_____________________
05:45 PM, 10 DECEMBER, WEDNESDAY, TRINITY ACADEMY, GURUGRAM
"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Rudraksh asked Kainaat who was slumped on her bed in her dorm room. "Oh my fucking god Raksh! Go and rest for heaven's sake! I'm fine." She groaned and Rudraksh nodded before walking out. Him, infact all of her brothers were acting more protective than ordinary after the incident the previous night. As she was pondering over everything, her phone rang and she picked it up from the bedside table. Rahil's name displayed on the phone and her cheeks reddened when she remembered their interaction before she left for her flight.
FLASHBACK (5 hours ago)
"Hunh. Finally." Kainaat mumbled as she hid by the corridor, checking it once more to make sure Rahil wasn't there. About seven minutes ago she had pranked him along with Anay and Rudransh. As for the prank, it hadn't gone well and half of its consequences were already borne by Anay and her brother who were currently laying in the pool in winter cold, shivering out of their bones. Her on the other hand took off in a random direction before he could see her. The look on his face when he found Anay sneakily advancing on him indicated her this much that he was pissed.
A loud yell echoed and Kainaat's eyes widened when she realized it was Rudransh. "Ah, he got him. Kai you are so dead." She muttered as she hid more in the corridor. "Why hell is it so quiet now?" She mumbled and took a quick peak. "You know what, let's hide in room Kai. If he finds you, tell him you were always there." She muttered to herself as she came out of hiding and began walking to her room. A squeak tore out of her mouth when she was suddenly picked up by her waist, a hand coming on her mouth to silence her. She was dragged into a room and the door was locked seconds after.
Cornering her against the wall, Rahil breathed down, a smirk curling on his lips when he saw the wide eyed look on her face. "Did you think you can run away from me my moon?" He asked and Kainaat gulped at the sly look on his face. "I-i don't know what you're talking about." She stammered and Rahil hummed. "Then let's remind you shall we?" He asked and before she could reply, he was trailing kisses down her nape. His left hand raised up both of hers, his fingers coiling around her wrists like cuffs, while his other hand snaked around her waist and he pulled her to him.
"What did you do Kai?" He murmured against her neck and she shivered, rolling her lips in. She shook her head and Rahil looked up. "Hmm, biting back our moans. You sure need a punishment don't you?" He rasped out and Kainaat's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Punishment? What pun-ugh!" She started only to be cut off by her own moan, as Rahil nibbled at her neck. His grip on her wrist tightened when she tried to wiggle away and his other moved lower to rest beside her hips. "Jump." He mumbled, taking her lips next.
Kainaat did as he said, her legs wrapping around his torso, and her arms rolling beside his neck. His tongue swirled around hers and as he backed away slowly, he nibbled on her bottom lip. A loud moan escaped her mouth at the gesture and his grip on her thighs tightened as he walked over to the bed. Placing her down on the bed, his hands were back at her wrists, his mouth lingering on her collarbones. "You remembering anything yet?" He asked as he bit the valley between her collarbones, his tongue dipping after to soothe it.
"I-I'm sorry." Kainaat mumbled, taking a sharp breath when his right hand traced along her stomach, his mouth moving to her shoulders. His eyes met hers when he raised his head back and he let out a smirk. Pecking her lips, he left her wrists and moved his hand to her waist. He changed their positions, so that she was sitting on his lap. Their breaths mingled and Kainaat looked into his eyes which were shining. She rubbed his cheek with her fingers, her head tilted to the side. "What are you looking at?" Rahil asked and she smiled softly. "Magic." She replied and he furrowed her brows.
"What?" He asked, amusement shining in his eyes. "You're my magic. I never believed in it until I met you." She stated and he grazed her nose with hers. "You're my undoing Kainaat Rathore." He said against her lips, before kissing them. Kainaat kissed back, leaning up by her elbows. "KAINAAT RATHORE! Come out, we're gonna get late." Reeva and Samaira's yells came and Rahil groaned, slumping against Kainaat's neck. "Fucking snags!" He gritted out against her collarbone and Kainaat giggled. "Kainaat!" The girls yelled again and Rahil stood up, Kainaat sitting up after him.
"Get the fuck away! She's coming." He yelled at them and the girls shared sheepish looks before running away. Kainaat stood up, an amused smile on her face as she made her way to him. She opened the door and looked out. Before she could step out, Rahil grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Do you seriously have to go?" He asked and she caressed his cheek. "We have the competition." She replied and he rolled his eyes. "Fuck the competition. You can take part in it next year." He said and she chuckled. "I'll miss you every moment." She mumbled and he pecked her lips before grabbing her hand, intertwining their fingers.
