****AT THE ARCHIVES****
''.....Ah okay. I get it. You all be careful and inform us as soon as you find Shreya. Bye.'' Aniruddh hung up the call and looked at Vedanti who was carefully looking through some collective files. He approached her and leaned over a bit to read the contents of it. However, the sighting of the content took him aback. ''Hey, what language is that?'' He asked trying not to sound too curious.
Vedanti stopped reading the files and faced Aniruddh keeping the files aside on the big table in front of them. ''It's a text from an ancient grimoire. It's written in Latin.'' She simply stated taking out her phone from her pocket.
''And since when do you know Latin?'' Aniruddh questioned raising an eyebrow. He knew Vedanti was a language fanatic, especially for east-Asian languages, but he wasn't expecting her to suddenly reveal a hidden skill like this one.
''No, I don't speak Latin. But I do understand some Greek. I find some similar words here so I was trying to assimilate all the references I could with whatever I know.''
''So were you able to infer anything?'' He asked.
''Not yet. But I intend to take this to Gwendoline. She might understand it. I'll snap the contents in a few minutes. Meanwhile, why don't you try and find something else?'' Vedanti said as she started clicking pictures on the pages in the file with her phone. Aniruddh looked around the shelves only to find completely unrelated books and documents in plenty. As he was having a butcher's through the shelf, he promptly detected two unrefined men belligerently staring at them. Swift as he was, he immediately rushed to Vedanti's side and her mildly pulled her arm.
''Things look a bit fishy here. Brace yourself, we might have to run.'' He whispered over keeping an eye on the two men who slowly approaching the reception desk.
''Huh?! Wh-what are you talking about?? Why do we have to run?!''
''Shhhh! Don't yell you idiot. Look at those men. They have been spying on us I think.'' Aniruddh kept an eye on the two men as he noticed they were more clearly observing them.
''What?! Are you serious? What are we going to do now? Do we call the police??'' First that ever came to Vedanti in any unprecedented situation was panic. She was literally prone to panic.
''No that would be too risky. We have to get out of here first. You run towards the other exit when I signal you okay. Just run and don't look back.''
''But what about you? I am freaking not leaving you!''
''You just run when I tell you to. I'll be right there behind you.''
Aniruddh looked back the two men indicating them of his awareness to which they grasped on quickly. He pushed Vedanti with a little force signaling her to run immediately.
''Hey the brats are escaping!! Gotta catch them!''
Both of them dashed out of the archives hall and rushed down the stairs at the exit. They were closely followed by the two men who were shouting at them.
Vedanti could feel her palpitations worsening due to the immeasurable amount of fear she was battling with at the moment. ''How long are we gonna run?! They will catch us in no time!'' She cried at Aniruddh who was running in front of her directing them to an unknown location. ''For as long as we can avoid them.''
They zoomed through the disorganized flocks of people on the street, dodging whatever came in their way. Even through the laborious rush, Vedanti caught a quick glimpse of Aniruddh's unshaken expression. Not only he knew the exact seriousness of the situation, but also the immediate action necessary to save themselves. Vedanti was thankful for his quick-thinking, but she was still concerned about his unfazed disposition.
Unfortunately as they were trying to hide in an alley, they reached a dead end, and, were cornered by the two men. Both the men laughed maliciously at the sight of the two helpless teens in front of them.
''You bloody imps are sure bold. You actually dared to investigate so much and find out the hidden document. Hmph!''
''Looks like you don't know the severity of the information you hold. Well, you just need to pay with your lives.'' Saying that, one of the men forcefully grabbed Aniruddh's neck locking it tightly. Aniruddh choked as he tried to free himself from the grip.
Vedanti was completely trembling in fear and shaken by massive mental chaos, but still jumped in to help Aniruddh. However, her meagre strength was nothing helpful. The other man, annoyed by her futile attempt pulled her by hair and slammed her on the ground. She yelped in horror by the shock of the action. It took her moment to feel the pain of the small yet evident injury on the upper left corner of her forehead.
