Authors Note:

Hi, so before you continue reading I'd like to warn that this story covers some mature themes including mentions of physical/domestic and emotional abuse and their psychological impacts. I will add Trigger Warnings at the beginning of chapters to ensure readers are forewarned. Please do comment if I forget on any chapters but this serves as an overall warning as there will be mentions of it across the story and I wanted to warn any readers who may have missed this note in the description.

Thank you for reading Polaroids.

Maya.

TEN YEARS AGO

⚠️TW: Abuse⚠️

The sky was a crepuscular colour as the sun slowly slipped away, allowing night's darkness to gradually trickle into it and smother the remnants of the sun's golden glow. The path of Magnolia Street were lit by a warm glow emitted by the street lights. They led to a small apartment block with twelve 2 bedroom flats.

In one of these is where the Prasads, former of four now a family of three lived. It has been exactly three years since Kali was abducted from a shop near their former home in London. Three years since they had moved to their new apartment in Magnolia Street and had a fresh start as a family of three.

Maha had only few vague memories of her sister as she was only two years old at the time of Kali's disappearance. Her parents had told her that Kali's sick and is getting treated at a hospital abroad to protect her at least temporarily from the pain of the loss of her sister. 

After Kali's disappearance Maha learnt the truly two faced nature of her father through his actions. Mrs Prasad felt that it was these actions that made Kali run away from home. 

Mr Prasad seemed to have forgotten that his eldest daughter ever existed, as he seemed far too focused on his job to show any care of affection to his family. His mood remained temperamental and after Kali's disappearance Maha learned to fear and be wary of her father. 

The front door of the Prasad's apartment creaked open and Maha fled to her room and hugged her large brown monkey soft toy, that acted as a soft shield and reassured the little girl. As she gripped tightly she hoped that her father was in a good mood. 

Mr Prasad said nothing as he passed her room and Maha could hear the soft thud followed by the sound of Mr Prasad slumping into the living room sofa. "So...what's for dinner tonight?"

Mrs Prasad ignored his presence and continued preparing dinner. Maha thought her father sounded fairly calm and so she crept out of her room slowly, peaking into the living room hesitantly and continuing with her drawing. 

"What are you drawing there Maha?" Mr Prasad asked. 

Maha looked at her mother for some guidance but she was still staring rather intently at the food. Mr Prasad was smiling at Maha and did not seem to be in a bellicose in any way. Before she could answer however Mrs Prasad cut in. "Dinner's ready."

As they were eating Mr Prasad asked again. "So what were you drawing?"

"Our family." Maha replied spreading the paper across the table. "That's amma, this is you, that's me and that's Kali."

The air became tense at the mention of Kali. Maha's mother quickly finished the remnants of her food and retreated to the kitchen. Her father's grip on his spoon tightened. 

"Daddy, when is Kali coming home?" Maha asked. "You said she would be here for my birthday, but she wasn't. Why? Is she still very sick?"

"Yes Maha and it will take a long time for your sister to recover. And only then can she come home." he said. "I've told you this."

"She was never sick." Mrs Prasad said quietly.

Maha's head perked up. "What?"

"Maha go to your room." Mr Prasad said quickly.  

Before she could however her mother continued. "Kali was a beautiful little girl, but you couldn't accept her, because she was different. You said she was sick but I said she was special. She was the best daughter we could have asked for. She was the best sister to Maha and YOU drove her away because you decided that Kali was sick. That she was deformed in some way." 

Maha shrunk into her chair scared by her mother's tone. The loud and hostile tone seemed foreign and strange coming from her mother.

"She was!" Mr Prasad yelled, slamming his fists onto the desk. "She was dangerous!"

"She was a child who had no control over the fact that she is gifted. You punished her for it out of spite and irrational fear. You attacked an unarmed child and you are the reason she is gone!" Mrs Prasad shouted. 

Maha winced and edged away from the table afraid of what would happen. She hid behind the sofa while her parents continued screaming at each other fueled by years of pent up rage. Maha then heard a pained yelp and peaked above the sofa. Her eyes widened as she saw her father twisting her mother's arm behind her back. 

"STOP IT!" Maha shouted. "You're hurting her! STOP!"

"Maha, go to your room. This is between me and your mother."  Mr Prasad said. 

HIs voice had become unusually calm and scared Maha more than her parents arguing. Her mother nodded at her, her eyes silently pleading her to leave as a few tears rolled down her face. Maha ignored this though as something had inspired a streak of defiance within her. 

"No." she said. Her voice was shaky and her hands were wringing the edge of her shirt. "Let Amma go."

"Go to your room, Maha!" Her father said, his calm demeanour cracking. 

"Let Amma go!"  repeated more angrily, glaring up at the older man. 

"I said go to your room." Mr Prasad snarled. 

He let go of his wife shoving her rather violently, before making his way towards his daughter. 

"NO! Go away!" Maha shouted, she backed away from her father and tried to run behind the sofa. She could hear her mother's protest in the background.

"Come here, you..." Mr Prasad snapped pulling her back rather violently. Maha cried in pain and tried to wriggle out of his grip. "Now you listen...stay still!"

"GO AWAY!" Maha screamed as she tried to shake her father's grip. She kicked him which only infuriated him further. Maha quickly freed herself and hid behind the sofa once more. She tried to keep quiet, attempting to stifle her whimpers and hastily wiped away stray tears. 

All she wanted was Kali to come back. When she was here none of this was happening, everything was perfectly fine.

Mr Prasad regained his balance quickly and slowly made his way towards his daughter. The small light from the clay candle in the prayer cupboard flickered as he passed it.

"Go away." Maha's voice had become hoarse and weak. "Please, go away...please...please..."

Mr Prasad ignored his daughter's plees, towering over her and blocking all the light from the candle and glaring at her. As he slowly leaned down towards her Maha shrunk away into the sofa's back as much as she could, closing her eyes and wishing he'd go away.

A sharp pang of pain seared across her head as her father's engagement ring clad knuckle came in contact with her skull violently. She then felt him grab her arm and cried out. "No...let me go...LET ME GO!" 

Her mother's sobs could be heard, as she tried to get her husband away from her daughter. Her father ignored her however and dragged Maha away as she writhed in his grip. For a moment it seemed as though he'd get his way. Maha glanced back at her father momentarily and noticed his smile. A sudden spur of rage grew within her and she bit his hand. Mr Prasad let go shaking his hand in pain and Maha stepped back. 

"GO AWAY!" Maha screamed. 

The small sliver of a flame on the candle swelled to a huge uproar and rapidly spread across the wooden shelf. Maha's mother quickly grabbed her daughter running out of the living room hastily. 

Before they could run to the exit Maha let go of her mother's hand and ran into her room causing her mother to cry in alarm. She grabbed onto her monkey and memorised the number on her wall before rushing out towards her mother.

All three Prasads and their neighbours made it out of the apartment on Magnolia Street that night. They watched as the fire in their apartment blazed like a torch against the night sky. Although almost all their possessions were lost Maha saw that fire as a beacon of hope to this very day. After that night Mr Prasad never laid a hand on his wife or his daughter.

Maha never understood how the fire started. Maha's mother saw it as a sign from their Gods aiding them in a time of need and chided her for questioning the miracle. However, something about that fire on Magnolia Street bothered Maha to this very day and she does not understand why.