FF:Interview with the Vampire - Pt 07, Pg51(28/01) - Page 23

Part 4

Shivering with cold Prachi made her way towards the carpeted stairway. She knew that her instincts could go never wrong as she felt deeply that something was in there. something terrifying that was to shake up her entire being. Wrapping her arms around herself knowing fully well that no matter how much she cover herself, she will never be able to make herself to stop from shaking.

Her legs felt like as if it was made of rubber as she made her way past upstairs. The only source of light was the distance candles lit on the side tables that were kept on the top floor. Prachi could only make her way upstairs without falling down. she tried to grab for support but then realized that there was no handle for her to support herself in the dimly lit place.

Walking along the steps in hope that she could reach to a door where she thought that she might reach to the other side of the palace. she prayed hard that no one knew that she had came there. how else would it matter? she thought quizzically. She knew that Milind's family was no more and the only staff he accompanied were Maria and Roberto. So what was so special in the west wing that even Roberto didn't dare to speak about?

When prachi finally reached to the top of the stairs, she saw a range of door side by side almost identical to one another. She turned around and saw the door at the far corner that was almost hidden away because of the shadow.

She felt a tingling sensation as she stared at the door but then again, shaking her head in negative, she turned to go in the opposite direction to which she saw a light from under the door of the very opposite end. She thought that it might be the door leading to the other side of the Palace. She took a step and then was stopped as she heard a soft groan. It was so soft that she could barely hear. Running a hand through her wet tendrils that were falling over her eyes, she looked at the door once more. it was still standing there. silently. She didn't know why she felt the negative vibes suddenly running through her. she turned again and again, she heard the soft groan. She knew that it was coming from behind the door. It was agonizing. Almost a pitiful groan. Concerned, she moved towards the door with slow hesitant steps.

Again another groan. Her legs were now shaking like a leaf and was as if it might break off any moment. with trembling hands, Prachi reached to touch the handle of the door wanting to help whoever it was inside. she was sure that it wasn't a thing or a person. But all she knew was that whatever it was, it needed help.

When her hands touched the door handle, she felt a jolt of electricity pass through her all of a sudden and retreated her hand almost at the very instant. Shivering with cold and fear, she took a step back but then again thinking that she must help the thing or person inside, she gathered the courage to open the door.

As Prachi pressed the handle downwards, she was surprised to find it unlocked and when she pushed it down further, she felt her heart hammering under her chest.

The door creaked as she pushed it slowly echoing the sound around the place. Prachi tried to make sure that she was as quite as possible. But it was of no use. The door seemed that it haven't been opened as much and generally need a bit of oiling.

Prachi peeped her head inside to get a small glimpse on what held behind the door and she saw nothing. The room was pitch dark. She turned back and wondered how she will ever see what was inside with no light illuminating the room at all.

Again she heard the groan. This time she was so sure that it was not a thing but a person. Prachi's eyes widened with concern and astonishment. She was shocked to learn that Milind mishra has held someone captive in his own palace with the person suffering so much. She could make out with the way he groaned on how much the person was suffering. Turning around thinking how she could help the person inside, her eyes caught up with the same candles kept on the side tables near the stairs.

Walking towards it, she held the candles and again made her way to the door. Pushing them open. She held the candle a bit high to illuminate the room. she saw a small oil lamp not so far away but before she could move to it, she remembered the person in the room and called out.

"is someone here?"

There was no answer.

"are you okay?" Prachi called out wishing that the person will at least let out a sound so that she could follow and see the person in.

Again there was no answer. Thinking that the person must be too much in pain to answer her, Prachi thought that it was best to light up the room so that she could see the person for herself. As Prachi went in, she moved the candles sideways just in hope that she might catch a glimpse. But there was no luck. The more prachi went inside the room, the more she began to feel a stirring inside her. She felt as if there was a strong connection with the room. Almost as if she had been there before.

Her heart began to beat even faster than before and her hands began to tremble way too much that she almost knocked down the oil lamp. Prachi light up the lamp and held it above her head and then turned.

She screamed and the lamp she held dropped on the ground catching fire. Prachi still couldn't stop screaming as her eyes blazed with horror seeing the image in front of her. she began to back away and hit the wall desperate to save herself and yet she still couldn't stop screaming. Before her was a hideous statue of a woman clamped with chain. Her hands were extended as if trying to reach out for help and her mouth open for scream.