Both of them made their way out, Kainaat's duffle bag in Rahil's arms. "You're coming with us?" She asked and he nodded. "I want to drop you there and pick you up." He replied and she smiled. "You'll come for me?" She asked and he smiled back. "I'll always come for you." He replied as they walked over to the car where everyone else was waiting before all of them finally driving off to the airport.
As Kainaat made her way to the terminal building, she turned to Rahil for one last time, their hands parting. "Stay safe and behave while I'm gone." She told him and he sighed. "How can I be safe when you're taking something very important away from me?" He asked and Kainaat frowned. "What?" She asked and he smiled. "My heart my moon. You're taking the little shit responsible for pumping blood with you. I don't think I'll be alive without you." He answered and Kainaat shook her head, blush coating her cheeks. "I love you. I'll meet you soon. And when we do I promise I'll take you on a date to mend that heart of yours." She replied and he grinned, kissing her head.
"Kai! Time to go." Rudraksh called and Kainaat nodded, giving one last smile to Rahil before she took off after her brothers.
FLASHBACK OVER
"Hey." Kainaat's raspy voice came through the phone and Rahil smiled. He was standing on the other side of the resort, specially to call her since, none of his friends were getting off of his back. Everytime he mentioned Kainaat, they gave him smirks which irked him. "How are you baby? Tired?" He asked and Kainaat hummed. "Yeah. Though I have to get to cafeteria soon. The rest are meeting up their to discuss some strategies I guess. Everything okay there?" She replied and he nodded. "Yeah. Everything's great. I called in to check on you. Rest now. We'll talk later." He said and Kainaat hummed again. "I love you." She mumbled, her eyes closing and Rahil smiled. "Love you too." He replied before keeping the call.
✯
At the resort, Ishika walked down the stairs, a smile on her face which fell the moment she laid her eyes on the sight of her guards passed out on the floor. Her eyes widened and she ran to check on them. "Oh my god. No, no, no!" She muttered shaking their bodies to wake them. Taking out her phone from her pocket, she opened Hardik's contact.
I need your help. I'm in the corridor and the guards are passed out. -Ishika
I'm coming to get you.-Hardik
As she waited for Hardik to come to her, in the other side of the corridor, Hardik, Vivaan and Vyom looked for the little device. "Oh come on! Where is this little shit?" Hardik groaned as he looked for his phone. "Are you sure you kept it here and not in your own damn room?" Vyom asked and Hardik paused, blinking his eyes as he thought about the same before shaking his head. "Nah, I was with Ishi last n-" He started but stopped when he saw his friend's looks. "Man you're worse than Advik." Vivaan muttered and Hardik scoffed. "Don't compare me to that neanderthal. Anyway, thanks for doing nothing. I'll check in with Ishi." He replied and walked out.
Meanwhile Ishika heard footsteps behind her and turned around to find not Hardik but someone else. "Oh thank god, atleast someone is here. I need your help. I found them passe-" Ishika started in worry but paused when she saw the look on his face. "Can you please call Hardik?" She asked, sneakily calling Hardik, her phone behind her back. Her eyes widened in shock as his phone rang and he looked at it. Hardik's phone was in his hand. "Wh-why do you have Hardik's phone?" She asked and he sighed, throwing it to the side. "I'm sorry." He said and before Ishika could move, he was lunging at her.
Injecting the chloroform into her vein, he held his palm over her mouth to keep her from yelling. When he felt her body relaxing, he removed his hand and looked at her tear streaked face. "Why? Why did you betray them?" She whispered before passing out. The boy sighed in guilt and looked up when he heard footsteps. "Good. Atleast you're useful for something." The other person said and took Ishika from him. "Come on now. We have to leave before someone sees." He said and both of them made their way out. Hardik who was making his way to Ishika's room frowned when he found her guards knocked out, her and his phones laying on the ground.
A panicked look came on his face as he ran inside and looked around her room. "Ishika? Ishi are you there?" He called out, checking the washroom before coming out. He looked around the corridors, slamming into Kabir on his way. "What happened? Why are you worried?" He asked and Hardik sighed, raking his hand through his hair. "I can't find Ishika. Her guards were passed out outside her room and her phone was lying in the corridor." He rambled and Kabir cursed under his breath. "Come on, we gotta check the CCTVs first." He advised and Hardik nodded as both of them ran to the surveillance room. They were shocked to see no one in the room and the screens banged up to pieces.
"Somebody fucking did it on purpose." Kabir spat when he found the memory cards missing. "Ishika's gone. They took her." Hardik muttered, a glower forming on his face as he stormed through the corridors. "What happened? Hardik?" Advik asked when he saw Hardik entering in the living room area with an angry expression. "Hardik? What happened?" Shantanu asked and Hardik looked towards him. "Ishika's gone. They fucking took her right under our nose." He growled and Shantanu's face darkened whereas the rest shared worried looks. "I'll call Arya-" "No. Nobody calls them. Not right now. If Kainaat even got the whiff of it, everything we worked for gets ruined." Rahil cut off Vivaan.
