"I…. have been alone since you all left me in this world".
"I miss you…I miss you".
"I don't know for how longer I have to wait for the time till I can get the happy moments I got before it got ruined by the predators".
Vinay cries and his tears falling on the ground it has been years since he could cry like this.
Next day, Vinay takes a leave for taking care of Abhimanyu because he needed someone here to be with him, So Vinay gladly accepted his wish and skipped the lectures making someone worried about him. At school, Tara was not able to wrap around her mind with a question
"Why did he take a leave today? Was yesterday's night affected him so badly that he chose to isolate himself"?. Tara's mind convoluted with concern, her eyes finding no direction except the seat where Vinay was not sitting.
"I want to go to the hostel to check whether he has made back to dorm safely". Tara affirmed while maintaining her eyes on the lesson. She had to keep her mind calm and bury the thoughts of negativity.
Hours later, she went to the boy's hostel and she walked cutting off the wind with her pace she never walked before. She storms the entrance of the reception and climbed each stair with each step guided by her will of meeting Vinay. She reached the floor and stood outside the room of Vinay but it was locked with a key and it made her chest heavy with much deeper thoughts flooding her minds with concerns.
"Hey Tara, are you looking for something?". Animesh questioned while gazing at the closed door.
"Where did Vinay go if his room is locked? Do you have any idea where he might have gone?". Tara's word hitched inside the throat but she stepped forward, her eyes carrying tensions.
"Sorry Tara, I don't know ". Animesh flat words make Tara even more tensed and she tried to call Vinay hoping to get answers but no one attended that call.
"Come on Vinay, please pick up the call". Tara's finger quickly tapping on the call button right after the call was declined.
"Hey Tara, do you know where he went yesterday, I mean did he tell you about the place?". Animesh questioned hoping to find answers to remove the heat of the tension. Just as he said, Tara remembered and exclaims anxiously
"I…Know! He went to Aarna's house yesterday to celebrate Abhimanyu's birthday ". Tara continues
"He might have not left that place after that incident".
"Incident? What incident are you talking about?". Animesh puzzled by the revelation and asks.
Tara's word stopped from the throat wanting to not reveal yesterday's horrific incident and she dismissed it off "Nothing…It was nothing ".
"Alright Animesh I should be going to that house". Tara turns to leave and stopped as she continues
"Thanks for making me remind about yesterday, I was overthinking so thanks for the help". Tara waves her hand as she speaks.
"Okay bye, See you later". Animesh waved back with a smile as he turns to leave.
"But all I did was, just to ask what he mentioned to you yesterday"
Animesh confused and thinks to himself and then laughs it off.
"Well, I guess that was an unexpected gratitude". Animesh murmurs to himself as he leaves.
Tara rushed to the exit and walks crossing roads without giving a notice to the surrounding as her main concern was no one except Vinay right now. The sweat dripping down her cheeks as she runs toward Aarna's house, the weight of the books didn't slow her down and neither her heavy breathing.
"Vinay, I know you are sad about what happened yesterday but please let me be there for you until you stop blaming yourself". Tara's thoughts in the mind as she sprints towards the street where Aarna's house was situated at. She reached the place and rings the bell and pants heavily finally getting affected after adrenaline rush was stopped. Sweat dripping down the road and her hairs messed up a bit as she bends down to breathe slowly.
The gate opens and it was Abhimanyu holding a football as he greets
"Oh, Tara Welcome, come inside the house"
"Why are you sweating so hard? Were you competing with yourself for racing towards this place?". Abhimanyu jokes amused by seeing her in this messy state.
"Oh no Abhimanyu, I was not racing towards your house, I was…I wanted to meet Vinay actually". Tara tried to regain her composure as she responds back by fixing her hair and wiping off the sweat from her face.
"Big bro is sitting on the couch so you can talk to him there". Abhimanyu informs her as he goes past the gate holding the football.
"Where are you going Abhimanyu?". Tara looks at him as he walks out of the house and as she asks.
"I am going to the park for playing football with my friends". Abhimanyu turned back and excitedly responds.
"Okay go and play with your friends and be sure to not hurt yourself while running". Tara informs him and Abhimanyu walks past the street light. He turned back to wave his hand high in the air
"Okay Tara, I will play safely, See you later".
Tara enters the house and goes to the living room and her shoulders relaxed seeing Vinay sitting on the couch and watching tv. Seeing Tara, Vinay stood up and speaks up trying to act calmy.
"Oh, it is you Tara, I was expecting Abhimanyu to come back for taking his water bottle and then going outside to play football".
Tara's jaw tightens as she noticed his forced smile and calm tone, she walks up to him and put her bag down and then her tears swelled up in her eyes as she saw his eyes facing difficulties to tell him the truth. Upon seeing her tears, Vinay got startled and his hands cupping her face trying to wipe her tears as he asks
"Why are you crying? Did something happen to you yesterday? If it is your dad who scolded you then don't you worry, I will talk to him". Tara interrupts as she shakes her head her expression bottling up to tell him the truth.
"No, it is not related to my dad …". She continues hesitating not knowing how he will react
"Last night …I saw you at the alley… Near the Super mart and I…. saw everything".
Upon hearing this Vinay's mind is structed by her words as if he is structed by the lightning. He stumbles back and stares at her as if he had saw a ghost, the horrors in eyes tore off the mask of remaining calm demeanour after all that happened. His jaw tightens as he leans closer and asks
"You saw everything…Everything?". He continues as he panics with crushing memory flooding his mind from yesterday's attack.
"I…. couldn't save Aarna. I couldn't stop her from hurting Rishabh". He continues while having difficulty to explain this to her.
