Living Room, Daksh's Mansion
Daksh is sitting on his lion—armed armchair , his head resting on the headrest , a crystal glass of rum in his hands , his sexy mouth curved in a thoughtful curve as his agile eyes oscillate between a quiet Kabirr staring out into the dark and angry rain drenched atmosphere outside – and the numbed , shivering and stone-eyed Pancchi , sitting curled up on a sofa under a soft blanket. The only sound that can be heard is the ticking of the clock in the big marble timepiece standing in the royal looking living hall.
Kabir ( suddenly )- Why should I believe you?
Daksh( putting the glass to his lips )- Excuse me?
Kabir turns and looks at Daksh with disbelieving pained eyes.
Danish turned into a handful of dust and dissolved in the raining water and Pancchi collapsed. Kabir ran to her with a cry and they both cried on the ground into which Danish's remains had just seeped in.
Kabir ( sitting next to Pancchi protectively )- Daksh, understand… ( fighting back his tears)… am still reeling under the shock of what happened , okay? Danish … ( his voice cracks )… my brother turned out to be a blood-sucking beast. A vampire… something that till today I believed existed only in tales! ….I felt changes in my body that were abnormal. I … ( looks at his trembling hands )… I displayed supernatural human strength that I never felt in these 20 years of my life… I fought Danish's monstrous form like some trained warrior !......You… ( looks at him accusingly for a while )… you killed him by piercing a javelin through his heart and….
Pancchi ( with a faraway look in her eyes as she clutched the emerald in her neck )- And he turned into a handful of dust… ( looks at her hands)…. And we …. We were left with nothing. Its all real, Kabir. It is… we saw it happen , didn't we?
Daksh ( playing with the crystal glass coolly )- Kabir , I would understand you not believing any of this if you had just heard what happened. But you saw it , experienced it. And the shock of it has settled by now. So… ( puts the drink down and gets up putting his hands in his pockets and rounding up Kabir and Pancchi )….let me tell you the facts as they are. You, me, Pancchi and many others are living on the edge of a supernatural abyss. It is like , being supernatural , we are at the center of this place.
Kabir ( shocked )- Me? Supernatural? What crap, Daksh! Now, it is getting really absurd. Just put an end to all this!
Daksh ( rolls his eyes )- Human-beings! Over dramatic and always 20 miles away from common sense and logic. What is wrong with you , dude? 20.5 minutes of a physical fight with Danish didn't tell you who you are?
Pancchi ( lifts her eyes to Daksh's face )- And you? Who are you, Daksh? What else is there that we don't know?
Daksh ( grins at Pancchi )-Slayer. I am a vampire slayer, Pancchi. Don't you guys watch vampire movies or read their books and stuff? I killed Danish . I could because I am a VAMPIRE SLAYER … and you.. ( pointing a finger at Kabir )… you too are a vampire slayer!
Kabir ( shaken )- No… I am not a … slayer or any of those things that you just said! I am … I am… ( realizing that Daksh is right and he indeed is not normal )… I just used to be a normal boy….
Daksh – You used to be. Now, you are not. You have found your hidden power. That is that…. Ask your Dad where did he bring you from, my boy… ( adjusts a painting on his wall casually )…. Hate to hurt you but you are not Rathore blood. You have the slayer blood in you. And if Danish hadn't attacked you, you wouldn't have known.
Kabir ( amidst tears and frustration )- What do you mean by that, Daksh?
Daksh ( his eyes penetrating through Kabir )- When Danish attacked you , what did you feel?
Kabir ( recalling )- Strange flashes. Flashes of him having bitten me before… a feminine figure too… everything was hazy but I had this sudden influx of memories of an incident that never happened!
Daksh ( shakes his head )- They happened. A few months ago , your now dusty dead vampy brother attacked you right outside your house…. And ( enjoying it )… guess who rescued you? A beautiful porcelain skinned beauty with doe eyes who wears an antique vial of magic potions around her neck in a black rose held by glittering gold…
Kabir almost trips on his feet upon hearing that as his jaw drops to the floor….
Kabir ( stunned)- Anushka…..
Daksh ( laughs)- Hell, yes. Anushka . She is no 17 year old nymph like beauty that she appears to be. She is a 500 year old witch belonging to the highest order of witches in the world. She is the last of the living Sapphire Witches. She healed you of the vampire attack and both she and Danish …( clicks his fingers)….erased your memory off the incident. And you woke up…
Kabir ( numbed )- Thinking that I was drunk and I had passed out in my car….. ( runs a hand through his hair in tired disbelief )…. Alright, Daksh. Let's get done with it.
Daksh ( grinning )- Of course , we will get done with it. But let me finish the flashbacks that you desperately need to know. When Danish bit you , your blood cells reacted – I hope you know that we supernatural human beings have twisted mutant genes. Your body was ready to fight him because ethe slayer in you had been activated…. So, when Danish attacked you a second time round , your body defended itself. You , my man, are a vampire slayer… whether you like it or not.
