THE UNLISTED

Chapter One

Drupad Sharma's hands are tied to the dentist's chair. He is sweating heavily, his eyes wide, listening to the sound of a drill he cannot see getting closer and closer to him. He tries to scream for help, but no sound comes from his choked-up throat. He struggles against the ties restricting movement to his hands, but they are so tight the cords cut into his wrists. The more he fights, the greater the pain.

He can't remember why they tied him down. Perhaps he'd tried to run. It wouldn't surprise him; he has lived his whole life terrified of dentists. He hates the loud, sharp noises. He hates the coldness of the instruments.

He hates the large hands of the dentist. Even the angle of the dentist's chair makes him shiver. But did they really need to tie him so firmly?

The dentist approaches. Dru can't see their face, hidden behind a surgical mask, but even if he could he probably wouldn't notice any details – all he can see is the sharp metal drill that has appeared in his vision. The shrillness of the drill's whine gives him an instant headache.

The dentist pulls open Dru's mouth, causing him to shake in panic. There is no way he can handle the pain that is only a couple of seconds away ...

He glances past the shady silhouette of the dentist and gasps.

His twin brother Kalpen is there, smiling, holding his finger to his lips, silently telling Dru not to let the dentist know he's there. But if he doesn't intervene soon, it's going to be too late. Dru's eyes widen as he looks at his twin. Hurry, Kal, hurry! as the drill tunnels into Dru's mouth –

•

'Argh!' screamed Dru from the safety of his warm bed. The thirteen-year-old woke up, dripping with sweat, and panting hard.

He rubbed his eyes, tried to slow his breathing back to normal, and reached over to his bedside table for his glasses.
From the other side of the bedroom, his twin groaned. 'Keep it down, would you.'
Dru knew where he was now.

Everything was going to be okay. It was just his dentist nightmare again. None of it was real, none of it apart from his brother being nearby. He looked over at Kal, still shaken. 'I had that dentist nightmare again.'

Kal yawned, completely uninterested. He rolled over to try to get a little more shut-eye when a loud bang on their bedroom door made Dru leap into the air, still wired from his nightmare.

The twins' grandmother, their dadi, pushed open the door. She wore a golden salwar kameez, like a beautiful long dress shirt, with matching cotton pants. Dadi greeted them with a loud, 'Rise and shine, my little wombats!'

Seeing the boys still looking sleepy, she let off a party popper. The boys knew their dadi was quite dramatic, but this was extreme, even for her.

As colourful streamers shot into the air, Dadi announced, 'Up, up, up! It's Diwali!'

So that was the reason for the party popper. Diwali was Dadi's favourite day of the year. It was the Hindu festival of lights, and one of the most celebrated festivals for Indians around the world.

Both boys grinned at their grandmother. 'Happy Diwali, Dadi.'

Like a colourful whirlwind, Dadi disappeared to wake up the next unsuspecting Sharma with a loud knock.