Prachi stopped screaming seeing that it was a statue and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw no other movement. 'but from where did the groans were coming?' she questioned herself and taking a look at the statue one last time, she turned away from it unable to stand the look at the eyes of it. it wasn't like anything she saw before. its eyes were wide and black. She wished she knew what kind of emotion the statue maker was trying to portray with the statue at the same time wondering what was a statue like that doing there. in Milind Mishra's Palace. A hideous statue which looks centuries old with traces of dried up tar. The woman in the statue looks pretty much familiar, she couldn't quite catch who it was but she was sure she has seen her before. she took a step forward to examine it a bit more thinking that she might as well remember whose statue it was if she look at it a bit more closely.

She shivered as she took each step forward the statue she took a close watch at the chained hands and then to its face again and again back to its hand. When she did so, she saw it, the fail fingers. She reached to touch but then again looked up as she heard the groan again. it was so close to her. and so clear. Prachi shuddered as she looked up and stared at the agony filled statue. It looked so real. almost like as if it was a real person being waxed alive!

Prachi still had her hands extended to touch the frail hands of it. her eyes fixed on the eyes of the statue. Without even blinking, she touched it and felt coldness in her skin. She felt a sudden jolt of electricity sending her eyes blind with the sudden glow that exposed to her eyes. Prachi felt like as if she was being transported to a whole another world.

Prachi blinked with confusion and tried to rub her eyes but nothing worked. Her hands stood in place and it was like her body was not in her command. She stood still, like a statue and watched what appeared infront of her eyes.

Prachi let out a small gasp as she saw herself being dragged in. just like in her dreams. She was being dragged in by two men. They were both holding her by her arm and she was constantly kicking them trying to free herself from their hold. "let go off me!" Prachi cried and then they stopped in front of a bon-fire and made her kneel down. She glanced up and saw a woman standing with her back to her at the opposite end of the fire. She couldn't make out who it was but then again, her head was covered with a hood. "who are you?" Prachi asked as a chill ran down her spine. She didn't get any answer and then saw the woman turning to her very slowly. Her head was bent and Prachi narrowed her eyes as she felt that she had seen her before.

"its me my dear" she heard her say and gently lifted her head up revealing her true self. Gasping out loud Prachi murmured her name. "Anaida"

"yes my dear, its me" She said as her thin mouth curved into a smile. "I believe you might know why I brought you here" Anaida walked up to her and bent down to reach to her level. Gazing into her eyes with anger, Prachi said. "I know exactly why I'm here but nothing is going to change, I love your son!"

"so I know" Anaida said coolly straightening herself up. "but I want you to know, because of you, I am losing the only heir for this empire, and this I wont tolerate"

"no you are not, you are losing one more of your acquaintance for your evil deeds, I know all about you Anaida, you don't love your son, but you are a selfish woman to use him for your own good!"

"shut up!" she roared. "you know nothing of our family, we have been like this for eternity and I wont let anyone to change the way we are"

Prachi let out a small laugh. "he didn't change for bad, he changed for good, I know he is different from others and he will forever be"

"no!" she said firmly. "he is my son! And I wont let him change the way he is"

"just say the truth Anaida, you know I am the only one to stop you" Prachi glared at her hard and knew that she was winning. The battle between the good and the bad. And the good was winning. To her surprise, the woman turned and began to laugh. She began to laugh hysterically until she wiped the tears away.

"you are so right, you are the ONLY one to stop me" she said and then removed a dagger from her cloak pocket. Prachi's eyes blazed with horror and closed it tight and screaming the name. "MILIINNDDDD"

Prachi jolted back into reality with a blink and then stared at the statue once again and then the realization begins to draw into her. the statue looked so familiar because the woman whom she just saw as a part of her reverie was none other than the person whose statue was standing infront of her. Prachi began to back away as fear began to grip in her. she looked at the hands and focused as she felt she saw a sudden movement. She bent down to take one more closer look and then screamed as the hand suddenly came to life clutching Prachi by her neck strangling her.

Prachi screamed with horror and tried to wriggle herself from its hold. "You a'int going nowhere this time!" Prachi heard the husky whisper coming from above her and the she saw the statue slowly melting revealing the person beneath it! her guess has been right, it was a person who was waxed alive! But it wasn't wax, she knew it, it was stone, from distance it felt like it was wax but in reality, it was stone. It was a woman turned into stone. And then prachi knew what she meant by that. she closed her eyes in all the surrender knowing well that it was the end.

