Just the three of us.”
“What’s the point of going out?”
“We don’t have phones or guns or any special powers, and you have all of them and you’re still afraid to come out with us?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. And if this is what you want so be it. Let’s go,” and turning to his men he said, “You all can stay inside.”
Yousuf’s ego was his biggest weakness. And if the right weakness is struck with the right force, even the biggest powers can’t help much.
I was still blindfolded, and the three of us walked outside. The morning sun was shining, and the weather must have been beautiful. I felt good outside. Better. More alive.
“Now give me your hands.”
“How did you know that I have an ability of sucking spirit powers from people by just looking at them?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s not get into it.”
“It might be the last story I hear from my father.”
He turned away, his voice getting farther, “A man prophesied about my power when I was seventeen… I hadn’t believed him. I had never believed in supernatural things. But he had emphasized that I will gain a lot of power one day, the power of spirit and six years later, it all started to get real. I realized my power. Then I sucked powers from many others, and it made me strong. But there was one more thing that he had told me. He had told me that my first-born child would have a power better than mine. And since everything he said had come true I thought…”
“I have, and if what you’re implying is true, then your power will help me find my first-born, so come on now give me your hands.”
And it started working. Yousuf was suddenly on the ground holding his head in his hands, twisting in pain. Noya had come out from the back of the car and was staring at him. She was sucking his spirit powers by looking at him violently. She was fiery and angry. With the anger flaring up in those eyes she could have easily burnt the house to the ground and Yousuf, well he was shocked and in pain.
“Noya, what are you…” he couldn’t even speak right now.
“Noya is your first-born child and as you can see the prophecy was true. She has that power you’ve been dying to acquire. And you know what, I didn’t have to beat her or hurt her to unlock her spirit power. I just told her about you. You are the biggest tragedy that can ever unfold on anyone.”
“Who are you?” he asked in a breaking voice
“Mom’s little mistake, I believe.”
“How did you…”
“Finding things out, unraveling truths is more than just handy Yousuf.”
Noya was doing a great job in keeping Yousuf to the ground, but his guards had realized that something was wrong, and in a matter of seconds, they were onto us. All seven of them.
Killing Yousuf wasn’t easy. He had a number of spirit powers, like getting healed immediately, just like Christian, to placing memories in someone’s mind. I had made myself strong and decided to face him but this power that he had, placing memories in someone's mind, scared me the most. The fact that he could anytime enter my mind and alter my life was unnerving. Although he could only use his own memories that were real. He couldn’t create something new for his target. Nevertheless, it was dangerous.
He could also feel positive or negative vibes in people. It meant that he could look at anyone and tell if he/she was mostly a good person or bad one.
I still don’t realize the real meaning of this power as we all have good and bad traits. He can also talk to animals.
He had killed a lot of people, and their strength stayed with him. Even though he couldn’t move under Noya’s wrath, he wouldn’t die that soon either.
We had to cover Noya. Keep her safe so that she could peacefully continue her killing affair. If the flow of her energy wavered even for a second, Yousuf could access his own powers and jump us.
It wasn’t easy for us to handle the seven huge men. But Daniel was quick and light weight. He managed to handle two at a time. But I was still left with five which I managed like a piece of cake.
How?
Rhon had given me fighting lessons in his practice gym, but since that wasn’t enough as I didn’t have the physical strength to overpower men like those, we had decided to merge our spirits.
When I summoned Rhon to merge with me, a ball of heat went through my heart, and within seconds I was stronger than anyone present there. I was Rhon plus Noor. I was strong, I could fight, I could compel and also find out the next moves of my opponents.
Two men tried to grab me but I kicked them by flying right at them. They were immobile for a second and I compelled them to stay put.
I jumped on the three who were ready to attack any one of us any moment. They tried to cup my neck and lift me up, but I had already seen that coming, so I slid past between them and before they could turn around, I kicked their backs and pinned them to the ground. I compelled them to stay put too.
Then I moved towards Daniel who was now struggling with three at a time. He was injured and bleeding from his nose but had managed to keep his ground. I backed off a little and then picked the pace up. I jumped at them too. I punched one in the stomach when another seized me from my waist. I twisted in his hold and couldn’t let go and lost my grip. Another took the little window of opportunity and tried to knock down my face, but Daniel intervened. I was trying to compel that guy, but he didn’t look me in the eye.
Daniel jumped him, so the guy holding me moved over to Daniel. I knocked his neck with my knees which made him falter. I clasped his hair and turned his face around and compelled him to pull out all of his hair.
By the time I was done, Daniel had managed to incapacitate the other guy too. When it was all over, we called the police and gave them the address of the place and moved out quickly.
My little sister was just fourteen and the last couple days had disturbed and broken her. But she had the will to stand against the monster that was our father. She was stronger than me, stronger than him and anyone I’ve ever known.
“You looked like an Indian goddess out there,” said Daniel. We were in the hospital lobby where Noya was admitted after she had fainted in the car on our way back.
“Are you impressed?”
“How did you do that?”
“Secret Ally.”
“I thought we were going to die and then you switched something on and was all over the place. There’s still so much I don’t know about you.”
“Would you like to?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, take me home Daniel. I’ll tell you everything on the way.”
And we kissed. That kiss is the most beautiful memory of my life. If there is anything supernatural or magical in this world, it was that. That kiss. That truly changed my life forever.
10 DAYS LATER
“There’s some mail for you, Chris,” Grandma called out at the top of her voice, and Christian came out of the shower still drying his hair... He picked up the note
Dear Christian,
I made it out alive
Noor
“You little shit,” he murmured and opened the package. He was more than happy to find the first edition of his favorite book. When Daniel abducted me from the mall, that book was in my bag, and we had nearly forgotten about it.
“What are you dreaming about?” Daniel woke me up with a peck on my cheek.
“Christian got the mail.”
“You could have called him. Why do you have to worry yourself with everything?”
“I wanted to see the expression on his face.”
“Listen Noor; there is something that I want to tell you. Please be calm and listen patiently. Don’t panic okay?”
I jumped up in bed, “What is it?”
“You missed the sixth season of Game of Thrones.”
I was standing on the bed now, “And you’re telling me this now?”
He laughed, “Don’t worry, the good news is that we’re watching it today.”
“We? You hate Game of Thrones.”
“I love you, Noor,” he said in his deep and romantic voice. Yes, he had a romantic voice which I missed a lot. And we kissed again and again and again. I’m planning on living in this house, caged happily ever after.
But before you go, remember one thing, we all have a voice of reason and a voice of instinct and they’re both equally important. Never compromise any one of them for the other.
This is Onaiza. Thank you for reading Caged. I hope you enjoyed the book! Please spread the word by leaving a review on Amazon
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
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