"Aunty, call Armaan and tell him to stand on call. Uncle, I need you to up your men in mumbai. If I am not wrong he will take her away from here but not that far." He added, and Renuka and Sambhav nodded, taking out their phones. "We'll check in as well." Abhimanyu and Sneh said before they walked out. "Don't worry bhaiya, we'll find her. Nothing will happen to her." He assured Hardik whose jaw was clenched. He nodded at Rahil, before taking out his own battered phone. "If I see even a scratch on her, I'll personally take him to hell." He stated and made a few calls, the once happy environment of wedding dissolving into a more tensed one.
✯
Back at the academy Kainaat frowned when she saw the twins walking in to the cafeteria, grim looks on their faces. "What happened? You both look down." She asked and they shared looks before Rudransh rolled his eyes and plopped down beside her, placing his head on her lap. "Nothing. Hardik bhai was teasing us. They're having fun and here we are alone." He replied, letting out a groan when Kainaat rubbed his temples. "That's it? Nothing to worry about right?" She asked and he nodded. "What about the man? Did they get something from him?" She asked and Rudraksh shook his head. "Nothing. He was just told to serve the water. Don't worry, everyone's looking into it." He replied and she nodded.
She noticed their tensed postures and knew something was wrong. "What you really wanna worry about is the hunt." Reeva stated but before Kainaat could reply somebody else did. "She will not be taking part in that." Ahaan stated and everyone frowned up at him. "What do you mean?" Ashrut asked and Ahaan smiled at Kainaat. "Kainaat and Lavanya are excluded from the competition. We can't have our prodigies competing against others." He said and Samaira frowned. "Wait, but that's wrong. You let Zoya participate." She protested. "Zoya was a wonderful kid but she wasn't like these two. They will compete in their last year, not this year." He replied and Rudransh grumbled.
"That's not fair. They think just like us." He spat and Ahaan pursed his lips. "Really? Let's test it now." He said and everyone straightened up whereas Kainaat and Lavanya gave them amused smiles. "Let me ask you a question. A man and a woman went to a restaurant for dinner. While they were waiting for the main dish, she ordered 5 drinks with ice because it was very hot. The woman drank 4 of them all at once, while the man only drank one. After a while the man became ill and died. The doctors said that all the drinks were poisoned. Why did the man die while the woman was alive?" Ahaan asked and it only took about ten seconds for Kainaat to answer.
"The poison was in the ice. Simple. Woman drank quickly, ice didn't melt. Man drank slowly, ice melted and poison dissolved in." She scoffed and everyone gave her surprised looks. "Didn't had time to guess that? Let me ask one more. Sam shot himself with real bullets but was unharmed. How?" He asked again. "Sam shot his reflection duh." Lavanya replied without blinking. "Ten seconds. That's how long it took for them to figure it out. Do you think it will be okay to let them compete against others?" He asked and Kainaat and Lavanya shrugged, hi-fiving each other. "Then why did you even call us here? We should've enjoyed there." Kainaat suddenly whined and Ahaan smirked.
"You both will help me prepare. Come on now." He said and both of them groaned but stood up, walking after him.
✯
It was late at night and while everyone was gathered in the living room, going through their connections to look for Ishika only to come empty handed. A loud bang echoed from the side and everyone's eyes shifted to it. Hardik was panting harshly the table in front of him not laying upside down to the side. He was glaring at Ishika's cellphone which's screen was lightened up, a message displaying on it.
Hello prince. Missed me?
The messaged said along with the picture of Ishika tied up to a chair. "Hardik! Calm down son. That's exactly what they want." Pratap said and Hardik glared at the screen. Another second passed before the phone rang and Hardik gestured Armaan to track it as he picked it up. Putting it on the speaker, he waited for the other to say something. "Hardik Rathore? How dumb do you think I am? Did you seriously think I would let you track me?" Anshuman asked, a breathy chuckle echoing after. "Where the hell did you take her Anshuman?" Hardik growled at him. "Calmly Rathore. If I were you, I would think twice before speaking to me that way. Afterall, your precious girl is with me right now." He spat and Hardik's jaw clenched.
"That's right. We don't anything to happen to that pretty face of hers now do we? You of all people know exactly what I can do don't you? You were there to witness what happened with Samaira." He said and Kabir frowned at the girl's name whereas her parent's faces darkened in anger. "What do you want? Money? Property? I'll give you anything." Shantanu asked and Anshuman smirked. "Your brother in law knows exactly what I want Shantanu Roy." He replied and Shantanu gave Hardik a confused look. Hardik leaned back and sighed. "What happened Hardik? Cat got your tongue? Or you didn't get what or rather who I am talking about?" Anshuman mocked.
