|Impossible Love S2| Note:Pg70 - Page 22

Rhea was sitting on the chair, while Panchi rested on the couch.

''You know.'' Panchi began, slowly. ''I was thinking about the situation we are in. You and Kabir, for one thing. We need to talk about that.''

Rhea was alarmed. Panchi, being a witch, was in one of her organized moods. ''Talk about what?'' She asked warily.

''About what you two are going to do. Is he going to stay human?''

''It's forbidden to change him.'' Rhea said.

''Everything we have done this week is forbidden.'' Panchi shrugged. ''And if you exchange blood again, well, do you want him a vampire or a werewolf?''

Rhea hadn't thought about it. She liked Kabir the way he was. But maybe he'd like to change.. ''What are you going to do with yours?'' She asked Raj, who was coming down the stairs slowly.

''My what?'' He yawned.

''Your soulmate. Is Misha going to stay human?''

''That's the other thing I have been worrying about.'' Panchi looked at Raj. ''Have you thought about it at all?''

''I can't think at this hour in the morning, I don't have a brain yet.''

''We didn't ask you to join the college, did we?'' Rhea said scornfully.

''I don't care. I am still asleep.'' He wandered towards the kitchen. ''And don't you worry.'' He sounded alert now. ''I am not doing anything with the girl and Rhea is not doing anything with her brother, because we are going home.''

Rhea sighed and looked at Panchi. ''Is Misha really his soulmate?''

''I am afraid so.'' Panchi leaned back on the chair.

''But then how can he want to leave?''

''Because.'' Panchi paused. ''Soulmates don't always stay together. Sometimes it's too much – the fire and the lightening. Some people can't stand it.''

''Maybe I and Kabir are not really soulmates.'' Rhea muttered. ''And maybe that's good. It sounds painful.''

''Poor Misha.'' Panchi shrugged.

''Why doesn't anybody say poor Raj?'' He settled down on the couch next to Panchi. ''Look, we need to get things straight here. It is not about me wanting you to come home, I am not the only one who knows you're here.''

''You told somebody?'' Rhea stiffened.

''He was there when I realized where you must have gone. He happens to be an extremely powerful telepath. So just consider yourself lucky that I could convince him to let me try to take you back.''

Rhea paused. She did consider herself lucky, Raj would never go to such trouble for her, for anybody else besides himself. Maybe she didn't know her brother as well as she thought.

''Who was it?'' She asked.

''Oh, nobody.'' Raj leaned back moodily and stared at the ceiling. ''Shankar.''

''Shankar..that jerk.'' Rhea flinched. ''He is more ruthless than you are, and he hates humans.''

''He's coming back on Monday to see if I have taken control of the situation.'' Raj said. ''And if I haven't, we are all dead. You, me and your little human buddies.''

''So we have got till Monday to figure something out.'' Rhea said. She stared at the calendar. It was Wednesday today.

--

Misha had been sleeping, but not peacefully. She had dreams about an owl seizing a squirrel in it's paws. Killing felt so natural. All she had to do was grab food from her feet.

But then a shadow fell over her, and she felt a terrible feeling – even the hunters could be hunted.

She gasped as she woke up. Even when she went downstairs, she couldn't shake off the sick feeling from her dream.

''Good morning.'' Kabir smiled.

''Morning.'' Misha said, while taking out some juice and a sandwich from the fridge.

''So.'' Kabir looked at her. ''Have you been thinking about it, too?''

''About what?''

''You know.''

Misha did know. She looked around to check if her mom and dad were in the room. ''Don't think about it.''

''Why not?'' He added. ''Don't tell me you haven't wondered what it would be like. To see better, hear better, be telepathic, and live forever, I mean, we could see the year three thousand. Come on, don't tell me you're not even a little bit curious.''

''I'm curious.'' She shrugged. ''But there is no point in wondering. They do things we can't do – they kill.''

She put down her glass of juice as if she'd lost her appetite. She hadn't, though – and that was the problem. She should be sick at the thought of killing, at the thought of drinking blood from a warm body, at the thought of ripping flesh out, but she wasn't.

Instead, she was scared. Of herself.

''It's dangerous.'' She looked at him. ''Don't you see? We have gotten mixed up in the supernatural world, where bad things can happen. Bad like, dying. That's serious, Kabir. It's not like the movies.''

Kabir was staring at her. ''Yeah, but we knew that already.'' He said. ''What's the big deal?''

Misha stood up. ''We are late for the college, let's go. We have to pick up Rhea, Panchi and..him.''

--

Misha pulled up her car outside their house. ''You can sit in the front.'' She told Rhea, not looking at Raj. ''The others can sit behind.''

She slowed as they neared the college. Many people were there, including the police. She got out and casually looked across the street.

''T.'' She called out. ''What's going on?''

