TABOO
Chapter 1: The Warning
The drums began before sunrise.
Low. Slow. Heavy.
They echoed through the village like a heartbeat—one that everyone feared but obeyed.
"Wake up! Wake up!" mothers whispered urgently, pulling their daughters from sleep.
Doors were shut. Windows locked. Curtains drawn tight.
It was Seva.
"Stay inside," Amara's mother said, gripping her shoulders tightly. "No matter what you hear. No matter who calls you. Do not step outside."
Amara frowned. "Why?"
Her mother's face stiffened. "Because it is forbidden."
That was always the answer.
Forbidden.
Amara had heard the stories—whispers among children, silenced quickly when adults came near. Girls who disobeyed. Girls who vanished. Girls who returned… broken.
Still, no one ever explained why.
Outside, the drums grew louder.
Amara moved toward the window.
"Don't!" her mother snapped.
But curiosity had already taken root.
And this year… it would not let go.