Ishika's Pov:
Confusion, shock, anger, agitation, fright all at once, boosted my nerves. My nares ballooned, hands formed fists...eventually watching my compromised condition, I let my nerves calm. And when Mrs. Aditya, stepmother of Ananya, the necromancer Chaya's heals clatter halted in front of me, anger and confusion were in dominance.
According to the last afternoon's description of her lover, Ishaan Sharma did not fit in any context, then why the hell did she kidnap me? Why? Why? Why?
Once again, curiosity resumed its aim, neared my body to death...
My kidnapper aka Dr. Chaya sat on a chair beside me. "How are you?" she asked softly, tracing her fingers against my forehead. I scowled, the only left option of showing my anger.
"Boss! What if she escapes," Zucchini asked while Cucumber was busy unwinding my ankles. It pained me while they unwinded my wrist as my skin was directly in contact with plaster.
"She will not. Will you, Ishu?" My scowled deepened and glared at her throwing swords and knives. "Hmm..." she rested her arms over the chair's arms, leaned against the backrest of the chair, crossed one leg on another, and with narcissism she began, "I guess I have to share a story then. Long long ago, my ex-girlfriend tried to escape from my small world. She said I will die but don't want to leave with you. Then I made two things possible, she is dead and also leaving with me but in backyard ground." That exact moment my scowl went to hide behind my shocked and arched brows, eyes protruded out of the globes_ ready to bounce on the floor, even though my mouth was plastered I lend my tongue to the cat. For the first time in my 23 years of life, I thought it will be better to shut down my mouth and use head shakes or nods as communication. "Now, tell me. Will you?" I shook my head.
I coughed when Chaya pulled out the plaster and from the corner of my eyes, I observed devotee-Zucchini shifting a few steps away from me. "Get her water. And why didn't anyone feed her."
"Ex-girlfriend!" I managed to ask.
"Oh! Preethi, Sahil's fiance. Don't worry she was my past. Now, I love only you. But," she cocked her head, face an inch away from mine, I gasped jerking my head away, "don't betray me, okay!" She placed a kiss on the corner of my lip. If I hadn't heard the long, long ago's story I would have pucked on her.
She. Loves. Me. Shelovesme. She love-type loves me. Dr.Chaya, the necromancer who is the wife of Dr. Adi_ loves me! What the heck?
Her every word was driving me deep in the well of confusion.
"Why...why did you kidnap me?"
"Oh my love, come," she pulled me up, my body clamped against her. Then made me sit on the red couch, that dug with my weight and also hers exactly beside me. She leaned towards me her lips against my ears, "Because I realized I can't leave without you. And I can't see, Ishaan touching you in front of me. And I considered your words of advising me to give a second chance." Indeed, I feel like slapping myself. "And now it's only you and me. Happily Ever After." She rambled, emphasizing the last three words, and smiled brightly at me. And all her description of last afternoon came in the picture. My height. A charming smile. Black almond-round eyes.
Holy Moly!
Goodness gracious on me!
My eyes once again went to all those paintings and the actual meaning swept in my brain. Misinterpretations. What would Sudhir's reaction be when he will know that his once upon a time's crush is a lesbian!
"I have my family and I love someone..."
"Oh cut the shit," she interrupted my protest and flared her nostrils, "the one who believed in an unknown person and thought you were cheating. The one who left you in the middle of the road. Why can't you see, he doesn't love you. I love you, Ishika." She cupped my cheeks, though her eyes showed concern I can't get comfortable in her gaze. I don't feel comfortable with her. I am a woman interested in a man. It's another thing that I am in love with a Beast. I can't love another woman. "And I will see you as my Queen!" She added, planting a kiss on my forehead.
And how should I see her?
"Come let me show you our house." she made me stand and ordered her loons, "arrange dinner on the table."
I dunno what's going on with me but I am scared to put my voice as protest or objection to anything. Sahil's fiance was her ex-girlfriend. And she's dead. What if she kills me in the same way. If you will be cooperative with her, she will not kill you, Ishika Mishra. I guess Dr. Adi knew about all this and kept warning secretly through letters. Eventually, his reason for the accident is me.