"Stay away from her" Prachi's eyes snapped open as she heard a voice bellow behind her. She felt herself being wrenched back and felt a strong hand enclose around her shoulder shielding her with protection. Prachi clutched his shirt and her eyes grew wider with every passing second on seeing the wax slowly melting and then she saw Milind glaring at it with his dagger like fangs emerging out as the slow screams of the woman began to grow louder and more agonizing. Prachi didn't know what was happening; she watched numbly and then felt her head spinning wildly before she fell into deep darkness.

Milind caught her just in time before she could hit the floor. His soul shook when he heard her scream while he made his usual rounds in the west wing. He always did that. Though he knew that nothing can go wrong, he always made sure of it by watching over his mother's stoned statue every night.

He had cursed her the night she had killed the love of his life in front of his eyes.

He had cursed his own mother. How unfortunate can he be. But he had no choice, he had to do it in order to save the world from her and also to take revenge upon the death of Prachi. when he saw the way how his mother killed Prachi so brutally, he knew that he should kill her the very moment. but he couldn't. how could he? After all, she was his mother. He was caught in between his mother and the avenge for Prachi's death.

So he cursed her to turn her into stone on the break of day light and to turn back into life with sun set. It was the only thing that he thought was best to give a punishment to a person like that. the pain she had to go through during the process was enough for him to stay at peace for some extent. she deserve to go through the pain he had went through each and everyday with the absence of Prachi in his life. he prayed and wished hard for her to return back to him and it was truly a miracle that god answered his prayers and sent her back to him so that they could unite forever.

Milind smiled and gently brushed a tendril from temple. He bent down to kiss her when suddenly Prachi opened her eyes making him jerk up as well. He straightened back and then began to smile. Prachi looked at him for a moment before jolting up in bed then without a word, she began to move back clutching the comforter to her body her eyes reflecting clear fear. "Please don't hurt me"

Milind watched her in shock. 'why is she behaving this way?' Milind thought. "prachi? what's wrong? Its me your milind" Milind lifted his hands to caress her cheeks but she backed away further more.

"No, please don't"

"I wont hurt you Prachi" Milind said cupping her face gently and then firmly holding her head making her to look into his eyes. "I will never hurt you"

Prachi trembled with his touch and then remembering the events that took place moments ago made her shake with fear. When she saw his fangs, she knew who he was the very instant. She had been with a vampire for so long and yet she didn't realize it. the odd statue coming to life wasn't more frightening than seeing a person change into a vampire. She saw his eyes which showed clear rage. His pupils dark as the night, pupils dilated to several millimeters.

Seeing her hazel eyes wide and blazing with horror, Milind gently released her and got up from there. he heard her breath a sigh of relief.

"what are you so scared of Prachi?" Milind asked hurt with the way she was scared of him.

"you" Prachi replied with trembling lips.

"Me?" Milind asked shocked and then rememberd that she still did not recall anything of her past life. His eyes softened and smiled. "there is no need to be scared of Prachi you still don't remember anything about your past life---"

"I do"

"what?" Milind asked puzzled but then as realization drawned in, he began to smile. Rushing to her side unable to keep the happiness at bay he was about to hug her when she backed away again. confused milind watched her in search for an answer.

"I can see images, but I cant exactly remember anything" Prachi said unable to look into his eyes. she knew that he has waited for her. she can feel that from the very bottom of her heart. But she just couldn't seem to remember anything.

"its okay Prachi, I'll wait till you remember everything" Milind said stoking his knuckle on her cheeks. His eyes blazing with so much of love that Prachi had even forgot that she was scared of the man standing infront of her. "you will remember" he said before standing up and walking towards the door but stopped when he heard her ask all of a sudden.

"what if I don't?" she asked. "what if I never do? Prachi didn't know how the words came out from her mouth. Milind stopped midway and stood dead in his tracks. He had never thought about it before! he was too eager for her. too impatient for her return that he didn't even thought that it might be a possibility that she might not remember. He was hoping that she will remember him by any means. Milind didn't turn to her. he couldn't let her to see him like that. he swallowed hard and replied. "I'll wait" and then he turned and made a hasty exist and softly closed the door behind him.

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