Part 23 - Doesn't kill you

The day had begun like any other day, nothing was unusual about it. Everyone woke up on time. Got ready and went to their respective daily activities.

But Vysna's mood was sour that day. She had got ready for school half-heartedly and was in no mood for the classes as well.

Till lunch break, she had reluctantly sat through the lessons and not paid any attention.

But at lunch, Vysna noticed Meghana sitting beside her and remembered that it was her birthday. Meghana had been yapping about her upcoming birthday for almost a month now, but today, she was awfully quiet. She had not even asked what she had brought for lunch. She had quietly got the tray of food from the canteen counter and sat staring at it. After a while, Vysna noticed that she had not touched her food and was pushing it around on her plate.

" Hey," Vysna said, snapping Meghana out of her silence. " Are you unwell?" She asked.

" No, I am fine," she replied, as she stuffed her face with fried rice.

" You don't look fine," she said, smiling faintly. Each day Meghana talked about any and everything and had also finished most of the contents of Vysna's tiffin. But today she had not asked what she had brought for lunch. And that was bothering Vysna.

" Meg," Vysna called out. It was the nickname she had given her.

" It's nothing, really..." She replied.

Then Vysna took out a separate box from her bag and opened it in front of Meghana. Meghana's eyes widened when she noticed the contents of the box. There were mini cupcakes, each with different types of icing on them. Some had fondant, some had buttercream, a few had cream cheese, and a few had ganache.

Meghana's smile widened and she looked a bit cheered up.

" You remembered?" She said.

" How can I not? You wouldn't let me forget. You have been reminding me for the past month." Vysna jested.

" Ha...ha ...ha... very funny." Meghana scrunched her nose.

Vysna laughed. " Okay, now pick whichever you like," she said and peeped in the box.

Meghana picked a strawberry cupcake with strawberry compote and whipped cream topping. She held it to Vysna's mouth. She noticed that she had a tear glistening in her eye.

Vysna opened her mouth and closed it again. " What's wrong?" she asked.

Tears started rolling from her eyes." I miss my home," she said.

This was her first birthday away from home. That's why she had been reminding Vysna about it for a month. Because she had nobody to celebrate it with.

"Every year my Papa baked a special cake for me. And my Mummy, my sis and my brother arranged a surprise party for me." She said, sulking in her chair.

" Oh, come here," Vysna spread her hands for a hug. She immediately hugs her. She could feel the pain of missing her family. If you don't have the ones you love around you on your special day, the day itself becomes cumbersome and painful.

" Thanks," Meghana said, in a low voice.

Her father owned a bakery in the old part of the city. The bakery itself was very old, handed down from generation to generation. Meghana's mother was a Partham and that's why Meghana and her two siblings had to give the Legacy tests. Meghana was selected and separated from her family and now she was not allowed to meet them even if it was her birthday.

" Don't mention it, what are friends for," Vysna smiled.

Meg looked much more at ease after the hug. Together they finished most of the cupcakes.

Then she saw her frowning and staring at someone.

" What's wrong now?" Vysna asked.

" It's just ... Nothing."

" It's nothing? Your face shows it," Vysna pointed out.

Meghana sighed," I don't know whether I should be sad or angry that I have to share my birthday with her." She gestured at Anika who was standing and cutting a large birthday cake in front of them. " Her cronies have been acting like hyperactive hamsters yesterday, announcing in every class that it was Anika's birthday tomorrow."

She was surrounded by a group of students, either willingly or unwillingly, singing a happy birthday song to her while she stabbed the cake. Anika looked like she had made a special effort to get ready today. She was wearing a red corset mini dress with black tie-up heels, fake lashes and nails. She looked even more bony and thin with her legs propped up on the heels like sticks, her long neck craned and collar bones protruding above the neckline of her corset. If, for some reason, Anika stumbled on those heels, she might break into two; she shook the thoughts aside and paid attention to Meghana again.

" It's just the date that you share. The two of you are poles apart in personality. Nobody's going to clump you up with her." Vysna said, patting Meg's shoulder. She wondered whether Meghana wished that she had done the same and arranged a big school party, the same as Anika's minions had done. She knew most of the people surrounding Anika were there only for the free cake and snacks.

" Yeah, you are right... Forget about her let's finish the muffins..." Meghana said.

" No way, I am full already." She said," And I have to leave for work too."

" Oh yeah, how's that going on for you," she asked.

" It's horrendous," Vysna sighed, " we are back at the office due to the mishap that happened last week."

" Were you all not able to solve the problem?" She asked.