During the house tour, I kept my mind on high alert. And plotted plans for escaping. There are no knives in the kitchen, not even butter knives or forks. The only weapon I can make use of were pans, ceramic plates, bowls, dish-washer gel, oil, shampoo, and pepper powder. Goons are three in number if one is stupid other two are strong and smart. They don't have any weapons but can shot me injections if I try to escape and Dr. Chaya's indirect love threats just scared me shitless. There are only two windows, one in the bedroom and the other in the living room but are with high security and shielded. The only way to exit and enter is the main door, which is locked from outside, guarded by Halloween-pumpkin.
We had dinner at the dining table, I tried my best to make some jest on demand by her. And that very moment I learned why she used to force me to have lunch with her all these days. She was in love with me, it seems. That too since the day she mentored me in O.P.D. That was on the third day of my postgraduation. Kismet!
After dinner, we went to our room. I ran to the washroom cause it's my second day, and I was bleeding like a typhoon. I changed to a new sanitary pad then stepped out to spot her sitting on the bed and gestured me to sit beside her. "Did you like the house?" she asked, placing her arm around my shoulders from behind, and pulled me closer. If this is proceeding to be a makeout session then god you have to show mercy on me. Please. "After so many days we both are together. Aren't you happy?"
"I am" Am I? "Yes. You were right, he...he is an animal. Every time shouts at me. I did a mistake loving him." I collected the saliva and swallowed. I shuddered. I shivered as her fingers traced on my bare shoulders.
"Sooner or later, better you realized. I thought to kill him, the evening when he behaved arrogantly with you in fair's parking lot. It's because you were in his car, or else, he would have been ended like Aditya!" whole room filled with her satanic laugh. And along with my heart, my lungs also dropped deep down and disappeared as both my heartbeat and breathing stopped for a moment. She can't kill my Ishaan.
Is killing people seems like dusting a collar for her?
"Forget it!" spoke, my inamorata, tracing my lips with her fingers. "I want to kiss them!" Obviously! No! No! No! She forcibly angled my head, so that our lips were an inch in distance, and...planted her lips on mine.
I wish a black hole to engulf me. A UFO to drive me far, far away. Or to hide inside the Alladin's Wonderful Lamp.
And I have no interest to feel or describe what her lips are feeling on mine. Ishaan Sharma, in revenge you don't kiss a man. If Dr. Ishaan's love is true he will come for me. By and by, I know neither this is a fairy tale nor a nightmare. And I nauseated, revolted, and gasped at her action of squeezing my breast with her felon hands.
Show mercy on me, God!
Show mercy! Please!
With her tongue, she battled with my clenched teeth to invade the hyper salivating room behind them. I guess God loves me still, she pulled away when there was a knock on the door. She groaned, then smiled "you are delicious!" Should I take it as a compliment? Where my life brought me today.
Dr. Chaya stood, walked to the door, pulled the door in, stepped out then pulled the door out. I tiptoed to the door and put my ear against the door. Their chatters were indistinct, the other voice seemed to be of Halloween-pumpkin. A moment later doorknob twisted, I tilted and jumped on the bed. When she entered I acted to play with the fluffy black panda's nose that was placed on the center of the bed.
"Be alert, I will go and handle!" saying she stepped in. Suddenly, the panda got pulled away from my hands and in a second she separated that poor inanimate creature's skin from inner fluffy material saying, "that was of Preethi, I will get you a new one."
"Was Preethi in love with you?"
"Aww...my baby is getting jealous."
Wait! What?
"Yes, we dated for six months then her parents decided to wed her, so I bought her here and kept her with me. I fulfilled all her wishes," she pondered something for a moment and her face expressed that to be a sad one. "Eventually, she named my love as suffocation, then a fight took place and ..." a shaky breath escaped from her mouth and a solitary tear from her right eye, "...I guess I mentioned it earlier, what happened then." She sighed, lowered her head to my level. I gulped. My shoulders heaved with tension. She placed her lips on my forehead. "Take care baby, I will be back in an hour or two." She smiled, I faked one, relaxed my shoulders. Before stepping out, a krait-threat left out of her mouth, "Yes, if you try to escape, I will not give a second thought to red my hands with your blood." Of course, she's referring to blood by murdering me not to my menstrual blood.
