GIFTED: CURSE OF THE DARK QUEEN

WORLD WAR: GODS AND DEMONS

The walk to the Rupalpur River was long, longer than I expected. The ring was levitating in front of us and showing us the way, my mind was a mess...Abantika was with the Dark queen and god knows what the hell was that bitch doing to her. "hey.." I turned around when Ishika called me, "You ok?" She asked, concern etched on her face I nodded "Just a bit tensed..she's alone with that bitch and I am..just scared for her." Abantika was the mother friend, the person who always took care of everyone, but watching her chained to that wall...made me shudder Ishika squeezed my shoulder "Adi you know her..she won't give up without a fight." "I know but.." I sighed "It's the dark queen..We need to be together to kill her and Abantika's completely alone." Ishika looked at her feet as I walked ahead, my mind reeling with possibilities "guys.." Anaya's voice brought me out of my thoughts as I looked forward, The river bank was a serene expanse, where nature's calm seemed to envelope every corner. Tall, swaying grasses rustled softly in the gentle breeze, their tips brushing against the delicate wildflowers that peppered the landscape with bursts of color. Ancient trees, their gnarled roots exposed and dipping into the cool, clear water, stood as silent sentinels along the river's edge. The river itself was a ribbon of shimmering blue, winding gracefully through the valley. Its surface sparkled in the sunlight, reflecting the azure sky and fluffy white clouds drifting lazily above. Small pebbles and smooth stones lined the shore, glistening with a wet sheen that made them look like scattered jewels. Birdsong filled the air, the melodies of robins and warblers intertwining with the soft babbling of the water as it flowed over rocks and around bends. Occasionally, a fish would leap from the river, sending ripples across the surface and leaving a fleeting trace of its presence. Near the water's edge, the bank sloped gently downward, creating inviting spots where one could sit and dangle their feet in the cool water. Here, the scent of damp earth mixed with the faint fragrance of blooming flowers, creating a heady, natural perfume. "We're here." Anaya announced, Aishik spoke in a confused tone "This place does not even looks like somewhere a dark palace can be." Ishika said "Looks can be decieving." I looked around "lets split up and search around, there's bound to be a lead somewhere." Shivangi said "I'll stay near the river, my water powers might be able to sense if anything's down there." Aindrik said "I'll go with Aishik..." Ishika tagged along with Vinnie while Anaya tagged along with me, we went towards a bushy area looking around "So, about the hickey..." Anaya asked, her voiced mixed with a teasing tone, I gave her a sheepish smile "yes you guessed it. Me and Vinnie hooked up..." Anaya chuckled "About damn time..though I always thought he's going to end up with Ishika." I raised my eyebrows "Ishika? The same Ishika he bickers with every hour of the day." Anaya scoffed "Please..have you seen the way he looks at her? I mean, talk about being in love.." something died inside me, do they...do they really look at each other like that? Anaya looked at me "You ok?" I shook out my thoughts "yeah! yeah I am fine. So, you and Aindrik..you looked cozy." Anaya blushed and smiled "We are back together again...I love him. I have always loved him." I dramatically sighed "FINALLY! I cannot bear the tension anymore." Anaya chuckled at my antics, I said "hey you carry on looking around here and I will just snoop over there." Anaya nodded as I went towards the dense area.

Ishika was looking around the marsh area, her eyes darting everywhere trying to find a flicker of hope. But even when her mind is in distress, her eyes still found the tall boy looking around with a irritated look...Ishika doesn't know when her crush on Vinnie started. Was it when he gifted her that bracelet? Or was it when he gifted her that bougainvillea? Or was it when he kissed her knee because she scraped it? She doesn't know...all she does know, is that this curly haired boy clouded her dreams with promises of happiness, and ...love. Something stirred inside Ishika today when she was wrapped in the vines, a sense of dying..a sense of never getting to feel, hear Vinnie again. She wanted to hug him one last time before she died, Ishika walked towards him "Find something?" Vinnie sighed and nodded "There's just leaves and waters, and no sign of Abantika." He looked at Ishika "What about you?" Ishika shrugged, her heart beating rapidly "Vinnie.." she called out. He raised his face and looked her, the brown rings in his eyes staring at her curiously "yeah, Ishika?" Ishika couldn't stop herself as her lips touched Vinnie's rough ones, Her hands grabbing the collar of his shirt..tugging him towards herself. Vinnie was taken aback! out of all the things he hadn't expected..this! His lips moved in a rhythm against her..she tasted like strawberries and bubblegum...Ishika pressed herself up against him as his hands snaked around her waist, Vinnie groaned when Ishika's tongue grazed his bottom lip, his hand grabbing her head deepening the kiss. "woah.." They both pushed each other away when they heard his voice, Vinnie's eyes shot towards the place where the voice came from...Aditya stood there, his eyes glassy and his palms were folded into fists, Vinnie mentally cursed himself! how could he have forgotten about this? SHIT! "everyone's looking for you." Aditya spoke in a calm tone "We are by the river side." his footsteps slowly receded leaving Vinnie and Ishika alone, Ishika stared at Vinnie "What was that all about?" "we hooked up." Vinnie blurted out and almost wanted to slap himself "what?" Ishika was dumbfounded "B-But i thought you were straight!" Vinnie huffed "I thought that too until..until we kissed in the library!" "you kissed in the library?" Ishika panicked "Shit! why didn't you tell me?" Vinnie tried to calm her down "I..I didn't know you liked me!" Ishika clutched her hair, the guilt washing over her like a sea in a storm "I-I needed to tell you. I don't know that if we will survive this..I needed to kiss you. If I knew that Aditya liked you I would have never.." "I like you too!" Vinnie interrupted her, "what?" "I-I like you too. The time I gifted you that bangle, I..I saved up money for it for 5 months. I..I thought you didn't like me." Ishika couldn't process all of this "We..we have to go." Ishika slowly backed away as she walked towards the river where the others were.

I stared at the river, flashes of Ishika and Vinnie running through my mind. I sighed, I knew he liked her..I saw him collecting money, from his father's wallet, his mother's piggy bank..I chuckled softly..to buy her that glass bracelet. "Aditya!" Vinnie's panicked voice brought me out of my thoughts I turned towards him with a soft smile "hey.." Vinnie ran up to me and panted "I-I am so sorry, I should have never-I should have_" I stopped him "Vinnie, breathe." He stopped talking and took a deep breath slowly calming down a guilty look etched on his face "I am not angry at you for kissing her. I just." I sighed "I just wish you could have told me that you like her..I mean, god I knew that you had a soft spot for her but I didn't know she did too..I would have..I would have never initiated anything." Vinnie went to tell me something but I interrupted him "You don't owe me an explanation, whatever happens you are still my best friend. Just..I don't know what's going to happen to us here..will you..will you just wait before you take a decision?" Vinnie slowly nodded "GUYS!" Shivangi called out, excitement clung to her voice. Her eyes stared at the water "She's in there. I can..I don't know I can feel it..the dark energy." Aishik asked "Even though she is in there..how are we supposed to go?" Shivangi thought for a moment "I..I can shield us." Aindrik asked "Are we sure?" I looked at the waters "We have to take the chance."

One chapter to go!!

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