1]Start of the Eternity

**************

Life doesn't always bestow us with the choice; sometimes it just sets us in front of the unknown and we could either surrender or survive.

**************

-Selene 

The serenity and happiness was intruded.

“Set aside”

“Close the door”

"No one should leave their places"

The deep scary voices of Mafia-like men was echoing the house. Suddenly there was nothing but silence. In a panic, I rushed downstairs with fear tumbling the walls of my heart.

Some well built dangerous-looking men dressed in all black attire have intruded inside our house causing a wreck.

As soon as Cadie opened the door; she was bestrewed with suspicious people having loaded gun.

My brain freezes and denies to answer, what shall I do?

Mine not so active brain and a timid heart are the most unreliable objects during time of crisis.

Without wasting a second with all the energy I could muster I ran towards her trying to break in the circle inside which she was there covered around with guards. Before I could blink an eye or process the happenings the undergaurds has noticed me running towards her and I was stopped in middle making my body stoic at the touch of the creepy gun.

“Don’t move.” He said building the pressure of the gunpoint placed at my forehead.

“Move inside” A man ordered.

“Who are you all? What do you want?” She asked in a brave yet shaky voice.

I don’t know how did she gather this courage when my legs were trembling and my tongue has become too timid. She has a gift of threatening voice.

“Not a word. Just do as said. I hope you want your dearest Mr Kathin safe and sound.” He said in a deep echoing horrid tone.

My face lost all existent colour. How did he know about dad? He is missing since yesterday night. Is it a bad omen signalling something befalling to us.

Instead of making another unfavourable movement, she did as asked, crawling towards the room beside the lobby we went inside with guns still pointed at us.

“Sit down.” The man who looked like the head of these illicit gangs spoke.

I could say he was either ahead or rank above these people because he had a silver brochure with a shiny G letter mounted on it. Probably meaning Gang Leader.

The only difference among all these similar dressed men holding similar uncivilised horrible behaviour.

“Where is he, how you know him. Is he safe?" Mom enquired with scary eyes.

We were helpless and bounded. Tears wiped my cheeks, the rock-hearted man standing with the gun on my head passed a wicked smile.

Heartless and imperiling …

“He would be safe for as long as you follow our order.” He warned cleverly in his stoic voice.

“Don’t do anything to him. What do you want? Take this house. Take everything we have. We don’t have a lot of money but we will give you all what we have. Just leave him.” I cried in a helpless voice. We could hand over all our belongings for his safety we just want him to be safe and sound.

The man gave me a deadly stare that tried to nail me to the wall. He gave me a devastating look. But the words once said can’t be retreated. I was bewildered thinking what is he so annoyed about. I just talked about the ransom, this is what these money savoured, heartless fellows ran after. This is all for which they commit sinuous deeds.

“Curl back your tongue and calculate your words, You look like a sensible duckling.”  Gazing at me from top to toe he gave me a look of despise and detest.

I stepped back an inch, terrified and haunted with the aura surrounding us; dark and horrid. 

“Ugly ducking, don’t pin your nose in these matters. We are not beggars who need money, though you look like one.” He slurs scanning my baggy and soiled clothes owing to the cleanliness work I was undergoing through.

I was not sad at being called ugly, certainly not this time when the situation was so stressed and beyond control.

Being called ugly, fugly, bugly, bucket head, gaudy gear and the list continues. I am used to all this, and this is what I choose for myself.

“Can't you keep your mouth zipped?” Mom said with fiery eyes pointed at me.

I am too timid to even say a thing. I just want my father to be safe, I just tried to ensure the same and everyone in the room is already annoyed. Like usual I curled back with fear and grief shadowing my heart.

“He said it right ugly duckling that’s what you are. An ugly soul with an ugly face and doomed presence. Your presence sets all things wrong.” She spoke words which pierces my heart. Can’t she be any good to me? At last she is my mother  I always loved her like my birth mom but she never accepted me. She only loved Mariah. My twin sister. She never accepted me as a sister nor loved me. She is the one appreciated by all and I am the one who has to bear all curses and reprimands.

We had same features, totally similar. The only thing that distinguishes me from her is some little things like the patched highly uneven skin tone and blemishes. Huge specs and spoiled clothes, with the worst style. I am dark she is fair. She looks like a fairy I look like a junk. This is what people have told me enough times to make things clearly engraved in my mind.

“Please tell me what we must do. Forget this stupid girl.” She spoke with the sweetest sounding voice.

