ANIKAA & THE ESCAPE- BOOK 2 OF ANIKAA SERIES

BLUESTAR- THE CAVALLO

Anikaa didn't wait for maintaining anymore formalities. Leaving Nishant, she fled from the dance floor in a wink. She wanted air and quiet and she knew where she would find it. But before she could reach her destination, she ran into Rachel who was looking worried for some unknown reason. Anikaa opened her mouth to question the reason of her anxiety when Karan joined them and started blabbering- "I apologise Anikaa...I mean this was absolutely unexpected...I don't know what happened to Raymond."

"Oh you sure do. I told you how meanly he talked to Anikaa mam in the morning," said Rachel vehemently.

"Rachel...," called Anikaa absolutely stunned that first- she knew what happened between Raymond and her and secondly- she told about it to Karan.

"Mam...I am sorry. Raymond was looking so angry in the morning, so I just came outside the library to check if everything is fine and I heard him shouting. That's it. Nothing else. I heard nothing."

"I don't know what's gotten into him...why is he so stressed and...,"

"Taking turns to dance with all the eligible bachelorettes of the town," said Rachel mockingly.

Anikaa looked back at the dance stage where Raymond was now shaking legs with ebullient- Rekha Diwan.

"Why don't you also dance with someone, a hot guy? It might knock some brains into my brother," suggested Karan.

"Karan dear, I am too grounded to play such childish games. And besides, you two should enjoy yourselves rather than focussing on me or Raymond," said Anikaa and left them before they could stop her.

She had just crossed half of the fields when Milan ran into her whose cheeks had become redder than the fresh strawberries laid on the table. "Apparently, he had almost downed one-fourth of the drinks of the party, especially fresh toddy," said Guran who was following his master like a hound on a mission. Milan roared with laughter as he saw her and handed her a glass of Virgin Margarita.

"Nobody is supposed to stand empty hand in my party," he said and left to greet Retd. Col. Benoufiwala.

She swallowed the mocktail in one swig, feeling thirstier than ever and without looking back sprinted down the fields crossing all the tents, turning a deaf ear to people who called her name, ignoring the smoke emanating from the grill counters, the vivacious laughs, the peaking conversations, the fatuous gossips. Yes. She had to run...run away.

Anikaa reached the end of the fields where the tents ended. Fortunately, the guard was not present there at the moment and so Anikaa slipped out from the gap of the tent towards the paddock. She heard faint rustling of leaves from behind the trees and someone shushing someone down.

"Your mom is looking for you Dhawan. Get going," she said and three teenage boys scrambled out from behind the trees and disappeared in the tents, throwing their glasses in the bushes on their way.

Away from the warmth of the heaters and flaring bonfires, cold night air slammed into Anikaa's face. With a wild ardour, Anikaa tugged the band out of her French bun thereby releasing the waves of her black and burgundy hair, now swirling and swaying on her shoulders as she strode towards the stables. Freedom! There was a wild, reckless need storming up in Anikaa to be free of all the bounds, this place, the party, the night, Raymond. She wanted to get away from everyone. She wanted to reach somewhere, to be somewhere, somewhere she ought to be, but she didn't know where she wanted to go. What is the place that was attracting and calling her like a magnet? But, she was going, she didn't know what she was doing but she was following where her feet were taking.