CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Where am I???

I asked, looking around in confusion.

"You're in a cage," Rafaal replied.

"I know that!" I snapped, "I meant, where am I???"

"You're in my School of Yfel... everyone."

"How? Why?" I stammered.

"Who wouldn't know who is supposed to bring balance to the world?"

"Get me out of here... NOW!!!"

I ordered, my voice desperate.

"Now, for my final plan," Rafaal said coldly.

"And what's that?"

"To make everyone in the human world believe you're dead."

"No!! You can't do that! My mom will be devastated!" I cried, tears filling my eyes.

"No need to worry... she'll be dead anyway." He turned and walked away.

"Rafaal, if you lay a single finger on my mom, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" I shouted, shaking the cage with all my strength, but it was no use. I was trapped... forever.

Years passed, and everyone awaited Rockie's return.

I'm sure you did too, but here I am, not as Rockie, but as Heaven, born in America...

"It's a baby girl!"

The doctor announced.

Her father, however, was disappointed. He had expected a boy to carry on his legacy. He entered the room, took one look at the newborn, and left in disgust.

Her mother gazed down at her precious daughter.

"Heaven, would be your name," she whispered, "A light shone from above when you were born. We may be poor, but I'll make sure you never lack anything in life."

Then, the baby, Heaven, opened her eyes and smiled at her mother, the most beautiful smile ever.

"What happened to her twin?"

Heaven's mother asked the doctor.

"She didn't make it," the doctor replied, then walked away without another word.

"At least let me see her!" Heaven's mother called after him, but he ignored her.

"Must you always maltreat Heaven? For goodness' sake, she's your daughter!"

Heaven's mother, Juliet, argued with her husband, Mr. Roshan.

"She's not my daughter!" he yelled. "I haven't touched you in two years, and now you're pregnant? Tell me, who is the father of that child?"

He raised his voice, then beat her.

3 YEARS LATER

"Dad? Mom says dinner's ready," Heaven said to her father.

"How dare you call me that?" he shouted, then raised his hand to strike her. But Heaven's mother rushed to her defense.

After dinner, Mr. Roshan went outside to continue his smoking and drinking, as he did every day.

"Mom, why does father hate me?" Heaven asked, her voice small.

"No, honeybear, he doesn't hate you," her mother replied, though Heaven could see the sadness in her eyes.

Suddenly, Heaven had a flash of someone calling her "honeybear."

Before she could process it, Mr. Roshan dragged Heaven outside into the heavy rain, setting a wooden chair in the middle of the compound. He tied her to it and locked her mother inside, leaving Heaven out in the storm.

"Heaven, are you okay?" her mother asked, her face streaked with tears as she untied Heaven the next morning.

"I'm fine, mom," Heaven replied, giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek before running inside.

Her mother muttered to herself, "She should have been named Rockie. Who else could endure being left out in the rain all night and remain the same?"

7 YEARS LATER

"Heaven, why don't I go to school like my friends?" Heaven asked one evening while her mother styled her hair.

"Don't worry, honeybear, you'll go to school. I promise," her mother said, though her voice trembled with worry.

Desperate to keep her daughter in school, Heaven's mother sold a gold necklace her grandmother had given her before she died. She used the money to enroll Heaven in a nearby school.

On her first day, Heaven was dropped off by her mother on a bike. The students immediately stared at her.

"What a poor thing," one girl whispered.

Heaven's uniform was mismatched. Her skirt was too short, her shoes were worn down, but she held her head high and introduced herself confidently.

"I'm Heaven Roshan, I'm seven years old. I hope I'm welcome here?"

The class erupted into laughter.

"Do you think this class looks like Heaven? Go to Heaven, Heaven!" someone yelled.

But Heaven didn't let the mocking bother her. She was kind, respectful, and always helpful to everyone around her. She earned the respect of her teachers and classmates alike.

3 YEARS LATER

Heaven, now ten, had experienced much pain. Her mother passed away due to her father's violent abuse, and her father was arrested. Heaven found herself in an orphanage.

One day, a couple came to adopt a child. Heaven was the one they picked out of all the others, though she remained quiet about her true feelings.

"Hey, honeybear!" The woman greeted.

Heaven immediately turned.

"My mom used to call me that," she said, remembering the voice.

The woman, Mrs. James, smiled warmly. "Well, she must have been wonderful."

Heaven looked at her, feeling conflicted. She was grateful for this new family, but she couldn't help but yearn for her real parents.

At eighteen, Heaven went on a walk after class and spotted someone familiar.

"That girl looks just like me," Heaven thought to herself, then followed the stranger closely, believing it was her twin. But the girl disappeared before her eyes.

"Where did she go? I was right behind her…" Heaven murmured in confusion.

When Heaven returned home, she threw herself on her bed, still lost in thought, when suddenly, the voice came from the mirror.

She leaned forward, screaming as she was drawn into a battlefield full of bodies.

"Where am I?" she whispered, disoriented.

Then, she opened her eyes, back in her room.

"Was that a dream?" she wondered aloud. Then, a girl in white appeared.

"Give back my life. You are not Rockie! Stop fooling everyone," the girl said before vanishing.

"Rockie? Who's Rockie?" Heaven wondered, more confused than ever.

At school the next day, Heaven encountered the same girl again.

"My name is Amelia," the girl said.

Heaven, staring at her in disbelief, asked, "Are we... sisters?"

Amelia's response was firm: "I don't have a sister."

But Heaven couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Then, her phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Heaven Roshan?"

"Yes, why?" Heaven answered, now confused as she hadn't gone by "Roshan" in years.

"I'm calling from the police station. Your father, Mr. Roshan, has been killed. He was stabbed... we're still investigating the cause."

"No... it can't be…" Heaven whispered, stunned.

Suddenly, two mighty birds appeared, swooping down and grabbing both Heaven and Amelia. They carried them off to a dark castle filled with evil creatures.

"Where am I?"

Heaven asked as she was dropped into the cold, dark castle.

The headmistress, a woman dressed in black, greeted her. "Welcome to the School of Yfel. I am Madam Adeline."

Heaven couldn't believe her ears. "The School of Yfel?" she whispered, dazed. She fainted.

When Heaven woke up, she was still in the same room, and Madam Adeline was there, looking at her with concern.

"I need to see the owner of this school," Heaven said, her voice firm.

"Why's that?" Madam Adeline asked.

"Because I've been good my whole life! I don't belong here!" Heaven cried out.

But Madam Adeline was insistent. "There's never been a mistake at this school."

"There's always a first time for everything," Heaven retorted.

"Hmm..." Madam Adeline scoffed. "Go ahead, but you won't get far."

Heaven stormed out of the room, determined to find the truth.