"She had become a predator… A PREDATOR and she attacked Rishabh and then attacked me". Vinay Hopes to make her understand with the given explanation as his words gets more vulnerable.
"Then two assassins arrived at the alley and attacked her, one of them was an Acharya and his student was also attacking Aarna, then that student cut her limbs off to which another limb appeared from her back which looked alien to human anatomy. It was horrifying …really horrifying". His words shattered his demeanour and he gazed upon her hoping she would understand.
"Yeah, I saw all of that, those two assassins tried to rescue you and Rishabh". Tara confirms hesitantly putting her arm on his shoulders. The word "rescue" hit his mind with an instant disagreement and he stares at her with his furious eyes
"Rescue? They didn't rescue me… instead they were trying to kill Vardhini because they think being assassin makes them obliged to kill any predator without finding out the actual truth". Vinay mocked them as his eyes intensifies as if looking for an agreement from her.
"Don't say that Vinay, they were there to protect you from the attack and help you before Vardhini could have ….". Tara shook her head and leans closer to him and desperately pleas but Vinay interferes
"NO, you don't understand their job, Tara! They were intending to kill her and if I would have seen her dying then…then I would not be able to forgive myself for that." Vinay shivers, his hands trembling with the fear and uncertainty masked his voice.
"I don't know how to explain this to Abhimanyu; I am not sure how to even tell him about what happened to his mom while they went outside for hanging out."
Then a sudden realization replaces his uncertainty with a flicker of doubt, he continues
"But I didn't call those assassin… They were summoned by somebody. They said to me about this and I was too stunned to answer back then but now thinking of it, I want to know who called them at the first place".
The doubt which seemed to eat away Vinay's mind had done opposite for Tara. She took her steps back and her shoulder tensed and she avoided his glaze and her fist tightened and her knuckles popping off. For a moment her chest ache enough to not speak but she could not betray what her trust belonged to and gathering her courage she responded with nervousness
"I…. I called them using a Sanskrit card which had a mantra about calling for help whenever a predator attack anybody … Unable to see you getting hurt ... I had to call them for rescuing you".
"Please forgive me Vinay, please!". She looked defeated but took her bottling thoughts out and laid it Infront of Vinay. Vinay stared for a moment before bursting his temper on her.
"What the hell?! Why did you do this? Why did you call those pathetic jerks? They just missed their chance to kill her but soon enough they will track her and then kill her!
His eyes fixated on the floor trying to process what to say next and he looks up seeing Tara terrified of his words and she crosses her arm to her chest to defend herself.
"I am sorry… I know it was not your fault; Please I am just losing my mind over this but the only woman who cared for me when no one was there for me was Vardhini."
"I didn't do that on purpose Vinay, I wanted to rescue you, I… could not see my friend dying Infront of me". Tears rolling down and she sobs while she spoke.
"I am sorry Tara; I am not okay. Aarna was my only family after my family was killed years ago by predators ". The shocking words escaped from Vinay's mouth trying to comfort her.
But just as the tensions were boiling, the figure who standing outside the living room appeared Infront of them, Abhimanyu's skin became pale from the horror and he rushes towards his room to which Vinay panics and tries to stop him
"Hey Abhimanyu wait!". But Abhimanyu had already shut his room's door and closed it from inside.
"Hey Abhimanyu, please open the door, I am sorry for keeping this a secret ". Vinay continues to knock on his door.
"Liar". Vinay's face turned pale as he heard a cold voice behind the door. Abhimanyu continues
"You lied to me about everything, why did you keep this thing as a secret? Why? Abhimanyu's muffled sobs behind the door could be heard by Vinay.
"Abhimanyu, look I lied to you because I wanted to not make you worried about this situation. You deserve to know about what happened to Vardhini but I promise I will fix everything. I will save her". Vinay hardening his fist and building his spirit to promise.
The door opens and Abhimanyu steps outside and then he asks
"Do you promise? Will you save my mom?
"I promise, I will save your mom and will bring her to you". Vinay brushed his hairs and hold out his Pinky finger for promise he could not back off from.
Then next day, Vinay attends the school and sits in the front which everyone stares at him noticing something different.
"No way! Vinay is sitting on the first bench, are we seeing an eclipse during the day time?". One boy whispered to other's student.
"Yeah Yeah, He seemed off today I think Mr Kumar has taught him a good lesson". Other students gossip to another one.
Vinay ignores it and paid attention to every class and every teacher had already put their guard up, ready for another prank but Vinay destroyed their assumptions. After the classes were dismissed Vinay head towards Tara's bench and then with burning determination he asks
"Tara I will go to that Assassin academy and then tried to interfere their plans for killing Vardhini and will also meet Rishabh if his health is stable now".
"Okay Vinay go ahead and I will go to your house and take care of Abhimanyu ". Tara nods matching his determination.
Then Vinay stormed out of the school and went to Kandivali station and took a local towards Churchgate and then he looks outside the window as he sits on the seat from the first class. The journey is long and tiresome, the sun setting and evening light paints the sky in orange and at Charni Road station. He exits the station looking for a transport and he proceeds to catch a bus trip to Malabar hill. The place was filled with skyscrapers and he looks at them his eyes shining for the first time he is exploring this side of Mumbai and then bus stops at Malabar hills and then he starts to walks towards the given address. Each step exploring the place he had never seen before and the door that leads to the entry of academy appears Infront of his eyes as he looks up to the board. His eyes flashing as reads the name of the academy savouring the name in his memory as he stood there for a minute. He knows he has to go a long way and face the system to save the woman that helped him throughout the darkest times of his life and the promise he made to the boy who calls him by big brother. The address note is wrapped by his tight fist and then he steps inside the academy with burden he is carrying with his steps.