A Sew Through Time [Banbudh And Budbak]

15: November rain

The desolate parents have almost given up searching for their child. Grief slithered into their lives whenever they saw her picture. Khushi's mother had her conscience troubled; she had started to think that her daughter's disappearance was a judgement from the gods to chastise her partiality. Khushi's father, on the other hand, had developed a strict, daily habit to visit the police station several times a week, hoping to extract any information related to his missing daughter. But he was only excused with shaking heads and unproper answers.

A month had passed since Khushi had gone lost; somehow a dead child is far more desirable than a missing child.

Ananya visited the house every morning to fetch Rockit before school. She had never dared to gather the courage to face Khushi's parents after that dreadful night. She and Souvik, after that unfateful day in the mall, had immediately gone to her house to tell them the truth, receiving tight slaps from their own parents in front of Khushi's family in return. The police had interviewed them whilst they sobbed bitterly.

The moment felt too horrible to be revisited. She quietly unlocked Rockit from her chains and left. Sometimes when she had the mood, she rode on it, but on most days, she humbly let the cycle run along her footsteps.

In school, she noticed the usual students outside talking and heading towards their classes. Some of them noticed her and exalted ignorant glances. She parked Rockit under the mango tree, a peach squirrel ran up the branch and was observing her.

Turning around, she heard someone shout her name.

"Why that sorry face again?" Ishani yelled from a distance, wrapped in her usual self. She was taller than her, with a pixie haircut, a green clip at the left section. Walking towards her, she crossed her arms and leaned, deliberately making her shadow fall on her.

"They still didn't find her..." Ananya mumbled under her breathe.

She straightened herself and remarked, "Sooo sad! Will she be cooped up forever where she is now?"

"Shut up..."

"Disgusting" the bully spoke in a sarcastic tone, "It's all your fault! You let Khushi be taken away like that. If not because of your stupidity, she would have been with us right-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Ananya screamed at the top of her voice, making the other startled.

"How DARE you raise your voice! You think you want to scream and convince everyone that I'm the bad guy?!"

Anger simmered beneath her calm surface, she stared at her and whispered,

"Get lost..."

Ishani raised her arm to hit her with the greatest force she could exert.

Ananya panicked and shielded her face with the back of her arms. But she could not feel the impact.

Opening her eyes, she saw someone holding Ishani's hand from behind, making her jerk backwards.

It was none other than Souvik.

"You!" The bully stepped back.

"Hit her and I'll smack you!" he uttered, throwing her arm downwards, his eyes illuminated with wrath.

Ishani looked at him with surprise and left, threatening she would complain about his actions to the school principal. Though she was a bully, she is also the class topper, a big rival of Khushi in games, the number one teacher's pet. They already knew all teachers would mostly be in favour of her.

Souvik seemed to care the least. He consoled his friend and walked to their classroom.

The students who were busy talking to each other grew silent upon seeing them. Whispers wafted in the air.