I smiled assuringly. "I will be waiting for you," I lied. That was better than yes or no, I thought.
After she left, I rushed to the washroom and gurgled my mouth with a mouth freshener, and also cleaned my cupcakes with water. What all is happening with me? At least Dada should come to rescue me. We didn't speak for more than twelve hours and I have no idea in what condition my mobile is in. But to my bad luck, my parents are on their umpteenth honeymoon. I shouldn't expect them to take out time from their enjoyment and call me.
I dunno for how long I was in the washroom until a knock came from another side of the door with a voice, "Are you okay?" that was devote-Zucchini, desperate to become a groom, and since I cursed him...he put only a grumpy face for me.
"Yeah, coming!" I shouted. From cabinet one above the sink, I took the shampoo bottle, mouth freshener bottled that I mixed with toothpaste, oil and body wash and gave a shake to meld as one foamy fluid, then tucked in my trouser waistband, concealed them with my dress-top, before stepping out. I mentally marked him as my target number one to knock out. I beamed at him, as similarly as he did before I cursed him. But mine was fake and he was natural...really natural. "Hash, Diarrhoea!" I exclaimed shaking my head.
He forwarded a glass of juice to me. "Boss asked to give you. Drink it." I sat on the bed with a drink, he stood still in his same position with a grumpy face. "Drink!" he demanded.
I knitted my brows, "I am full dude! I will drink it later, until then lets_"
"Boss! ordered till you empty that I shouldn't move!"
Oh! this juice is a package of another eight-hour sleep. Inamorata doesn't trust me.
Just to satisfy him I took a sip, "nice juice." he with a grumpy face, I with a smile. It didn't work, so, I used my magical words, "I want to apologize for my early behavior. I should have realized, that you are so sweet." I took the rim of the glass in my mouth, letting the fluid enter in my mouth, and was heed enough to prevent it going beyond my throat. Then pulled, wiped my mouth. "It's delicious, is it homemade!" With the same grumpy face, he shook his head. I pouted my lips, batted my eyelashes, "so, you're still angry, and I thought I got a sweet brother. And prayed that at least you should have twelve children."
"Seriously!" that similar smile was over-taking that grump. I nodded and repeated the same action with a juice glass.
"By the way, why all those pendants?" I asked referring to the chains he wore.
"For my wedding. I visited so many holy places and as a devotion, I wore them."
"How constancy! So, what are the tradition and rituals of the marriage? Where is the marriage? How does your bride look?" I asked.
"It's in my village. There are so many, many rituals. The first one is..." His excitement peaked and I succeeded in diverting him. He continued his titter-tatter and I plotted plans to escape. Before Chaya comes back, I have to exit this house. Once, I reach the main road, I can ask for a lift for my place to anyone.
He went on and on for the next fifteen minutes and I finalized, let's go with the flow and use the brain. I hide the glass behind me and speaking with him I entered inside the washroom, "Will be back in two minutes." Firstly I emptied one oil bottle and filled it with orange juice. If my guess is written it can help me to send those loons in deep sleep. I pulled out the shampoo bottle, took a deep breath, and stepped out with my hands holding my two weapons.
"Brother!" he turned, I beamed. He beamed. Then I squeezed the shampoo bottle, darted the viscous liquid straight in his pair of dark-brown eyes.
"Ah, hiss! you cheater!" he hissed, he yelled, I didn't stop. With closed eyes, he waggled his hands to catch me.
"I dare you, catch me if you can! You dum-dum!"
"Ayah! My foot!" I stomped his both foot.
"How about this!" I smashed his pubic father and two sons with my right knee. That hit was hard. Hard enough to hear a voice of crackling eggs. Hard enough for him to land on his knees and hands went to cup his groin with a barely audible scream as "Umpff!"
"Sorry, bro!" I spoke, my voice sounded caustic and derisive. "Have this energy potion!" I opened the bottle, holding it in one hand, and then with another hand, I fisted his hair, pulled it downward...his neck got hyperextended and in one go emptied that juice bottle in his mouth. He coughed but the bobbing of adam's apple assured he at least had six-seven sips. He pulled that bottle and threw it somewhere in the room. I ran to the opposite side of the room to hide beside the door when I perceived footsteps approaching the room from outside. Subsiding my huffs, by clasping my mouth with one hand, I pulled out the froth liquid bottle with another hand. I flipped the top cap and stood ready to target whoever that person was.
