Adaah

Flashback.....

"Baby Girl, wake up. It's your birthday today. Won't you go to the school and distribute sweets to your friends? My mother asks me in a simpering voice. "Your dad is already waiting at the breakfast table to take you to the school." She beams, pulling out the covers from over my face. I giggle and jump into her arms heretofore with my eyes twinkling in excitement. "Yay! It is my birthday." I jump down off the bed and hustle to the bathroom to have a quick shower after giving my mother a bone crushing hug.

I take a quick shower and walk back to my bedroom. Since my childhood I was fond of Barbie Princesses and had grown up watching Frozen, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty at least around a thousand times. My room is also decorated in a princess theme with pink and purple colours. Of course I am princess to my dad which he always calls me endearingly. My eyes landed on the Blue royal princess long tailing Ball gown which was placed carefully on my princess bed by my mother. It is my birthday dress which I had purchased two days back going for shopping along with my dad. I liked it in my first glimpse itself. It has embroidery on the bust area which made it more beautiful.

My mother enters my room and kisses my cheek with a smile and wishes me a happy birthday. She locks the dress with a zipper by turning me back and does my hair into a beautiful long pony tail with little strands falling on either side of my face.

I carefully walk down the stairs along with her holding the dress and my dad draws out his head from the news paper with a smile on his face watching me go down. "My princess has really become a big girl." He twinkles admiring me. When I reach the last stair, he gets up from the dining chair and walks to me. Holding my cheeks in his big warm hands he kisses my head and wishes me a happy birthday. I hug him in excitement and adoringly he runs his hand on my head.

Like every day all of us have our breakfast with lots of fun and cheer but today I am more excited because it is my birthday. My mother prepared my favourite fruit pudding as a desert and my daddy gave a princess house as a birthday gift which I excitedly decorated in my bedroom. Both my parents are orphans and they married each other by falling in love. So I do not have grandparents or any relatives on either side. But the love of my parents is more than anything for me in this world.

Just before we were reaching the car to go to my school my father's phone buzzed. He quickly pulled out the phone from his pant pocket and held it to his ears. Within seconds his demeanour changed and he was burning like a sun ball shouting at the person on the other end. It terrified me to the core with the way my father reacted. The sudden change of his behaviour jolted me in agitation as he was always a composed man.

He went back inside the house holding my hand and told my mother to lock all the doors and windows. I could not understand till date why all the doors and windows of my house were bullet proofed with iron frames and locks. My father always held a revolver tucked to his belt inside his coat and the usual 'men in black' always followed us whenever we went out. I asked my mother several times about why we required such a security. But as usual I was never answered clearly.

After the deadly call that my father received he made a series of phone calls to various people. Within minutes our mansion was blocked by security.

My dad knelt down in front of me and kissed my cheek. His face held an emotion I couldn't fathom. He brought me closer, hugged me tight and let out a breath. Holding my hands in his large ones he told me in his ever soft voice "Princess, come what may, never come out of that room." He said pointing to the study which was situated just behind where I was standing. "It is a bullet proofed room and will always keep you safe." He continues to teach me "Baby, no matter whatever noises you hear, and the screams which reach your ears, never come out of the study." He responds in cautioning voice which he seldom uses especially towards me.

Unable to speak, I just nod at him as tears threatened to fall out of my eyes. My mother moves forward and kisses my cheek. She sibilates to me to be strong and clamps a card in my sweaty palms. "Baby, in case anything wrong happens, call the number on this card." With that she nudges me inside the room and I close the door locking myself in it.

Within half an hour, I hear bullets been shot like a heavy downpour of rain. I hear yelling of people and their loud cries. I clutch my sweaty hands together and shiver in fright kneeling at one corner of the room and praying to God to keep my parents safe.

I catch snivels of people and some of them yelping in pain. But after a few minutes my mansion slowly dies down to silence. Silently whimpering in grief and anticipating about the wellbeing of my parents I steadily open my door a little. Just in front of my room door was my mother's resting form. Her eyes were closed and blood was dripping out of her stomach. Tears pour out of my cheeks looking at her wounded form. My eyes scan down our living hall slowly and move to every corner but lay stationed at one person falling on the floor with blood.