CHAPTER 36: Aleena's Past

*ALEENA'S MIND*

Zahhak walked around in darkness .... trying to locate Aleena but he couldnot.

"How long have I even been here for?" He looked around but there seemed to be no end to it . It was like walking in an abyss.

"My sister's mind.....is so blank.." He stopped and began staring at the darkness with disappointment.

Suddenly he felt a reflection hit him from behind. He turned around and saw himself standing in front of a burning mansion. It was night and the mansion was his own.

*Sob*

He heard a small sob ...almost missed it. He looked down to his right and saw little Aleena sitting on the ground and crying.

"Zayne.....Zayne ! Zayne! Zayne!!"

Her sobs got louder and louder.

"So it was only sister who made it .... I was hiding under the bed again when a fight between our parents escalated and somehow the mansion caught fire....." Zahhak thought to himself ," I know that I was sucked into this dimension before I got burned...how that happened ...I am not sure...we never knew our parents were actually from this world...a Killer and a BlackWing...so I was told by my principal."

He put his hand on his sobbing sister's head , "To think they surpassed everything to be together and still ended up miserable like that ..... one should really not just do whatever at the whim of love.... "

He rubbed her head but then she turned into mist and the location changed.

This time he found himself standing inside ... an office.

"Where am I.."

Aleena , a little older , appeared infront of him, sitting apologetically on the wooden floor . Wearing clothes that hardly fit the description , they appeared more like rags . Her cheek was red and her little arms had bruises on them. Her short hair dishevelled .

"Aleena!!?"

Zahhak almost lost himself seeing his sister in that state he almost stepped up to her when he heard a sour man's voice,

" You have been causing alot of trouble lately haven't you little missy..." Zahhak felt a disgusted aura , a vile one. He turned around to find a chubby man standing behind a desk with a bamboo stick on his table..

"Ever since you stepped into this orphanage...our little ones keep disappearing..." He moved in closer to Aleena who had her head bowed .

"WELL!!!???" The chubby man grabbed her hair to make her look at him.

Zahhak lost his head in rage and attacked the man only to find himself pass through the image of him and falling on the ground.

"Aleena!!" He cried in desperation but he couldn't even touch her as his hand just passed through.

Little Aleena however, was much calmer and though in pain she stared at the man right in his eyes. Her eyes showed no emotion , no sadness , no grief but no happiness either.

"WHERE ARE THEY!!?" He slapped her and she hit her head hard on the floor.

"

Aleena!!....sis...no.." Zahhak was besides himself as the pain agonized his heart.

The chubby man grabbed her again , by the arm and threw her across the room . Her fragile body flung and hit the table. The bamboo stick fell on her head . She held the back of her head in her little hand.

"You have been helping them escape haven't you..." The chubby man seemed to have calmed down.

"Y...you...are a bad man..... I won't let you.. touch a single...kid." Aleena mumbled.

"Oh is that so.... you are trying to start some kind of revolution huh?!" He stepped closer to Aleena and picked up the bamboo stick.

"Let me ask you Aleena.... even if you save every single child in this place....are any of those children going to come back and save you?"

"Ghh..." Zahhak muttered in agony , tears fell when he heard that sentence.

"Why did I never come back for her...." He cried to himself.

The chubby man raised his stick and Zahhak gasped.

Aleena screamed as he hit him but Zahhak had already lowered his head and closed his eyes. He covered his ears with shaking hands to somehow muffle his sister's scream and he couldn't tell how long it was before he finally couldn't hear her cries.

He felt a hand place itself on his shoulders , it was Aleena , little Aleena in the same rags but beaten up alot more than before. Her forehead carrying dripping blood. Drops of blood fell on Zahhak's clothes. He stared at her with his teary eyes.

"Hey Zayne...how come you never turned back..." she asked.

"I thought you died in the fire ....."

" You thought....but you didn't try to make sure ..why?"

"........"

"Why.... I always used to look for you underneath your bed... I always came for you... every time ..."

"I ..."

"Were you happy?"

"....."

"I asked you a question..." her grip got tighter and tighter , "Answer me!!!" She screamed as Zahhak refused to answer and only lowered his head even further. She bumped her little fists on his chest crying! She kept repeating , "Answer me! Answer me!!"

" I MOVED ON!!! I DIDN'T LOOK BACK!" Zahhak screamed and hugged her tightly.

"Let go!!" Little Aleena screamed.

"I won't!!," He screamed back , " I won't this time..." and he buried her into his chest ,cried and kept crying until the little body disappeared.

Zahhak stood up ,but was still and silent.

"Zahhak...what are you doing here?" He heard a familiar voice to which he immediately turned his head around.

He saw Aleena , in the flesh , standing there , looking confused.

He rushed and hugged her immediately and buried his head in her shoulder.

"Wha wha wha....what's wrong!!!?"

He began to cry again .

"Uwaaaa...." He cried like a child. Aleena went silent and slowly put her arm around his back and patted it , like a mother soothes a crying infant. The memory of her patting little Zayne's head as he hid under the bed crying , flashed inside , she pinched his cheeks,

"Ow..." he winced and stopped crying a little.

"It always works.." she said as she found herself doing exactly same to Zahhak , all grown up.

She pinched his cheeks with both her hands.

"Ow..." Zahhak said as tears finally stopped flowing.

Aleena chuckled , " Guess it still works..."

Zahhak rubbed his cheeks as Aleena laughed.

"Big sis...." Zahhak said , " When we are done here...I want you to tell me...everything that happened to you after I was gone..."

Aleena stared at him , then smiled, she put her hands on his reddened cheeks , "Alright."

"But by the way....." Aleena asked after a minute , " Why ARE you here?"

"Huh...." Zahhak thought as he wiped his tears and rubbed his cheeks ,"Wait why did I....oh...OH!!! Big sis!!!! Are you okay ?? You aren't waking up."

"What...ohhhh..hahahahaha" Aleena laughed , " Dont tell me Dr.Jackal sent you to help me ..."

"That is...exactly what he did...why are you laugh...your eyes."

"Huh?...oh yeah.... " Aleena readjusted her hair behind her ear and opened her eyes again , one of them was glowing red and the other neon green , " I was able to successfully ...negotiate.."

"Negotiate? Wha...wait."

But before Zahhak could finish Aleena snapped her fingers and he found himself awake, lying on the hospital floor being stared on by Aleena and Dr.Jackal.

They both smiled at him,

"Welcome back!" They both said.

"Huh...?"

********