Just then, two incidents took place, one Cucumber entering the room and the second was Zucchini falling with his back on the floor with a boom. Therefore, his fall because of unconsciousness proved that juice contained sleeping pills.
"Abhimanu!" came Cucumber's shriek cry as a concern to his brother that followed with immediate anger, and irritated squawk, "where the hell is that girl?"
He was in half-meter distance away from me, his back was facing me, so it was easy for my outstretched hand to tap his shoulder, "here!" I announced my presence with a grin, "hihi" and "Pikachu dingle-dingle-dingleberry!" I sang while squeezing the multi-color froth when he whirled around. That turned his red furious face into white as a layer of lathered occupied his face. "Nice face pack!"
"Stop! I said stop!" protesting and shielding his face with his hands, he took few steps backward. He stumbled when his foot heel encountered his brother's shoulders and landed with his butt over his unconscious brother's face, whose lips were slightly parted.
"Upppss! not the right place to shit...still, Happy shitting!" I muttered my greetings with amusement before escaping from there. Never thoughts this would be fun. There was no lock from out so I had to leave it open. I walked to the staircase, climbed down a few steps then emptied the remaining froth of the bottle on them.
I was at the junction of the kitchen and dining table when I heard Cucumber's yells and same time Pumpkin stepping inside the house. Astound Halloween-pumpkin intermittently glanced at me and his colleague.
"Man! Catch..." he trailed off when the froth did its work as soon as his foot meet it. Therefore, Cucumber bounced and bounced and bounced like a basketball from top to bottom of the staircase with "oh, fuck! hell! fuck! shit! fuck! hell" agony exclaims in a musical tone.
"Hihi!" I giggled and barreled in the kitchen when Pumpkin began taking steps near to me. The only weapon that caught my eyes was oil. And emptied it at the center of the kitchen and threw the empty bottle at the far corner of the room.
"You little wretch!" Pumpkin appeared at the kitchen doorframe with scorn-face and hasten to catch me yelling, "I will nooottttttt..." along with that threat I heard a thump when his rusty-dusty collided with great force on the floor. I doubt his vertebra is still intact.
"...leave you?" I finished and laughed my ass off watching his failing attempts to get up and further boomed, thumped, and boomed.
"Aye! Uhh! Hashh!" he lied flat on his back over the floor.
"You brute!" came the distorted voice of foamed face Cucumber and hurtled to catch me, it seems.
"No! Stop!" Pumpkin tried stopping him.
But who can stop an angry, aggressive man, whose machismo and virility were getting tested by a cute little girl? Obviously, I am not like they assumed me to be. I am dangerous. Perilous. Hazardous. So, with fortitude, he took a couple of steps, "I will catch..." he trailed off, staggered, and landed flat on Pumpkin with face down. To specify clearly Pumpkin's face was at Cucumber's pubic, and Cucumber's face was on Pumpkin's pubic.
My chortles filled the whole kitchen. "Ohh, la la la! Trying something different, huh! Enjoy Enjoy. Do you guys want me to close my eyes!"
"Get up you bastard!" Pumpkin scolded Cucumber.
But I didn't let them shift, kept them still on 69 with my ceramic plates and bowls shower. "Dish! Dush! Dimishi! Bingo!" I shouted with victory when Cucumber's bald head got hit with my weapon.
Cucumber glared at me, "not like this, let us turn her into sleeping beauty_sorry sleeping evil!" he remarked, took out a fully-loaded syringe from his trouser pocket, and crawled to an oil-free area.
There I panicked, nonetheless, I opened the fridge and took the egg tray. He stood, but couldn't stand stiff, tried to upright his position but couldn't. During his stretching process, I threw eggs on him. "Stop, you wretch!"I didn't. Few landed on his bald head and many on the floor. He stepped on them, stumbled but caught hold of the counter and paddled and paddled over the whites and yolks of a broken egg, and nicely battered them.
