Aryan returned to the broken shack which those men had allotted to his family. Nandini who was changing cold strips to tame Aashi's fever got on her feet and ran to him.
"Did you find them?" She asked impatiently.
Aryan shook his head and walked to his sister to avoid Nandini's insistent gaze.
"What do you mean you didn't find them?" Nandini shouted while Aryan looked at her terrified. He gestured her to speak lowly while she started to pace across the room.
"I can't sit here," She mumbled to herself and then looked at sick Aashi.
"Those men are on prawl. One wrong step and we all would be executed," Aryan warned reading Nandini's face.
"I don't care," She mumbled and reality again hit her like thunderbolt.
"My sick father is out there. Do you understand?" She yelled and Aryan rushed to her to lower down her pitch. Covering her mouth, he reminded her about ears which wall had grown.
"Let the dawn arrive, I will go out and find your father," Aryan tried to write down a vague promise to calm her down.
Nandini kept looking at him opaquely. Her eyes had so much beyond that water, Aryan couldn't ever withstand those eyes. He looked away not knowing how to untangle the new knots.
"I wonder where my dear brother had disappeared," He murmured as he walked back to Aashi.
He didn't hear Nandini for few seconds and turned around dreading how she was gone. But she was standing there, looking to be in some inner battle.
"Can you promise me something?" She asked, her eyes set on unconscious Aashi.
"What?" Aryan asked horrified.
"Keep her safe and alive till I come back," She asked finally meeting Aryan's unsure gaze.
"Can you do it?" She asked with newly found stability.
Aryan couldn't utter a word. He was asked to take care of his own sister whom he loved dearly. Was he that incapable? He pondered with a blood sucked face.
He nodded fervently, maybe wanting Nandini to know how he cared for Aashi. Nandini walked to Aashi and kissed her burning forehead. Her lips mumbled some prayers before she stormed out of that cabin.
______________________
Nandini walked amid a sleeping village where ghosts of pain murmured the curses of hell. She could hear faint cries of infants, sobs of tormented lasses and she wanted to cover her ears. Her hair were veil to her face as she walked amid the horror. She didn't want to get caught. She knew her fate if she does. Drunkards moaned in delight as she walked amid them. Their claws tried to touch her flesh while she dodged them like raindrops duck the spots where they don't strike.
Her feet worked faster, her mind ran errands. She thought she could explode any moment. She saw herself reaching secluded end of that colony and she didn't know if this was good news or bad. Gathering her wet wisps, she tucked them inside her coat. Entering the forest, she dared not to look back. She could feel hands reaching her any moment, she wanted to be a kid who didn't dare to look back and made it back downstairs. Her heart pumped blood at a speed she wondered even existed and before she could notice any further, she was away from human terror. She looked back finally and saw darkness. She sighed in relief. She wasn't sure if she was at right point or not. But she remembered they brought her here through this passage. She had snapped the trees and smelt the scent of night. But then they all looked same, didn't they?
She ran onto trail trying to locate those two persons who mattered the most. Her eyes scanned each nook of that dark forest. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. Her eyelids froze in cold of night and spirit hit the lowest. She could see fog turning into white. It was time for dawn to strike. She pressed her lips trying not to cry and winced as soon as her skin stretched. Cold had cemented her in and out.
"Papaaaa," She finally shouted not worrying about getting caught.
Echo of her call died and she again howled, "Manikkkk."
Nothing returned after a point.
"Where are you?" She mumbled to herself as she walked over a broken bridge. She stood at middle and looked around. Stream was gentle beneath her feet. Fog had bathed the place in white of cold. She tried to move her legs but it seemed like they had given up. She didn't know where to go now.
She let out a helpless sob and held the parapet to support herself. She had lost most precious belongings of her life, she didn't know what to do.
"Come back," She yelled letting out the frustration. Her sobs filled the quiet of place.
"Please," She begged lowly.
Blinking the tears away, she looked into mist and she could tell chimera was striking. She could see them coming back. She blinked again and there was nothing. Mist was rolling in air. She walked towards the fancy absentmindedly and this time blink of eye brought glimpse of her father. He was walking towards her with his head hung low. She smiled and ran to capture the will-o'-the-wisp. If she wasn't wrong, she had blinked three times and he didn't disappear. She believed she could capture him. She ran faster and didn't stop till the time she had secured him in her arms.
"Papa," She murmured as his cold figure got wrapped in her arms. It wasn't an illusion. She gasped and parted to look at him. His eyes twinkled as he registered how his daughter was standing in front of him. He smiled and pulled her into a warm hug.
"Nandini," He whispered and that was when Nandini believed how she had found him. She cried honoring the relief her heart had found. She kept snuggling into her father till the time she made herself believe.
"Where had you disappeared?" She asked examining him as she parted. He had a cut on his forehead which wasn't too deep.
