(Chapter - 4)

  [Family Secret]

  The next day, Minaki is in Mehaki's room to wake her up. Morning rays are coming through the window, chirping sounds of birds filling the air. Mehaki wakes up to hurry up for school.

  Minaki : Sis! Good morning, sis!

  Mehaki : Oh no! I'm late for school!

  Minaki : School? Today is Easter Sunday. We have no school.

  Mehaki : Ah, I totally forgot. Haha.

  Mehaki looks at the calendar; Sunday, April 12. They come to the dining table for breakfast. Mehaki, Minaki, Mehrab and Mrs. Jonaki are sitting and having their meals.

  Mehaki : Dad is still sleeping?

  Mehrab : Lazy dad.

  Mrs. Jonaki : Mehrab, dad is really tired from the meeting yesterday, that's why he's sleeping. He had more work than me.

  Mehrab : Ohhh..

  Minaki : Eat! Or I'll eat your food up.

  Mehrab : No!

  The environment feels really calm & cozy. Such holiday mornings aren't rare in this family. Mehaki thinks about whether she should bring up her topic or not. But it shouldn't be any later right? She asks her mother right away.

  Mehaki : Mom, I have something really important to talk about.

  Mrs. Jonaki : Hm.. About the Ariya flower?

  Mehaki : ...! How do you know?!

  Mrs. Jonaki : Of course I'd know, as a descendant of the Inufa Zaman family, we all should know about it at a certain point.

  Mehaki : Know what? Mom.. Please tell me. What's with this connection with the flower?

  Mrs. Jonaki : The Ariya flower is no ordinary flower. It holds special magic that not everyone can use. Every firstborn daughter of each generation of the Inufa Zaman family has a connection to the Ariya flower. That's why the flower glows to respond to the presence of the Inufa Zaman bloodline when one is close to it.

  Mehaki is left without words upon hearing such an explanation, so as Minaki. Minaki seems to enjoy the story while Mehaki is still processing.

  Mehaki : But.. But why is it so?

  Mrs. Jonaki : Because, it is a blessing to our 1st ancestor which is passed down to generations. And you're the 12th generation. You are a special girl, Anami.

  Minaki : Wow! So sister is related to the magical flower?

  Mehrab : Sister is special, yay!

  Mehaki : ...

  An emotion mixed of shock, confusion and wonder shows over Mehaki's face. Her mother speaks as calmly as possible to not scare her.

  Mrs. Jonaki : We must keep it a secret from other people. It's for Anami's safety.

  Mehaki : I can't believe..

  Mrs. Jonaki : Did you ever notice that we don't call you Anami unless it's just us?

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Mehaki : I did. But I thought it's because that's a nickname given by my family.

  Mrs. Jonaki : The name "Anami" must be kept a secret, just like how you need to hide your family name "Inufa Zaman" until a certain time. It's for your own safety.

  Mehaki listens to her mom attentively. She has many questions in mind. Such a big secret about herself was kept from her until all this time?

  Mehaki : But why didn't you tell me any of this before? I was so confused since I was little about why I should hide my real surname.

  Mrs. Jonaki : Well there's a specific timing for everything. Keep telling people your name as "Aria Inufa Mehaki" until you grow up. Since you're the 12th generation, you must hide it. Always remember & be careful dear.

  Mehaki : Ok, mom..

  Mrs. Jonaki : Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll know everything by time. We love you.

  Mehaki : I love you, too.

  In Mehaki's room, she is looking at her table. Seeing a pink notebook alongside many colorful notebooks, she softly touches the cover of it. She seems like she is still gathering her thoughts, looking intently at the notebook..

  "I wrote down whatever has been happening since the past 2 days. Because, the day I bought the Ariya flower is when the unbelievable things started to happen & uncover before me. Now that I've learnt a bit about my mother's side's family secret, will things change now?"

  She picks up the notebook and walks down the stairs.

  "I'm a special girl, mom said. The 12th generation of the Inufa Zaman family. I'm related to the rare, magical Ariya flower?"

  Mehaki opens the backdoor of the house & steps out in the backyard.

  "Someone who can use the magic of it? Feels like some fairytale..."

  As she gets closer to the Ariya flower tree, the flowers glow up. She sits down beneath the tree.

  "But anyways, it's the truth. I am who I am. I am what I am"

  She looks at the cover of her pink notebook. The name says - Aria Inufa Zaman Mehaki (Anami). She softly touches the name as she thinks..

  "Anami.."

  "That's who I am. And I'll keep it a secret as long as it's needed. I'll learn more.. About myself..."

  Mehaki looks up at the glowing flowers above her, holding the notebook close to her heart & smiling slightly. She looks as though a new light of confidence has sparked within herself.

  "... And about my family secret."

  She opens the notebook and writes something.

  The next day at the school corridor, Mehaki cheerfully waves when she sees Tori, Karu, Tushar and Asroy walking.

  "It was already amazing to meet the colorful brothers who had special powers."

  Mehaki runs towards & catches up with them.

  "They trusted me enough to share their family secrets and show me their powers."

  She introduces her best friend Himika to the 4. Himika looks very excited to befriend them.

  "Besides, they're very friendly & goodhearted."

  Nadia & Mahir gets introduced to the 4 as well. Himika introduces her elder sister. They all talk & laugh together. Playfully & delighted.

  "We also made a group together, creating a great bonding of friendship within us."

  At Miraz Monjil, Mehaki is looking around the garden of amazing flowers, happily with the 4.

  "I often visit the Miraz Monjil & spend time in the beautiful garden. Tori, Karu, Tushar & Asroy accompany me. We play games & laugh too."

  They show her the Ariya flower in their backyard as well. She looks pleased with the sight of the tree glowing.

  "They admire me as the related one to Ariya flower, though they don't know much of the story except only that I'm related to this flower."

  The sky and weather carries the change of months and years. Many seasons come and go. Time flies.

  "Years passed.. 5 whole years. We grew up.."

  5 years have passed. It's a bright spring day, Mehaki walks through her college gates, with long hair open.

  "Now we're in the 1st year of college.. Other than that, everything else has remained the same. And the best part is..."

  She hears someone calling her "Mehaki!" from behind. As she turns her head around, her hair flutters with the soft breeze of wind, shining in the rays of sunlight. She sees the colorful brothers walking behind, waving slightly at her. She smiles.

  "Our bondings only grew stronger by time."

  They come over to Mehaki and walk together. They have a reliable, joyful smile.

  "We held secrets that no one else knew. We trusted each other to the fullest. Though I never properly learned about the 4 brothers' past.."

  Mehaki smiles with relief while looking at them.

  "What could go wrong? Nothing, right?"

  They walk to college. The sky shines in blue. Dry leaves fly away with wind, new greens fill up the trees along with pretty yellow flowers. The Ariya flowers on the tree in Mehaki's backyard sways with the wind.

  "But that's when our lives take a huge turn, following the path of chaos and complications. As the truth of everything unveils, new challenges emerge into my life, changing it completely.."

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