A week later.
That morning Brigadier Chandok announced to the assembly about their three day Diwali vacation. While most of the cadets started cheering and chatting excitedly about it, Alekh and Huda were not thrilled. Huda was upset because, unknowingly, he had betrayed his own country, and he didn't know how he would face his parents after this. Alekh was upset because he didn't have any family to go home to, and the vacation only served as a reminder of his orphanhood.
Out of nowhere, someone smacked Alekh's arm. He grabbed his arm and turned to see Naina giving him a stink eye. "Have you lost your mind? Why did you hit me?" he asked, annoyed.
"I can practically see you calling yourself an 'orphan' in your head," she told him, hands on her hips while glaring angrily. "How dare you call my brother an 'orphan'?" she demanded.
A smile spread across his face, but tears gathered in his eyes. "Drama queen! I wasn't thinking anything like that," he said affectionately, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"Liar!" Naina accused, cuddling against his chest.
The rest of their group soon joined them. Yudi asked everyone about their plans for the vacation. Pooja informed that she couldn't go as her parents might not let her come back. Ali couldn't go either as it was Ramadan month, and he wanted to go home during Eid instead. Huda said he didn't feel like going home.
"What are your plans, Naina?" Yudi asked.
"I'm taking Alekh home. I want my family to meet my new brother," she shared excitedly as she hugged Alekh tightly. Alekh gave them a shy smile and shrugged at their group in return.
"B-Brother?!" Huda stammered. "So... there's nothing... romantic between you two?" he asked.
Naina and Alekh gave him a completely disgusted look, while Ali stared at him in disbelief. "Huda bhai, from which angle did they EVER act romantically?" he asked, annoyed.
"Yeah. They fight, tease, and support each other like siblings all the time," Yudi pointed out.
"You miss call! Did you really forget when Naina tied rakhi on Alekh's wrist during Raksha Bandhan? Where has your network been lost these days? Or did your system malfunction?" Pooja asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Oh yes. Sorry. In my jealousy, I guess I forgot," Huda said sheepishly while scratching his head.
"Ignore our resident buffalo's shit brain. I have an announcement for everyone who's staying back. My sister, Nilu, is throwing a Diwali party at our house. You're all invited!" Yudi announced, grinning.
Everyone cheered. Naina smirked at Alekh and raised her eyebrows in silent question, having caught him kissing Yudi's sister Nilu after the fresher's ball. Alekh rolled his eyes and covered her mouth with his hand, making Naina start giggling.
...-...
...-...
"Rajveer sir!" Naina called out as she barged into his room.
"Yes, cadet?" Rajveer replied from the bedroom before coming out rubbing his hair with a towel. He had just gotten out of the shower.
Naina inhaled deeply, taking in his delicious smell. She had to gulp own the venom collected in her mouth.
"You okay, cadet?"
"Yeah. You smell really... fresh right now." she commented.
Rajveer chuckled. "You're standing six feet away from me and you can still smell me? Guess you have a good nose along with your perfect memory." he joked.
"Something like that." Naina replied, vaguely.
"You know, Cadet Naina... for some reason whenever you come to my room, I never hear the sound of knocks." he added with a smirk.
Naina grinned in answer, completely unashamed. "Our Diwali vacation was announced. Are you going somewhere for the vacation?" she asked.
"Since I don't have any family, I'm going to stay here. BC told us that Yudi's father, Mr. Sahani, had invited all the members of KMA to his house for a Diwali party. I might go there along with everyone else," Rajveer shared his plans as he headed towards the kitchen area. "Have a seat. And what are your plans?" he asked.
"I'm taking Alekh home to meet my family. Since Jeremy has already met him, Dad and Thomas insisted on it. Mom has been learning to cook normal Indian dishes to feed Alekh," Naina shared with a chuckle. "You can join us, you know? You could meet the family that took me in when they didn't have to." She knew he wouldn't accept her offer as she had learned that he was posted here to protect the nuclear triggers hidden in the academy. Nevertheless, she wanted to let him know that there was another option for his vacation.
Rajveer smiled. "One day I would definitely like to meet them all. After Naveen, it falls on me to look after you... even though you have other people for that. But not this time. Sorry," he told her apologetically.
"That's okay. Maybe next time," Naina told him with an easy smile.
...-...
"Naina, why did you bring me here?" Alekh asked curiously. She had told him to meet her at the back of the academy after lights out that day.