He didn't answer but turned around to look at someone. Nandini followed his gaze and saw a contour walking in mist. It wasn't hard to guess how she had found the other half of her heart. Nandini didn't take a second more and ran to catch him before mist takes a turn.
Manik's feet halted for second or two as he saw Nandini running towards him. He finally breathed. He never had nightmares in his life but now he knew how it felt to be out of one of those. His feet worked and brows jiggled as he strode towards her. She halted a step away from him while he ruined her space and grabbed her in arms as tight as he could.
Nandini felt her feet leaving the ground as he pushed each pore of hers into himself.
"Do you have any idea what thoughts ran into my mind not finding you?" His hoarse voice touched her ears and she kissed side of his neck finally letting go of all the reluctance. His breathing was uneven and she knew that masculine man was having a fragile moment. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and Manik smiled. It was a long, long time.
Putting her down on ground, he grabbed her cold face in his palms and looked into her teary eyes which conveyed so much. All her frigidity was a veil to this sheer love. He wondered what had he done to deserve her. She parted her lips to say something but he couldn't wait. He kissed those slightly purple lips tentatively. Nandini couldn't lie, his touch took away all the misery. Before she could want it longer, he withdrew. Their breaths mingled as they both absorbed each other.
"Where had you disappeared?"
"Where were you?"
They both asked at the same time. Her gentle worry and his furious demand, contrast was intact.
"That gunshot," He spoke.
"I thought I lost you both," She said in a heavy voice.
His thumb dismissed the escaped prisoners of her eyes.
"Thank you," Nandini murmured as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
Manik knew that tone. She thought he had brought her father to her. It was the partial truth. Mr Murthy had found him, that was the complete version. He looked at Mr Murthy who was intently looking at his daughter. Manik was suddenly clouded, it was like a new darkness had engulfed him.
___________________________
"And the other girl?" One of mafia associates asked. Aryan's smile faded away and he focused on knife which that man was sharpening. It was broad daylight and Aashi's fever had finally subsided. Aryan had come out to take some warmth of early sun.
"She is a friend," Aryan asked unsure. Gleam on that man's face could tell what was running into his mind.
"Your beloved?" He asked and Aryan sighed.
"No," He answered immediately.
"Just a friend whom we found on course," He elaborated.
"Now you have told," That man stood up looking at his sharp knife, "My bosses have their eyes on that beauty."
Aryan noticed the smirk playing on his lips and gulped. They were at very wrong place. He needed to find Nandini so that they all could leave the place at earliest.
"Who is he?" Query of that man brought Aryan out of his worry. He looked up and saw Manik walking towards them. Nandini followed him.
Aryan couldn't believe how Nandini had found him. Mr Murthy wasn't with them, he couldn't believe how Nandini had returned without him. He didn't know if he was relieved or not but his heart was less worried now seeing Manik.
"Manik," He mumbled and that man looked at him demanding an answer.
"He is my brother," Aryan answered.
That man walked to Manik while people around gathered expecting a new drama.
Manik refused to look away while that man scrutinized him.
"Where were you last night?" That man asked.
"He got lost in jungle," Nandini answered not trusting Manik with wise words.
Manik kept scowling at that man for no reason.
"What's your name?" That man inched closer to Manik and tried to intimidate him by drawing a physical supremacy.
Manik didn't answer but kept looking at him vaguely.
"His name is Manik," Aryan answered and glared his brother for drawing unnecessary attention.
"I have to inform my masters," He said and stepped back. Nandini kept looking at that man till the time he disappeared amid crowd.
"Another pet," Manik mumbled loud enough for Aryan to hear. Aryan pursed his lips in irritation. He believed how he never wanted Manik back.
_____________________
Nandini entered the cabin to see Aashi and Manik talking to each other in peace. An immediate relief engulfed her. It was long since brother and sister had behaved normal around each other.
"Here," Nandini handed bowl of soup to Aashi and Aashi smiled.
"Where is uncle?" Aashi asked as next thing.
"I couldn't bring him here so he is staying in forest till night," Nandini answered.
Aashi's doubtful face made Nandini elaborate further.
"People would recognize him in no time, Aashi," She said and Aashi realized what Nandini was talking about.
"We will leave tonight," Manik declared getting up.
"This place isn't for us," He added sensing the vibe.
Nandini and Aashi knew what that place was. They couldn't wait to get away.
"You," A man peeped in and three of them got baffled.
"Out now," That man told Manik.
Manik walked outside leaving a worried Nandini behind. She didn't know what was next.
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Unedited*
A/N
Hello there :)
How are you all? It's been long since I updated. And I apologize for sudden disappearance. Here I am with a short update. My schedule isn't much helpful. Life is being best at troubling me. :P
I would try to update frequently. Maybe updates would be shorter but I would try to update once in a week. *Fingers Crossed*
Loads of Love
Aditi