Chapter 18

Lakshya turned the doorknob and entered Abhay's room who was sitting on his bed and browsing through his smartphone.

Abhay then turns to the side to look at Lakshya seeming quite surprised to find him inside at that time.

"What brings you here?" Abhay asked

"Well I just came to check on you, Is everything okay? You didn't really seem like yourself today so I was wondering if there was something bothering you" Lakshya expressed his concern.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a little exhausted that's all" Abhay responded

"Is that really all?" Lakshya stared at him in disbelief

"Yeah don't worry, you should go and rest too" Abhay insisted following which Lakshya stepped out and left for his own room.

Ashlesha emerged out from under the bed in her serpent form and morphed back into her human self right away.

"Phew, that was close" she sighed in relief.

"Indeed, it's a good thing you noticed and paid attention to the footsteps outside, thats how we managed to evade getting caught" Abhay told her

"Nevermind that, I hope you're clear about your part tomorrow" She asked him to ensure that was no room for any further doubts

"I am, I'll make sure to stall them all, so don't worry" Abhay assured her

"Good, also please relax and act a bit normal, we don't want them to catch on to what we're up to" Ashlesha then morphed into her serpent form and slithered away from the window.
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Srishti was inside her room using the desktop to complete her assignment. She then began to browse through the Internet about recurring dreams and hearing voices. The results showed signs of being haunted, as she read through Srishti began to wonder the reasons she could be haunted but couldn't think of any and wrote it off.

She then typed, is your fiance disinterested in you and clicked through several search results. When she couldn't find anything satisfactory she then typed whether she should consider calling off her wedding. The results which showed up gave her ample of reasons for doing so, once she was done she turned off the desktop and walked towards her bed where she laid down and pulled up the blanket after turning off the lights.

Srishti began to contemplate over what she saw the past few days trying to decide over whether she should indeed call off the wedding and if she were do so then how would she go ahead with the decision. She did love Lakshya but didn't wish to impose herself on him or anyone but at the same time Srishti wanted to talk over it and discuss the same with Lakshya before going ahead with any decision.

The door to her room creaked open and she rose up to find Shreya right before her.

"What are you doing here at this hour" Srishti asked her

"Nothing, just couldn't fall asleep" Shreya told her and slipped into Srishti's bed

"Moreover you'll be gone in just a matter of two days" Shreya continued in a dejected tone.

"So that's what's bothering you, don't worry it's not like I'm moving to another country" Srishti consoled her

"You may not move to another country, but your life isn't going to be the same, and it isn't like we can meet as and whenever we please" Shreya pointed

"Even if that's true, you needn't hesitate approaching me and neither would I think twice before reaching out to you" Srishti assured her, "Now go to sleep, you'll need quite a lot of energy tomorrow"

The two then fell asleep.
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Mahima was clearing the dining table following which she moved to the kitchen where she began to wash the dishes. Once she was done Mahima then walked back into the living room and sat on the sofa before turning on the TV.

She switched the channel to the one playing her favorite late night serial to help her unwind. As the show went on Mahima picked up her phone wondering if there were any missed calls or messages which she hadn't returned.

Arvind then joined her too as he sat down on the adjacent single sofa.

"Can you lower the volume, It's a bit too loud" He requested her

"Sure Papa" Mahima then picked up the remote and turned down the volume

"Have you heard from Vikram? It's been over a day and he didn't call nor did he show up. That's quite unusual" Arvind raised his concern

"Not really, in fact I was going to ask you the same" Mahima responded

"Why don't you give him a call" Arvind suggested

"I don't know, what if he is in the middle of something..." Mahima hesitated

"Even if that is the case, it wouldn't hurt reaching out first" Arvind insisted.

Mahima then tapped on to Vikram's contact number and waited as the call went through however there was no response from the other end. She tried once again, when she didn't get a response she sent him a text "where are you?"

"I guess he really might be in the middle of a case investigation, probably that's why he isn't getting back" Mahima told him

"I suppose" Arvind wasn't satisfied with the explanation he received and then headed back to his room.

Mahima spent the next half an hour in the living room before she got up and switched off the TV. As she was about to go to her bedroom her phone started buzzing.

It was Vikram's call which she received right away, "Where are you? You didn't show up nor did you answer my calls, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, just happened to be in the middle of something" He answered over the call

"And where are you?" Mahima questioned him further

"Can't tell you right now but I'll explain it all once I get back" Vikram told her

"But why not?" Mahima pressed on further hoping to get an answer but he declined once again.