 “If you all want him alright; marry your daughter Mariah to capomandamento.” He spoke in an emotionless static voice. I was shocked to listen and Mom was deserted this was the something she would not think about her most loving piece of heart to be married to a Mafia king. Marrying him would mean living a life of blood and hatred. This is not what she wanted for her not even in dreams.

“My daughter. Mariah. No. No. I can’t. “ She busted out in inconsolable tears.

He mentioned some capomandamento; I knew that this means boss. So they do have a boss and the person who seems such a danger and inhuman is not the boss. Still, he is so much harmful and dangerous.

I was numb thinking about their boss, what a piece of shit he must be. Totally inhuman, barbaric, destructive, hopeless.

Mariah always tried to bully me, made my life a living hell. But I would never want her to go through all this. I was disheartened.

But this time I want my father safe, and my not so loving sister as well. But there seems no way out of this.

“I won’t warn twice. That’s your last chance. Either I am going to leave with your daughter accompanying me Or either I will return back with your beloved husband Cadaver.”

“I would have if she would have been safe and sound…” Saying this she busted out in tears.

I was shocked at series of events. Mariah is all safe and sound. Not to mention she might be chilling in her room with headphones on and no idea of what is happening here.

Probably a trick of my clever mom. Fingers crossed, God please make it work.

“What happened to her? Don’t try to mess up things and fool me around. Don’t you dare.” He warned in an alarming voice. The voice which has nerve wrecked my heart.

“I am saying it true, She is in the third stage of cancer. We kept it a secret, but this is what it is She is battling life and death every day.” She spoke in a very sad voice. I was shocked to hear all this and was shocked beyond bounds. Is she lying or what. I was also almost hooked on this lie trap. She sounds almost real and if this is her acting she could claim an Oscar for this.

“She could survive for a year, we just want her to be alive till then.” The man with a G brooch hooked to her coat spoke.

“Probably she won’t, we can’t say about a day.” She spoke in a very depressing voice.

I prayed that God please don’t let her arrive down dancing and singing the tunes. She won’t look ill at all.

“That’s a big problem. K.T father wants him to marry the daughter of Marvel’s clan. You are the last existent one in the whole community. All are wiped out leaving aside your family.

This was a piece of shocking news to me. I never knew that our clan was so rare or rarest of all. To put it we are the last existent ones. What is so special about this clan? I thought burying my head inside the neck of my hoody.

Had we were not born in this clan, all would have been nice, at peace and not this threatening.

“So…” My thought process was interrupted as he was about to say something. He gave a deep thought. He was immersed into a long thought process leading to a big long pause

I was praying throughout that God must change his mind. His so-called boss finds some other girl to ruin her life and save Mariah from this turmoil….

After a pause, he spoke. “We would have abducted you; but I am searching for a better option. You are not his standards.”

“You also belong to Marvel’s clan?” He asked in a suspicious voice.

As he questioned again I realized he was talking about me all through out. He meant he might have married me had I been good looking like Mariah. I never knew my points of pain, the blessing in disguise could be such a saviour.

It seems like God has listened to me within seconds but he mistook my prayer. I wanted to pull Mariah out of hell, but for sure I never wanted to step inside this hell.

“Yeah, I said nodding my head horizontally in direction of a No. Fearing at the one percent possibility of what if he considers my marriage with him.”

“Yes or No”, He asked again, in a chapped hoarse voice.

“Yes,” I said in a low shaky voice.

“They both are sisters. True Marvel's clan you can take her in place of Mariah.” The lady whom I women whom I despised the most said. I don’t even want to call her my mom.

Why does she hate me this much? It is only my father who loves me. He loves me more than anything in this world. I won’t let him to be harmed.

“Humm...Let us see let me talk to K.T.” he murmured

Who is this K.T I wondered? And then soon realized he is talking about their Mafia Boss.

I felt like roaring and yelling, don’t forget to mention to him that I am terribly ugly, hideous and monstrous with four eyes, alien skin.

I was hundred percent sure he would drop the idea, for sure he won't say a yes to marry me. I tried to take a deep breath and relieve the panic rush.

He dialled and we could listen the ringing. The call was kept on speaker so that his fellow companions could listen to the order.

My heart throbbed fast trembling and tumbling the shackles of my heart.

Now the decision lies on Mafia's Boss. 

Will he accept me as his wife? Or I will be rejected for the best, and would be reimbursed with my life.