The Lines of Fate

5: Who's he?

Ishaan's words ringed in her mind.... 'They are going to choose their leader today!"

"WHAT?? Here?" Radhika was shocked.

"Yes. It had been four months since Uncle Patrick passed away. Mom said the position of the leader can't be kept blank for a long time. Today's day was nice, so they will perform it. She even told me to chant the prayers while they performed. I am nervous about that. What if I do something wrong?"

Radhika had never been part of the Arc but she was well aware of her mother's practices. She knew what the appointing of a leader in the Arc meant. Every member of the Arc had to offer themselves to the natural entities and the person in charge of the prayers had to choose the leader anonymously.

The person who became the leader held complete power. None of the other members were able to refuse him or her. She had seen her parents do it when she was a child.

It was just another superstitious ritual. She didn't believe all those but she still remembered what her father used to say.... 'If anything goes wrong there can be deadly consequences.'

She was not concerned about the ritual but Ishaan. "Why does ma do such things?" She was fuming in anger. How could she put her son's life in danger?

"Didi, don't get angry... You know that they believe all of these too much." Ishaan said trying to calm down her sister.

"But that doesn't mean she will make you do this. Does she even think about us? She saw me after six months but didn't even ask me how I was. Her concern was on my clothes."

Ishaan was about to say something but got interrupted by the mention of their names from the announcer.

"It's time," Ishaan said.

Taking a deep breath, Radhika went beside Ishaan and wrapped her hand around his arm. Both of them stepped in slowly after the curtains were lifted. There were so many journalists. The flashes of light from the cameras were making it hard for them to look.

And then came the storm of millions of questions...like where was she? Why didn't she choose the same profession? The same old questions!!

Radhika was hating every damn moment. Finally, when they were able to come out of the clutches of the media she felt at ease.

"Why are you guys standing there? Come and meet the guests." Ishaan's father Mr. Sen said.

Radhika's eyes scanned across the room. She saw her mother, talking with Vaarsh's parents Mr. Aadarsh and Mrs. Basanti Banerjee, and Ishaan's friend Yash's parents Mr. Dakshit and Mrs. Maanvi Ahuja. This resort was theirs. Ishaan's father was talking with the other members of the Arc, Mr. Oliver, and Mrs. Charlotte Langston.

Vaarsh, Rishav, Yash, and Yash's elder sister Bristi Ahuja were standing in front of the drinks section talking among themselves. She and Ishaan first met with the elders and then with their friends.

"Radhika..." Bristi called her name before hugging her. Again, certain images flashed through Radhika's mind. "It's so nice to meet you again..."

"Yeah!" Radhika replied breaking the hug. She couldn't understand why Bristi said that as if they were close friends. They had just met about four or five times on some occasions when their family was invited as Yash and Ishaan were childhood friends.

"Did you see the new costumes mom brought?" Ishaan asked Bristi, making her turn towards him. Radhika saw her brother grinning. She knew both of them were her mother's students but she was not aware of Ishaan's feelings towards Bristi. Seeing her brother smiling like that she was sure Ishaan liked her.

"Feeling single?"

Radhika flinched at the sudden sound near her ears. "Vaarsh!!" she snapped. "Do you have a death wish? Why did you whisper like that?"

"The great Radhika got frightened." Vaarsh teased.

"I am a human too!"

"Fine. Then tell me did you date any guy in London?" Vaarsh asked.

"Well, I went to some dates but none of them were so good."

"Are you sure you are over me?" Vaarsh asked cracking a smile. "You had never dated someone properly after we broke up."

"Mr. Vaarsh.... are you trying to flirt with me?" Radhika asked looking straight at Vaarsh's eyes.

"Maybe," Vaarsh replied.

"Don't! Because I am not dating you anymore," Radhika said. "We are better off as friends."

"Well flirting is good for health," Vaarsh said while making a pose flipping his deep green-colored suit.

Radhika was about to say something but got interrupted by the announcer. Why was the announcer interrupting every time someone was about to speak?

"Ladies and gentleman......the surprise of the night!!!"

The moment the announcer finished speaking the lights of the room switched off.

"Switching off the light is a surprise??" Rishav's voice erupted through the darkness making Radhika and the others laugh at his comment.

Laser lights flashed at the entrance. A guy dressed in a white-colored suit was standing there with his hands in his pant pockets. He was looking downwards so Radhika couldn't figure out his face. But the moment he lifted his face, Radhika stepped back.... Gasping in the process.

He was the same guy!!

The guy she had been seeing in her dreams for the last four months. It was not like she had never seen any good-looking guy before. Vaarsh, Ishaan, Rishav, and many other she knew were all good looking but this guy.... had a different charisma around him.

His tall stature along with his broad shoulders, jet black hair, and big blackish brown attention-captivating eyes was making her heart beats faster.

It did whenever she had the dream but it was beating even more now. She could even hear it.

"KESHAV KAUR!!" Several sounds erupted through the hall followed by gossip.

"He didn't tell me he will come here," Ishaan came forward and stood beside Radhika, he was also surprised but in a good way. He was not like her who was having thousands of questions running through her mind.

'Keshav', the name she heard more than a million times from her mother and Ishaan but never saw in person. He was well known for being the number one student of her mother. One of the best magicians in the world. He was looking like he had just walked out of a magazine.

But what was he doing here in India? Radhika thought. She remembered very nicely that Ishaan had mentioned earlier that he always refused to come to India.