"I hope you aren't keeping anything from me now are you?" Mahima dreaded

"Even if that were true please do know I would have done that bearing your interests in mind" Vikram assured her

"Okay, if you say so" the call then got disconnected following which Mahima entered her room where she retired.
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The next morning

Lakshya and the rest of his family were having breakfast, Abhay seemed to have returned to his normal self whereby he had resumed interacting with everyone to avoid any further suspicions aware of the fact that he was being closely observed by the Adish.

"So Adish, how long will you stay here?" Abhay asked

"Depends on how sooner I resolve your issues, why are you sick of me already?" Adish asked in a wittily yet sarcastic tone

"No not at all, It's just that I was wondering how long exactly would it take to get rid of those serpents" Abhay explained himself

"Well that's a little hard to say, however be rest assured they'll be done for it if they ever show up before me" Adish made his resolve clear

"Aren't you quite overconfident there?" Abhay remarked

"I call it having faith in one's abilities" Adish sneered at him only to get interrupted by Shipra

"It's good to have faith in your abilities but don't allow it to get to your head, you never know when the enemy may surprise you so I'd suggest you be prepared for every possibility" She then turned to Abhay "tackling a problem like this would take time, the most we can do in our situation is taking adequate precautions to avoid getting hurt in the process"

"Your mother's right, we need to be cautious and avoid making any moves in a haste" Anvay told them supporting Shipra's statement

"You'll actually believe in all this nonsense?" Chetan mocked at them all,

"I mean seriously?? Are we really going to cower in fear over some mythological shapeshifting serpent??"

"It's only a myth until you experience it firsthand and see it yourself, however I don't really blame you for being conditioned to deny the existence of the supernatural" Adish countered

"Whatever" Chetan snubbed at Adish and then walked away from the dining table as soon as he was done.

"Ignore him, he's probably in a bad mood" Rani told Adish

"No wonder" Adish replied

Once Adish and Lakshya were done having their breakfast they get up to leave however Adish walks up to the latter and requested that they speak in private.

"What's the matter?" Lakshya asked Adish

"I'll tell you but not over here, can we speak outside in the lawn" Adish urged Lakshya

"Okay fine" Lakshya agreed to his request and they both headed outside, Abhay took notice of the same and followed them outside in secret.

Once they were in the middle of the lawn Adish began to express his concerns regarding both Abhay and Ashlesha.

"There's something wrong with the two of them, I don't how to explain it but I can feel it" Adish told Lakshya

Abhay who hid behind a tree about 10 feet away from the duo struggled to listen on but couldn't here much to his dismay.

"I can understand Ashlesha but why Abhay?" Lakshya questioned Adish

"I don't know for sure nor can I explain it at the moment, but let's just say he's been giving out an unusual vibe lately, plus I had a strange vision regarding the two of you" Adish answered

"What did you see?" Lakshya grew curious

Adish then went on to describe what he envisioned the other day however Lakshya refused to believe the same.

"That's not possible" Lakshya claimed

"Either way I'd advise you remain cautious around him in the meantime I'll continue observing them further to put my doubts to rest" Adish informed him

"Do as you please" Lakshya agreed to his proposition.

"You can observe us all you want, but you wouldn't be able to figure a thing" Abhay thought out loud to himself as he smirked from behind the tree and morphed into a serpent slithering away from the scene.
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It was past 7pm in the evening and the sangeet function was due to begin, Mahima and her staff were testing the speakers, inspecting the lighting and coordinating with the DJ regarding the soundtracks to be played for the evening.

Mahima then went around to check if the decorations were intact for the evening following which she proceeded to the buffet area, as she was busy checking if the menu was complete.

"Perfect" She told the staff however
she was then interrupted by Lakshya, "No it isn’t"

"What do you mean?" Mahima turned to him

"I don't see Jalebis in the buffet for desserts" Lakshya pointed

"That wasn't requested in the list given to me" Mahima pointed

"Maybe it wasn't but the buffet is definitely incomplete without Jalebis, my mom, sister and I love jalebis" Lakshya went on

"If that were the case, then you should have told me earlier, where do I get them from now?" Mahima grumbled

"Your problem not mine, make sure they're here before all the guests arrive" Lakshya insisted

"Fine" Mahima then pulled out her phone and called one of her friends who was in the catering business.

