Avneil:Jail Track FF [✓]

Fear

Dedicated to tuhi1109 who stole my heart with the loud, heartfelt and painful words of our brave soldiers killed in the Pulwama attack. My deepest sympathy to their families.
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Ali seemed to be most affected by her
devastated state. Probably because none of them knew what Avni had gone through in that horrible storeroom where Dayawanti had locked her. Only Ali knew, as he had saved her. He picked her up and made their way to the room.

"Chamko? Uth!" He said, patting her muddy cheeks from the tears and the continuous struggle. When she didn't wake up he turned to the entire family. "WHO THE HELL WAS SO STUPID ENOUGH TO LOCK HER THERE! TO LEAVE HER THERE!" He yelled so loudly Aman almost lost his balance.

He rushed to the kitchen to get some water and sprinkled it on her face. Avni woke up, trembling. She seemed to only recognise Ali and hugged him immediately.

Ali reciprocated, muttering shh aftee every second. "A...ali vo...D...dayaw..an..ti, she'd kill me! Sh..e snatched Aman! A..ali please get me out. Please. Ash... ashish Mehta...Ali, all because of him..Get me out!" She muttered, sobbing hardly.

Aman looked at his di, Dayawanti snatched me? What is she saying? He thought.

"Avni she's dead." Ali whispered.

Neela looked at her daughter who was always so brave. But now, she was so broken, so scared, so small, she didn't find that Avni in her.

"Get me out! It's bad in here." She pleaded. "Hey we're out. See?" He replied but she didn't let go of his sweater.

Ashish looked at her. He thought his beloved daughter had forgiven him for his mistakes. She still hadn't let go of the memories, the sour memories. She still blamed him.

Avni looked up, and panicked seeing Ashish. "Ali ye..ye." She said, panting, her attack was still there.

Neela immediately pushed Ashish and Aman out of the room. "Superstar." He said, justifying himself to Neela. "Ashish, I'm not sure but I think she's currently living in her past. And she's scared of you. Please stay out of this." She said and rushed in, locking the door.

Neil didn't know why, but guilt was surrounding him. He couldn't make Avni happy as before.

He asked Ali to step aside. He cupped her cheek and Avni looked at him. "Its fine. It's alright. There's no dark. No storeroom. It's us. Avni and Neil. Koi nahi hai. We're together. I'll get you out of this." He said. Avni's eyes didn't reduce the amount of fear they held.

"Ali, ye, dayawanti ka ko...koi" She asked. Neil broke hearing this statement of hers. Ali asked him and Neela to go. Neil was just too shocked and disappointed that he couldn't feel Neela, grabbing his arm and going out.

She took him in the garden and made him sit. "Why is she behaving like she doesn't know me?" Neil asked, teary eyed.

"Bacha, I don't know. But it has happened with me as well. When she was small and something happened through which she remembered her horrible past, she lives in that moment. She can't see anything else, our words have no effect. That time also she muttered just Ali because he helped her to get herself out from those life taking moments. Like now, I don't know exactly what happened that time like she was talking today because we never talked about them. Avni didn't like talking about them. It's okay. You don't need to feel disappointed. She'll get over it. Let her be with Ali. She'd feel better and maybe realise herself what she said and come to you. Hm?" She said politely.

Neil hugged her in response. "I can't protect her. I can't give her a beautiful life so that she can forget her past. I failed her Ma. I failed to break the walls around her heart." He said, sobbing.

"Shh, she'll clear it out." Neela said while Neil broke apart, still sitting there while Neela went back in. Through the mirrors near the staircase, he could see Ali carrying a now laughing Avni on his back towards the kitchen.

Neil went near the kitchen so that he was unnoticeable by them. Ali was making Avni's favourite dish, Poha. While Avni was a disaster at it, she made a small dough, and threw it on Ali's face. Ali removed it and laughed along with her. He dumped some of the flour on her and she threw it from her mouth, in distaste. "Cake hee faik deta! Khaa to leti Chamko." She complained.

Neil went out again. They were just too happy, Avni was never this way with him.

While feeding Avni, Ali said, "Neil was a bit sad, you know. Maybe he is thinking he doesn't know you, deserve you. Now you're fine na, go and talk to him." "Why?" She asked and went at once.

"Neil!" She called out from behind. He quickly wiped off his tears and faked a smile and grabbed her hand, making her sit along with him. "Kya hua?" He asked, still faking. "Mujhe puchna chahiye." She said, staring at him squarely. "No.. Nothing." He lied. "Why are you here?" He asked politely.

"I came here to talk, but looks like you don't need me now." She said and went in ignoring Neil's call for her.