It was just a little over five in the evening but the sky had already started to darken when Hamsa walked out of the college building along with her close friend Gauri who was a simple looking girl from a poor family. As both Hamsa and Gauri's tastes were simple and alike, they both stuck to each other since they joined the medical college and looked after each other.
"How was the test, Hamsa? I didn't expect that they would ask about 'cyanotic spell' and 'photo-therapy in neonatal jaundice'," the round-faced, short girl pulled Hamsa's hand as she grumbled but she did not receive any reply from Hamsa. When she turned her head, she saw Hamsa's eyes moving restlessly in all directions as if she was searching for someone.
"Hamsa?… Hamsa?" Gauri shook Hamsa hand as she called her.
Hamsa quivered a little when she was pulled out of her thoughts as she looked at her best friend who had her lips pursed which usually indicated that she was angry, "What is it, Gauri?"
"I was asking, how did you do in the exam?"
"Pretty well, I thought it was easy this time," Hamsa replied but stopped when she saw many people along with Gauri look at her with weird gazes. She was puzzled when she saw these reactions as she asked Gauri softly, "What happened?"
"Hamsa, you are not joking, right? This exam can at least be ranked in the 'toughest exams of the decade' list," another pretty girl with heavy makeup walked up to Hamsa and scoffed. It was clear that she was biased against Hamsa from the look of dislike in her eyes.
Hamsa turned to face the girl as she smiled gently and said, "Well, I felt the exam was easy. Kritika, I am sorry if you felt otherwise. Gauri, let's go." Hamsa did not wait for Kritika's response as she pulled Gauri towards the exit of the building where the road was still cordoned off as the work was still continuing.
Warm air filled with a pungent smell of tar struck Hamsa's senses due to the heat of the freshly laid asphalt. She did not move even with this odour as she wanted to wait for Aditya, though he had said to leave if he was not there in a few minutes.
Gauri hesitated before asking, "Hamsa did you really feel the exam was easy?'
Hamsa was not in the mood to discuss the exam with her best friend but still replied, "Yes, why?"
"Because, though I don't like Kritika's attitude either, it is a fact that the exam today was tough and the questions were harsh. Also," Gauri hesitated a little as she continued, "I think that it is you have changed and not the question papers. I remember that you said the same about all the other exams as well that they were pretty easy."
Hamsa nodded as she looked at Gauri to continue.
"I think it is you that has become more competent since you came back from that long leave, what happened Hamsa? I feel like you have become a different person." Gauri asked after hesitating a little.
Hamsa looked at her best friend and said serenely, "Well, something happened that changed my life but I am okay right now and as you observed, I became much better." Hamsa's eyes became glassy as a small smile crept across her face when she remembered how she spent her last two weeks. Of course, she had also noticed that for some reason her memory and comprehending skills had increased and that she was able to remember and understand anything that she read.
This was also the reason that even elder sister Saanvi was shocked at Hamsa's mental strength and wanted Hamsa to become her personal apprentice in her research. But Hamsa knew very well that she did not possess such talent since her birth. The reason she could ace every test and be the top of her class was not due to her innate talent but more because of her hard work.
So, she noticed this change even before anyone else and the only reason she could think of was Aditya. This theory was also only based on her intuition and not reason. She just felt it had something to do with him but could not put a finger on the exact reason.
"Well? Hamsa, hello there, it has been such a long time since I met you," a soft and gentlemanly voice jolted Hamsa from her thoughts. A couple of weeks back, this voice would have been enough to cause nightmares and make her break into tears. But now, Hamsa's gaze sharpened like a sword when she saw the handsome person in front of her.
Reyansh had expected a diverse variety of expressions when he imagined talking with Hamsa like she would cry, tremble with fright or just plainly run away. But, he did not expect that not only would Hamsa not be scared of him but just looking at her sharp gaze caused Reyansh to avert his eyes as he was not able to look straight into her clear eyes.
