Aryan leaned back, his mind racing. He looked at Khusi. "Violet went missing, Richard's being targeted, and nature's acting strange—what the hell is going on? Everything seems to be falling apart. Stuff adding up one after one"
Khusi said, shaking his head. " we're not safe, that's for sure."
After a brief pause, Aryan stood up and patted Richard's shoulder. "You're staying with us for now. It's better to lay low here for a few days. We'll figure this out." Khusi conveyed his brothers action as words.
The three of them spent the rest of the day strategizing, trying to piece together what was happening. But no answers came.
The next morning, Aryan was up early, cooking breakfast. The smell of food filled the house, but his mind was elsewhere. He looked at Khusi, who was sitting at the table, staring at his laptop screen.
"How's your search going?" Aryan asked with hands. "Anything about Violet?"
Khusi didn't look up, his fingers typing furiously. "I've hacked everything I could—every available root, every system. But there's nothing. No trace. It's like she vanished into thin air."
Aryan's face tightened. He couldn't shake the feeling that something deeper, something darker, was at play.
Aryan packed some food and made his way to the construction site where he had seen the girl the day before. He carefully placed the food near the entrance of the tunnel, hoping she would find it. Afterward, he walked aimlessly through the park, his mind clouded with worry and frustration. He had no answers, only questions—about Violet, about Richard, and about the strange things happening around them all.
As he sat on a bench, trying to clear his thoughts, his gaze wandered across the park. That's when he saw her—the girl from the construction site. She was standing behind a wall, her eyes quietly watching him from a distance. His heart skipped a beat.
Without thinking, Aryan got up and walked toward her.
"Hey," he called out softly. The girl's eyes dropped to the ground, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."
Aryan smiled, his heart aching with compassion. He gently reached out and patted her head, a small gesture meant to reassure her.
The girl looked up at him, and for the first time, a shy but real smile spread across her face. The dog that had been following her barked happily, wagging its tail as if to say "thank you" in its own way.
She is following Aryan from a way meter distance.
But then, just as suddenly, she stepped behind a pillar, her eyes wide with fear, as if she had seen something—or someone—that terrified her. Aryan froze, unsure of what was happening.
"What's wrong?" his facial expressions asking her.
She peeked out from behind the pillar, her eyes darting nervously toward a man walking down the road in the distance. Aryan squinted, trying to see who it was. A sense of dread settled in his chest—he recognized that man. He had seen him before, but he couldn't place where or when.
The girl, trembling, tugged on his sleeve, urging him to follow her. Without a word, Aryan obeyed, the weight of the moment heavy on his shoulders. They walked quickly, her steps quickening as they moved farther away. Aryan's thoughts raced—who was that man? What was going on?
When they reached his house, the girl stopped. She turned around one last time, glancing over her shoulder to check if they were being followed. Aryan saw the fear in her eyes.
He wanted to offer her comfort, to tell her everything would be okay. He had no answers, no way to explain any of this. All he could do was offer her the safety of his home and hope that, together, they could figure it out.
The girl stepped hesitantly into the house, still glancing nervously behind him.
Khusi asked, "Who is she?"
Aryan gestured for him to wait. He headed to the kitchen, preparing something delicious for everyone. Soon, the aroma filled the room, and Aryan served the meal. They all enjoyed it with joy and gratitude.
After finishing her meal, the girl, seemingly exhausted, fell asleep right where she was sitting. They found her endearing. Khusi gently moved her to a more comfortable spot and tucked her in.
Sitting back with a sigh, Khusi said, "My CPU is overheating. I can't stop thinking about Richard and Violet. But wait—I have an idea for this."
Aryan nodded, curious. Richard asked, "what was that"
"Simple," Khusi declared. "Let's hand over Richard to those guys and focus on Violet instead. That way, my stress levels will drop!"
Before anyone could respond, Richard, feigning offense, grabbed a pillow and playfully hit Khusi with it. It escalated into a small pillow fight, with dog dramatically biting the pillow for effect.
Everyone burst into laughter, the room filling with lighthearted chaos.