The Lines of Fate

1: Not just a simple life

Kolkata International Airport

July 2019. Tuesday, 8:30 pm

It was a lovely evening as Radhika walked out of the checking area with her belongings scanning the crowd at the entrance, looking for her cousin brother Rishav.

"Rai!!"

Hearing her nickname being called, Radhika turned to the right side to see her brother waving at her from among the people. She waved back before walking up to him.

"My little sister!!" Rishav grinned before hugging Radhika. She did the same but before she could have adjusted to the position, she was picked up and was being spun around in the air.

"Oh! God, dada put me down! Everyone is watching...." Radhika whined, vigorously patting her brother's shoulder being completely embarrassed.

"What can I do if I see my sister after six months?" Rishav said before putting Radhika down on the ground.

"Yeah, I can understand but we are in the airport," Radhika looked around her, feeling judging eyes on them. There were some young girls, looking in their direction with jealous eyes.

It didn't take Radhika a second to understand what was in their mind. They were thinking of Rishav as her boyfriend. People always think complicated things. It is in their nature. Due to Rishav's behavior, many people mistook them for a couple.

Goddd!! How many times did she warn Rishav!!... But all in vain!! It was his habit, that he used to get out of certain situations.

"Those girls standing near the pillar.... were they talking to you before I came?" Radhika asked.

"They were hitting on me from the time I arrived," Rishav replied after taking a look.

"I knew it. They are throwing daggers at me with their eyes." Radhika said. "I would have already been dead if eyes could kill."

"What will I do if God made me so good-looking?" Rishav smirked before picking up his sister's luggage, turning around to go to his car. "Stop being a narcissist!" Radhika slapped Rishav on his arm before following him.

She was back in her hometown after six months which she spent in London working on a project. She was specially called by her teacher under whom she studied when she was in London doing her Ph.D.

The beauty of Kolkata, the City of Joy, and the capital of the East Indian state of West Bengal had always been a source of happiness to her. The cultural legacy of the city is matchless and one of the best experiences in the country.

Here, India is mixed with a little bit of the British colonial days and interesting specimens of architecture, and artistic and cultural scene. The city is famously known as the Land of Mother Teresa and Rabindra Nath Tagore, but in the heart of the 300-year-old city is the real feel of India.

Once she reached her home she was warmly greeted by her uncle and aunt, Rishav's parents. Finally, she was back at the house where she grew up, the house which was filled up with her lifelong memories. It always gave the same feelings every time she walked into her house.

After getting fresh she had dinner with her family and then went back to her room which her aunt decorated as she likes. After setting the alarm she took a book from a shelf and got in the bed. It was her habit to read before going to sleep.......

Next-Day

"W-Who are you?? Who???"

Radhika woke up on the bed, gasping for air. Again, she woke up before the alarm seeing the same dream that had been haunting her for the last three months. She got out of her bed and poured herself a glass of water.

After drinking she stood up shaking her head. She had gone through a lot of medical check-ups back in London but all ended up in vain. Nothing stopped her from having those nightmares.

But she was determined to not let her family know that she was having nightmares again, no matter how much they loved her. She can't bother them anymore.

If her aunt gets to know about that, she would never let her go to work.

After her morning routine, she dressed in blue-colored jeans and a white shirt, tied her straight waist-length hair into a ponytail, put a slight makeup, and went downstairs to meet her family at the dining table.

Rishav was already eating his breakfast and her aunt was serving food to her uncle who was reading a newspaper, the same scene that she had been seeing from the time she existed. The only thing that changed was their ages.

Wishing them all a good morning, Radhika sat down beside Rishav.

"Woah! Sis.... you are going to kill with that look!!" Rishav joked.

Radhika smiled before starting to have her breakfast.

"Do you need to work in the police station?" Her aunt Mrs. Shivani Sengupta asked with a face of concern when Radhika went to wash her hands after eating.

Radhika said, "Jethi...I know you are concerned but I will be fine. Dada will also be there. There is no problem."

"I am already so concerned about your brother. I can't understand what was the need for him to study forensics and now you also."

"Ma....ma...you don't know how much joy we feel when we catch a culprit," Rishav said walking towards his mother.

"But it is dangerous," Mrs. Sengupta was still trying to make them change their thoughts. She had been doing this from the day Rishav decided to study forensics.

"It's thrilling," Her uncle, Mr. Jairaj Sengupta said looking at them taking his eyes away from the newspaper he was reading.

"Yes! Both of them got this from you. You ate their heads by saying all this." Mrs. Sengupta huffed.

Mr. Sengupta was a retired police officer. It was true that Radhika and Rishav got their wishes to join the police force from him and Mrs. Sengupta was not at all happy about that.

"Jethi.... don't panic! I and dada both know how to keep ourselves safe. We will be fine. So now let us go or else I will be late on my first day." Radhika said before placing a kiss on her aunt's cheek.

"Best of luck...." Mr. Sengupta wished.

Radhika nodded before walking out of the room to get her bag.

"Why can't you stop her Rishav? It's dangerous." Mrs. Sengupta said once again.

"Ma!! You can't always hide everything from sis. One day she will find out. We all know that there is less than a month left before her 25th birthday. We still hadn't been able to find the culprit. We need her. We need her talents. Don't you think she should at least try rather than sitting idle waiting for the e-end???"

Rishav's words shuttered at the end as he thought of the consequences. What would happen if really everything becomes true? How would everyone survive? How would they live without her??????