MYSTERIOUS ENVELOPE

***NOTE:- The further chapters are glimpses from the previous book to give a better understanding of the past links and characters. Real Author's Thoughts for details.***

**28 MONTHS AGO**

BRIA

I woke up late in the morning, and I can't tell you how good it felt to sleep even after the alarm got tired of blaring and gave up in the end. Last night was very surprising and fun!

I didn't expect the kids to wish me at the stroke of twelve. They almost gave me a heart attack yanking me out of my dreamland. And the gift they gave me... it was just priceless!

I couldn't help but take that scrapbook in my hands and run my fingers on its cover where FAMILY was written in a bold and stylish manner.

I checked the time, and my eyes widened in shock. I was super... super... super late to begin my day!

I jumped out of the bed and darted straight to the bathroom. About forty minutes later, I was all ready with my jeans and t-shirt on. My fingers twitched to go for the comfortable yoga pants and an oversized hoodie that I had stolen from Juan last week.

But then, I didn't want to get chided by a five-year-old for not wearing birthday clothes on my special day.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. For a change, I decided to let my black wavy hair loose around my shoulders but looking at the split ends, I pursed my lips in displease. I seriously needed a haircut.

I rummaged through the drawer of my old vanity table, and a minute later, my fingers caught a plastic stick. Pulling it out, I opened its lid and turned its bottom to see black kohl peeking out of its mouth.

I released air through my mouth as my hands shook a little. It had been months since I last applied anything to my eyes other than almond oil to get rid of soreness due to spending late nights at work and studying.

With great efforts, I managed to not poke my eyes and draw neat lines on my lower waterline. I smiled, satisfied with my job as the black lines highlighted my chocolate brown eyes with honey gold streaks in them.

Benji said I have got that colour from my mother and the black hair from my father. I smiled, remembering them only to feel moisture at the corner of my eyes.

Shaking those thoughts aside, I checked my reflection once again before I left my room. I liked this T-shirt very much that was why I fought with a girl to get it in the sale. The only problem I didn't realise then was its V-shaped neckline.

It exposed the pink scar under my right collarbone which for some reason made me feel uncomfortable. So I pulled my hair to the front and hid it well.

I heard the everyday hustle and bustle in the house as soon as I stepped outside my room. And before I took five steps, loud noises bombarded me with questions and complaints.

"Bria... where is my favourite pair of socks?" Liam yelled from the boys' room

Before I could answer him, Eva came skipping toward me with a thick book in her hands. "Bria, I have got this book from the library about the comparative study of various laws of physics. You must read it with me!"

"Bria, tell Lily that Chris Hemsworth will go on a date with me if I grow my bicep to his size. He said he loves people who take good care of their health and body in yesterday's interview." Lillian glared at her twin Lily.

Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Grow up Lillian! You are not a kid anymore!"

I watched in awe at the eight-year-old chiding her twin sister like an adult.

Before I could handle them, a goofball came running to hug my legs. Showing his toothless grin, he sang, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Bria... happy birthday to you!!"

I couldn't help but giggle at his cuteness. I picked him up in my arms and pecked his cheeks before smiling brightly at him.

"Thank you so much, Jack! It was very sweet of you darling!!"

He returned my smile with his adorable one. But my smile faltered as the voices only grew more than before.

I frowned unimpressively as I watch a seventeen years old tall boy walking in my way.

"Let me help you." He said, taking jack out of my hands and then giving me a side hug.

"Happy twentieth birthday, Bria!" He held me tight, resting his chin on the top of my head, just to tease me that he was younger yet taller than me.

"Thank you!" I pushed him away and mock glared at him. "Shouldn't you be helping them rather than wasting your sweat like that?"

"I was working out Bria! See, even my shoulderblades look better than before." He flexed his months of hard work with a proud smile.

"Are your shoulderblades able to find Liam's socks, read Eva's book, solve the fight between Lily and Lillian?"

He scratched his head with his free hand. "No?"

"Then move your-" I held the horses of my tongue before they went far ahead and said the bad word. The kids looked at me with wide eyes waiting in anticipation to hear one. "legs!" I saved myself from Benji's scolding at the last moment.

But those pawns of satan groaned in disappointment. I swear they love watching me get scolded by Benji.

"Sure!" Juan took the kids back to their room and began helping them.

That reminded me that I needed to get in the kitchen fast, or my old man would not leave any work for me to do in there. But when I reached the kitchen, it was empty. Half of the preparations of breakfast were done, but where was he?

After not finding him anywhere in the house, I decided to check his room. Benji never locked his room as he wanted to be ready for any emergency or because any kid could go and ask for his help.

So I barged into his room without following the mannerisms or bothering about his right to privacy.

"Benji? Benji? Where are you?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. If we had any neighbours, then they would have called 911 five times a day.

What?

We are loud, fun-loving and the kindest people you can ever find! We are unique like that!

To my surprise, he was not in his room. Where was he?

"Benji???" I hollered again, and this time I got a reply.

"I am in the bathroom Bria. Can't you wait for a minute please?"

I tsked. He could have told me that before I strained my larynx too much!

I looked around his room which was pretty boring in my opinion. Every time I go there, I yawned.

That old man was taking too long!

I was thinking about banging on the bathroom door, but then my eyes caught something on his table. A rectangular envelope was tucked in a book in a rush. Its corners waved at me, peeking out. And above the book were two photographs.

I smiled, picking them. In the first photo, we all were smiling at the camera together, including Benji. We took it on Christmas eve wearing the Santa Claus caps and the decorated Christmas tree behind us.

That was one of the awesome days in my life!

And the next picture was of... me!

I tried to recall when it was taken, and then it struck me. We went to visit the flower exhibition in the city. I was so ecstatic watching those beautiful and colourful things everywhere that I skipped the entire place, flying like a butterfly.

In that picture, I was smiling brightly with a white flower tucked into my ear.

It was such a beautiful picture... no not because I was in it but because the smile in the picture was infectious and so pure that I was sure my face mirrored the same right now.

Wait! But why I didn't have that picture with me? Benji said he accidentally deleted it!

Then my attention again diverted to that envelope. I pulled it out and opened it to see a postcard inside. before reading the message, my eyes caught one word- Italy.

Italy?

I tried to recall where I had heard it.

Now I know that Italy is a famous country that even a first-grader also heard about it, but it was not that. I was sure that I had heard it somewhere in my home.

Yes! I saw the same postcard on my sixteenth birthday. What has been written on it?

I was about to check its contents, but before I could read a single word, it was snatched from my hands.

"Hey!"

"Invading others' privacy is a bad thing, Bria!" Benji frowned at me, chiding me.

The lines on his forehead deepened even more as he tucked those photographs and the envelope away from my reach.

"What is that? And why Italy?"

"You ask too many questions!" He grumbled.

"Because I want to know! I want to know if you are seeing this beautiful Italian woman behind my back and one day decide to bring her home and shock us by saying- surprise! We are married!

And then she decides to live here and torture us like a vile step-mother or demand you to shift somewhere else with her so that you would need to leave us here and then-"

My rambling abruptly stopped by, Benji. he covered my mouth with his rough hands and looking into my eyes, he slowly said, "I am not dating, darling! And there is no force in this world that can make us part away! No more discussion on this topic!"

He removed his hand, and I was ready to argue, but before that, he gathered me in his arms and placed an affectionate peck on the top of my head.

"Happy twentieth birthday darling! I am so proud of you!"

And just like that, I forgot about the envelope and Italy.