Aniruddh stopped his struggle for moment, unsettled by the sudden sight in front him. The next moment, he snapped out of it and grabbed the other man's neck with anger bursting from his grip. The man let loose his grip on Aniruddh's neck. He was no match for the incomparable force that the young guy in front of him was exhibiting.
The second man rushed in and swung the knife in order to attack Aniruddh, which he just ducked. Aniruddh held the man by his collar and hit him under the jaw. His fight was methodical, like a trained fighter. His movements were swift and planned. As he kicked the men back with enormous power, he shifted over to cover Vedanti who was trying to get up from the ground. Now they were face to face with each other. Aniruddh felt a surge of blood-lust inside him. He was inflamed and ready to kill them any moment now. ''Wa-wait....let's run-'' Before Vedanti could persuade him to run from there, he already stepped forward to attack the men.
He further kicked them at their all vital points he could. Before he realized, he was already drawing out streams of blood from their mouths and wounds. He too was scarred in the process, but he continued to beat the men ruthlessly, like a mad dog on a rampage. He could see nothing but the worn-out men whom he was intrinsically assaulting. He dragged them, threw them, and then hit them again and again.
Vedanti sat on the ground, flabbergasted by the never-seen side of Aniruddh. She was shaking like a leaf at the scene unfolding before her. She gasped loudly at the blood drenched faces of the two men. At that moment, she revised the consciousness of the person hitting them. Just how did it come to this? What went wrong? Was it really the Aniruddh she knew? For now, he looked nothing more than a devil hunting for sacrifices, maddened by the hunger of death. His knuckles were blood-splashed and hurt at the same time.
Just as the men were losing their consciousness, Vedanti gathered all her strength to get up. She ran over to Aniruddh and clinged on to his arm.
''Stop it. Just stop it. We have to....get back home.'' She didn't dare to look at his face. But she felt the coldness of his veins tearing through her sickly white palms.
All he had on his face was a dull expression, as his eyes wandered off in an incomplete sense of self. He left the scene, walking aimlessly through the dead street, not caring about the person silently following him. Vedanti walked behind him concealing all the screams of desperation inside her. How she wished to just see her friends right away....
****AT ANIRUDDH'S HOUSE****
''Are they still not answering?? Try calling once again!'' A worried Gauri pressured Sanika to call their two missing friends who were unreachable since the past four hours. The other group had already found Shreya with some other clues to their investigation, but they refrained from discussing until Vedanti and Aniruddh came back.
''I did!! It's already the zillionth time I am doing it.'' Sanika yelled back at Gauri. Her anxiety was almost increasing through leaps and bounds but she tried to the hold back the urge to barge out of the house to find them. All the sinistrous feelings she could feel churning inside here were almost driving her crazy.
''Relax you guys. Both of them are quite sensible, even though they don't seem to be....But yeah, they gonna be alright. Their phone might have died out, or they might just be too busy looking into things. Don't get so worked up over this.'' Aparna sipped some water from the glass as she finished her statement.
"She's right. I too believe they will be here in a while. Let's all sit down calmly for a while. You guys are already tired searching for me.'' Meher added on.
Sanika exhaled tiredly. She couldn't help but get anxious about the whole thing. As she got up to get herself some water, she saw Aniruddh heading towards the house. Upon seeing Sanika's lightened face, everyone rushed to the door to greet their two friends. However, they were taken aback on seeing Aniruddh all alone.
"Where's Vedanti? Why are you alone? And why do you look so worn out?!'' Arnav solicitated aggressively, his eyes wide open with dismay.
"She went back home.'' Aniruddh replied plainly. He was swamped with an excessive amount of questions as his reply flummoxed everyone. With no hope to be responded with a satisfactory explanation, Shreya jumped in interrupting the impatient others. ''Could you guys give him some time to integrate it himself?'' Her eyes averted down to his red, swollen knuckles that were partly scarred from the fight. ''And let's put some ointment as well.'' She added.
Aniruddh not wanting to talk at lengths right now, started walking towards his room wordlessly. ''Hey! Aniruddh wait! Tell us what happened.'' Arnav bawled at him. But not intending to pay any heed to the noise there, Aniruddh shut himself in his room. The atmosphere in the living immediately turner gloomier than ever. Nobody knew how to react anymore.
