Ava continued to stare her with wide eyes without giving away any feelings and this brought Amelia to edge. They had been together like forever but Ava never gave her such silent treatment. She would scold her for her stupidity but would never go in silent mode. This was peculiar tonight.
"Well, I must say you two are going on same level of intelligence. I didn't expect this from you little tigress." Ethan broke the silence in an eerie tone and sat back on the coach.
It was first time someone spoke after Ashley and Amelia declared that they accepted the proposal of Honey and Dhruv respectively. The two didn't dare to look at each other but somehow it was clear the two didn't like the other being in relationship, the reason unknown.
The two now in relationship.
She with Dhruv.
And,
Ashley with Honey.
Amelia ignored the bitter taste on the thought of Ashley with Honey. Maybe she was just concerned for her friend, wasn't she?
"My life, my choice." Amelia said dryly. "Shall we get on what we find about Azaad and whatever?"
Ava glared her almost snatching her breath and looked away angrily, finally gave a sarcastic smile as if saying that yeah they should forget the two had just doomed themselves. Did they? Really?
"Cool. Congrats to you two." Archie smiled tightly and sat beside Ava.
Amelia looked at Ashley who seemed grumpy. She sat beside Ethan and waited for him to sit too but he kept on standing. Amelia looked away angrily.
Why should she care? Just because he is now in relationship with her friend? Nah!
Amelia herself was shocked that Honey proposed Ashley and he accepted was another level of shock but she ignored the truth by trying to bring Dhruv in their meeting of finding about past but Ashley strictly denied.
Her stubbornness didn't work either. His eyes held strange rage and determination regarding this matter that she had to bow for first time.
"So what did you guys find apart from a person who can handle your attitude?" Archie asked looking at Ashley with a glint.
Ashley glared Archie. "I think that's an achievement that shall last for week. So spit what you found."
"Fancy way of saying you failed in your mission." Archie said with a smirk.
Ashley looked away.
"I found nothing either." Ethan mumbled with disinterest before anyone could question him.
"But I did find something." Archie pulled out his smartphone proudly.
He started the hologram and showed the articles that seemed to be part of old newspapers. Amelia edged forward to see the picture and read the headline.
The Massacre of Elites of Dehradun: A Cold Case with Blazing Questions.
They all exchanged glances before directing their attention in reading the article.
There were three long paragraphs on the biography of Azaad family: explaining how they shifted to Dehradun and reached the heights within short period; their life and their popularity; their kids and their success.
Second last paragraph consisted of their sudden demise in a peculiar manner; a sudden fire in Azaad mansion that killed the elders while youngsters were on a trip; the kids along with Armaan Malik, fiance of Mahira, rushing back to their home only to die in an unfortunate accident on a dangerous turn of mountain.
And the lastly there were various speculations without any concrete evidences, the most striking being: the strange disappearance of whole Raichand family on the death of their rivals turned friends, Azaad and Malik, leaving the questions if they were responsible for this bizarre events that shocked Dehradun.
"Its... Weird." Amelia remarked narrowing her eyes, going through the information again and again.
"It is." Archie agreed.
"Raichands can be involved." Amelia said.
"I don't think so." Ashley countered.
"They can actually be involved particularly that Abhay Raichand." Amelia spat looking at him in eye.
"Why are you blaming someone just because he got my face?" Ashley asked point black.
"Who cares for your face?" Amelia mocked him. "And you're not Abhay so stop defending them."
"Raichand may or may not be involved but Azaad family ain't saint either." Ava spoke for first time.
Turning to Ava confused, they waited for to explain.
"Why would you say so?" Archie asked.
"Because even though its mentioned that Raichand and Malik arrived very abruptly in Dehradun with no records whatsoever, Azaad family lived in Dehradun for more than two decades and yet there's too little information for such an influential family living for so long in a small city." Ava explained.
Silently looking back at the article, it was clear that Azaad family lived a very secret life. The suspicious on lack of information hidden by a a very thick veil of their popularity and occasion parties. A game played well for reasons unknown.
"I'll try to find about them more on archive sites." Ashley said, the task only he could perform.
"Try to see if you can find T address or anything about any of those Azaad, Raichand or Malik on college site." Archie added.
Ashley nodded thoughtfully. It was reasonable enough. The tri-families were linked somehow beyond their sudden cozy relations.
"Ethan, try to find about their house, if it exists, and if we can go search it." Ava turned to Ethan who was silently gazing the picture of Azaad family with Malik and Raichand included.
"Sure." Ethan forced a smile to Ava.
