Exile

34. DESTINY'S PLOY??

Harika is annoyed to say the least. She didn't want to study. Not in her break, especially not in the evening. But she had no choice. In her bhaiyya's words precisely, this is her punishment for cheating in the exam. 

Punishment exactly being - Studying the whole subject just not enough for her to pass the supplementary exam on her own, but also score a minimum of 65 percent!!! Ridiculous.... but there was nothing she could do or say. She just have to study... sorry.. practice Math now, but there was no rule that she had to do it in silence. 

She looked up from her lashes at her bhaiyya who was going through the textbook as if he had to give an UPSC exam out of those Calculus problems!! 

"Bhaiyyaaaa..." 

"Hmmm.."

"Hum kal se shuru karsakte hai na revision. Aaj hi start karna zaruri hai?" 

Agastya sighed. He was just waiting for her to start talking and she did. This is not going to be easy, he thought before he looked at his dear sister. 

"Bilkul zaruri hai bacha. There are hardly 20 days." He said, softly because he didn't want to loose his patience without even trying.

Harika groaned dramatically. "Par bhaiyya, itni jaldi kya hai? Itni garmi mein math kaun padta hai?"

Agastya gave her a patient smile. "The sooner we start, the better you'll understand the concepts. And it won't be so overwhelming closer to the exam." He answered like a Robot.

Harika tried to comeback with something but that patient smile he had on his face annoyed her. Why on earth is he soo patient???? She gritted out "Fine, Sir!!" And looked back into her book without waiting for his reaction.

After an hour into practice session, Agastya is tired "Sir na bhulane ke liya kya loge Harika?"

"I am busy right now, Sir. I need to study. Please don't disturb me." She said without looking up from her book and is genuinely solving a problem. 

"I am sorry. Did I hear that right?" Pratyaksha's voice came through and Agastya looked up only to find a shock etched on her face. Her right hand holding a water bottle and left one holding the cap of that bottle. That made Agastya smile. 

"Is she my sister?" She asked him and Agastya's smile widened before he shrugged. 

Harika rolled her eyes but didn't look up from her book "You come out of your room almost after 30 hours, to do what? Taunt me?" 

"Unfortunately my dear sister, I wasn't taunting. I am seriously shocked and surprised Hari. Tu sach mein pad rahi hai. Vo bhi Math. Vo bhi..." She looked at Agastya and looked back at her sister "Agastya ke sath. That's too much of a change in 30 hours." 

Agastya raised his eyebrows in interest as he heard Pratyaksha but soon he got irritated when Harika chose to open her mouth.

"You will be even more surprised when I will tell you that Agastya Sir is unrelenting and this is my supposed punishment for cheating in exams." 

It was Pratyaksha's turn to raise her eyebrows in amusement "Agastya sir?"

Agastya cringed as soon as he heard that. 

Harika finally closed the book and looked up at her sister "Yep! If you are done, then let me do my work in peace because I am yet to finish mine. Vo kya hai na, Sir chahte hai ki mai aaj yeh chapter finish karu." She took her leisure time to add bite into her tone and let them know how much she is enjoying doing Math in her break, instead of watching her favourite football player in the TV.