''Now what? We are left clueless to what happened in the archives, Aniruddh is hurt, Vedanti is unresponsive and we are loaded with infinite queries. How do we go about from here?'' Sanika could no longer subdue her fret.
''Should we go and meet Vedanti? I am worried if she is hurt as well....'' Swarangie said as her eyes dropped in worry.
''I'll go and talk to Vedanti.'' Meher said. She had a lot to ask Vedanti already. Her fears too were getting better of her.
''Then I'll speak with Aniruddh. You guys can go back home. We'll get in touch on call tonight..'' Kshirja said. She looked at her friends and noticed their skepticism for both her Meher's decision. ''It's okay guys. We know them better than anyone. Meher knows how to talk to Vedanti. And, as for me talking to Aniruddh, then Vedanti always claims him to be the most harmless creature.''
''I am still of the opinion that we should give them some time. They can open up to us whenever they feel like....'' Shreya suggested.
''No! We can't afford to waste time. We need to make haste.'' Arnav abrupt remark got Aparna suspicious, but she mentally made a note to deal with this later. ''Fine.'' She said looking at him. Then she turned at others saying, ''If both of them are assured about this then I am convinced as well. I trust their instincts.'' As everyone finally agreed on this, they left for their respective homes. Everyone left with an agony of mind. Their hearts were restless, but their guts trusted each other incomparably.
Gauri was the last one to leave. She paused in indecision unsure of what to do next. Kshirja confused by her perplexing behavior, tilted her head slightly to display her curiosity. Gauri looked at her and spoke, ''I am in quandary....I feel kind of useless.''
''And why would that be?'' Kshirja asked softly. Gauri bit her lip for a second before continuing, ''I couldn't help anyone....''
''That's alright....'' Kshirja said with benign smile. Gauri smiled back and turned to leave. She stopped at the door and spoke without looking back, ''That jerk....tell him to lean on us.'' She instantly left without sparing a glance at Kshirja who stood with a slight delight.
As the door shut close, Kshirja walked towards the room where Aniruddh was. She knocked at the door twice only to be met with silence. ''Hey..'' She whispered as she leaned gently on the door. ''Can we talk for a while. I promise I won't pester you to tell me what happened at the archives. I just need to make sure you converse normally. Would that be fine?''
For another moment there was silence on both sides, before the door opened slowly. ''Ah goodness. You look dead.'' Kshirja chuckled softly at the sight of Aniruddh. His scars were intact and visible. The blood on his knuckles dried long back. His eyes were unsympathetic and unwelcoming to even the presence of his friend. That unadorned appearance he wore was enough for Kshirja to feel like a cat on hot bricks. That unsaid pressure on his attendance in the room made her restless. Was he always this intimidating, she wondered.
As she entered the room, she noticed the unlit atmosphere in there. Everything was unmoved and on place. Organized as Aniruddh was, she didn't really expect him to make a mess of the room even at his worst moods. ''Should we treat your injuries first?'' She asked. Aniruddh silently handed her a small box from his cupboard filled with a few tubes of ointments, bandages and some cotton. Pleased by this, Kshirja quickly sat down on the floor and pulled Aniruddh down by her side.
''Does it not hurt? I suppose it's a sharp pain as the ointment stings....'' Kshirja said. She was surprised to see Aniruddh not even letting out a wince in pain. ''I am used to it.'' Aniruddh admitted simply. Kshirja blinked twice as she was taken by surprise. But considering it one of Aniruddh's idiosyncrasies, she just let out a sigh and continued with her work.
''Aniruddh, you know, you can lean on us more.'' She said breaking the silence. ''In state of apprehensions as such, you should just let yourself be cared for. The important part comes after that.'' Dazed by her statement, he looked at her with confusion. ''What do you mean by that?"
''Tell me, right now, do you dislike the way you are? Don't you have something to confess?''
