What happens when betrayal mars innocent hearts in love?
What happens when innocence is destroyed and a monster is created?
What happens when judgement is ruled by the burning feeling of retribution?
This is a Quartet (4 part book) and this one bein...
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Ishani hugged her knees to her chest and curled up in a ball as the agonising memories just refused to go away.
Just as her brother had cried out with pain and fallen on her feet, some of the henchmen had tried to attack her but she had been quick.
You see, Gayatri Raijdas had not only gifted these daggers to her but had also taught her how to use them. When she had asked her why; her grandmother had smiled at her and said—
"Ishani, monsters don't live in caves anymore. They are here among us. You will face a lot of these monsters in your life especially in this house that you call home and you will need to fight them with all your strength. Till the time I am there nobody will dare touch you but once I am gone you will be on your own. Be strong and be brave, and never let your fear get the best of you. Make your fear your strength."
She could still hear her grandmother's sweet and powerful voice uttering the words that had shaped her life.
And, these words had played in her mind like a broken record that night while she had struck havoc on the henchmen. When her family had burst inside the room hearing their screams, she had threatened them with their lives. Finally, when they had realised that it wouldn't be easy to silence her down, they had let her go.
She had watched her father and uncle dragging the injured henchmen out one by one. But as they had touched Rajneesh something the animosity she had been holding inside for so many years had bubbled up and she had snarled at them threateningly with the twin daggers in her hands.
Somehow that night her physical strength had reached the peak as she had dragged his body along the floor slowly and had thrown him out of her bedroom. When his body had landed with a thud some meters away, her mother and aunt had almost neared her to thrash her but her menacing look had stopped them.
That night, she had not only lost her family but her innocence too.
The next morning she had left for good.
Now, her relationship with her family was estranged. The only person she loved dearly in her family was her kid brother, Ajeet. She could do anything for him. Sometimes she wanted to see him but knew her family wouldn't allow him to meet her.
She hadn't been home or rather house for almost 3 years. That village reminded her not only of her pain but of Veera's death. Every time she crossed the main market while entering the village, her eyes always slanted towards the burnt haveli beyond the hill.
Its charred remains lay like a tomb screaming the horror of his death.
That haveli belonged to her now.
Yes, her grandmother had somehow cajoled her grandfather, Thakur Baldev Raijdas to write the haveli to her and before she had died, Gayatri Raijdas had willed it to Ishani.
On her death bed, her grandmother had made her promise that she will never let anything happen to the haveli and she had kept it till now and meant to keep that promise no matter what.
But she never really knew how it came to his grandfather because as far as she could remember it had belonged to Veera's family.
She stretched her hand and opened the bedside drawer. Then she picked up her diary and flicked to the page of her last entry. Since early childhood, she had had a habit of writing a diary. These diaries had been her silent friends; keeping her pain safe within them without judging or asking any questions.
Friend!
That word had never had any meaning in her life till Annie had shown up. Their chance meeting in the school hostel had been classic.
Annie had just transferred from another school and it had been her first day in the hostel. She had just managed to pile her plate with food at the dinner time and was happily walking towards a seat in the corner when she had collided with her. The food plate had flown away from her hand and landed right on Ishani's clothes, drenching her completely in a hideous amalgamation of food.
As Annie had started to apologise, the suppressed laugh had escaped her mouth startling Ishani who had been standing red in her face. Joined by the rest of the students in the cafeteria, the suppressed laugh had turned into a full blown one. Gradually Ishani had also joined her seeing its funny side. That's how their long friendship had started and since that day they had been inseparable.
One night Annie had read one of her diaries and but hadn't questioned her. Eventually, Ishani had told her everything and cried her heart out for the first time.
She closed her eyes and sighed as her mind jogged through the endless things to write down.
An hour later, she closed her diary and got up from the bed. As she drew the curtains the room plunged into darkness. She closed the door and slipped into the bed, and then pulled the covers back on. Messaging Annie that she was switching off her phone for some time, she turned it off and closed her eyes. Sleep eluded her for some time but eventually, it engulfed her in its soothing arms taking her pains away.
****************
Rudra picked up the remote and flicked on the image of her bedroom and saw her sleeping. Surprised, he looked at his watch and frowned. It's 8 in the morning and she is still sleeping? He dialled her number but it came as switched off. So, that means she is might forget about lunch.
Not good but not bad too.
He called out to Mayank and the moment he came inside, he said, "Check on her after 2 hours and let me know."
Mayank went out nodding and Rudra smiled to himself. After observing her for so many days, he knew she was a heavy sleeper and that she had trouble waking up in the morning. Her alarm was the most pathetic and irritating one that he had heard till now. It had managed to shake him up at one go but not her.
And with the kind of disturbed sleep she had had yesterday, she won't be waking before afternoon; a minor hiccup that can be handled.