"I feel like I should tell you one of the biggest secrets of my life before we go home." Naina told him nervously.
"Is it one of those two secrets you told me about in that forest during the drill?" Alekh asked thoughtfully as he took in how nervous his sister looked.
"Yeah. It's the secret I can tell you but... I might lose you forever."
"Do you trust me?" Alekh asked, holding her shoulders.
"Yes."
"Then tell me without hesitating." he suggested.
Taking a deep breath, Naina handed him a letter. In this letter, she had written everything about Naveen and her biological family. As there were CCTV cameras everywhere, she didn't want their voices to get recorded in any of them. It was her secret, and she wanted to share it with her brother only. Alekh read the letter with a slight frown on his face. When he was done, he tore the letter into pieces before burning them with a lighter from his pocket. Once he was sure no one could now read it, he pulled Naina into a tight hug.
"You suffered so much. You're not alone in this mission," he told her, running his fingers through her hair.
Naina started sobbing tearlessly against his chest. "I couldn't even meet him one last time, Alekh... I wanted to see him so much," she wailed.
Alekh kept holding onto her as she continued crying and telling him about all the pain she had been holding in until now. She told him how much she missed her mom's scoldings, her father's pampering, and her brother. She complained about Naveen, how he only praised his stupid friend, Veeru, even when she passed with distinction. When Naveen took her shopping, he would also buy things for Veeru. She also told him how Naveen used to pull her hair repeatedly, but he was also the one who would always buy her new hair clips and hair care products with his pocket money. Naveen was the best and worst brother of all.
"Now that I'm here, I understand why Naveen was such a fan of his friend, Veeru. I once told him that I hated Veeru, so he must have cursed me to fall in love with him now," she complained childishly, puffing and huffing at her deceased older brother.
Alekh had been listening silently, and as he was listening, he was also observing. He saw how, even in extreme sadness, no tears fell from her eyes. He could see her heart tearing itself apart, but still, no tears came. He realized that there must be more to this story. Then he recalled the second secret that she was not allowed to share with him. He thought that her inability to cry must be related to that. However, he didn't want to point it out now as his sister was already distressed. So he asked, "What do you mean you fell in love with Naveen bhai's Veeru? Where did you meet him?"
Naina pouted and demanded, "Promise you won't laugh?" At Alekh's confusion, she glared at him and he sighed, promising not to laugh.
"Our Rajveer sir is Naveen Bhai's Veeru," she muttered sulkily.
Alekh struggled to hold back his laughter. For the past twenty minutes, he had listened to Naina complain about Veeru, only to find out that their favorite teacher was Veeru. What was even more amusing was that he could see how much Naina disliked Veeru but also how much she liked Captain Rajveer. He had to look away to control his reaction.
"I can see you." Naina told him grumpily as she had caught his reaction from the corner of her eyes. Alekh instantly burst into laughter. "You promised not to laugh!" she reminded pouting harder. It only made him laugh more.
"I'm sorry, Naina. I couldn't help it," Alekh said, trying to stifle his laughter. "It's just funny to me that the Veeru you dislike so much… turned out to be our beloved Rajveer sir."
Naina glared at him, but then she couldn't resist a small smile. "Yeah, I guess it is kind of funny," she admitted.
Alekh's laughter finally died down, and he pulled Naina into another hug. "But seriously, Naina, thank you for telling me all of this. I know it's not easy, but I'm here for you, always."
Naina hugged him back tightly. "I know, Alekh. I'm lucky to have you as my brother," she said softly.
...-...
...-...
...-...
Their car pulled up in front of a colossal mansion just after sunset. Alekh's jaw dropped in awe at the sight before him; he had never seen anything like it. The mansion was situated on fifty acres of land, surrounded by trees, and quite isolated. Naina mentioned that there was a lake on their property in the back that they could use for fishing or jet skiing, and there was also a sizable swimming pool and garden in the backyard.
"How many people lives in this house?" Alekh asked getting out of the car.
"Five... including me." she replied as she observed the driver her brother had sent to pick them up. They never had any human workers in their mansion as they didn't want their oddity to be noticed.
"Such a huge house for FIVE people only?" Alekh exclaimed in shock.
Naina snickered. "I thought so too when I first joined the family... but then I realized the necessity soon enough." she told him with a mysterious smirk. Alekh gave her a confused look. "Trust me, you'll understand soon enough." she told him before grabbing his hand and heading towards the doorway.