''I....'' Aniruddh began and wavered for a moment. The realization of what he was about to say gradually penetrated in his mind. For someone like him who never showed a single imperfection, it was a like walking on a thin thread.
''I once had a phase when I stopped talking for days.....'' As he revealed this, he looked away from Kshirja, focusing on the floor below. His gaze was fixated down, yet he felt so lost and distant.
''When you don't get what you yearned for, when you can't protect what you have always wanted to, you are left in self-doubt. You....start questioning yourself. You start imagining..... how things could have been better..... When those around me said that they expected better outcomes from me, it got me down again. Feelings of shame and self-hatred remain same as ever. The more I adjust to myself, the more pathetic I feel finding comfort.''
Kshirja kept her glance focused on him. Every word he spoke rung in her head louder than ever. It's not like she was free from all the webs of internal conflicts. Yet, seeing him sliding open the lid on his heart was like a reassurance for her own distresses.
''You know it too right? That you can't keep running away forever. No matter how defeated your heart is, you have to eventually confront yourself.'' She spoke up, now Aniruddh facing her. Her eyes were solemn, but never lacking in frankness. He knew it. She was looking at him, looking right through him. She saw him as powerless as he was.
''Aniruddh, you are in such a manifestation of yourself that I have never seen before. And it does scare me. So did Vedanti right? But Aniruddh, I want you tell us when you are hurt, or scared, or feeling vulnerable. We want to be able to understand you. We want to know your fears and things that you dislike. We don't want you to be strong or reliable- well you are though. But at times, we want you take a break and rely on us. You can nag to all day long about the person who was mean to you; or you can vent how your hook up went wrong. Seriously we have a lot of people in the group to train you for this.'' She looked away for a while, letting them submerge in a comfortable silence.
''It's like I said before. Let yourself be cared for. Be as flawed and weak as you can. What's important is letting your weakness propel you better. And, of course, you are not alone in this. You have a whole gang of rabid animals, and, they can literally bring down a big dinosaur for you!'' At the end she heard him laugh softly, and sadly. She knew this wasn't over for him, and that her words can't just heal what has hurt him. She was unaware of the cause of his grief. But she didn't ask.
''I guess I am better now. You can let them know, you don't have to wait till night to inform them on call.'' Aniruddh said as he got up picking up the box of ointments and bandages.
''HUH?! How do you know that?'' Kshirja knew that no secrets could be sealed in this group, but she didn't expect her plan to boom out so suddenly.
''Magic. I know everything.'' Aniruddh said as he closed the cupboard in room after rightly placing the box. Both of them shared a small session of gossips as they laughed at how Sanika and Swarangie could literally broadcast every small thing that happened to them.
''Well then, since you are fine now, I'll take my leave.'' Kshirja said getting up. She reached out for phone that was lying next to her and picked it up.
''Oh, won't you be staying for dinner? My sister would be returning anytime now. We can have it together.'' Aniruddh asked curiously. Kshirja being the foodie she was, did get tempted to stay back. However, a quick introspection of her familial status quo helped her realize the extreme threat of her mother she was under right now.
''Ah thanks for the offer. But my mom would probably grill me and feed me to the street dogs if I stay any longer. I have been away from home for two whole days!'' She admitted with a shameless smile of her own indicative of her unique spirit. Both of them walked towards the main door after Kshirja picked up her bag from the living room.
By the time Kshirja left, it was past five pm. The sky was glowing with the twilight rays. The songs of the birds yearning for their homes echoed through the neighborhood. The scent of boiling tea leaves blended with lemongrass filled the air, as Aniruddh open the door to his terrace. With a cup full of piping hot chamomile tea, he stood leaning on the cement railing, observing the little happenings on the road below. As he sipped his tea he thought about his interactions today, and about the interconnections of his past. He contemplated his truthfulness with his friends, and whether his friends genuinely knew the real him.
But, for now, he believed his first step was a good start. His small intentions were indicative of an honest version of himself; for, Kakuzo Okakura once quoted, ''we reveal ourselves too much in small things because we have so little of the great to conceal.'' And so did Aniruddh. He allowed himself to take a step back and wait for a better time open his lid.