JOURNEY WITH SAF ACADEMY

LEAP OF FAITH PART- 2

" I can feel so many things, yet I choose to feel her. Her layers, her eyes.I like it " ~ anonymous.

The bike ride came to a halt as they reached the academy. Monami gets down, this time not because she is scared but because she feels good. It feels so good. Karan also gets down and parks the bike. They walk in together. Not much to say. The rest of the team is already in the mess. They were waiting for Karan to come back and explain the next plan of action. 
K: monami, Tum theek ho?
M: hmmm
She simply nods and they keep walking together. They reach the mess where everyone is waiting for them. Karan explains how the criminal is still out there.
He proceeds to speak, ' saare cadets ne apni responsibilities sahi tarike se ki thi. Just because ek mission fail ho gaya iska matlab ye nahi ki hum haar maan jaayenge aur wo criminal kabhi pakda nahi jayenge. We will make another plan. Hum apni duty sahi tarike se karenge. It's been a long day, aap log jaake rest kar sakte hai' he concluded.
All the trainers left and now it was just the cadets in the mess. Sid came near Monami and gave her a side hug. She also reciprocated. It felt safe to be back in academy. Somehow they were happy to see each other. Safe and unhurt. Ofcourse the mission had failed but none of them was harmed. That was what really mattered. Koel slowly sneaked out. This whole mission thing had kept her on her emotional edge and she couldn't wait to see her son again. Nikhil might be fast asleep by now. Thankfully, no one noticed her leaving.
All settled down, after the long day a simple act of sitting with each other, who thought it could be so peaceful and make them so happy. Sumanji was the first to speak.
' sumanji to bhot Darr gayi thi. Par ab sabko yaha dekhkar bhot achcha lag raha hai' she chirped.
' haa, agar mere saathiyo ko kuch ho jaata to pata nahi hum kya karte' Premji joined her.
' par #mission to fail ho gaya' chitra pointed.
' guys, Aaj ke liye aur nahi sochte mission ke baare me ' Sid insisted.
' Sid sahi keh raha hai. Let's take a break ' another cadet joined.
In the meantime, Chotu from the canteen bought chai and coffee for everyone. All talked for a little while. The tension seemed to have eased out. After some time they all retreated to their rooms. Sid stopped Monami. Inspecting her from head to toe.
' kya kar raha hai?' she was confused.
' monu, tujhe lagi to nahi na?' he asked with concern in his voice.
' Sid, mai theek hoo ' she calmed him.
' bro tujhe pata hai mai kitna Darr Gaya tha. Tujhe kahi lagi to nahi na?' he was worried for his bro.
' I know Sid, mai bhi bhot Darr gayi thi. But thanks to Karan I'm fine ' she answered.
Both sighed in relief. And Sid left after some time saying he has to take care of someone. Though, it had been a long day, it was just a little past seven right now. Nobody could sleep. Monami changed her clothes. She had little scratches here and there but rest seemed fine. Her mind kept going back to the bike ride and even before that how Karan had saved her life. To not think about him was becoming difficult for her. Too much Karan in her headspace. She sighed and tried laying on her bed. Maybe sleep would help. But no. Sleep was the last thing that was going to happen to her. She was just restlessly moving on her bed. Like a teenager. She tried closing her eyes again but it was the same person. KARAN.

Karan and Faizi were in their room. They were discussing what next plan to adopt. Just then Sanjana comes in and closes the door.
' Sanju, tu theek hai' Karan asks her.
' Sirji, aapko ek baat batani thi. Wo terrace par, wo mercenaries. Usme se ek ko humne track karke pakad liya hai. Bantaji use lekar aate hi honge' she spoke with hopeful eyes. Both Karan and Faizi got up from their seats.
' Sanju, tu theek hai na?' Karan asked after some silence. She nodded curtly.
' Good job Special Agent Sanjana Dubey' Faizi respected her. She saluted. This was her senior commending her job. And she deserved every bit of it. She left in some time and Faizi also left the room to welcome the new guest, jiski bhot achchi se khaatirdaari hone wali thi. 
Karan sat back on his chair and switched on the lamp on his table. He pulled out a drawer and picked something from inside. Monami's earring. That he had kept all along. The emerald earring. Holding it in his hand, he felt something. Just a peice of shining metal, why was this any different? He kept the earring back inside and took out his laptop and started researching more about the case of missing children in deolali.
Sid went to the infirmary after changing clothes and went to look for someone. Sanjana. Anyone else might not know this but he witnessed the fight on the terrace. Sanjana fought the mercenary and was injured. And Sid wanted to be there for her. Nothing was funny in this. Sid was genuinely worried and was looking for her everywhere. When it clicked him the place where the chances of her being the most was the gym. He immediately walked towards the gym. This time himself. Without Sanjana having to drag him.
Koel had also tucked Nikhil nicely in the bed and came out of the room. Her thoughts were disturbing her. What if something would have happened her. The thought alone scared her. Not the thought of death but the thought of leaving her son alone. She was looking outside in the empty space but her thoughts were wild. What about tomorrow? What if she has to go on a mission tomorrow again? Will she be able to come back? She gulped. Fear. Death. Such strong emotions. Yes, death is an emotion. You feel it before you experience it. It could be death from pleasure or pain. In koel's case it was definitely death from pain. Will she and Nikhil ever be able to live a normal life? Passing from the corridor behind was Faizi with a cup of ice cream. He stopped in his trail when he saw a shadowy figure standing aloof. Coming closer he saw it was Koel. And the thought of sharing his ice cream clicked on his head and he made his way towards her.