Vysna nodded," we had to shut the excavation site down completely." She threw her head back in aggravation.

" And the office had been boring to the core. Even my team leader has been ignoring me. She still thinks that I caused it... I have been trying to convince her for so long that it wasn't me. But she won't even look at me. I might as well give up. They won't be taking me for on-site research ever again." Vysna had tried her level best to stay positive about the situation but couldn't do it.

" No, don't give up. They cannot do that. You are good at it. They will have to consider you. "

" Hmm... Like they say, 'whatever doesn't kill you' - "

" Gives you trauma..."

" Nooo," she was shocked,"  no Meg... Makes you stronger ..."  She furrowed her brows. " Where the hell did you read that..." She chuckled.

Meghana shrugged.

" You truly are one of a kind..." Vysna said, smiling.

After lunch, Vysna decided to freshen up and then leave for work. She had her EV now and didn't have to leave in a hurry. When she entered the washroom she heard someone cry in one of the cubicles.

She stood there for a while but then couldn't bear the suspense. So she knocked on the cubicle door, " Hey there, are you okay?"

There was no response.

" Hello? Are you okay? Do you need help?" she asked.

" No..." Vysna heard a familiar voice.

" Anika?" She asked," Do you need anything? I can get it for you."

The door opened a little and she was peeking out of the cubicle. Her eyes were red; her mascara was running down her face, and the foundation had clumped up on her cheeks. Vysna took out a tissue and handed it to her.

"Thanks..." She croaked and took it from her hand. She got out of the cubicle and went to the sink. She looked at her face and started the faucet. She began to cry again.

" Do you want to talk about it?" Vysna asked. But didn't expect her to respond.

Anika stood staring at her for a while. Then she sniffled. " I miss home..."

Vysna was taken aback by the sudden revelation. But she didn't say anything and waited for her to speak.

Anika's parents were divorced when she was six. She lived with her mother and older sister. Her mother was a human, the only daughter of a diamond merchant and Anika's father, too, was a filthy rich man. He owned coal mines and a lot of land in the coastal region. After the tests and selection, she had to leave her mother's house and live with her mostly absent father.

Meghana had gathered all the information about Anika stating to Vysna that it was always better to know your enemies. God alone could tell what goes around in that brain of her, Vysna thought.

" Um, I understand, I am sorry," Vysna said.

" I don't want your pity. " she sniffled again.

" My mom always arranged a grand birthday party for me at The Flur-de-Lis. All my friends were invited and there was at least a three-tier cake." She splashed water on her face. All the makeup she had ran down the sinkhole." And now I am stuck with these two who can only arrange a party in the school." She splashed some more water and then washed off the mascara.

" Is it the only reason why you are crying?" Vysna asked, looking at her intently.

After a long silence.

" No..." She whimpered.

" I miss my sister, she always got me ready and brought me gifts and chocolates and took me out to the street for a late night junk eating... And I miss all that and I don't think I will ever again be able to enjoy that time with her. I hate being here; I hate my quiet home, and I hate not being able to go out anywhere at my will and do things on my own. I hate it, I hate it all..." she vented out and huffed. "Tissue?" She asked her, holding her hand out.

Vysna handed her the entire packet.

" The friends you have here are loyal to you. They'd follow you anywhere... You are like a goddess to them, isn't it? They informed the entire school about your birthday and got them to celebrate it with you, didn't they? ...

You have a little left below your eye," she tapped under her eye.

Anika looked into the mirror and wiped it. " Yes, they are true followers. Almost the entire school was there, wasn't it ?" she said.

Vysna nodded. Now that her attention was diverted to the popularity that she possessed she looked calmer. Vysna took out one of the cupcakes that Meghana had given her to carry to the office and eat it later. She held it in front of Anika, gesturing for her to have it.

" I don't eat carbs." She tilted her head.

Vysna pressed her lips together and was about to put it back in her bag.

" But cheat days are allowed, " she said and took the cake from her hand and gobbled it within seconds.

" I had not eaten cake for almost a year now, this was so good," she said as she licked her lips.

Vysna handed her another one; she quickly grabbed it and swallowed it whole." Slow down, or you will choke," she said.

Anika wiped her face and applied makeup, a little subtle this time.

" I should leave I am getting late," Vysna said and was about to turn and leave.

" Thanks,"  she heard and turned to look at Anika.

Vysna gave a small nod.

" And also this never happened..." Anika said, wavy her finger between the two of them. " You never met me after school. Got it?" She looked at her sternly.

" What are you even talking about?" Vysna said.

