Before him was not the Lia who was once haunted by questions. Before him was no longer the Lia who aimlessly began a quest to find herself. Today she was a torch, that was illuminating not just herself but also her surrounding for a far greater cause.
' This should be fun. ' Father Abraham thought.
His wait was finally over.
His aged eyes twinkled with excitement ; excitement of a new beginning.
" Father..What are you looking at?? "
Lia asked feeling self conscious under his scrutinying gaze and mysterious smile.
" I'm trying to understand this new Lia, my dear. " The elder replied.
" New! What do you mean? " Lia felt conflicted at Father's unexpected choice of words. She seriously didn't have the foggiest idea as to what the elder saw in her to say she was new. As far as she knew, she was the same as the one who helplessly watched her mother's tragic death with her own two eyes yet, could do nothing. If something had changed than it was the fact that she was no longer so clueless.
" No Father... I'm not new. " There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as old memories resurfaced themselves once again. " I'm the same old Lia, the one you smuggled out of the evil clutches. I'm the same old Lia whom you sheltered under your wing when me and my mom had nowhere else to go. I'm the same old Lia whom you supported when the world had abandoned. I'm the same old Lia, Father! The same old...So don't ever say that I have changed. Because no matter what happens, I'll never change...I'll never forget your kindness. Never!! " Endless streams of tears gushed down her ethereal face, drenching her completely. Her lips trembled, her already inaudible voice was choked as she tried to swallow in her cries.
How could he say that she had changed???
She pouted like a wilful child, not wanting to understand reasons.
" But there is something that did change, Father...." Remembering her conversation with Lutfa and Carlos, Lia declared. There was a sense excitment in her. " My memories, Father! They back! I got back all my memories! "
The elder couldn't be happier. The smile on his face grew wider and wider. Pride and joy twinkled in his eyes.
Gently stroking her silk like hair, the elder replied " Change doesn't mean abandoning your roots Lia, but strengthening them even more. Only few understand this concept and I'm proud to know that my student is one of them." The elder's pride was so obvious that it felt as if he was the one who had conquered it all " And no Lia! Don't say that you haven't changed because you have. That too in a great way. "
Lia didn't respond, neither didn't the elder give up. " Learn to except a compliment where it's due, my dear. Your years of struggling is finally bearing its fruit. Savor the sweetness. "
Finally Lia gave a little nodded and silence once again settled in the room.
Outside, the night covered the sky with its twinkling veil of stars. The hooting owls and chirping crickets sang the melody of the mountains, inviting all to step out and enjoy the magic of the moonlight.
Lia so badly wanted to go outside , but her body said otherwise. She knew that with her current condition there was no way she would be able to stand on the her own feet for even a second. Her physical condition concerned her, especially after Surbhi's explanation regarding coma.
Taking the opportunity Lia decided to ask her concerns.
" Father, can I ask you something? "
" Of course Lia! Anything, my dear.. " The elder replied happily. He knew that sooner or later he would have to face this. And he was impressed to see that Lia didn't flip out at Surbhi's explanation and chose to discuss things clearly instead. This was the proof of her change ; she was no longer as insecure as her old self.
A sense of relief washed over his aging heart.
" Father, what exactly happened to me??? And how did I end up here??? The last thing I remember is that I was kidnapped and there was a huge explosion. What happened after that? What happened in the past twelve years? "
Father patiently listened to everything Lia had to ask and came to the conclusion that in the process of regaining her old memories, she lost her new ones somewhere on the way.
His expression turned grim.
Lia observed the sudden change in his features still remained unfertted by it. She patiently waited for him to say something.
A minute or so passed yet, when the elder still showed no sign of speaking she forcefully insisted. " Please Father! Tell me...Its important that I know. What happened with me? "
Sign...
Letting out a helpless sign the elder began to speak with carefully chosen words. However, what Lia heard was not something she was prepared for.