I grabbed a pan and "Yoyo Man! Let me help you!" saving I banged, clashed, and smashed his shoulders and head with that.
Then stroke his leg he tripped flat on the floor with outstretched limbs. "I give up!" with three words he passed out.
"Bye! Bye Cucumber!" My eyes were on the syringe, that was still in his clamped hands.
"You little wretch!" Pumpkin squealed with resentment and frustration and before I snatch the syringe, Pumpkin rolled and grabbed it. He smiled full of sunflower oil and eggs.
"You jackass!" I shouted and panicked watching him plucking out the cap of the syringe. More than that drug, I was frightened of a prick. What if, I am a grown-up or a surgery postgraduate I get anxious with injections. He stood, his whole system was partly destroyed. Albeit stood, stumbled because of eggs but stood once again.
My brain stopped working. I was locked, the front was him, and behind was an open fridge. He strolled with denigration towards me. I took a step back, hooped inside the open fridge. My hands searched for anything from the fridge.
"Should I say, have a good night, sleep." He grabbed my elbow. My other hand blindly inspected for a weapon to rescue him.
"No! No! leave me..." I panicked when the syringe tip was nearing its distance with my bare arm. Simultaneously I grabbed a bottle of sauce with my free hand from the fridge.
"Sleep and watch sleeping beauty in your dream!" He mocked and roared with laughter while implanting the syringe tip in my arm's flesh.
"Ahhh!" I shouted because of a prick and simultaneously flicked the cap top and squeezed the red chili sauce in his eye, meanwhile he succeded injecting half-of-the-drug in my body.
"Ahhh! huh! it's burning, my eyes are burning!" The half-full syringe fell on the floor, while Pumpkin took steps backward rubbing his eyes, which provoked the irritation.
"Dare to touch me!" I challenged squeezing more of the sauce on his red flaring face.
"Stop! Issss! Ahhh!" He hissed with pain and began cursing me. I moved aside and shoved the open-door fridge on him. Just in an eye blink, the fridge engulfed Halloween-Pumpkin and a sharp yelp came out deep down from his throat.
"Go to hell!" I barrelled out of the kitchen. I began feeling tipsy and drowsy, my vision blurred, I felt heavy-headed. I guess the drug started showing its action.
No. No. Ishika, you fought with them. And. Now. Fight with your tranquilizing body.
I stumbled and fell on the floor and same time heard Pumpkin's screams coming from the kitchen.
Get up Ishika! Come on!
I exhaled and slapped my cheek for once. That didn't help me much. So, slapped hard, the voice echoed in the living room.
I crawled to the door. Sametime heard a thud voice from the kitchen.
No! exhaling and inhaling I stood on my foot with the help of the door handle and unlocked it.
"Stop!" I heard him shouting. I sped up my actions. Opened the door and shivered when the cold breeze hit my body then stepped out, closed the door, and locked it from out. I heard him banging the door. There were multiple locks, I locked them all. Because of security, the doors were strong, he can't break them.
I took a deep breath and stared at the dark-blue sky that had a ray blush in form of a slit, as a welcome door for the sun to rise before I began dozing out against the door. I sensed myself sliding down all over the door, landed softly on the ground, and passed out.
***********
Ishaan's Pov:
"Your letters were true, Ishika is missing..."
As the words slipped from my mouth, I regretted the immediate next moment. It stressed, tensed, and made Adi anxious. Suddenly, he developed a panic attack. He whimpered with pain, his hands reached to clutch his head. I pressed the buzzer to call the Neurologist for help.
"Ish...Ishaan!" Adi puffed, his breath turned shallow and deep.
I objected, "Adi, don't speak. Don't stress.."
"What happen...I told you to be careful, Ishaan!" Yelling with frustration Neurologist, Dr. Bhatra stormed inside the room with one female nurse.
It pained me to see him in that way. He caught my one hand, his grip tightened around my wrist. Parallerly Dr. Bhatra checked his pulse, heart rate and soon injected sedatives in his I.V. line. His whimpers of pain began subsiding as the drug circulated in his vein. Vaguely his hand jerked my wrist, with his chin he gestured me to come near him. He leaned against him. His mouth and nose were covered with Oxygen Mask, his voice barely came as ruffles, "Chaya...loves..."