"Can you come over, need you here urgently" she then explained that she needed a counter to be set up for making jalebis to which her friend agreed

"Done, they'll be here soon now if you'd excuse me, I have work to do" Mahima told him

"I can see that" Lakshya responded

"What do you want really?" Mahima asked him

"Break up with Vikram and you know very well why I'm asking you to" Lakshya adviced her

"Mind your own business, and for the last time don't try to use me to settle your scores with him" Mahima asserted herself

"I am not usi—" Lakshya was cut off by her "I am not interested" Mahima then walked away from him without paying a heed to his words any further.

"I would never use you, I just wanted to alert you about your so called fiancé's true identity and spare you the shock of finding out the truth later" Lakshya muttered to himself

The guests had arrived for the function and the stage had been set for the night. The compere took the stage as everyone  took their place in the seating area. Srishti and her family was seated at the front row along with the Singh's

The compere welcomed everyone and then announced the first performance for the night by Shreya and her group of friends who soon took the stage and began to dance on the song 'nachne de saare'



https://youtu.be/-q1AMmKJ_04

(Pretend this is the performance given by Shreya and her friends)

Once they were done everyone clapped along with the compere praising them for the same.

"Wasn't that beautiful, Shreya danced quite gracefully" Shipra remarked

"Indeed she did, and why wouldn't she it's her Sister's sangeet after all" Anvay told her

Rani then rushed to the Jalebi counter quite delighted to see them being prepared right before them, Shipra too joined in and was pleased to see the counter.

"Didn't we forget to add that to the list, so how did this counter get set up?" a surprised Shipra asked, "I know mom, that's why I requested for it and our event organiser got it done" Lakshya told her after he walked over to them.

"Mahima is quite dedicated I must say" Shipra was impressed, "I know right" Lakshya agreed.

The compere then proceeded to announced the next performance by Abhay who represented the groom's side along with his friends. He took the stage which had been darkened and then illuminated with the spotlight on him following which the song 'high rated gabru' began to play.



https://youtu.be/1HwjumTH1ME

(Pretend this is the dance performed by Abhay on stage)

Once Abhay was done performing he got off the stage as he received a round of applause from the guests however Adish still wasn't convinced by his seemingly normal demeanour.

Mahima who was walking towards the stage area nearly trips and falls to the ground however Abhay grabbed her by the shoulders preventing the same.

"Please be careful" Abhay told her

"Thanks" Mahima then walked towards her crew members.

Adish who observed him closely was surprised to notice Abhay's unusual concern towards Mahima.

The compere then moved on to announce the next performance which was by the bride herself.

The stage lit up as soon as Srishti began grooving to the song 'leja leja re'.



https://youtu.be/q01rShnGQIc
(Pretend this is the dance performance given by Srishti)

As Srishti was dancing on the stage Lakshya's eyes kept wandering around,

"What's the matter, are you looking for someone?" Adish asked him

"No just making sure nothing's out of place" Lakshya lied

"And now it's time for the groom to show us his moves on stage" the compere announced which was Lakshya's cue to go and perform next, "Is this really necessary" Lakshya asked his parents.

"Even if it isn't you can't back off from your own sangeet now will you" Rani told him insisting he should dance to which Anvay and Shipra agreed following which Lakshya reluctantly walked up the darkened stage which then lit up as the song 'badtameez dil' started playing and he started dancing accordingly.



https://youtu.be/MblXQo1yzzQ
(Pretend this is Lakshya dancing on stage)

"A pretty unusual song to dance on for the groom don't you agree?" Smita chuckled

"Quite unusual, I didn't expect him to be the rebellious type" Harshad remarked

"I guess it's just his style" Shreya wrote it off as Lakshya then got off the stage once he was done.

Ashlesha who had shapeshifted into one of the event staff members then approached Abhay and handed him a tissue paper which read "It's about time" who then nodded as a gesture that he's ready, Abhay tossed away the tissue paper unaware of the fact that Adish observed him do so who then picked up the same and read the message. 

"Time for what? What is he up to?" Adish then began to look for Abhay who was nowhere to be seen at that moment.

The compere then announced a dance face off between both the sides. Abhay and Rani along with their friends were on one side of the stage while Shreya and her friends were on the other side who soon began the face off on the song 'Muqabala"

"Could that be what the message was for?" Adish wondered assuming it referred to his performance but still couldn't shrug off the odd feeling lingering within him about the whole thing.