" I wish I knew exactly what happened Lia, but since you insist I'll tell you everything that I do know. " The grimness from the elder's features had now seeped into his tone as he began his tale. " Now to begin with I'll have you know that it's not twelve years that has passed but nineteen years. "
The inital part of his story contained basic information about everything that happened immediately after the accident and how he found her. He then recalled about her memory loss, her out of control powers, her journey to her dream college and lastly her meeting with Mr.Nicolas.
That was basically the gist of her life three months prior to that ill-omened night. He openly admitted that neither he, nor anyone for that matter know what had happened with her during those three months then....
....
Flashback :
On that night seven years ago....
In the prayer hall of a church near a private beach in Goa, it was ten minutes past the first midnight. Father Abraham was reading the Bible under the light of the candles while the rest of the world was facing the warth of Mother Nature.
That night whole of Goa and major part of India was facing a massive power cut due to wire breakage and short circuits.
" Father! Father Abraham! Where are you? " Brother Fernandez came running into the pray hall, shouting at the top of his lungs that when he saw the elder still engrossed in prayer.
Father Abraham's heart dropped. His eyes flew wide open when he heard Brother Fernandez calling him out. He didn't like the sound of Brother's nervous tone. He was sure whatever Brother Fernandez has got to say can't be good. He just prayed that it wasn't too bad.
" What happened Brother, did you find Lia? " Father asked anxiously. He was worried sick about his beloved student who was missing for more than three months now.
"No Father..." Brother replied regretfully. " We checked everywhere. Mr. Nicolas just called to inform us that he had checked all flight schedules for the past three months of Country E as well as the entire United Republican, but all he got to know was that Lia left Country E on the every evening of her graduation and boarded a flight to Imperial Capital of China with a no return ticket." Brother reported defeatedly. " I have tried to call and checked with all the hotels in Imperial that I found online but none of them had any such guest. Mr. Nicolas has sent his people to look for Lia in China but, we haven't received any word from them yet. "
" But why on earth did she go to China in the first place? " Father was beginning to flip out in panic. Once an unbreakable wise man had now completely lost his patience as well as his last strand of hope.
He was now drowning in desperation....
He dropped himself on the floor before the statute of the Jesus and began to cry hysterically.
" Please..... I beg of you, O God. Bring her back. Bring her back... I ask nothing more than her safety. She has suffered enough already. She is still a child.... I beg of you...Take me if you have to, but protect her from harms way.....Please... " Somehow Father could feel in his heart that his little Lia was in grave danger.
Brother Fernandez tried to console him but it was useless. Father Abraham no longer had the sanity of mind to understand anything anymore. All he wanted now was to have his Lia back.
In his fit of grief he began to kowtow before Jesus. Each time harder than before. Seeing Father in such a state Brother felt at a complete loss. He tried to stop Father from hurting himself, never the less Father didn't care.
Soon blood started to ooz from Father's nose and mouth, yet he stubbornly continued. Brother's heart began to tremble. He was totally lost and confused. Before this he had never seen Father so desperate. He was about to pull Father out of the prayer hall when...
Crash!!! Crash!!! Crash!!!
A powerful gust of wind smashed open the large windows of the prayer hall, shattering away the glass pieces on the floor and blew off all the candles.
Instantly, everything was covered in black.
Brother and Father were both startled but, what they saw next turn their blood into ice.
Wrapped in pitch blackness, a soft ray of light entered the hall through the broken windows and landed on the statue of Jesus. Curious, both Father and Brother turned towards the broken windows and in turn towards the outside world.
Beyond the broken windows and out of the church premises was the vast Arabian Sea on a moonless night with angry red clouds hanging above.
Following the ray of light, their sight caught glimpse of something glowing at the end of the shore.
After studying carefully, they realised it was a person.
Brother Fernandez froze and was drained of all colours when he realised that not only was that a person lying at the end of the shore, it was a Women and most likely....
LIA!
The very person they have been searching all around the globe for the past fifteen days.