The clock struck midnight, but sleep remained a stranger to Meira. Her mind was a chaotic reel of the day's events—Yamini's venomous accusations and Vivek's shameful confession. The sheer weight of the mansion's atmosphere was suffocating, and the exhaustion had reached a point where her fear had turned into a numb, reckless curiosity.
Driven by a restless energy, she stepped out into the corridor. She knew the rules, but her mind was too tired to care about the consequences.
Then, it began.
Ssssss...
The familiar hissing slithered through the air, vibrating against the stone walls. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but this time, she didn't turn back. "No more," she whispered to herself. "I need to know once and for all."
She flicked on her phone's flashlight, the narrow beam cutting through the oppressive darkness. She followed the sound, her footsteps silent on the cold floor. As she approached the forbidden wing, the voice grew clearer, more intimate, as if it were breathing right against her ear.
"Come, my dear... come..."
Meira didn't hesitate. She marched toward the heavy door of the locked room. To her utter shock, the door stood slightly ajar. A sliver of darkness from within the room seemed to leak out into the hallway, inviting her in.
Who opened this? her mind raced. Who would have done this?
The logical part of her brain told her to run, but she knew this was her only chance to see what was calling her. She reached out, pushed the door wide, and stepped inside.
(Next morning – Meira's Room)
The chaos was overwhelming, a cacophony of sharp voices that felt like hammers against Meira's throbbing temples. As she struggled to pull herself back from the brink of blackness, the first thing she saw was Yamini and Mohini locked in a heated argument at the foot of her bed.
"She is an uninvited mess!" Yamini shrieked, her face flushed with anger. "Look at the trouble she brings into this house every single day!"
"Look who is talking," Mohini shot back, her voice dripping with venom. "Even you were uninvited when you first crawled into this family, yet here you are, right?"
"Shut up, both of you!" Divya's voice cracked through the room like a whip. "Look, Meira has come to her consciousness."
Meira blinked, her vision finally clearing. She was stunned to find her bedroom crowded with almost the entire family—Divya, Rudra, Taniya, Mohini, Yamini, and Shekar. All eyes were fixed on her, ranging from genuine worry to cold calculation.
"What happened to you, Meira?" Divya asked, her gaze searching Meira's pale face.
"I... I don't remember," Meira whispered, her voice rasping.
Mohini immediately sat on the edge of the bed, touching Meira's face with a maternal tenderness that felt unnervingly practiced. "Oh, we were so worried! We found you in the backyard, Meira. You were in a very messy condition, lying on the cold ground."
Yamini rolled her eyes at Mohini's marvelous performance, crossing her arms tightly.
"Backyard?" Meira's heart skipped a beat. But I was at the locked room... I opened the door... I went in... She stopped herself just in time. How could she explain being at the forbidden wing at midnight? And more importantly, how did she end up in the backyard with no memory of getting there? She shook her head, clutching the sheets. "I really don't know."
"This is all because of you, Yamini!" Mohini snapped, turning back to her sister-in-law. "Look how tensed you made this poor girl yesterday with your baseless accusations. Her mind finally gave up."
"Enough," Rudra intervened, stepping forward to ease the tension. "I guess we should leave Meira to rest. We can look into the details of this later on."
One by one, they filed out of the room. To Meira's surprise, Taniya remained behind, sitting quietly in a chair by the window.
"Taniya?" Meira asked, her voice weak. "How did your mother let you stay?"
Taniya offered a small, shy smile. "Aunt Divya asked me to stay. She told my mother I should keep you company so you don't feel alone."