IT SUCKED.
Ram thought of ways to convince Sandhya and Chandra to let him back to Justice Hall so that he could look for clues to communicate with the Twins.
But he threw them away. Every one of them.
If only it had been Sandhya, Ram had confidence that he could've convinced her. But he needed to convince Chandra also.
And Chandra had been pissed off by Ram after he kissed Chandra's fiancée, not only once, but many times using the power of Looping of Time.
Ram fidgeted the whole way as he walked side by side of Aunt El, both of them following Sandhya and Chandra, who were discussing very quietly with their hands intertwined.
Even though Ram promised to them that he would stop thinking about Sandhya, he couldn't. He felt a wave of jealously as he stared at them.
Aunt El, despite being distracted by everything that's been going on, chuckled at him.
"I guess you read my thoughts just now," he whispered.
She nodded.
"Can't you control it?"
"No. I can't. After all, Thought Reader was still in it's infancy."
"But you have been working on this device at least ever since I had been born."
"No. I worked on this device after your parents died and The Forces of Darkness kidnapped you. Even though you think it's been a long time, it isn't when it comes to matters of invention and expansion of what a device could do," She said.
Ram sighed. "I have a favor to ask of you," he said.
"No. Not now. If they weren't so chummy with each other, they would've discovered that we communicated way longer than we were supposed to and that we were much closer with each other than earlier. The less I help you, the better. Sorry," she said and distanced herself from him.
Ram shook his head and looked at their intertwined hands.
'I am not jealous.' Ram repeated this thought to himself again and again, so much so that Em was frustrated at him.
'Will you stop it?' she asked inside his head.
'Stop what?' Ram asked.
'Stop being jealous about Sandhya. I have been telling you from the start that she is way out of league. What had happened to you inside that room. You even forgot your promise to them and started to think about her,' Em asked.
Ram sighed. 'I realized just now that feelings are more complicated. They are not easy to forget as I had originally thought it would be,' he said.
'Boys and their feelings. I would've felt sad for you, if you hadn't allowed me to change my appearance. I am still angry now,' she said and her presence disappeared from Ram's mind.
Ram groaned, raking his hands through his hair. He had to ask them one way or another. Gritting his teeth, he decided. "I have something that I forgot to take with me from the Justice Hall. Can you take me back over there?" Ram asked Sandhya.
Sandhya was still angry at him for his kiss. She ignored him. Which left with Chandra, who turned to Ram and his look was so scary that Ram wished he hadn't asked.
But he had already done. He could only push forward. He stared right back at Chandra.
"You have the guts to ask us that. I don't think your request can be granted," Chandra said.
"It can be. Until I have the device that monitors my thoughts and actions implemented inside of me, it would not be official for you to treat me like a criminal," Ram said.
Before Chandra could reply, Ram remembered that the Thought Reader was one of a kind, that it was Aunt El's pet project. Then why did the Elders said they need to implant a device in him that could not only his actions, but also his thoughts?
"You are a criminal," Chandra said.
Ram ignored him and suggested Aunt El to bring forth a barrier so he could ask her. When that didn't worked, Ram was frustrated.
Right at this moment, Ram's gut clenched and the world freeze around him. Except Aunt El.
He froze the Flow of Time around them.
Aunt El gasped.
"Wow!" she said.
Ram didn't know how much time he had before things returned back to normal. "Aunt, you said Thought Reader was one of a kind. Then what was the device that the Elders would be using to monitor my thoughts and actions?" he asked.
"They will modify your assistant in such a way that she will report every action and thoughts of yours that she could access to them. It wouldn't work with more practiced ones. But since you are a newbie who is yet to control your powers, you would be at a disadvantage unless you learn to control Em's access of your memories," she said.
Right at this moment, the Flow of Time returned to normal for others.
Ram smacked his head.
"What? Are you regretting kissing her?" Chandra asked.
"So you are doing all of this because I kissed her?" Ram asked.
Chandra shrugged. "I did what I had to do. I didn't involved my personal feelings into this matter," he said.
Ram snorted. "As if you didn't. I am starting to doubt whether you were genuine and are worthy of her love," he said.
Chandra's face darkened. "What did you say?" he asked.
"Whatever, your actions felt like you were scared of me. That meant there might a possibility for me to make her fall in love with me," Ram pointed towards Sandhya, who was also fuming at him.
"You said you would stop interfering with us, started to treat me as your sister," Sandhya said.
Ram shrugged. "I would've done the same if you did what you promised and also stopped involving your personal feelings into this matter. If you do so, I would stop myself from moving further. Otherwise, don't blame me when I start to pursue you," he said.
Sandhya moved closer to him, her eyes filled with tears. She slapped my cheek. Hard.
Ram's face twisted towards Aunt El, who grimaced, but her face returned to normal after a moment.
Ram turned back, rubbing his still stung cheek. "No matter what happens, I will never love you," she said.
"Don't worry. I don't plan to love you either. What I had was crush, but it got crushed when I saw your taste in men," Ram said.
Chandra's gloating looked when he saw Sandhya slapping him disappeared in an instant. "What did you say?" he asked.
"I don't like to repeat myself. Look, I am not the one who is involving my personal feelings into this. I just wanted to get back form the Lab in the Justice Hall that I forgot to take with me. They knocked me out before implanting that device and it was something that reminded me of my parents. They had been dead ever since I can remember. If I lose that, I don't think I can function normally," Ram said.
"Are you threatening us?" Chandra asked.
Ram glared at him. "See, you are once again letting you feelings cloud your judgment. What would you do if you were in my situation?" he asked.
"I am not like you. I will never let myself in a situation similar to yours."
"Imagine you were separated form Sandhya, and you only had one bracelet that reminded you of her. What would you do if you were in a similar situation as me? Would you also do everything you can to get it back?" Ram asked.
Chandra clenched his hands, his eyes red with anger. He marched towards Ram, punched him in the gut and said, "This is a punishment for your first violation of rules, staying for longer time at Pleasure & Privacy than you had been allocated. As for your second violation of rules, of trying to manipulate us to make us do as you wished — trying to make us take you back to Justice Hall — we will let the Elder of Air decide what we should do with you."