(Chapter - 19)

  [Asroy Onil Newaz]

  Mehaki has been listening to Tori attentively. She glances at Tori's ocean blue eyes that look like they’re reddened from desperately holding back tears. It hurts Mehaki. She never thought such a warm and gentle boy would have this horrible past.

  Mehaki : *Now that I think… Has Tori ever talked this much before? In fact, did he ever seem this broken? His eyes look like they're flooded in blue.* It's ok, Tori. It wasn’t any of your fault. You were betrayed. You were a good person, you still are. That’s why you trusted him so easily.

  Tori : …

  His ocean eyes move onto Mehaki's brown eyes. He can feel the sincerity in her words. Maybe it actually wasn't his fault. But it still separated him from his family. His pain remains hidden behind his gaze.

  Mehaki : Besides, you’re not alone now. You have found a new family. You found us.

  Tori : I’m truly glad about that.

  Mehaki : One day, you might be able to find out where your real family is.

  Tori : …Maybe.

  Mehaki : And uncle Miraz was right. You really are a strong kid.

  Tori : Hahah, I'm not a kid anymore.

  Mehaki : But to him, you still are.

  Tori : That's true…

  Tori smiles. Mehaki glances at Karu and Tushar. They're sitting quietly, waiting for their turn to reveal their pasts. A faint smile of relief appears on their faces.

  Karu : Tori, tell her about Asroy's coming to Miraz Monjil too.

  Mehaki : …

  Tori : Yes…

  He turns to Mehaki again.

  Tori : About a month from the time I arrived. One day, dad brought Asroy while on his way back home from work…

  [6-year-old Tori rushes to the door happily as he hears the sound of the main door.

  Tori : Dad! Welcome home.

  Joy of seeing Miraz beams on his face, until… He sees another little boy with Miraz at the doorstep — a dark red haired boy of his age, covered in dirt, whose face he hasn’t seen yet.

  Tori : W-Who…

  The little boy turns to Tori. His face drains the moment he sees the boy’s dark red eyes — a cruel reminder of the wooden dam incident caused by a boy close to his age who had bright red eyes.

  “But the moment I saw his dark red eyes, it reminded me of the boy with similar red eyes, the betrayal and merciless turn of fate. I shivered, terrified that the fire-powered boy had come to destroy my life again.”

  Miraz : Hmm… Let's say he's gonna be a part of our family too from now on. Say hi to each other.

  Tori : … *No way… This can't be true. Is this him again!?*

  Asroy : Um… Hi, my name is Asroy. I'll stay here with you from today. So… Let's be friends?

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  Asroy forwards his hand for a handshake. Tori stumbles back a bit, his expression visibly tense.

  Tori : !!! *Friends!? No! Never again! Come to think of it. I never knew his name! And was his hair color like this too? I don’t know for sure because he always wore a hat. Is this really him?*

  He clenches his fists and tries to appear composed despite trembling. Miraz notices the unspoken terror in his eyes that he's trying his best to hide. Tori narrows his eyes at Asroy, showing a flicker of resentment.

  Tori : *Does he want to take my foster dad too now? Or does he want to make me homeless and suffer? What does he really want? I… I'm scared…*

  Miraz : Tori? What's wrong?

  Tori : Uh…

  Miraz : It's okay. No need to be afraid. He won't harm you. He needs a home, just like you.

  “I kept trembling and avoided any conversation and interaction with Asroy. He was confused and felt it too that I was wary of him. Dad gave him the room next to mine, sensing that I'd feel uncomfortable staying with him. He never pressured me to get along with Asroy. The next day when dad went to the office, I saw Asroy playing in the living room so I went to play in the garden, thinking that he wouldn't follow me.”

  Little Tori walks around the garden, letting his power flow as dancing water droplets that sparkle on the flowers. He smiles faintly thinking he could finally have some alone time, feeling at ease. Then, Asroy comes to the garden as well and his amazed voice startles Tori.

  Asroy : So you have water powers!

  Tori : Ahh!

  Asroy : Oh, did you get scared?

  Tori steps back and instantly stops using his powers, clenching his fists to his stomach. Asroy's innocent and friendly smile doesn’t calm Tori's terrified mind. His alarmed gaze stays locked on Asroy.

  Asroy : *Ah, maybe he's scared because normal people shouldn’t find out about our powers. And he thinks I'm an ordinary person.* Don’t be afraid. I have powers too! I'm not an ordinary person either. I'm just like you.