"What do you want Anshuman?" Shantanu asked again. "Kainaat. I want her in return of your sister, Roy. Get her to me and I'll let Ishika leave without a scratch." He replied and Rahil stormed forward. "Like hell I'll let her anywhere near you, you asshole." He yelled and Anshuman chuckled. "Then you can say Ishika good bye. Anyway, it's upto you. I'll get her by hook or by crook. Either you give her to me nicely or through bloodshed. Your choice." He stated before cutting the call. Hardik body shook in rage and he threw the phone against the wall. "I will kill this moron!" He growled, storming out of the room. Kabir gave an assuring look to his parents before he too ran after him.
"Why is this happening again? I thought it was over." Devyani cried as she sat back on the sofa, her head between her arms. "Why does it always have to be my kids? First Hardik, then Kainaat and now Ishika." She choked and Pratap rubbed her back. "Don't worry Mr. Roy. Ishika is our daughter as well. We'll make sure nothing happens to her." Bhairav assured Ishika's parents who were sitting stunned on the sofa.
Meanwhile back at an abandoned house or so Ishika thought as she glared up at Anshuman. Anshuman smiled when he saw her glare and walked over to her. "You have something to say beautiful?" He asked as he removed the rag from her face. "I will not let you close to my Kai. Kill me if you must Anshuman you will never get her. Hardik will never hand you over to her. Rahil won't let him." She gritted out and Anshuman smirked. "Oh I know. They won't ever hand her to me. Willingly or not. That's why I have another plans for my dear birdie." He said and Ishika's face paled. "She likes to play games doesn't she? I'll make sure she won't be able to win this one." He said and looked towards the boy standing to the side.
"Sedate her. We don't want her creating any ruckus." He ordered and walked out. The boy sighed and moved towards her. "Why are you doing this? They trusted you. Kainaat trusted you. How can you betray her when she's nothing but good to you? How could you?" She asked him but he didn't reply and instead tightened the binds on her arms. "Does he knows? Does your bestfriend knows that you're betraying everyone?" She asked and he looked up. "I wanted to be accepted okay? Ever since I was five I've wanted a family and now I finally have one! Finally I know who I am! And I want nothing more than to get accepted by them." He yelled at her and Ishika's eyes widened when she put all the pieces together.
Though before she could say it out aloud he put the rag back in her mouth. "No, no. Don't please. Aryan don't." Her yell was muffled by the rag. He injected her with the sedative again and her protests died as soon as the sedative began working and he backed away. Her words still rang in his head but he shook his head and made his way out of the cellar she was in.
✯
12:13 PM, 11 DECEMBER, THURSDAY, TRINITY ACADEMY, GURUGRAM
The morning of the competition was anything but calm. Kainaat knew it was a big deal but she was surprised to see how big of a deal it was. Thousands of people including Trinity and others from all around the country were there to witness the annual competition. The news channels covering the event were setting up, buzzing around interviewing the students. The arena of the competition was set up and the halls filled with faction members running around. "Okay fuckers. I'm not gonna give you a dumb pep talk to get your spirit high. Take this as a threat on your life. If you idiots don't win, I'll make your last days here hell." Samaira yelled at faction Zeus members.
"Do you get it?" Rudraksh yelled and everyone nodded. "We better not lose to Ares or that grimy bastards Hades." Reeva spat and Kainaat bit back her chuckle. "Wow." She muttered and Reeva's eyes moved to her and narrowed. "You have to say something? It's the D day. I want everything to go good." She asked and Kainaat shook her head. "Enjoy. Vanya? Come on." She said and both of them walked out after wishing them good luck. They made their way to the surveillance room where Ahaan was present and looked at the set up. The competition's set up was covering almost all of Trinity's property, including the woods around the campus.
It was supposed be like a treasure hunt, yes, but it included other elements as well. "Time for me to go and start it." Ahaan said and nodded towards the girls before walking out of the room. Both of them watched as he reached the stage where the participants were and gave a speech before announcing the start of the competition. Bands were tied on the participants' eyes and they were led to the middle of the woods. "Oh this is going to be interesting." Lavanya muttered as she leaned back. The competition had several challenges, involving the participants to find the keys in the woods, overcoming the hurdles along the way.
It was about two hours later when Kainaat excused herself to leave for the washroom. As she was coming out after doing her business, she frowned when she saw the excessive amounts of guards surrounding the place. Her phone pinged and she looked at the text.
A game is a game Kainaat. Are you ready to play this one?
She smiled when she thought Ahaan had prepared something for her and hummed, replying with an okay.
Go to the place you met your friends for the very first time.
Kainaat nodded and ran through the corridors towards the dormitory, the smile still on her face. "Wait. Isn't that Kai? Why is she running to the dorms?" Ahaan asked and Lavanya frowned, looking at the screen. "By the smile on her face, I think she's talking to her boyfriend." She replied and Ahaan pursed his lips and shook his head. "Kids." He muttered and went back to looking at the screens. Kainaat meanwhile looked around the dorms' entrance and chuckled when she found a red envelope by the bins. Opening it, she frowned when she found a very familiar looking earring.
