Aru Shah Jokes and Short Stories

Voices In Her Head (Part 3)

Aru's PoV

Trying to keep her legs from wobbling, she determinedly walked to the gates, avoiding Savitri's eyes.

The prophecy rung inside her ears. "Ahead of you lie paths that trap, not lead."

Using her expert intuition, she deduced that that was, on a base level, bad.

She fiddled with Vajra the bracelet, and the lightning bolt offered her some comfort, glowing a warm shade of gold.

A pleasant sensation ran from her wrist up to her upper arm, when she actually registered the tendrils of electricity clambering on her hands.

It was the best good luck charm she'd gotten from the lightning bolt. (Vajra wasn't really adept at giving gifts except the usual shock when she did something stupid, so maybe the bar was low.)

The darkness engulfed her like fog, and distantly, she heard the gates clang, which did not help the sense of panic building inside her chest.

A voice reached her ears. It didn't sound remotely threatening.... in fact, it seemed scared. It was sobbing, and the Daughter of Indra's heart filled with pity.

She flicked her wrist, and whispered, "Vajra." In a flash, the lightning bolt appeared in her hands, offering some light.

A young girl, about the twins' age was chained to a rock, wearing a dirty, simple salwar-kameez, which might have been white at one time, but it was a dirty grey and patches of brown stained the hems of her sleeves.

"Are- are you okay?" Aru whispered.

"I-I think so.... but I'm very weak, I haven't eaten in a while." The girl whispered.

Aru considered her choices. She couldn't just leave the kid here, that was cruel. But the Savitri's voice whispered in her ear, as if the woman was right there, "Paths that trap...."

She shoved the voice into the depths of her subconscious.

"Come on. I think I'll be able to support you... and if you don't mind, will you tell me how you.... you ended up like this?" Aru asked.

"I'm not really sure, Aru.. I just remember light, pain, and then I was here."

Aru felt a rush of pity for the girl. She didn't deserve to die--or be starved, or go through  whatever she had been through at that age. Somehow, she was reminded of Sheela. The forced cheerfulness in her voice reminded her of her little sister, and that made her heart ache for the twins more and more.

"I'm sorry...." Aru said quietly. She trailed off, a detail hitting her like a brick squarely in the face.

"How did you know name?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

The girl gave her a sly smile, one that didn't seem at home with her sweet features.

"Why would I forget the name of an old acquaintance?" The girl asked, her voice's pitch rising

"Acquaintance? Wha- are you Debrah Martin, the girl whose pigtail I cut off? I swear, that was an accident!" Aru stammered.

For a moment, the girl was stymied, for she frowned, and said, "Who are you talking about?"

Her form was growing, until it stopped at the height of a grown woman. Her features melted away like makeup, to reveal a new, very familiar face underneath.

"Meenakshi." Aru breathed.

Meenakshi smiled kindly at her, and said, "Hello, Arundhati."

"What are you doing here?"