Part 5- Followed Chaos

Leysa did not know how to tell her children what had happened. All she knew now was that the fate of her children had been sealed and that, one way or another, her children had to take the legacy tests. The result will be damaging and inevitable.

The evening was like any other rainy evening, damp air, drizzling rain, and purple light spread across the kitchen. Leysa leaned against the kitchen counter, stirring her cup, lost in her

thoughts, the tests were going to happen, they were going to select one of my kids and my baby would be separated from the family. With every thought her heart sank.

What my life would have been if I had never left. Maybe I would have married another Partham. I would have had kids of my kind and they would not have had to leave. I would have still had a job at the museum. My life would have been very different...

But this life was better. She married a human. Married him for what he was and loved him the same. And he loved her too. Navil had supported her through thick and thin. She had never had any regrets about leaving that world. She was happy, she had beautiful kids and they had been raised to be strong and kind individuals. She looked at the dining table, five chairs surrounding it, all of them labelled. Each chair was labelled by each of her children, Vysna, Aaden and Tashvin. Each spot was reserved. But after the

tests, one chair would be empty. She might not see her child ever again.'

"Are you drinking tea?" Her chain of thought was interrupted by Navil, who leaned in and peeped into her cup. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice him enter the room.

"Huh? I... umm." She realized she was stirring an empty cup.

He shook his head. "Sit here," he held her and sat her in a chair. He filled the kettle with water, kept it on the burner and lit it. He took out two jars from the cupboard above the counter and scooped out two teaspoons of tea powder from one of the jars into the kettle.

"You are thinking too much about it, Leysa," he opened the other jar, scooped out two teaspoons of sugar and poured it into the kettle. "We have raised good kids. They love each other and also are very caring and protective; I don't think the separation will affect our family that much," He took the cup from her hand, placed it on the counter and took out another cup from the drawer.

"They have seen the work that you have put in. They know that you have been trying to keep this family together. We all have seen the hard work you have put into this. I understand that you are under a lot of stress, but" he strained the tea into the cups and added milk to the tea. He held them close to his nose and smelled them. "Aah," he said.

He placed the cups in front of her. "Look, dear, all I am saying is that our bond as a family is very strong, and these tests are not going to break that bond. Whatever it is, we are in it together, and we are going to be fine, trust me."

She looked in his eyes and there was earnestness in them. She smiled. He had been her strength for twenty years. She knew that he would be with her and support her for everything.

"I am worried about what to tell them about the meeting. I have to tell them the truth, but I cannot imagine their reactions. It was the worst day of my life. I was positive about the results, but it's all out of the window." she said, sighing.

"Well, let's do this. We'll order something from a restaurant. Any of the kids' favourite dishes. And you can tell them after that. At least their stomachs will be too full and their minds will be too tired to complain. Okay." he said and sipped the last of his tea. She was not amused by his humour.

Dinner was a dull affair. Everyone was pushing around the food on their plates. The vegetables were all gone cold and the naan just lay dripping with butter. Navil had ordered noodles with kimchi for Vysna, roasted chicken with salad and barbecue chicken wings for Aaden and four different types of sweets for Tashvin knowing that he had a sweet tooth. This boy could survive only on sweets if he was given a choice.

Everyone looked disoriented. Leysa sighed and looked at Navil. He interrupted, "Everyone, Mom has an announcement to make, and also, she has some news."

They looked at Leysa. " The news is not a good one." She choked while saying. "They ruled against us. I lost the petition at the last meeting. The council has ordered the tests to be conducted as per regulations... You all will have to take the tests." she looks down at the table. " I am sorry, I tried."

The dining room fell silent. " Is there no way out of this?" Aaden asked.

Leysa nodded." They have said that they will be conducting another council meeting, but until then, the usual procedure will have to be followed."

He was sullen." Mom, what are the tests actually about? What would happen if one of us is selected."

Leysa looked at Navil and then at Aaden." There will be three rounds, each round tests your ability as a Partham. You will be competing against your brother and sister. And in the end, only one of you will be selected. The tests determine how many of Partham's qualities you have. Each one of you has a certain amount of Partham gene, and the strength of this gene is tested by putting you through various tasks. And these tasks are set according to the element you belong to."

" But is it necessary for us to leave when the tests are done?" Tashvin interrupted. "Can't we live here with you and Dad in our own house? I mean why do we have to leave?"

"We are not primal beings of Earth. Our exterior appearance may look like earthlings, but internally, we are not the same. Some of our genes make us vulnerable and some genes make us dangerous to humans. That's why our secret has to be protected. The council takes care of all the placements of Parthams in society. We cannot enrol in regular activities like humans. I don't like saying the word, but 'half-bloods' lose their ability after they are twenty-five years of age due to not using their abilities regularly. Thus safeguarding the secret." She squeezed shut her eyes and opened them again. " Many families have been affected by this ridiculous tradition. But no one has protested against it. I tried and failed."

" Mom, we are proud of you," Vysna said. "We have seen you go through all of it, we are in it together." She got up from her chair and hugged her. Tashvin and Aaden did the same.

"I think we should not let all of this delicious food go to waste." Shall we dig in?" Navil said smiling. They all had their dinner.

The next day the day began as usual. Aaden left for practice early. Vysna and Tashvin were dropped at their respective schools by Navil.

Leysa stayed at home and decided to do some research and find a solution. She had to find a loophole.

Her phone rang.

Who's calling me this early? The number doesn't seem familiar She thought

"Hello?"

" Hello, is this Leysa Bhaskara?"

"Yes, this is she. May I know who's calling?"

" Hello, ma'am, My name is Shanka Bali. I am calling from Elder Biswa Raj's office. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

'Now what does he want? Why would Biswa Raj call me? He better not ask for apologies. Coz I am not in the mood.' she thought.

She took a deep breath." Hmm Yes, go on." She held the phone loosely in her hand so that she could just cut it if he started talking nonsense.

" Ma'am, elder Biswa Raj wants to meet you. It's regarding the legacy tests. He wishes you to come down to his office at 3 pm today."

'About the legacy. What on earth does he want to discuss.' Her heart was in her throat.

"Ma'am, if you don't have any prior commitment, can you please come to his office at 3 pm today."

" Uhh- I don't know, what is it exactly that he wants to discuss?"

" The discussion cannot be on a call. Please, it is crucial for your children," he said.

That made her pause.

" Fine, I will come. Send me the location." she abruptly cut the call.

What the hell was I thinking, why did I agree? Who knows what he wants to discuss? He already got what he wanted. My kids are going to take the tests, they are going to be separated. Is he calling to try and compensate for something? Or does he want to rub the failure in my face? I don't want to go there. ' She anxiously picked up her phone again.

Should I take Markand with me?

She took a chair and sat there blankly. I think I will just talk about this to Navil. He might have some insight, she thought.

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