I'm not going be all rhyming Kainaat. So let's get to the point. Whose earring do you think it is?
As she read the note in the envelope, she wrecked her brain as to where she saw it. Her phone pinged the exact moments and a location was shared via text. Ishika's name came in her mind as she made her way to the location. She found another red envelope, a cup of ice cream placed on top of it. As she took the envelope, she frowned at the cup of black current and coffee ice cream.
We met like this for the very first time. Do you remember?
The next message said and for a clue Kainaat had to open the envelope which contained a photo of her with her friends which was taken during their first outing. For some reason, she thought, it was't Ahaan messaging her. She thought of that night, a familiar voice echoing in her mind asking for the same ice cream. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was and the envelope fell from her hand.
Hmm, took you time. Finally figured it out hunh?
Along with the message, a location was given again and Kainaat made her way to it. It was the back exit of the academy.
✯
Back at the resort, everyone was still looking for Ishika's whereabouts. "I've checked everything. She's not in Mumbai." Akshat said as he walked in the living room. Kabir was soon to follow as he walked in and Hardik turned to him expectantly. "Not in Delhi either. I've checked in on everything." He stated and Hardik sighed. "Bhai! Bhai I got a lead." Rahil came in yelling and Hardik and Shantanu stood up. "What?" They asked simultaneously. "He's here. In Rajasthan. He didn't go anywhere. He may even be in Jaipur." He replied and showed them some track records. "These. This was the locations of a sim registered under name Ansh Gupta. Here's the photo of him." He added and Hardik recognized the man Kushagra's old friend.
"The signals are around Rajasthan." Rahil pointed out. "Then he must be on one of their old places." Advik stated as he stood up. "I'll check on them." Shantanu said and Advik nodded as both of them made their way out. "How are the others handling this?" Pratap asked Rahil who sighed. "Only the twins know and Zeeshaan, incase Anshuman contacts him. None of them have any idea about the situation going on here." He replied and Pratap nodded. "Kainaat isn't suspicious of anything is she? We have to let her stay there until we sort this stuff." He said and the boys nodded in agreement. "We don't know what she'll do. Especially if she learns Anshuman's demands." Hardik said with a sigh.
"I think we do. We know what she'll do without thinking anything." Rahil said and Hardik held his head in his hands, nodding to him.
✯
As Kainaat made her way to the back exit, her heart thundering in her chest. At the same moment her phone rang and she picked it up. "Kainaat." Anshuman called out and Kainaat clenched her jaw, shock evident on her face. She could imagine a grin on his face. "What the hell do you want?" She growled at him and he chuckled. "Wow, someone is really not happy to learn that I'm alive." He mocked. "Get to the fucking point Anshuman." She stated, her body shaking in rage when she realized her family lied to her about their deaths. She knew she wasn't panicking for nothing. She knew he would come to create chaos before Hardik's wedding.
"Hmm do you have my answer? Do you know whose earring that is Kainaat?" He asked and Kainaat frowned. "Why are you asking?" She asked and he smiled. "You have an hour to decide Kainaat. Come to me willingly and your precious Ishika di will be alive." He said and Kainaat scoffed. "Like hell I'll believe you." She replied and he nodded, expecting her to say that. "Check your phone." He said and cancelled the call. At the same moment her phone pinged and her eyes widened when she saw Ishika's photo. The girl was tied to a chair, her earring missing, and her eyes close. "No, no, no." She panicked and called Anshuman again.
"Why do you have her Anshuman? Why her? She has no issue with you." She yelled at him and Anshuman chuckled. "But your brother does. And I know she's his weakness. And I also know he won't ever willingly exchange her for you." He stated and Kainaat's breath hitched in her throat. "H-he knows she's missing?" She asked and Anshuman smirked. "All of them do. Why? Didn't they tell you? Aww." He mocked and Kainaat gritted her teeth before cutting off the call. As she made her way to her room, she called Devyani, the fury in her pace confusing the ones watching her. "Maa? Where is Ishi di? She's not picking up my calls. Is she with you?" She asked the moment he picked up and Devyani's heart came to her throat at her voice.
"Kai, uh, Ishika's-" "-Ishika's at the salon right now Kainaat. She forgot her phone back here. Don't worry. When she comes back, we'll tell her to call you." Hardik cut off his mother and Kainaat's anger increased. "Oh. Really? Okay then. When will she be back?" She asked and Hardik gestured everyone to stay quiet. "Soon. She'll be back soon. You know how long bride regimes are." He replied, his fingers clenching into fist as he lied to her with half heart. "Okay. Okay. I got to go now. I'll talk later. Call me when she comes back." She replied and kept the call. Turning on her laptop, she opened the tracker up and tracker Anshuman's location.
