Next day
"Can I go back to school?" Krish excitedly looked down at his clothes.
Nora smiled gently and helped Krish to put on his shoes. "Yes. Back to your friends. To school."
Krish happily smiled and clapped in excitement. "Will mom come to pick us up like other days?" He expectantly looked at her.
Nora's movement stopped. "Mama…? Papa…?"
"Yes, Mama papa. Will they?"
Her breath started getting heavier with the memories of her mother always coming to the school to pick her and Krish up.
Not just one or two things, but the whole house haunt her. Each and every thing in that mansion bring her such memory which makes her cry in a second. She wasn't big enough to know how to stop her tears, but in front of her brother, she won't let a single tear drop.
Those memories were haunting her every night. No matter how much she tries, everything in that house was eating her. She dares not sleep until she faints.
Before she could say anything, Ryan from the room door spoke up first. "How about I pick you up today? And then we can go to the arcade or anything you like. Like ice cream or food whatever you like."
"Really? Can I go to the arcade?" Krish jumped down from the bed and ran to Ryan's side.
Ryan nodded and picked him up in his arms. "Yes, you can go for however long you want."
"Yeah!!!" Krish raised both arms. Ryan also carried him towards the dining hall.
Nora watched their backs. With a heavy heart, she carried her and Krish's school bags to go.
***
After a breakfast, Nora's car dropped them at the school. Seeing Krish off to his class first, both Ryan and Nora also went to their classes.
The moment Nora entered her class, the murmuring started running nonstop.
-"Is that Nora Steave?" One of the girls asked in horror.
-"Oh my god! Is she attending schools already?"
-"I can't believe her!"
-"So the rumors were true. I heard that she didn't even cry after a few hours. Just a couple of hours and that's it. She actually cares nothing for her parents."
-"All she wants is money. She actually asked her relatives to leave the funeral so that none of her father's brother would be able to show their authority over NK."
-"She didn't want to share money, that's why she didn't let her relatives even join their close ones' funeral."
-"I wish everyone could see her true face. She is so selfish. Let's stay away from her."
-"I hate her. Even at her parents' funeral, she was all thinking about money."
-"But how do you guys know all about this?"
-"Her sister cried as she told us all about this."
-"She was really sad."
-"Susan always cared for her sister. But this selfish girl always thinks about herself. How unlucky of us to have her as our classmate."
Nora heard each and every comment on her way. Those comments could be horrifying for anyone. But for Nora, she wasn't capable of even hear such thing.
All she wants to do is kill those hours before going back to her brother. After what happened, she cared nothing but to keep her brother safe from everything and from everyone.
"What have you planned to do next Miss?" Butler asked Nora.
"What should I do uncle? There's nothing left anyway." She blankly looked at sky as she spoke.
"...Why don't you take a break from everything?" He suggested worriedly.
Nora chuckled loathly. Looking at her hand she asked back. "Will it help?"
Butler looked at the girl beside him. He knew her from her young age. Along with his parents, he saw her growing from her infant age to her school age. That family wasn't his, but he worked his whole life for them.
In that family's sorrow, in happiness, he was involved in everything. Naitik and Ritika was like his own child. But he never thought that he would be involved in their funeral too.
Watching their daughter standing alone after that tragedy, was very regretful to his eyes. After what happened, how can anyone expect things to get better. Such life never gets easy with just a few changes.
"... I guess no." He muttered.