"...My brother."
Karan Gill nodded in affirmation and ordered the boy standing beside him. "Ryan go and bring him to her."
"Yes, dad." The boy instantly replied and ran outside the hall.
As the boy left, Karan looked at the man and commented. "Don't bother her at least for today."
Rahul shamelessly rolled his eyes. Turning his head back to him, he answered. "Mind your own business."
Karan for the next few seconds didn't say anything. Looking back at the girl, he called her name. "Nora."
"..." The girl didn't reply to the call.
Karan didn't expect a reply from her either as he added right away. "Do not sign anything."
Nora instantly looked up. The moment Karan's eyes lay on that small girl, his heart clenched with sadness.
The girl is too young and small to bear all the tragedy she has to face. Her light grey misty eyes were making his cold heart feel the warmth which he never felt. He wanted to comfort her but didn't have words to say it out loud. Nor doesn't he know from where to start.
The moment Rahul heard Karan's words, his eyes widened. Instantly standing up from the ground he yelled. "You!! What do you mean by that!"
"She is a kid. But not me. What were you even thinking?" Karan commented.
Rahul scoffed loudly. Pointing his finger at Karan he allegedly said. "You!!! You think I don't know what you wanna play here. You want to take the company fully to your name. I won't let that happen. It's my family's company."
Karan's lips twitched. Looking sideways he saw his son carrying the four-year-old boy in his arms as he was walking towards them.
"I am leaving." He replied and went outside the hall.
Rahul sat back down on the floor beside Nora. Patting her head gently he started speaking again. "Nora. My child. You don't need to listen to him. You trust your uncle, don't you?"
"...."
"I'll take care of you and your brother from now on. Your aunt will be just like your own mother. I will take care of everything. Just listen to me okay?"
"..."
"Nora?"
"Uncle." Nora firmly called him.
"Yes, my child." He hurriedly replied.
"I know I am too young to understand anything like this." She said.
"I know but don't worry I am here. I'll take care of everything. Just trust me." Rahul said with a smile.
"At first I didn't want to bother myself. But now I just want you to leave." Nora patiently said to him with a blank face.
"I know you are scared but - wait what did you say?" Rahul asked with bewilderment.
"Me and my brother don't need you. Do not defile my parents' funeral with you and your family."
Her tone would have sounded gentle if the words were that gentle. Her face was all blank but anyone can tell that those words were honest. An eleven-year-old girl having such an expression and saying such words were hard to believe.
"You know what you are saying?" Rahul asked while trying hard to hide his hatred from her.
"Please leave now." Nora repeated her words.
"You're gonna regret this." Rahul warned.
"Please uncle. Leave."
***
Ryan gently put down the four-year-old boy on Nora's lap. Hugging her brother close to herself, Nora tried her best to calm her endless racing heart. Sitting beside her, Ryan waited for Nora's breath to get even.
After a few minutes, he spoke lightly. "Are you alright Nora?"
"..."
Ryan didn't mind that. Taking another pause for her to grasp, he spoke again. "I am staying here with you. I'll take care of the rest of the work here. Dad told me how to do it. You just take care of him. Okay?"
"..."
Ryan exhaled to her silence. Getting up from the ground, he was about to walk away, but turning back once again he spoke before leaving.
"I'll leave. Just call me when you need me. I am just outside."
***
Even after an hour, Nora stayed seated on the ground patting the boy's head on her lap. While rubbing his sleepy eyes, the boy finally woke up.
He could feel pain from his wounds but his first concern wasn't his pain but his family. Looking around the room, he got scared by the alian surrounding.
Being kid the first thing they desire after waking up was familiarity. And at that moment there was nothing like that. He was about to cry when he felt his sister's hands on his head. He finally saw his family.
Pouting little he wiped away his fake tears and snuggled up to Nora's arms. "Sister. Where are we?"
Hearing his voice, Nora had a sudden lump in her throat. Nora tried to hold back her tears but could feel them slowly trickling down to her face.
Nora tightened her hand into a fist as she held back her emotion- careful not to let out any sound. Her world fell apart and didn't know what to do next but she won't let that happen to her brother.
All she was left with was no one but her brother. She has no one to trust anymore. She was all alone.
Hugging her brother tightly back, she tenderly asked. "Are you okay?"
Even though she was completely broken, she didn't forget her brother's injuries while holding him. Like her small injuries, her brother also got some wound from that riot.
"Yes, sister. Mama?" He innocently asked.
He wanted to look around for his mother but his sister's hold on him was tight, and he wasn't able to budge even. Although he was a little uncomfortable to that posture, he didn't ask her to leave him.
Hearing his question, Nora's eyes got watery again. She didn't know what to say to him. The tears kept rolling down her cheeks.
"..."
"Papa?" He asked again.
"..."
"Sister." He called her.
Nora looked down at the boy. Combing his short hair, she answered. "They are out of the city. Don't worry."
"I want to too..." The boy insisted on following his parents.
"They will be back. You go back to sleep." Nora said.
"But I want to be with them."
"We will be. But not now. Please go back to sleep Krish. It's late."
The boy wanted to insist more, but his sister's watery eyes made him stop. When his sister insisted on making him go back to sleep he denied it. "I want to play."
Nora pursed her lips. Giving a peck on top of his head, she asked. "... Can you wait for a while?"
His sister rarely ever showed her love to him. Now when she is doing so, he obediently nodded. "Yes, sister."
"Good boy."