As they were dancing, one of Mahima's crew staff members informed her that the celebrities who were scheduled to perform would be a little late though they were still on the way. She immediately explained the situation to Anvay and Shipra who were not very pleased with the unexpected delay.

"So what are we supposed to do till then, everyone' eagerly waiting for them, how can they be so callous" Shipra complained

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll make up for the delay till they're here" Mahima then quickly headed inside the mansion and entered the restroom.

Everyone was waiting at the lawn expecting the celebrity guest to perform next however were disappointed the minute the compere announced that there'd be a delay in their arrival. The compere then announced that there'd be a performance by the event organisers themselves.

The stage darkened for a while before illuminating to reveal a group of women dancing on the song 'Makhna' with Mahima at the centre dressed in a lehenga choli which she had changed from her regular kurti  in the restroom a while earlier.

https://youtu.be/YmTgusDRHQ4

(Pretend the above video is a representation of the performance)

Everyone was mesmerised by their performance while Lakshya was awestruck by Mahima dancing on stage. As soon as her performance ended the stage went dark and lit up a while later to reveal the celebrities who arrived on stage as they began to dance on the 'Radha', 'Ghungroo' and 'sweetheart'

While the stars were performing, Shashi who was seated with the rest of the family received a call on his smartphone. He immediately stepped out of the lawn area and attended the same.

"Come outside right now" a female voice on the other end demanded

"Are you out of your mind? I'm in the middle of a family function right now" Shashi reasoned, apparently it was his mistress that had made the call.

"I don't care, either you come out or I'll come inside, how dare you leave me alone and threaten to forsake me?" The voice threatened him following which he disconnected the call and immediately headed outside where he met her.

Shashi dragged her by the hand and got inside the car she drove in. Shashi took the driver's seat and made the mistress take the passenger's seat beside him.

Back at the Sangeet function the celebrities were done with their performance and stepped off the stage. The compere praised and thanked them for the same, shortly after which he then called the bride and groom to dance together on stage who then reluctantly went up and began to dance on the song 'Mast Magan'.



https://youtu.be/Yl2R2buFngM

(Pretend the above video is a representation of the dance performed by Srishti and Lakshya together)

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Shashi stopped his car in the middle of a deserted road and turned to his mistress.

"Who said you could show up at my doorstep?" Shashi yelled at her

"I don't need anyone's permission to show up before you" She shot back at him

"It seems like you haven't learnt about your true place" Shashi then took out a small can from his pocket and sprayed it right on her face to which she began squirming in pain. The can contained a distilled bilva leaves water which he had prepared for occasions such as this as a measure of self defense against any serpent that showed up before him.

"I knew it, the real one isn't bold enough to stand up to me the way you did" Shashi derided her following which he stepped out of the car and dragged the mistress out from the passenger's seat and slammed her to the ground as a result of which she reverted back to her true identity that is Ashlesha.
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Back at the sangeet event Lakshya reluctantly danced on stage along with Srishti as everyone assumed they were quite happy together.

As Lakshya danced on with his eyes wandering around hoping to find Mahima for a reason he couldn't explain nor understand soon began to fantasize about her as his partner on stage getting into a trance of his own as he smiled at Srishti assuming she were Mahima.

As soon as the music ended and they stopped dancing he snapped out of his trance seeming quite disappointed.

Srishti too was surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor and wondered if she had been worried for no real reason.

As soon as they stepped down from the stage they headed back to their respective seats while the rest of the performances carried on for the night.
Soumya then began to look for Shashi who was nowhere to be found alerting Abhay who then immediately shapeshifted to Shashi and approached them to cover for the latter's absence.
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Ashlesha stared at Shashi as she winced in pain.

"You must be wondering why right? Fine I'll tell you. You see I never lost my memory, it was all an act. I was just waiting for an opportunity to take you down and just look at this you gave it to me yourself. This is why they say one must never underestimate their foes" Shashi then broke into a loud yet menacing laughter.

He then took out a gun from his pocket and pointed it right towards Ashlesha's forehead.

"You thought you could have your revenge well too bad you'll be meeting your end instead" as Shashi was about to pull the trigger his arm got struck by a large wooden stick and a sharp blow to the head causing him to drop the gun. As he turned around he was shocked to find Mahima standing right behind him.
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To be continued....

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