An angry groan left her mouth when the tracker showed five locations all over the state and she stood back up. Shrugging on her black jacket, she pulled the hood up. Next were her boots, under which she hid her dagger, and then she picked up her phone. She paused in the middle of the room and sighed, going back and picking up her notepad. Writing a note for her family, she put it on the bed and made her way out. Escaping the guards and the cameras was no big deal for her, especially since she camouflaged herself to look like one of the participants. "Hello? What are your conditions?" Kainaat asked the moment Anshuman picked up the call. "Good. I have my man waiting outside the academy. Get there and he'll take you to me." He said and Kainaat nodded.
"And you'll let her go once I come there?" She asked and Anshuman hummed. "I have no use of her anyway. But know that Kainaat, I don't want any of your tricks. Only you will be the one coming." He replied and Kainaat looked around. "I'm coming." She said and cut the call, throwing her phone to the side before she ran towards the fence and jumped. Jumping on the wall behind the bushes, she looked around again before jumping out. She ran down the road and found a black car waiting for her. As she made her way to it, two men stepped out of it. Before she could decipher one man pulled a black bag over her head, her vision blackening. They pushed her in the car, before it took off towards its destination.
✯
"How's it going? Did she agree?" Kushagra asked his grandson who turned to face him, a grin appearing on his face. "You know she did. The stupid girl cares for Ishika more than I think." He replied and Kushagra nodded. "Good. Make sure nothing goes wrong this time. We won't be left with anymore chances if it does." He stated and Anshuman hummed. "I'll make sure that happens. I'll break her until she agrees. Have you prepared the papers?" He asked and Kushagra nodded. "I did. We'll make him sign them after she's here. It'll be a good leverage." He replied. "This is good. This time it'll take one stone to kill two birds. Rathores and Raichands will finally be done for good." Anshuman stated as he turned towards Aryan who stood to the side, taking everything in.
"Get ready and wake her up." He ordered the boy who ran out as per his orders. "The boy knows how to keep his mouth shut unlike your brother." Kushagra remarked and Anshuman smirked. "He's just a pawn. You don't seriously think I'll involve him later on? Once Kainaat sees him, he's good as dead." He replied and made his way after Aryan to check on Ishika.
✯
"What the hell is going on? Do we have something on their location?" Hardik roared at his men who were skittering around. "We found her. She's here. In jaipur." Rahil stated as he walked in, followed by Advik and Kabir. "Where?" Hardik asked. "Near the industrial area. It's an abandoned building. Some people saw Anshuman coming and going in. They also saw Ishika." Kabir answered and Hardik nodded. "Okay then. We'll check it." He said and stood up. "Wait. It could be a trap to lure you all in." Ira yelled and the men paused, before looking at Hardik. "We don't care. We need to check in case Ishika really is there." Shantanu said and Hardik nodded in agreement. After saying that all of them turned back around and made their way out.
✯
Back at the academy, as it went close to five in the evening, the event began concluding. Everyone watched in anxiety as the timer began striking back from ten. As the seconds went back, a figure ran out from the campus, the flag of his faction in his hand. Another figure followed close behind. The crowd bursted into cheers the moment that yellow flag made it's way into the hoister. "Zeus! Zeus! Zeus! Zeus!" The crowd yelled and the boy who dug the flag in was hauled up in the air by his friends. "We won!" The faction yelled in celebration. "And ladies and gentlemen, the winner of Hunt 2022 is Faction Zeus!" The MC announced and reporters began clicking pictures of the participants.
"As for the MVP of the evening, it's none other than Rudraksh Rathore!" The MC yelled and the crowd cheered again. Rudraksh though searched for his sister among the several pairs of eyes on him. "Where's Kai?" He asked Lavanya. "She chatted with Rahil bhai for long. Said she had a mild headache so she's resting in her room." She replied and Rudraksh frowned. "Don't worry. She has security around the corridor." Lavanya stated and he sighed before nodding. "Come on now! We've got trophies waiting for us." Samaira yelled as all of them made their way up the stage.
✯
Ishika groaned as the lights hit her face and squinted her eyes for sometime before opening them fully when her vision adjusted. She came face to face with Anshuman and Aryan, the former grinning while the latter stood stoic faced behind him. "Wakey wakey. It's time you go back home." Anshuman sing songed and Ishika frowned. She knew he wouldn't of let her go this easily until he was getting something out of it. She stared at him, trying to figure out what he was trying to do. "I'm sure that pretty little head of yours must be thinking why I'm letting you out this early and easily. Well, since you've been pretty obedient, I'll let you in for a secret." He said and Ishika kept staring at him quietly.