"And I'll find about this girl, Misha Dobriyal, who lived the accident but her condition wasn't normal anymore." Amelia said pointing at the little information wrote separately in a box.
"We too will try to find about any information we can find through locals or any way possible." Archie said with a nod.
"Forward me this article, I'll ask my informants to dig in further." Ava said to Archie and he nodded.
The meeting concluded and they decided to give each other a break. It seemed no one was in mood to stay in anyone's company.
Even Ava made her way away from Archie in a very thoughtful manner, as if disturbed by everything happening to her and now the blasted news of Amelia relationship.
"Ava," Amelia backtracked and reached to Ava on finding her alone.
"We aren't having proper conversation, I wonder why?" Amelia said in an effort to hide her nervousness to question her opinion regarding her new found relationship.
"I think you have grown up enough to not care for my opinion, maybe that's why." Ava forced a smile, floundering Amelia.
"Ava?" Shock appeared on her face. "I'll be never away from you. And your opinion matter for me."
"Apparently not when you've made your mind." Ava said with a sigh and small smile.
"Is it about Dhruv? Isn't he nice boy, Ava?" Amelia asked taking her delicate hand in hers.
"Doesn't matter since you both are together now, does it?" Ava asked pulling away her hand to show her displeasure regarding the matter.
"What's the problem, Ava?"
"None." Ava looked away.
"You don't approve him, do you?" Amelia asked cautiously. "Why, Ava?"
Ava finally had enough. Sighing, she looked at Amelia in her eyes.
"No and if you want my advice then break up with him. He is not good for you. Neither I think you have emotions for him, Amelia." Ava said.
"Then who do you think is better for me?" Amelia crossed her arms.
"Ashley." Ava said without any hesitation.
"Are you out of your mind Ava? You know about that guy." Amelia turned angry.
"Don't tell me your decision is related to your own relationship." Amelia looked at Ava with distrust and accusations.
"No. My decision is based on what I saw and I can clearly see you both are better together and actually care for each other despite whatever you guys show. " Ava said.
"Are you sure you're talking about me and Ashley? That madman? If you haven't forgotten then he too has started a relationship with my friend and you think he is a better choice for me and I should break up with Dhruv." Amelia said hurt and angry.
"I don't know what's wrong with you Ava but I think you have lost it." Amelia looked at her broken and walked away angrily.
Ava watched her going and closed her eyes in desperation. It didn't go well like it should. She didn't handle it the way she could.
Yeah, Amelia was right, there was everything wrong with her. If not for the strange issue, she might've handled Amelia better and made her understand what she and Ashley were doing was insane. But she blew it up. Said it in a way that she must've sound mad herself.
What has she done?
.
Body covered in a fancy black robe, spy talked in hush tone with Audra while Samay stared them passively from distance. He wasn't included in this secret meeting and he cared less. The last meeting was enough to give him jitters for long time and he didn't want to just stand uncomfortably as the spy talked, seemingly, with more authority than him.
He was better off these weird humans and his own creation of deranged Vampire.
His mind drifted to the time when he lived happily with his own specie and his own clan. Those moments when they would hunt animals or live among humans faking themselves to be human while laughing at their folly. Those were the golden moments until everything spiraled out of control just because their own turned rogue and the powerful lost in their power tried to play with the power of nature.
Fingers clenched, he let the dark droplets fall on barren ground with patches of snow. If only they could've known it beforehand and controlled the disaster that ruined their beautiful world of darkness. His clan wouldn't have meet the untimely death then. He wouldn't have been trapped with this loon then.
"I'll take the revenge for it or I'll die trying, I promise. I promise." Samay thought opening his fist ignoring the blood and pain as his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Its a good news."
Samay jerked to Audra, his eyes covering the emotions as the wave receded in hiding to wait for the right time to attack.
"What's the news?" Samay asked hungry for the miserable condition of those scums.
"Everything is going as per plan. The fools are becoming blind in emotions. When we will strike they'll be so apart from each other and so broken that the news of betrayal will destroy them before our last attack can." Audra relished their future win.
But Samay was still hungry for more than just speculations. He looked away disappointed. Maybe if he could operate on his own then things would turn better.
"I'll win this anyway." Samay told himself silently.
"What did the spy inform?" Samay asked in deadly calm voice covering his anger.
"For now, new relationships are formed. A proposal that seemed to go well but may be a problem in future." Audra shrugged while a knowing glint shone in his eyes.
Samay knew what that meant. At least, they could handle this well. A small small came on their small victory.