  Tori's face turns pale, as the words of Asroy sound really similar to the boy with the hat who betrayed him. Too similar to the words of his nightmare.

  Asroy : Look, I have wind powers!

  His joyful voice as well as the power he mentions take Tori aback. It’s nothing like what Tori expected. Asroy creates a swirling wind around himself with a slight red light.

  Asroy : See this!

  He creates tiny tornadoes and whirling wind circles on the ground which amazes Tori. His anxious heart finally eases.

  Tori : … *Wind powers? Not fire? Then… It means he's not that boy! It’s not him in disguise! I'm safe!*

  His face gleams with relief. Asroy smiles after seeing Tori's subtle interest in his stunts.

  Asroy : How is it??

  Tori : It's good. *His powers aren’t opposite elements of mine. So, he won't see me as an enemy. Should I trust him? I can be his real friend, right…?*

  Asroy : *Is he shy? He looks like he doesn’t want to talk much. But he seems to be a good person. I hope we can be good friends!* Let's show each other stunts with our powers!

  Tori : A-Alright.

  “It was only the moment he revealed his powers that I could finally calm down and trust him. He always looked forward to talking, playing or even studying with me. He'd always be the one asking if he could join me in anything. We became good friends in just a few days. Dad was happy about it too. He was a bright, friendly kid with a playful mind. Soon I felt comfortable with him as well.”

  Tori and Asroy's small bickering catches Miraz's attention. He walks to them in the living room.

  Miraz : What's going on kids?

  Tori : Dad! He says he's taller than me!

  Asroy : I am!

  Tori : No, I am taller!

  Miraz : But you two look the same at height.

  Asroy : We're not the same, he's short!

  Tori : Let's have dad check it.

  Asroy : Okay!

  Miraz : Haha. Come on then.

  Both of them stand against the wall and Miraz measures their height.

  Miraz : Hmm… It turns out, Asroy is slightly, teeny tiny bit taller than Tori.

  Tori : *Gasp* No way.

  Asroy : Yes!! Hahaha!

  Miraz : Don't worry, boy. It’s not even noticeable.

  Asroy laughs in victory, whereas Tori pouts for losing in the competition of height. His pouty cheeks mildly flush faintly red.

  Tori : It's not fair…

  Miraz : Aww. Your time isn’t over for growing up yet.

  Tori : Hmph!

  Miraz : Let's try our best to grow taller, ok? For that, we must eat, sleep and exercise regularly.

  Tori : *I'll do all of them perfectly! I want to be stronger too!* Okay!

  Asroy : Hahaha! Okay dad.

  “Though we became friends, I was yet to open up to him. I was scared of remembering it all again. On top of that, I was scared of the guilt I felt. That boy's betrayal, the accusations of the people and losing my family — these still haunted me… But, Asroy took the first step that time too. He told me about how he ended up here.”

  The two of them are in the garden. Tori is watering the Ariya flower plant while Asroy whirls the dried leaves and piles them together. After finishing, Tori holds one small Ariya flower softly with his little fingers and gently inhales its sweet scent.

  Tori : *These flowers are so pretty! I love them a lot. I won't let them die… No matter what!*

  Newfound determination radiates from his innocent ocean blue eyes. His lips unknowingly curl into a soft smile. Asroy approaches him.

  Asroy : Hey, Tori.

  Tori : Huh?

  Asroy : You never said anything about how you arrived.

  Tori : Oh, uh…

  Asroy : So… What happened to you before you came here?

  Tori : *How I came here…? It's a terrible story…* I… Don’t wanna talk about it.

  Asroy : Hmm… *He probably doesn’t trust me enough to share his story yet. I should be more polite.* You never asked about me coming here either. Aren’t you curious?

  Tori : … You probably don't wanna say it as well.

  Asroy : That's not it. We're friends right? Dad said we're family. So we should know about each other, right? That's why I want to tell you about my life.

  Tori looks at Asroy with curiosity flickering in his eyes.

  Tori : Really?

  Asroy : Yeah. I won't say I have a good story either. My life became unbearable….

  Tori : … *His life became unbearable?*

  Asroy sighs and his tone becomes sad, as he's about to speak.

  Asroy : I'm gonna tell you about my life then.

  “I still hadn’t asked him what his full name was, more like I never bothered knowing it back then. However, I surely was eager to hear his life story… And I listened attentively to every word he said about himself.”]

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