2|| Whispers in the Wind

5|| that one time you got possessed

Kalyani

Kalyani stood very still, steeling herself for the explosion. This was so out of character- she'd spent her whole life avoiding trouble, and now she had jumped headfirst into it. That one thought still circled her mind: What have I done?

What was it that urged her? If she could go back, she'd still stand up for Aria, but she would never resort to violence. That was always the last option in Kalyani's book. So, she stood in the living room, awaiting her parents.

The door handle twisted, revealing her mother's raven-black hair and light brown eyes. Her grandfather on her mom's side was from Sweden, and mom ended up with the best features from both grandma and grandpa. Kalyani had always wished she looked more like her mother; elegance and grace would do her a great service.

Now was not one of those times.

Because holy cow, moms could look scary as fuck.

"Come on in," she said in a tone of forced jolliness, which, to be honest, was way more disconcerting than if she had yelled.

To the far corner of the office, Prakash Chopra clicked away on his computer, pretending not to hear anything. Devika crossed her arms. "Shameful. Utterly shameful."

"I-"

"Care to explain why I've heard that you purposely injured a student? I thought you knew better than that. We've raised you to make your own decisions, but also to know what's right and wrong. I had complete faith in you to be a role model to your sister, but now you are just encouraging her behavior. I had trust in you, and you have broken it. I don't think we can entrust the same responsibility to you ever again," her mom ranted.

Her dad looked up bewilderedly, as if to ask, 'who's we?' 

Kalyani had to explain herself, she couldn't just keep taking blows. "The girl I hit is called Arlo Daye- she was making snide comments about Aria and I could tell they really hurt her! She was comparing us, and Aria gets enough of that from you guys at home as it is. It wasn't- and isn't- fair to her. She's a lot more than a shadow. So, I messed up the aim for my serve and the ball hit Arlo in the eye. I'm sorry."

But she wasn't sorry. Not at all.

Mrs. Chopra raised an eyebrow. "I don't appreciate what you're implying, Kalyani. Everyone is treated equally in this household. Besides, your explanation isn't an excuse, you've still done something awful."

During this exchange, Kalyani's dad left his seat and walked up behind her mom. "What's that I hear?"

Kalyani opened her mouth, only to hear her mother reply for her. "Kalyani gave a girl a black eye because she was being mean to Aria. Before you-"

Her dad nodded thoughtfully. "Did she? How bad was it- I mean- that was truly wrong. Riya, leave her punishment to me, don't worry about that. Go back to your work."

Mom narrowed her eyes for a moment, then seemed to think better of it and nodded. "Okay."

Once she was out of earshot, Kalyani found herself being led out by her dad into the hall, where he whispered, "You know, I don't think you were wrong. Tell me more?"

Kalyani grinned. Count on her dad to learn all the gossip. "Wellll, you heard everything mom said, it was basically that. My serve hit her in the eye and she needed the nurse afterward. It was an accident..." her smile faded. "But I also felt like it wasn't me doing it. Like there was someone else changing my mind. If it were up to me, I would have beaten Arlo fairly. I think- I know I'm better at the sport than her."