T looked back. ''Oh, Misha.'' She tossed her hair back. ''Haven't you heard? Someone broke all the windows in the east wing of the college yesterday. There's a lot of damage done.''

T was looking behind Misha now, at Kabir, Rhea and the two strangers getting out of the car. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she reached out to adjust her hair.

''Now, I wonder who she has just seen.'' Misha rolled her eyes. ''Who could it be?''

''Hey.'' Raj smiled.

''Thanks T.'' Misha fake-smiled.

''I have to go.'' She said, but she wasn't moving. Her gaze was fixed on Raj.

''I'll come with you.'' He said. ''After all, we don't know what could be lurking around here.''

''It's broad daylight.'' Misha said disgustedly, but Raj and T were already walking away. She decided that she was glad to get rid of him.

''Who was that girl?'' Panchi asked, her voice was odd.

Misha looked at her and shrugged. ''The college bitch. Why?''

''She was staring at us.'' Panchi said.

''She was staring at Raj, oh, and probably you and Rhea, too. You both are new and pretty, so she might be thinking what boys you'll take from her.''

''I see.'' Panchi said, but she didn't look convinced.

''Panchi, what is it?''

''Nothing. It's just..'' Panchi sighed. ''I sensed something about her, I don't know.''

''You sense something suspicious about her?'' Misha asked. ''I mean, does she seem like a witch? I can't see her as a vampire, I'm sorry. I just can't.''

Panchi sighed. ''Maybe it's nothing. Don't worry.'' She smiled.

Raj was coming back. Immediately, Misha turned around to look for Shaurya.

''Come on, let's go find Shaurya.'' She said, already walking, not waiting for Raj to come back. Panchi and Rhea went with her.

Shaurya was near the back, where the damage had been done. He was a constructor, so it wasn't unexpected. He was hammering a board in front of the broken window. There was glass all over the ground. Light brown hair were falling in his eyes as he struggled to keep the board straight.

''What happened?'' Misha asked, while keeping a hand on the right side of the board to keep it in place.

He looked up at her. ''Misha, thanks. I don't know what happened. Someone broke the window last night, made a real mess.''

''Last night seems to have been a busy night.'' Panchi said.

Shaurya looked back at the voice, his hands went still. He looked at both of them for a long time. Finally, he turned back to Misha. ''What's going on?''

''I just needed to talk to you about something.''

Shaurya's brown eyes were still searching her face. ''Sure, Misha.'' He said gently. ''As soon as I get finished.''

Oh, he can't be a vampire, Misha thought. And what am I doing here, lying to him, suspecting him, when he's only been nice to me? He helps people, not kill them.

Raj rounded the corner, and Shaurya looked at him, and his expression freaked Misha out.

And Raj was staring back with eyes as green as glacier ice. Their gazes were locked in something like instinctive hatred. Misha felt afraid for Shaurya, but he didn't seem afraid. His muscles were tensed, ready for a fight.

Then, he turned away. Turned his back on Raj. And Misha did what she should have done right in the beginning. She looked at his hand. She could just make out the black design on the seal ..

A Dahlia. The werewolf's symbol.

--

Pia took a cold shower, dressed in jeans and a denim shirt. She was about to skip breakfast, when she shook her head and gulped down orange juice and got her bag. She hesitated a second by the bin.

No. There was no reason to take the black rose ring with her. It was his, and she didn't want to be reminded of him.

As she reached the college, she had an odd impression. She saw someone standing in the parking lot, a tall figure, face turned the other way. She turned a little and Pia could see her face.

She could hear her own gasp. Those eyes. That smile. That face. It belonged to Maithali's friend, the girl she had been sitting with when she was Maithali.

She was pretty, dark curls forming her face. She had twinkling brown eyes. Pia had to glance down to make sure that she wasn't wearing a deerskin outfit.

Something in her mind told her to approach the girl, but she couldn't move. Her legs wouldn't obey her. Instead, she turned around in a swift motion, and headed for the corridor opposite them. She didn't want to be anywhere which reminded her of Maithali, of Abhay.

She was feeling restless again. She ran for 5 minutes, ignoring the weird glances she was getting from the other students. They won't understand, nobody will understand ..

''Am I interrupting?''

She turned around to see a girl. She looked a year or so older than Pia, and she had long hair, really long black hair. She was extraordinarily beautiful – and Pia recognized her.

She's the one from my vision. The flash of a girl telling me that Abhay was evil. She's the one who warned me about him.

''I'm sorry if I scared you.'' The girl smiled. ''I'd really like to talk to you if you have a few minutes.''

''I .. ''Pia couldn't speak. Something about the girl made her uncomfortable.

She's your friend, she told herself. She has helped you in the past, she probably wants to help you again. You should be grateful to her.

''Sure.'' Pia said. ''We can talk.'' She paused. ''I remember you.''

