The Devil's Queen (UNDER MAJOR EDITING)

Chapter 8- Exploring Pune and Dreaming Big

Author's POV

~THE NEXT DAY~

Naina gently shook Aanya awake, the early morning sunlight filtering through the curtains.

Naina: (softly) "Aanya, wake up. It's time to explore the city."

Aanya, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up in bed.

Aanya: (yawning) "Exploring the city? Are we doing it this early?"

Naina, full of enthusiasm for their new life, couldn't wait to start discovering Pune and create new memories.

Naina: (excited) "Yes, Aanya. I want to see everything this beautiful city has to offer. Besides, I hear the mornings here are magical and we wouldn't want to miss out on the enchantment now, would we? "

Aanya, still bundled up in her cozy duvet, feigned a dramatic protest.

Aanya: "The mornings are magical, huh? Well, they become more magical when you let a dear friend sleep and not trouble her. Just give me 10-15 more minutes, Naina, I want to sleep. (fake cries)"

Naina: (determined) "No, you have to wake up now, or we won't be able to finish our chores and figure out the shops that provide the basic necessities."

Aanya: (still half-asleep) "We could go tomorrow for that. We just landed in Pune yesterday. How are you not exhausted?"

Naina: (enthusiastic) "Of course, I am exhausted, but we have a lot to do today. Besides, we are only here for two weeks, and that gives us a perfect chance to go and see our dream college - FLAME."

Aanya: (yawning) "Now you're acting like my mom. She used to wake up earlier than usual just to send me to buy groceries. Plus, if you're exhausted, go to sleep."

Naina: (teasingly) "Oh dear, the interview, remember? The internship you're all set for? You did share your excitement about it with me. And you even mentioned that if everything goes well in the interview, they might offer you the job permanently. That's quite a fantastic opportunity, starting your career at such a young age. But I'm guessing being late for it today is not on your agenda, is it?"

Aanya (woke up with a start, throws her duvet to the other side of the bed, and gets out of bed in a hurry): "Oh no! I will become late, and I can't afford to be late. This interview is important. What is the time, Naina?"

Naina (sheepishly): "It is 8:00."

Aanya: "Wait! So that means I still have two hours left, and I am not late. NAINA!!!!! COME BACK HERE!!!"

Aanya runs behind Naina while running down the stairs, they are giggling and laughing enjoying their time together .

Aanya: "I am gonna kill you today!!"

Naina: "You have to catch me for that."

Aanya: "Why did you wake me up so early?"

Naina playfully defended her early wake-up call.

Naina: "Early? Nah, it's just the perfect time to make sure you ace that interview. You wouldn't want to be late for such an important day, now would you?"

Aanya: "I was having a brilliant dream with my celebrity crush!"

Naina playfully replied, determined to wake her friend from the dream world.

Naina: "Time to leave dreamland, Aanya, and face the day because we've got some important tasks ahead. We need to find a good nursery for Maya so she can continue her studies here. And, of course, we'll have to locate a grocery store to stock up on essentials."

After a while, Aanya got tired of chasing Naina. They both stopped and laughed at each other.

Naina: "At least the chase took your sleep away."

Aanya: "Yeah, it did! I'll go take a bath and come down for breakfast."

Naina: "Make sure to wake Maya up before you enter the bathroom to take a bath. We can't leave her alone when we go out to explore the city, now, can we?"

Aanya: "Sure, will do that!"

Their laughter filled the room as the day began with the promise of new adventures in the city of Pune.

~During breakfast~