Always, yours- Taarey Fanfiction.

I can...

The ride to Pune was filled with silence, only the transmitter in the car roared once in a while indicative of some captain, trying to gauge where were they and how was Taani doing; Singh uncle always responded in one of the two ways.  "She is fine" or "Don't worry!" 

             This happened twice within half an hour, the third time Taani groaned in response and replied herself. Her voice hoarse, maybe because she had been quiet and trying to hold back her tears; Rey concluded. "I am fine, Captain! Instead of checking on me and other family members; why don't you worry about your agents? Get them safe home? Or least what's left of them!" She replied. Venom dripped through her once sweet voice. 

Singh Uncle sighed and decided to turn off the transmitter. The man was around the same age as Rey's father or maybe a year or two older. He was still very buffed and had very sharp reflexes. Rey's only concern was the remains of his left hand, which he couldn't stop looking at.

              "Lost it during a mission.." Singh uncle had answered when Rey again trailed his eyes towards his hand from the passenger seat.  Swayam nodded slowly at the back seat indicating Rey to drop the subject. Which he gladly did.

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'I can do this.'

Taani muttered to herself, as she stood calmly outside the school gate. 'I can...'

"Taani, just go for it... planning this all out can make it worse." Singh uncle called out. Nodding she eyed Rey, who stood only a few steps behind. The stare was indicative of one thing... 'please be with me.' He nodded slowly and moved beside her. He didn't know she had a younger sister, but here they are in her school hostel to pick up her sister. They had dropped Sharon and Swayam only a few minutes back, they had to make the apartment ready. The house help was already there.

           "Ma'am.." Taani approached an old lady, dressed in a well-pressed saree the woman stood straight for her age.  

St. Redwood the big board flashed brightly in the darkness of the night. "It's where all our kids learn." Singh uncle had informed him earlier. Rey couldn't do much but nod his head. Taani was also a student here, then... 

"My child, how are you?" The woman asked fixing her glasses properly on the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were full of concern... Eyes trying to gauge Taani's every move. The same thing Rey had been trying to do; he was waiting for her to cry or speak up, but one thing he never did... He didn't ask her how was she...

         "I am as good as I can be for now..." Taani answered as she was pulled into the warm embrace of the old woman. Rey nodded hoping at least that the girl was being truthful. But he knew it was only wishful thinking...she can't be okay, she was just trying to be okay for her sister, maybe...

"She is in the chapel... she is creating havoc." The woman supplied pulling away, after a few seconds. She knew what Taani would  Taani nodded cleaning her tear ducts again. She was trying to control herself, for her sister; Rey learned.

            Walking slowly behind the old woman, Rey slipped his hand and held Taani's shivering ones. He couldn't imagine what was going on in her mind right now. To handle your emotions, just to support your younger sibling... Especially in a situation like this...  Rey, could never...

 Following the headmistress to the long and never-ending corridor to the chapel, lit in warm lights. Rey noticed the lovely walls, if it hadn't been the situation that they were in, he would have clicked a picture.  Closing the chapel now Rey could hear the ruckus that the headmistress was talking about...

             "WE DON'T NEED GOD!JESUS, WOMAN FAMILY! WE NEED TO SEE OUR FAMILY!" 

"OH! YOU THINK DRAGGING US HERE IS GONNA ERASE WHAT HAS HAPPENED? OUR FATHERS, UNCLE'S OR BROTHERS ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED! Some of us lost them! WE NEED TO BE WITH OUR FAMILY!"

               "NO! I AM NOT GONNA CALM DOWN!"

"YEAH, YOU DO THAT! CALL THE HEADMISTRESS... I DON'T CARE! SHE CAN THROW ME OUT OF THE SCHOOL FOR ALL I CARE!"

They had almost reached the chapel, and it seems that the youngest Shekhawat had sent the entire chapel in a  spiral bind. "Jesus!" Taani breathed in a shaky breath. "You can do this, Taani!" Rey felt the need to say it again.

              Nodding to herself, she closed her eyes and repeated her mantra. 

"Let's do this.." She muttered as she opened the door to the chapel and walked in. Face stoic and eyebrows raised. 

           "YOU ARE IN THE CHAPEL AND WILL RESPECT THAT! WE RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!" Taani's voice boomed across as her eyes narrowed on the girl who stood eyeing the sister. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and the grey sweatshirt of the school labeled her back. 

"Sorry.." The girl said without turning, her face bowed and an annoying reply how the elder sister did the same... bite down. 

            "You better be..." Taani muttered and moved slowly towards the girl, she was hardly 14. Rey thought noting the height. Taani wrapped her arms around the girl and it only took seconds for the youngest daughter to break down. Rey felt his own emotions at the brim,  watching the sobs of the youngest daughter of the Shekhawat. Rey hadn't seen her yet, but the small frame of a broken girl, trying to hold herself together was easy to remind him of his girlfriend; she was doing the same. The same, that scared him right now was the breakdown Taani would have. The impending breakdown...

           "Di... Papa.." Her sobs increased, and it made Taani lose her control. Rey quickly hugged Taani who held her sister close to her heart; now both the girls crying their hearts out. "Taani... We should take her home." Rey muttered slowly noticing the others had started to lose their composure. 

"Ha." She said softly. 

            Rey saw; what could be Taani's exact copy break apart from his girlfriend. "Sorry, di! I know, I should be strong...But I don't wanna lose him, too." 

"We won't! Let's go now!" Taani encouraged the little girl to stand up and Rey followed them, wordlessly. 

             "Thank you, miss!" Taani thanked the headmistress and Rey nodded slowly in appreciation as well.  

The car silence was very comforting. Rey sat in the passenger seat, till now no new information about the incident was passed, it was surprising to Rey how they worked, Mr. Singh or Uncle Singh as Taani called him was still driving. While the girls had fallen to sleep, the drive was short but the girls were tired, emotionally.

          "Sir? any information?" He asked slowly. 

"Not yet, but they will be all hereby 3:30 am..." Rey nodded at the small piece of information passed. He saw Taani shift slightly, Tamana's hold on Taani's arm tightening almost painfully as if the girl was scared of the elder sister leaving her.  "Don't worry! The girls are strong! Ever since their mother... they have been so strong, and kind!" Mr. Singh added.

           "I can't help, but worry..." Rey muttered slowly. 

"Abhimanyu; their elder brother! His flight is delayed. He won't be able to make it in time. Maybe around 12 tomorrow? I guess... Taani needs to take care of everything." Singh Uncle informed. "You are Taani's friend?" 

           "Yes, we go to college together, St. Louis"  Rey informed, his fingers raking through his jet black hair.

The silence in the car dragged on for the next 5 minutes, they were soon pulling up in the gates of the bungalow where they last dropped Swayam and Sharon. The lights are now on, "The help is already here!" soon two tall boys walked up towards the car, around the same age as them.

Nodding at the old man, that drove them around they stood up straight. Rey heard the door of the back seat open, turning he found Taani stumbling out of the white car.

          "Varun... Help Tamana with her luggage and Karan please take her to the room she is sleeping.  The two men nodded, before leaving to follow the order they gave a stiff nod acknowledgment to Taani and moved along. 

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