"You know Ishika, there are stupid people and then there are emotional people. The Rathores? They are emotionally stupid." He stated and took out his phone Ishika frowned. "You've heard about that idiom, kill two birds with one stone?" He asked with a smirk. "Well today you'll be losing two people close to you, so I think you desrve to know." He mocked, showing her a video of Hardik and her brother along with Rahil, Kabir and Advik entering into an abandoned building. "They think you're here. Well I made them think so. This building is littered with land mines. One wrong step and boom. Fun fact is that you won't even find their bones." He stated and Ishika's eyes widened in horror.
Her muffled yelled echoed when Shantanu narrowly missed one. "You wanna know another secret?" He asked and Ishika looked up at him in fear of what he has done. "You won't be staying here for long because she's coming back to me." He said, showing her the video of Kainaat sitting in the car, her head covered with black cloth. Ishika shook in her binds, her head shaking rapidly as if Kainaat could hear her. "Now, now, you've been good till now. Don't make me hurt you." He said and Ishika screamed, the scream though muffled by the rag. "Don't worry Ishika. I won't kill your Kainaat. Not this early." He said, before gesturing Aryan to go on with their plan.
✯
"Stop. I don't think something is right here." Kabir said and the men paused. They had been surveying the area for a few minutes for now and by the echoing silence, Kabir knew something was wrong. He looked around the place once more before taking out his phone. Since it was winter, the place went dark pretty quick. Kabir opened the thermal imaging app, Kainaat had installed in his phone some time ago and began waving it around. His suspicion was proven correct when he spotted three spy cams near the pillars. "We have people watching on us. Don't act surprised of suspicious." He said and the men did so.
His eyes though widened when he looked down to close the app, only to find, some weird but familiar shapes on the ground. "Shit! Ira was right. This indeed is a trap." He exclaimed and Advik frowned, about to step forward. "What are you sayi-" "-stop! There's a landmine right under. Stop. This whole place is littered with them." Kabir cut him off and Advik's eyes widened in shock. "Somebody wanted to kill us. All of us." Shantanu said and Rahil's eyes narrowed. "Not somebody. It's Anshuman. He planned it. Ishika di was never here to begin with." He stated and Kabir nodded. "It was all a trap." He said and looked around for a way to escape. "I can't believe we are still alive. This whole place is packed." Kabir muttered.
He told everyone to move as per his directions and it took them a few minutes to walk out of the building. "If she's not here, then where the hell did he keep her?" Hardik muttered, raking his hand through his hair. "What will you do even if you know? You're not gonna live till the next sunrise." A voice called and all of them turned around to come face to face with a dozen of men, carrying weapons, sneers on their faces. "Keep atleast one alive. We need to know where she is." Hardik said as he rolled up his sleeves, watching the others do the same. "Don't expect it from me." Rahil remarked as he gestured the men to come forward. As they handled the men, the sun was completely down, the stars coming to surface.
"Rahil stop. We don't really want to kill them." Advik told his brother who was punching the life out of a man. "Stop it. Your skin will have bruises for days. What will you tell Kai?" Kabir asked, punching a man's temple as he turned to Rahil. Rahil paused instantly the moment he heard Kainaat's name and left the man, who passed out the moment his body made contact with the ground. "You, tell us where the hell is Ishika?" Hardik growled at the man who he was holding by his neck. The man wriggled in his hold but Hardik's hand just tightened around his neck. Though Hardik was suddenly pushed back when the man kicked his stomach to get out of his hold.
He ran away and towards the building to get away from them. "Oh no, no. No! Don't go there you idiot!" Shantanu yelled but he kept going. "Shit! Run! Run now!" Kabir yelled in panic. "But the man. He's our last resort." Shantanu said and Kabir grabbed his arm. "Oh yeah? We need to be alive to look for your sister. Dead beings can't do shit." He retorted and dragged him along with himself. The five of them ran away from the building, the rest goons who were still conscious dragging themselves after them. A loud blast echoed the moment they got in their cars. All of them watched as one by one, all the explosives blasted and the building turned to debris and dust, it's impact causing the ground to shake.
"Damn. If we even have survived the bomb, we wouldn't have survived that." Rahil muttered and the other four with him in the car nodded. "Well that's what we get, coming unarmed." Advik stated and sighed. "Let's go back home." Kabir told shantanu who nodded. "We can get more on her. For now, let everyone know to be on their guards. Especially you. I think the only person this attack was meant to kill was you." He said and Hardik nodded, the whole ride followed by silence.
✯
"Come on man. Chill. Why the hell are you looking around? You'll give yourself a whiplash." Ashrut told Rudraksh who sighed, trying to calm his jitters down. He was feeling anxious all of a sudden. With Ishika missing right before her wedding and Anshuman somehow still alive, every nerve of his being was telling him something was about to go wrong. "I-uh, I wanna tell you something." Rudransh suddenly said and everyone on the table turned to him. Ahaan and Aryamann who were amid a tense discussion paused and turned to him as well. "We wanted to tell you all this since we knew but couldn't because of Kai." He added and Rudraksh straightened up.
