Second update today! I'm sorry for the short chapters, but I set a word limit so that it's easy for me to complete them. I'll combine two or three chapters in the final version of this book. Sorry for any errors. Hope you guys like my work!
Love,
Mugdha Mittal :)
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Kimaya woke up late the next morning. She skipped college for attending her mother's exhibition. It was already 10 AM by the time she woke up.
Oh shit! She thought. Her mother's art show started at 11:30, and would go on till 5 in the evening. And the place of the show was half an hour away. Which meant that she had just an hour to get ready, have breakfast, and complete anything else she needed to do.
Kimaya rushed to the washroom, and in half an hour, she was ready. It was an important day for her too, and she needed to be ready for it. She put on a pretty floral dress, to match with the colours of the art gallery, and white wedgies. A bit of lip gloss and eye liner, and she was ready to go. She made herself some sandwiches and packing them up, she got into the car. She could eat in the car too. Even if she generally never was, this was the one time Kimaya wanted to be on time.
She reached the gallery forty five minutes later, thanks to traffic. Just fifteen minutes for the show to begin, and Kimaya could notice a few cars parked, indicating the presence of a few eager people.
"Mom!" She cried, spotting Mrs. Verma, doing some last minute preparations. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"Come on Kim. You slept late enough last night. I didn't think it would matter so much if you were a little late to the exhibition."
"But this is important for me too, you know! Thank God I woke up just in time!"
"I know, sweetie. You look fabulous, by the way."
"Thanks, mum," said Kimaya, smiling.
"It's time. Get ready, Kim."
Kimaya nodded, uncertainly. Her mom gave her an encouraging smile, walking forward to welcome the audience. Soon, people were flooding in. Kimaya was proud of her mother. She was an outstanding artist, and had gained enormous success.
After half an hour, Mrs. Verma took her daughter's hand, and led her up a little stage.
"And now, my friends," announced Mrs. Verma, "I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Kimaya Verma. She is not a fan of painting, but trust me, she has magic in her hands. Now unveiling, her first artwork."
A worker brought in Kimaya's painting - she had made it just last night. It was a request - more of a challenge - from one of Mrs. Verma's friends. However amazing her mother was at art, Kimaya didn't like painting. She used to be a horrible artist when she was little, and had never tried it again. But last night, when her mother tried to show her how, Kimaya had come out with a masterpiece.
People clapped, and a magazine reporter asked Kimaya to say something. This was something Kimaya was not prepared for. She was still pretty much anti-social, and had no plans of giving a speech. But well, she had to. Her mom gave her a little push, asking her to speak just a few words, and then she'd take over. Mrs. Verma was completely aware of her daughter's fears, and protected her.
"Well.. I.. I'm not really an artist. In fact, I don't think I even knew how to hold a brush. I used to be a terrible artist when I was young,but when I tried now, it seemed interesting and amazing. Well, my mother is an amazing artist, and nothing is impossible, so here I am. Every credit of this painting goes to my mother, except that I'm the one who painted it." Kimaya added with a laugh. She stepped off the stage, and suddenly realized that though she had not said much, she was not the least shy, and had actually been able to a little funny on-stage.
Soon, the people were just looking around at the displays, some of them inquiring about purchasing them. Kimaya looked for her mother and found her talking to her friend and a stranger. She walked up to them.
"I told you, Clarisse. My daughter can paint if she wants. You saw the proof today," Kimaya heard her mother say.
"Yes, Anisha. I'm sorry to have said that your daughter can't paint. Well, all these years, and not a single artwork from her. It was just a little... Hard to believe," said Mrs. Verma's friend, Clarisse.
"That's all right," said Mrs. Verma. "Kimaya can paint - she is just not interested. I don't want to force her to do something she doesn't love."
Kimaya glowed. She was glad she had such an understanding mom.
"Actually, a friend of mine had thought about this. You know, about Kimaya not being an artist? Aakash here is a big fan of yours. When he came to know that I know you personally, he asked me to tell him more about you, and when I told him about Kimaya, he started wondering why she had never painted. So I asked you," said Clarisse.
"Hello, Mrs. Verma," said Aakash, extending his hand. Kim's mom shook his hand politely. Aakash continued speaking. "I love your paintings. They are beautiful. You are extremely talented."
Kimaya's mother smiled. " Thank you, Mr.---" Mrs. Verma wondered what his surname was.
"You can call me Aakash," he said, amicably. "It's Aakash Singh, by the way."
"Alright," said Mrs. Verma. "Thank you Aakash."
"And this is your daughter, I suppose?" Asked Aakash, looking at Kimaya.
"Yes," said Mrs. Verma, proudly.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Singh," said Kimaya.
"Good afternoon, Kimaya. It's a pleasure to meet you, you are a great artist," said Mike.
"Thank you. It is all because of my mother though."
"I am sure you are brilliant. What do you intend to do when you grow up, anyway?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure," said Kimaya. But in her head, she thought, liar. Kimaya knew exactly what she wanted to become. Except that only Astrid knew about it. No one else.
Just then, a media person dragged Kimaya away to her painting to get a couple of photographs.
"Excuse me," she said to Aakash.
The journalist soon left her alone, and Kim stared at her painting, shocked that she could do it in just a few hours. She was glad that she made her mother proud.
"Nice work," said someone behind her. The voice was too familiar and too close for Kimaya's liking.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Asked Kimaya, without turning back. It was her old captor.
"It's an art show. Anyone can attend it, right?"
"Yes, but... What if someone sees us together?"
"You didn't even turn. Besides, no one can recognize me at the first glance."
"What?" Kimaya turned around.
Her captor's hair was dyed a medium brown, along with a pair of light brown lenses. The complexion of this person was already light, so, the new eye and hair color didn't look too striking. Kimaya couldn't help but gasp.
"Stop staring. Now who is giving us away?" Smirked her captor.
"Sorry!" Kimaya muttered, turning away.
Kimaya heard a chuckle, and then her captor walked away.
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The Sun had fallen below the horizon by the time Kimaya and her mother reached home. Kimaya's mom went inside the kitchen to get something to eat, and came back with some snacks and juice.
"I'm proud of you Kimaya," said Mrs. Verma.
Kimaya glowed. "I just wish dad was here to see this," She replied. Kimaya's father was in the real estate business, and was most often out of town. She loved her dad a lot, and couldn't help but feel sad that he wasn't there at an important time in her life.
But in one way, she was glad too. The lesser the people, the lesser the chance of her getting caught. And the lesser the chance of them getting affected. Kimaya sighed. She wished she didn't have to be caught up in this mess. But there was no more any way out of this.
As she lay in bed that night, Kimaya wondered what to do next. After half an hour of thinking, she decided that all she could do was let things continue with their own pace. She couldn't think of a single idea; it was a miracle how she was able to think up a good idea in the coffee shop.
Kimaya had enjoyed at the show today. But she didn't have the least idea about a pair of eyes; the pair which had been following her ever since she visited the club with Astrid; the pair with the cunning gleam.
(Vote and comment, it would mean a lot to me!)