"Ishaan, I may have a word with you" Dr. Bhatra's words cut him off. I nodded to him and felt Adi's grip loosen around my wrist. With that two words, he went back to sleep.
We stepped out, discussing his health we ambled in the hallway. "You people may be anxious to know about the accident but unknowingly you are stressing him. If it continues he can go into a coma, also." He continued alerting but my mind was occupied with a thought: why did Adi take Chaya's name. Why only Chaya when I was asking about Ishika.
"I hope you understand and consider it!"
"Yes. Sorry, I will be careful!" I nodded. Just then my eyes caught the glimpse of Chaya, exiting from the lift with a tensed face.
I excused myself and called out, "Chaya!" I wondered to trace her walking in opposite direction, holding a mobile against her ear. Her heels made loud clatters, she does only when she is in anger or frustration.
I assumption of her not knowing Adi's exact room number, I followed her. She went inside a storeroom, it was dark, irradiated by the hallway light. I stood out, opened my mouth but closed it as I heard her yelling as "...motherfuckers, how can she escape. Didn't you give her the juice with sleeping pills." I was in shock. In a complete shock to hear, a sweet, naive, and pleasant Chaya speak in that vulgar and cheap language. Of all, she sounded malice. "That injection is not strong. Listen, bastards, If Ishika!" my headgears revolved both in clockwise and anti-clockwise, my ear canals widened, my eyes widened, unknowingly my footsteps walked me inside the room, hearing Ishika's name, my inamorata's name, "...escapes first I will kill her later will shot you three to death!" And for a moment I forgot breathing. No, she can't my Ishika.
She will kill Ishika, but why?
Why did Chaya kidnap her?
I flipped, took a couple of steps away to hid behind the rack when she turned around and exited through another door. I was conscious of my every move and stepped out to watch her stomping all her way to the elevator.
My fight and flight hormones activated, my reflexes acted impulsively, I used the staircase beside that elevator. Before the elevator reached the ground floor, I reached and waited for her.
She exited and walked to the parking lot then to her Black BMW. I should follow her. But. Problem is, she may get suspicious if I follow her in my car. My eyes wandered and landed on O.T. male nurse who just got out of the car.
I jolt to him, "Good Morning, Dr. Ishaan. how are_"
"Can I lend your car, and use my car if you need it!" I spoke in a breath, replaced his car keys with mine in his hand. Speechless, he gaped at me and his car then nodded.
"Please be careful, this is like my second wife, I bought it on the same day of my second wedding anniversary!" He blethered.
"I will. Don't worry!" saying I just stepped one foot in the car and
Thudd!
"Shit!" I rubbed my temple. I wouldn't have hurt my head if I were conscious that this is not my car whose seat is on a high level, unlike this one. That was the old model of Maruthi Suzuki 800.
"Did she got scratch!" He worried about his car and confirmed by checking with his eyes. I send him a cold glare, nevertheless, he spoke, "Please be careful with her" I was helpless, so just nodded. When I sat in the driver's seat, I faced a second problem. The problem was my height, which clamped my head with the roof of the car, and whenever it passed the speed breaker, my head top further got crashed with the car's roof, which made me mutter curses.
It was a crack of dawn, a time for shopkeepers to open their shops, for breakfast stall men to start their business, job earners to start their journey to the working places.
With difficulty and crushing my head at least 7-8 times with the car's roof, I have been following her for the past forty-five minutes, I kept following her. As time passed, traffic got increased and we reached the outskirts of Lucknow. Sporadically, I cerebrated only one question,
What is her motive to kidnap Ishika?
********************
Long long chapter!
I hope, that was fun to read. This chapter was like a challenge to me. I wrote something new that I was not familiar with. One to describe Chaya's love for Ishika and same time her manic behavior. The second was to write that funny fight. Of all, 69 was my favorite part. Comment me, your favorite part of the story.
I can't stop laughing.
But the next is funnier and romantic. Let see what Ishaan will conclude Chaya's motive to Kidnap Ishika...
P.S. A question: Do you guys want me to write a couple of Ishika, Ishaan, and Adi's comedy chapters before I jump to the epilogue? Comment your views.