"What is it? Did something happen?" Rajveer asked in worry. "Anshuman is alive. And so is his grandfather." Rudransh stated and everyone's eyes widened. "What?!" They exclaimed in union. "We didn't say anything because we lied to Kainaat that they weren't." He explained and the group shared worried looks. "Ishika bhabhi is missing. He kidnapped her." Rudraksh added and everyone gave them bewildered looks. "And you didn't bother telling us?" Zeeshaan spat. "We didn't tell because we didn't want Kai to suspect anything." Rudransh said with a sigh. "Well what are we waiting for now? Let's go back today. They need all the help they can get." Samaira said as she stood up and the rest followed her lead.
"Exactly. Let's go. Fuck the celebration." Reeva added on. "What are going to tell Kai then smartass?" Aryamann asked and Samaira shurgged. "We'll tell her we're staying at Kabir's place and Ishika di have some errands to run. For now, let's get her." She replied and all of them ran out of the cafeteria and towards Kainaat's room. Rudraksh was the first one to reach her room and frowned the moment he opened the door. The room was empty and he looked at his friends who were frowning as well. Reeva made her way to the washroom and after knocking twice, she opened the door to find no one in there. "She's not here." She said and everyone began looking around for the girl.
"Maybe she came out for a stroll. She's here, don't worry." Eeshaan assured himself more than Rudraksh. "Let's look for her around okay?" Ashrut said and Rudraksh nodded. "Or we can check the CCTVs. We can find her easily." Lavanya suggested and everyone nodded before they made their way to the surveillance room. Rudransh sat on one of the chairs and began checking the CCTVs around the campus. "That's weird. She hasn't been out of her room after five. It's seven already." He remarked. "Play it back. She could've left the room before five." Rajveer said and Rudransh nodded. He opened the previous footage and all of them saw Kainaat running around the school, her phone in her hand.
They saw as she ran to her room and came out minutes later, wearing her black hoodie. She sneakily ran out to the back before throwing her phone to the side and disappearing from their sight. "Where'd she go?" Rudransh asked as everyone stared at the screens in shock. Rudraksh was the first one to snap out of his shock as he ran out of the room and made his way back to Kainaat's. He looked around her room to find a clue or anything which indicated where she was now. He shuffled through her wardrobe, drawers and bed, only to come empty handed. His friends who were watching him from the door, sighed in empathy. Rudraksh paused when his eyes landed on a paper laying by her desk and he picked it up.
I know what happened in Jaipur and as I write this I'm fucking furious that you guys didn't tell me. You betrayed my trust you get that? I trusted you all over something very important and you guys went forward and lied to me. So now, I don't think you all are worhty to be included in my plans. You just showed me, I shouldn't have trusted you all over this.
-KAINAAT
"She left. She knows everything." Rudraksh said as he showed the note to everyone. "We're fucked." Rudransh muttered as all of them ran back to Ahaan and Aryamann. They needed to leave for Jaipur right away if they wanted to stop Kainaat.
✯
"They are coming back. All of them." Vivaan told Hardik who was sitting in front of his laptop. He looked up, but before he could say something, his phone rang. "Sir, we need you at the front. Now." The head guard said and Hardik nodded. "What?" Kabir asked when he stood up. "The guard's calling me upfront. Something happened." He said and all of them stood up after him. They walked towards the main entrance, their eyes widening when they saw a familiar figure turning around. The moment their eyes met, Ishika ran towards Hardik, sobs retching her being as he hugged her tightly. "H-how? How are you here?" He asked but before she could reply, exhaustion washed over her and she passed out. Hardik instantly caught her and made his way inside with her in his arms, the rest following after.
"Ishika? Oh my god my daughter!" Anamika yelled when she saw Hardik carrying in Ishika. "How did you find her?" Pratap asked when he placed heron the sofa. "I didn't. She came back herself. We don't know how." He replied. "Let's ask her when she wakes up." Anya said and everyone nodded.
✯
Kainaat was pushed in somewhere by hands, the place too dark. She was pushed down after walking for a few minutes and a chair welcomed her. Her hands were tied with chain which rattled when someone removed the cloth from her head. As she adjusted to the lights, she came face to face with Aryan, her eyes widening in shock when Anshuman emerged from behind him. "Hey there. It's been a long time hasn't it?" He asked, a sly smirk on his face.
7858 Words
How the tables have turned. Anshuman has finally gotten what he wanted.
What do you guys think he'll do?
PS. I really didn't meant to leave it on cliffhanger but well.
Anyway, I wanna hear what you guys think so please comment.
XOXO,
AVI