AISHA: The Cursed Name

Chapter -8 Something She Noticed

Something She Noticed

Aisha's eyes fell on the three girls staring at Bani, waiting for her to look at them. They sat a few seats ahead of them and continuously tried to grab Bani's attention. Aisha pinched her partner, who was burying her head into the book, cursing a large amount of syllabus to study.
"Ouch! What is it?"

Bani snarled while Aisha said,
"I guess you've been ignoring some people because of me."

She pointed at the group of girls, who smiled as soon as Bani looked at them. They indicated that she should come and join them, but Bani passed an apologetic smile.

Shortly, a lady, nicely dressed in a red dress that resembled a gown, walked in. She wore bright red lipstick, and her long red streak of hair fell on her face, beautifully curled. She had long hair, which she had plaited, which reached to her knees. She had applied a thick kajal in her eyes, wore a gold nose ring and earrings.
"It's such a nice day to be introduced."

She walked in speaking, and then she stood in front of her desk saying,
"I am Aadya Travi, younger sister of our beloved headmistress. I used to teach the subject at Shiksha Mandir, where the children of all the priests study. Since I missed my family, my sister, I got myself transferred here, and now I will teach you. I hope you like my welcome treatment. I am fond of kids and also decorations."

She walked around the class saying,
"So the first thing we will have to do is to know each other. Since I have introduced myself, it's your turn. Cast magic and write your name and a speciality of yours, I must know. Maybe the subject you are best at or a task you perform the best. I desire to know each one of you."

As she finished, all the pupils began following her instructions. All of them wrote their names and a speciality they admired the most. It hovered above their heads, some blazing in fire and some like mini-tornadoes, rolling in grey. Some had sparkles and splashes of water, while the few left were adorned with flowers and grass. Aisha sat blankly, just looking at the others.

"Rishabh Mahavanshi, sword fighting."
"Namrata Amarnath, best at Science."
"Drishti Chauhan, astrology."
"Jay Chauhan, animal care... Are you both related?"

The teacher questioned when Drishti and Jay shook their heads in agreement, as Jay said,
"Our father has two wives, I am from the first marriage, and she comes from the second. We happened to be born in the same year."

Moving on, she continued.

"Swara Srivastava, maintenance."
"Ishita Raj, medical."
"Druv Pandit, sports."
"Siddhartha, knowledge of stones and magic... Well, that's a good thing, but what's your full name?"

Siddhartha passed a pleasing smile, saying,
"I know nothing about my family, so I just don't have a last name to complete my origin."

There was a sad expression on her face when she said,
"It's fine, you have such a large family here to complete you! We are all with you."

She tried to cheer him up as she smiled, and he shook his head. And she continued until she reached the last desk where Aisha and Bani sat.

"Bani Sharma, herbal medication."
"And? What about you?"

Aisha raised her head when the teacher recognised her and said,
"Oh, you are that new girl? I'm sorry, I know your name. I would talk to you after the class."

Saying this, she walked near her desk and said,
"So, tell me what you studied in the past year?"

Rishabh stood up with much confidence and said,
"We learnt about the four-element stones. They are embedded in the sacred pillars, as told by our ancestors and our books. When our fourth Maha Pandit took up his vows, he claimed that the stones were secured within the pillars that had risen directly above the earth. He proved his words by showing the stones for the first time to the Royals at that time. We also studied the sacred symbols of magic. All the animals, trees, and jewels."