A butler stood at the doorway, opening the door for them. "Welcome home, young mistress!" he greeted. It was an old English gentleman. Naina gave him a confused look and an awkward smile as she entered with Alekh. "The family is in the living room area, awaiting your arrival." the butler added.
"Thanks." Naina muttered before hurrying in.
"Why are you giving strange looks to your servants?" Alekh asked as he had noticed everything.
"We didn't have a butler before I left for KMA, and you know I come from a middle-class family. So, having these kinds of staff makes me uncomfortable," she explained, though that wasn't the only reason. It seemed that in Natasha's attempt to make everything look normal, she had overdone it with all these human servants.
Naina led Alekh to the main living room where the rest of her family was waiting for her. The living room was huge with many windows, a large couch, a large TV, and a fireplace. Naina couldn't help but smirk as her family pretended to watch the news and discuss something with each other.
Natasha squealed as soon as they came into view and ran up to them, pulling Naina into a tight hug. "My baby's home!" she exclaimed. The rest of the family members also gathered around, eagerly waiting for their turn.
Laughing, Naina returned her hug. "I missed you, Mom," she replied with a smile. "Even though we only met a few days ago." She said the last part in a low tone, which was inaudible to humans.
Natasha chuckled before pulling away. Then she turned to Alekh and smiled. "You must be Alekh! Naina never stops talking about you. Aww! You're adorable!" she said, cupping his face affectionately.
"Um... Thank you...?" Alekh replied hesitantly, unsure who this lady was.
"Alekh, this is my mom, Natasha Campbell. That's my father, William Campbell. You know Jeremy, my brother-in-law. And this handsome bear... is my older brother, Thomas." Naina introduced as she hugged each of her family members.
Taking each of them in, Alekh smiled. He didn't let his thoughts show on his face, but he was instantly on alert. There was something about these people that instinctively made him fear for his safety. Despite their older age, Natasha and William were unusually good-looking for a couple in their 40s. Jeremy and Thomas were also strikingly attractive, almost like they had stepped out of a Greek mythology as gods. Alekh also observed that they had a few things in common, including Naina, who wasn't biologically related to them. They all had pale skin that was whiter than normal people, and red eyes. Though Naina's eyes had a brown sheen, they were still reddish.
Alekh also noticed that Natasha's hands were ice-cold, like Naina's. Since he was accustomed to Naina touching him, he didn't flinch when Natasha's cold hands cupped his face.
"So, you're the boy my sister chose to make her brother," Thomas said in a dry tone as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Alekh shook his hand and corrected him, "She didn't choose me to be her brother. I am her brother."
Thomas gave him a narrowed stare before a smile appeared on his face. "Welcome to the family, little brother. Any brother of Naina is a brother of mine," he said warmly.
Jeremy smiled proudly at Thomas. "Welcome home, Alekh!" he exclaimed, giving him a side hug.
"Thank you," Alekh replied, feeling shy at their warm welcome. When he made Naina his sister, he never thought that her adopted family would adopt him too.
"Alekh, please feel at ease. From now on, this is also your home. Natasha has already prepared a room for you. You guys have traveled a long way home. Why don't you change, and then we can meet at the dining room for dinner," William suggested with a kind smile.
"Okay, sir," Alekh agreed politely.
"Come on, I'll show you your new room," Natasha said excitedly and led him away.
Naina looked at her family with an amused expression. "Dinner? Dining room? Has that room ever been used since you guys moved into this house?" she asked with a smirk.
"There's a first time for everything, little one," Thomas said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I don't have the constant burn in my throat from my singer, but my heart is burning because I left my mate behind, unprotected," she replied honestly, leaning against him.
Thomas sighed as he hugged his little girl tightly. To him, she would always be the daughter he lost 500 years ago. "I know the situation is complicated, but no one said you can't visit him at night. Alekh and the servants are human, so you can easily sneak in and out undetected," he suggested to cheer her up.
Naina giggled. "You're the best!" she exclaimed, giving him another tight hug. "By the way, what's with all these humans? And a butler?! Who has a butler in their home?" she asked, pulling back.
"Your mom has gone crazy. She was watching some sitcom the other day and decided that we needed an English butler to welcome Alekh," William replied with a shrug.
Naina burst into laughter, along with Jeremy and Thomas.