''Wonderful. Do you really? That makes it so much easier.''

Pia nodded. She reminded herself again that this girl was her friend, nobody to be hostile or wary of.

As light fell on her, Pia realized how beautiful she was. Hauntingly beautiful. Her skin was like silk. Her lips were so ripe, and her eyes were like nothing Pia had ever seen before. Not only were they large and luminous, but they seemed to change colour every time you look at her, honey to mahagony to green to purple to blue. It was amazing.

''If you remember me, then you must know what I'm here for.'' She said.

Pia said one word. ''Abhay.''

''Yes. From the way you say that, maybe you don't need my advice after all.'' She had an extraordinary voice as well, low and pleasant.

Pia shrugged. ''Well, there's still a lot I don't know about him. But I don't need anybody to tell me that he's dangerous. And I have already told him to go away.''

''Have you really? How remarkably brave of you.''

Pia blinked. ''What do you mean?''

''I mean, do you realize how powerful he is? He's a Lord of the vampires, the head of all the made vampires. He could-'' The girl snapped her fingers. ''-call out a hundred little vampires and werewolves. Not to mention, his connection with witches all over the world.''

''What are you trying to say? I shouldn't have told him to go away? I don't care how many monsters he can call out.'' Pia said sharply.

''No. Ofcourse you don't. You're brave.'' The girl looked at her. ''I just want you to know what he's capable of. He could have this whole country wiped out. He can be very cruel and childish, if he doesn't get what he wants. He'll simply go in a rage.''

''And he does that a lot? – go into rages?''

''All the time, unfortunately.''

I don't believe you.

The thought came to Pia suddenly. She didn't know where from, but she couldn't ignore it. There was something about this girl that bothered her. It felt like a lie.

''Who are you?'' She asked directly. ''Why are you so interested in me and Abhay? Why are you even here in Mount College?''

''I came because I knew that he was about to find you again. I am interested in you, because, well, I have known Abhay since childhood, since he became a vampire, and I feel a certain obligation to stop him.'' She smiled. ''And, my name is..Maya.''

She said the last words slowly, waiting for a reaction. But the name meant nothing to Pia. And Pia couldn't figure out if this girl was lying or not.

''I know you have warned me about Abhay before.'' She said slowly. ''But I don't remember anything about it except you telling me. I don't even know who you are. I mean, are you somebody who's been reincarnated like me? Or are you..?'' Pia's voice trailed off. She knew that she wasn't a human. No human was so eerily beautiful or supernaturally graceful.

''I am a vampire.'' Maya said calmly. ''I lived with Abhay in the days when you were Maithali. Infact, I'm the one who actually made him a vampire. I shouldn't have done it. I should have realized that he's one of those people who can't handle it. But I didn't know he'd go crazy and become..what he is.'' She looked away. ''I feel responsible for him.'' She looked back at Pia. ''Any other questions?''

''Hundreds.'' Pia said. ''About vampires, and about what's happened to me in my past liv-''

''I can't answer most of them. Talking about the supernatural world is forbidden and, anyway, it's safer for you not to know. And, as for your past lives, you really don't wanna know what he's done to you each time, do you?'' She shrugged. ''What you should do now is forget about your past and put all of this behind you. Try to have a normal future.''

''If he wanted to kill me, why didn't he do it last time? Instead of talking to me.''

''He wants you to love him first, and then he kills you. I know it's sick, I know it's twisted, but it's the way he is. He thinks that that's the way it has to happen, since it happened like that the first time. He's obsessed.''

Pia was silent. Nothing inside her stood up to say that it was a lie. And the idea that Abhay was obsessed seemed true. At last, she said slowly. ''Thanks for coming to warn me. I do appreciate it.''

''No, you don't.'' Maya said. ''I wouldn't either if someone told me all of that. But maybe someday you will thank me.'' She looked away. ''I hope that we won't have to meet again.''

Before turning back, she said again. ''He's insane, you know. You will probably be doubting me again. But he's obsessive and unstable, just like any other stalker. And he's really capable of anything. Don't be fooled.''

''I don't think I am ever going to see him again.'' Pia said, unreasonably annoyed. ''So, there's no reason for me to be fooled.''

Maya smiled, and nodded. There was nobody in sight. She did the disappearing act, just like Abhay had.

Pia stared for a minute or so, before she took out her phone. ''Hi, it's Pia. I wanted to arrange another appointment. Is it okay if we do it tomorrow?'' She paused. ''And.. I'd like to do another session of hypnotism. There are some things I need to figure out.''

PRECAP :

''That's her.'' She yelled at the girl she had seen in her hypnotism session, pointing to Pia. ''It's her. Her.'' When she stared at her, the girl with the striking yellow-ish green eyes hit her in the shoulder. ''Misha, snap out of it.''

Pia stared back at them, bewildered.