After such a chaotic day, Misty found it difficult to concentrate on her studies. Her mind was occupied with countless questions about the strange events unfolding across the city. For the first time in her life, the textbooks lying open in front of her seemed completely meaningless. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't focus.
Eventually, she gave up and sat quietly at her desk, staring at her books. Just then, she heard the sound of the front door opening. Her father had finally returned home. It was already evening.
A small smile appeared on Misty's face. She had been waiting for him, hoping to share her worries and perhaps find some answers. After all, whenever something troubled her, her father was the first person she wanted to talk to.
His name was Rajendra Singhania, but almost everyone knew him as Mr. Singhania.
People who met him were often surprised by his warmth and friendliness. There was something about his personality that made even complete strangers feel comfortable around him. Somehow, people found themselves opening up to him as though they were old friends meeting after years apart. He was thoughtful, calm, and approachable, always making time for his family despite his busy schedule. He had a habit of ending each working day with a warm cup of tea and cheerful conversations with his loved ones.
But today was different.
Instead of joining his family as he usually did, he hurried upstairs, his voice filled with urgency.
"Misty! Close all the doors and windows! Now!"
Startled by his sudden outburst, Misty turned towards him.
"Dad… what's going on?"
He didn't answer. His face had turned pale, and his movements were unusually frantic. There was something deeply unsettling about the way he looked.
Alarm bells began ringing in Misty's head. She had never seen her father behave this way before. The fear clearly visible on his face was enough to convince her that something terrible had happened.
Without asking another question, she rushed upstairs and immediately began following his instructions, locking the doors and shutting every window in the house.
The commotion soon caught the attention of her mother and May, who came out of their respective rooms to see what was happening.
"What's going on?" her mother asked, looking visibly tense. "Why is everyone shouting?"
May looked at her father with equal concern.
"Dad, why do you look so… scared?"
Mr. Singhania was trembling. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his hands shook uncontrollably. Seeing his condition, Misty's mother quickly guided him towards a chair and handed him a glass of water.
"Dad, please," Misty said gently, moving closer to him. "Just tell us what happened. Why are you so frightened?"
He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. For a moment, he seemed unable to find the right words. Finally, he looked at his family and spoke in a trembling voice.
"They're coming… They're going to separate every child from their parents."
Silence fell over the room.
Nobody seemed to know what to say. His words were too frightening to comprehend, and yet the terror in his voice made it difficult to dismiss them.
Before anyone could ask another question, Mr. Singhania suddenly sprang from his seat and rushed towards the front door.
Misty hurried after him, watching in confusion as he stepped outside and began calling out to the neighbours. His desperate cries soon attracted several people, who gathered around him to find out what had happened.
"I saw it!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard. "A beam of light… coming straight from the sky! It took the children! They were simply snatched away! We have to do something! We have to protect our kids!"
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The neighbours exchanged bewildered glances, struggling to process what they had just heard.
"Is this really happening?"
"How is something like that even possible?"
"Are you sure you saw it yourself?"
Questions and whispers began spreading through the crowd. Although Mr. Singhania was a respected man in the neighbourhood, his claim was simply too unbelievable for many people to accept.
However, just as the crowd grew increasingly restless, a silver-haired old man stepped forward.
"I understand that it's difficult to believe," he said in a quiet, composed voice. "But these are unusual times. We cannot afford to be careless. We must remain alert and protect our children, no matter what happens."
His words seemed to settle the crowd somewhat. Eventually, the neighbours began returning to their homes, though the fear and uncertainty remained evident on their faces.
However, the old man didn't leave immediately.
He remained standing for a moment before turning towards Misty. His eyes settled on her with an unusually strange expression.
"Watch over yourself… and your sister," he said calmly.
Misty felt a sudden chill run down her spine. Something about his voice and the way he looked at her made her uncomfortable. She couldn't quite understand why, but she had an uneasy feeling about the old man.
Nevertheless, she simply nodded and returned inside, closing the door behind her.
Back inside the house, the atmosphere was heavier than ever. Fear and uncertainty had taken hold of the entire family.
Misty's mother sat silently, one hand pressed against her forehead. She looked completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
"Now what are we supposed to do?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mr. Singhania didn't respond. He sat motionless, staring into nothingness as though his mind was somewhere far away.
Misty glanced at May, who seemed equally frightened. Without saying anything, she gently took her younger sister's hand and led her towards her bedroom.
Once they were inside, Misty noticed that May was trembling.
"I'm scared, sis," May whispered, her voice shaking. "Are those people… are they really going to take us away from Mom and Dad?"
Misty looked at her sister, struggling to find an answer.
She wanted to reassure May, to tell her that everything would be fine and that nothing bad would happen to them. But she couldn't bring herself to make a promise when she herself had no idea what was going on.
For once, even Misty didn't know what to say.
All she could do was sit beside her sister, hold her hand, and listen to the distant sound of thunder rolling through the darkening sky.