❝The only kind of love I want is one where even if it is just for a short moment, it feels like I have lived a lifetime in that moment with that person. ❞ - Jhanvi Raichand.
**You CANNOT read this as standalone. Read Dare to Be before reading this...
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2.49 Unexpected Turns
You are a light in my darkness.
Aarav calls me his light, but all I see right now is darkness. Even as my eyes open, I haven't the slightest clue where I am. There is not a single hole in my surrounding from where a ray of light can shine through. Wincing at the sharp pain at the back of my head, I sit up feeling the hardness of the floor underneath.
Let this be a dream. Let this be a dream. Let this be a...
I stop chanting as I catch a shadow of a person through the crack under the door. I call out, "Did you seriously kidnap me because I wouldn't listen to you?"
Just because I refused to leave my friends and life behind because of whatever reason Dimitri thinks my life is in danger. This is ridiculous! Tonight is the coronation. My loved ones have enough to worry about for the night without them thinking something has happened to me, because if I know Dimitri by now, he wouldn't have bothered to tell people.
I try to feel around so I can guess about my surroundings when I touch something and in response, it moves. My skin turns cold. Someone winces as well and at the sound, I ask trying to control my quivering lips, "W-who is it?"
It takes a moment for the person to reply, but I hear the familiar voice, "Annie?"
Instead of relief, my concern deepens and it does nothing to quieten the chill at the back of my spine. I inhale sharply, "Arshiya."
This is not good. Dimitri could have done this to give me a scare, but he wouldn't drag Arshiya into this. A gut feeling starts creeping up my spine. Something isn't right. Was it not Dimitri at the other side of the door? I suddenly feel like we aren't inside the palace at the moment. The air around me feels dry. The way it did when Aarav and I were in the desert a few evenings ago for our date. But, that makes no sense either. There is eroded rough ground underneath us and we are most definitely indoors.
She must have sat up and gained consciousness of her surroundings as well since she asks in urgency, "Annie. Where are we? What...?"
"Shh. Shh," I try to calm her down before she goes full-on panic mode. "Everything will be okay."
Why is this happening again now? For the past couple of days, we were all so focused on neutralizing the threat on Jhanvi, Inaaya, and Aarush - focused on laying a trap whereby we figured protecting Jhanvi was the biggest task - that none of us, I didn't take Dimitri's words of warning seriously.
Even as I try to convince her there is nothing to worry about, I can't help but worry. Is this my father? Something related to him? Is this the danger Dimitri kept warning about?