" This... Our conversation never happened. Nobody should know-"

" What are you talking about? " She said nonchalantly and raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

Anika got the hint and nodded.

Vysna turned around and walked out of the washroom. She took out her phone and called Meghana.

" Listen, be ready at six thirty and wear something nice. I will call you when I reach downstairs...

Don't ask questions, just be ready okay...

I will see you," she said and cut the call.

She reached the office on time. She took a long breath as she settled in her seat. The day so far was quite eventful.

A woman named Sana, brought a pile of folders and placed it front of her on the table." These are the entries for today. Better you finish it within an hour or two." She said and gave her a look that Vysna couldn't decipher. Maybe the rumour of her ruining the site had spread more than she had imagined.

She sighed and got to work and gruelling two hours of entries after entries, she finally put her hands above her head and stretched. She noticed Shanka Bali walking towards her desk; getting anxious, she fidgeted with the files on her desk.

" Hello, Vysna, good afternoon," he said and smiled at her.

" Good afternoon, sir," she replied.

" How many times..." He sighed and shook his head." I wanted to look at the papers that you had showed me the last time, of the site that we were working on..."

" Oh, they are just notes, sir. Observations that I found interesting."

"Yes, I would like to read them. If you don't mind."

" I don't mind at all." She started digging under the pile of folders she had kept on her desk. " Uh... They should be here... Somewhere," said said apologetically.

Where do the things go when you need them she thought and cursed under her breath. He was waiting patiently.

" Fine, get it to my office once you find it. I will wait," he said.

" Sure sir," she said, nodding vigorously.

He stood staring for a while and then left.

Vysna got up from her seat and started searching for the papers. Then she remembered that she had kept it inside the drawer. So, she opened it and took them out.

She was about to leave but then stopped and thought of going through her notes once again, in case she had written something nonsensical.

She sat back down and read through the notes.

" Wait a minute," she scanned through the pages again and then took out the file which had details of the site they were working on. She carried both the file and the papers along with her.

First, she went to Shanka's office and submitted the papers.

" Excellent, I will give them back to you when I finish reading them," he said.

"Yes, sir." She said and left his office.

She then went straight to Reeba's desk with the file she was carrying. She was busy writing something and didn't look up at her.

Vysna cleared her throat to get her attention. She looked up, practically glaring at her.

" I uh... I am sorry to disturb you but there is something I wanted to show you," she said and placed the file in front of her.

" What is it?" she said.

Vysna moved to her side. I studied the entire lot of files that were given to me before we went to the temple site. So, before reading the files related to the temple site, I studied a bunch of other sites just to get an idea of what I was going to get to see. The peculiarity that I noticed was that each of these sites was near a water body, either a lake, a river, or an estuary."

"So? Many sites are located near water bodies," she said, furrowing her brows.

" Yes but only four among them had these particular symbols etched, either on a monolith at the entrance or on the main entrance of the temples. And the weird part is that each of these sites which have these symbols, are believed to have underground chambers. Only two of them have been excavated."

Reeba's expressions changed." Show which of them have these." She peeped into the papers with more curiosity.

" See these four. They seemed to be particularly related to the water element. That's what I have observed. The water element is prominent only within the sites that have underground chambers. As if they were built underwater."

" Hmm... this is interesting. Good observation. I will make a detailed study of it." she said.

Vysna smiled and left. She was happy that at least Reeba had a conversation with her. She was her only means to get back into the team again.

Later in the evening when she was about to leave, Reeba walked to her desk and stood near it.

Vysna looked at her quizzically.

She placed a few papers in front of her and smirked.

"What are these?" she asked.

" Study them in the next three days, I don't want you to be a blank dud when we go there."

Vysna stood up from her seat and walked to her side." Go where? To the new site?"

Reeba nodded. Vysna squealed and hugged her. Reeba stood there frozen. She let go of her immediately and said, "Sorry and thank you."

Reeba was too stupefied to answer.

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Hello, my beautiful readers 💕

It feels good to write again. Sorry to keep you all waiting for this long. Hopefully, my laptop will remain steady henceforth. Fingers crossed.

I have uploaded the new character reel on my Instagram, do check it out and DM me if you think they fit the bill and if you all like them. Link in my profile bio.

Did you find the story interesting so far? Share your thoughts in the comments.

And also I have uploaded songs for each chapter of both of my stories. Do let me know if you think they suit the emotions and themes of the chapter, and if you have any suggestions, DM me the songs on Instagram. If I find your suggestions better I will change the songs.

I will be more consistent with the updates. Happy Weekend.

Loads of love

RTW ❤️