Shivam opened the door to head out for his cla.s.ses and saw Dhira standing outside. She was about to ring the doorbell. Shivam nodded at her and she came in. Shivam was still confused to see her. He didn"t understand this sudden appearance of hers.Dhira went to see Shivam next morning. She had decided to skip cla.s.ses today so she could explain what happened last night. And about their Master"s wish, they still had to decide on a course of action. Whether they should approach her directly or should they build up to it.
Shivam was still wrapping his head around the fact that there was someone more powerful than their Master. So Dhira"s instincts were right all along. Visha was not normal. She was the daughter of a very powerful witch.
"So, what do you have in mind?" Shivam knew Dhira planned ahead.
"If she can stand against our powers then she must already be practicing. We just have to talk to her directly. "
"But there is no guarantee she will agree to do it. What are we to her that she would listen to us. " Shivam does have a point there. But this was the fastest way to get it done. Dhira didn"t have time to waste.
***
Visha was still confused about the way her mother reacted. It had already been a few days. She had been returning on time and her mother seemed to have calmed down too. Visha too was determined to find out about her mother"s odd behavior that night. She had never seen her mother disturbed to that extent.
She entered the library to return the previous books and issue new ones. Visha had always had a very sharp memory. In just a few days she had memorized all of these books. She didn"t feel like she was ready for the quiz yet. Its just the day after tomorrow. She had already read books from all the history sections except the last one. It was Mythology. Is this even relevant? She headed towards it and saw Dhira and Shivam. Should she turn away like others? Visha thought. But she wasn"t afraid of them. She remembered her mother telling her not to get in trouble. If everyone is afraid of them then she should stay away too. Visha turned around to leave.
"Wait" Dhira called out and Visha stopped. Visha sighed. She had just decided to stay away and now trouble came looking for her. Dhira gestured her to follow and left the library. Visha walked out with Shivam. She kept her head down all the way and occasionally looked up to see where Dhira was heading. Dhira lead the way out and entered an empty cla.s.sroom. She turned to Visha as Shivam closed the door behind them. Visha started to sweat a little as she still didn"t know the reason they wanted to talk to her.
"Since when have you been practicing?" Dhira finally broke the awkward silence.
"Practice what?" Visha looked at both of them in confusion. What do they mean?
"Drop the act. We are the same." Shivam said gently. He tried to make her feel comfortable. But Visha still looked clueless.
"Witchcraft. Since when did you start?" Dhira was never a patient one.
"What?" Visha was baffled. Witchcraft? Are they crazy? No wonder these two always looked so off.
Dhira and Shivam both looked at her reaction and then at each other. Visha was about to turn around and leave when Dhira tossed a picture at her. Visha picked it up. At first she didn"t understand what was this picture about till she noticed a familiar face. She was younger but there was no mistake. She can obviously recognize her. It was really her! That girl in the middle of a group of people, was her mother!
***
Vikram saw Visha leave the library and walk down the corridor. He called out to her but she didn"t hear him. He caught upto her and help her hand to get her attention. When she turned around Vikram was shocked to see her. Her face looked pale and ashened. It had lost all colour.
"What happened?" Vikram asked.
"Nothing. It"s a family matter. I"ll talk later. I have to prepare for the quiz." Visha turned and left. He still looked dumbfounded at her silhouette disappear in the crowd. He looked disappointed. He still hasn"t had a chance to gain her trust. If he doesn"t hurry he will be in trouble. This is when Priya saw him and stood beside him. She then hooked on his arm.
"What are you looking at?"
"You"re good friends with Visha right?" Her smile faded when she heard that. She nodded reluctantly. He is always talking about Visha. Can he not see anyone other than Visha? Can he not see her?
"Help me find out what"s wrong with her. I want to get to know her more. Please, I will owe you one." He then patted on Priya"s shoulder and left. She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. She will have to do something about this Visha or she will loose Vikram.
***