"Ah, it's game over for Hamsa today," Kritika sneered as she looked from a distance. She had always been jealous over the fact that Hamsa stole the 'Campus Belle' title from her and that everyone liked her even if she dressed in simple clothes. Many rich and influential young masters whom she pursued actually adored and favoured Hamsa which led to her jealousy turning into hate.
So, she could not suppress her excitement when she saw Reyansh approaching Hamsa and said these words. Many students boys and girls alike moved away from Kritika in disgust as it was an open secret in the college as to what kind of a person, Reyansh was.
Hamsa turned to look at the people accompanying Reyansh. She did not know who was the evil-looking youth beside him but a trace of disgust flashed in her eyes when she saw her foster parents accompanying Reyansh like a couple of butlers with fawning smiles plastered on their faces.
Her foster mother turned towards Hamsa and shouted angrily, "Hamsa, where have you been these past few days? Do you know how much Young Master Reyansh missed you? He had become sick just because of waiting for you and here you are happily writing your exams. Come immediately and apologize to Reyansh young master and return to our home."
The middle-aged woman did not even wait to see Hamsa's expression or hear her answer as if she was sure that Hamsa would blindly follow her like always. Instead, she turned to look at Reyansh as if she wanted to know if her performance satisfied Young Master Reyansh. Reyansh smiled gently as he turned to look at the middle-aged man beside him.
Hamsa's foster father put up an act of a dignified elite as he gazed Hamsa with faintly narrowed eyes as he said, "Hamsa, whatever happened between you and Young master Reyansh was unfortunate but it has happened and cannot be undone, there is no point in brooding over it. Do you know that Young Master Reyansh convinced his uncle to promote the certification of our four-star hotel into a five-star? If you can't even forgive after what Young master Reyansh did for you, then everyone will think that you are a narrow-minded woman who did not know what was good for her."
Reyansh nodded with a satisfied expression as he signalled to the middle-aged woman with the corner of his eyes who caught his hint and said in a high pitch voice, "Also, you have come with us to the police station to lodge a kidnapping and a sexual molestation case on that fellow in whose house you had been residing these days. I heard from Young master Reyansh that this lowly bastard threatened to kill him if he approached you. We will screw his life so that he would never come out from jail in his entire life."
Hamsa who had been silent even when her foster father made a highly misleading sinister remark about her and Reyansh's relationship, walked in front of her foster mother as she asked calmly, "What did you say? Repeat again."
Hamsa's foster parents did not catch the change in Hamsa because of the force of habit. Not once in their entire life did they fail to get Hamsa to obey them. Hamsa's foster mother repeated in an impatient tone as she said, "I want you to lodge a complaint against that fellow in whose place you were residing and screw that bastar..."
Slap!
Before the middle-aged woman could complete her sentence, a solid slap landed on her chubby cheek creating a sharp sound which sent chills up the spines of everyone in the vicinity. The sound was too perfect that anyone who heard it would instinctively sprout a feeling of pity for the victim.
Hamsa did not restrain even the least bit of her strength when she slapped her foster mother. She forgot that her body was in its top state of health because of absorbing Tya's energy so she did not imagine that her slap will be so strong, not that she regretted it. Rather, she felt a feeling of liberation as if some chains had broken in her heart releasing her heart and mind from the hold that her foster parents held on her psychologically.
Reyansh was also shocked when he saw this scene as he immediately retreated two steps for safety lest Hamsa targets him next. Hamsa's foster father's face became blank as he stood like a statue when he saw that his wife whom he feared to even just touch for many years, sprawling on the ground. He turned to look at his foster-daughter whom he had assumed he knew everything about her and how to control her. Suddenly, he felt he was watching a stranger because there was no way that the past Hamsa would slap her foster mother.
"You, did you just slap me? You ingrate, you..." Hamsa's foster mother slowly raised herself from the ground as she started cursing at Hamsa but before she could vent her anger, another slap landed on the other cheek.
Slap!