Pancchi ( coming to terms with reality )- Is that all?
Daksh ( dramatically )- No, my love….now, let me tell the both of you an amazing story…. ( raises a finger at them)… a story that is going to change the way you look at people and the world , the moment you step out of my house… ( wicked smile )….So, Pancchi and Kabir. Once upon a time , there was lived a strange family in the deepest woods. And at the forefront of the family , stood a handsome and brooding……VAMPIRE……
And as the tale continued through the night , Kabir and Pancchi's world and their every belief changed forever.
Next Day, Mount College
Next day is a bright sunny day at the college after a long dark night of events and thunder. Angad and Ruhi are cootchie – cooing in a corner . The cheerleading girls are practicing in the basketball court. Abhay is sitting alone on a parapet wall, reading a newspaper , looking sullen and bored. Misha is addressing a group of collegians telling them about an upcoming dance competition. Zeenia is sitting in the cafeteria , filing her nails and all the men gawking at her. Piya is with her and she is warning Zeenia that she just cannot wear such short hot pants and come to college! Does she want to compete with the former T or shred Anushka's reputation to threads? Zeenia just rolls her eyes and says that Anushka will be pleasantly surprised when she comes back and sees all men falling at her feet like dead pins. Piya gets a headache and goes to get herself some coffee.
As Piya walks to the counter , Abhay's eyes follow her . Her every move. The swish of her skirt. Her touching of her curly hair as they fly in the wind. Her demure sunshine smile to her friends. A small smile comes over Abhay's face and then, as Misha's voice booms on the mic , Abhay comes back to his senses. Ruffled, he takes out his cellphone, tosses the newspaper aside and calls Maithli. Forcefully drawing his eyes away from Piya, he walks off to another corridor to talk to Maithli. As soon as Abhay goes off in a huff, Piya feels something and she turns around . She sees Abhay walking off and she can tell by his walk that he is tense and irritated. A sad smile comes on her face as she pays for her coffee.
Piya ( to herself )- You were right, Abhay. Your mind may have forgotten what we had once…. But your heart still beats for me. It always will.
Zeenia ( whistles to her )- O Juliet Aunty! If you are done with eating Abhay with your eyes, will you please come and help me finish this assignment ? Or do I use magic?..... ( looks at the flummoxed stares around her)… umm… I was just kidding , okay? Stop looking at me as though I am Lady Gaga wearing that horrid meat dress!
On the other hand , Misha is addressing the crowd , in her usual chirpy and giggly manner.
Misha – Okay, studs and chicas, listen up! Like every year, its annual festival time. Yeah, one month to go, darlings. And in absence of Pancchi , who is busy flying from branch to branch, I , the acting president of the Student Body , take the onus of organizing the events. But the event I will personally look into is the Annual Inter College Dance Face Off. So, today , after college, around 5pm , we will assemble in the college common room. We need to pair up three couples. All cool?... ( everyone applauds )… Awesome! See you guys.
Misha gives the mic to the staffer and as she is getting down, she trips and falls straight into a pair of string masculine arms. She looks up and an amused Sambhav is looking down at her with his grinning chiseled jaw and his superhot grey eyes.
Sambhav ( whispers )- Falling into a man's arms is so unlike you! …( makes her stand up)… This is Piya's job. Trip. Fall. Get lost in Abhay's eyes and violins in the background.
Misha ( laughs trying to hide her blush and steadying her heartbeat )- Haha. Not funny , Sam. I didn't fall into a man's arms.. ( whispers mischievously )…. I fell into the arms of a werewolf. Howzzat?
Sambhav ( sulks like an irritated child )- Mean Misha. … ( punches her lightly on her shoulder )… Okay, before I forget . We need to talk. You , me, Piya and Zeenia. …( presses her arm to deliver the seriousness )…its about Abhay. Come along.
Sambhav takes Misha's hand and she feels nice. Without realizing , she , interlocks her fingers with his as he leads her to the cafeteria where Zeenia and Piya are sitting. Sambhav waves to the two girls and his hand loosens on Misha's but she keeps holding his hand. Not firmly. Just with a tenderness. Misha is looking at Sambhav's face as he talks and there is a soft child-like smile on her face.
Sambhav ( looking around )- Is he around? Did anyone of you see Abhay today? I hope he is not parceling Maithli to Raichand Mansion. It will be a chaos !
Piya ( calmly )- Relax, Sam. Nothing of that sort is going to happen. At least , I hope not. He is in college today. I saw him a few minutes ago. I can't clearly say what is going on in his mind as I do not know how to channelize the power of the CONNECTION but trust me , he has changed his mind about getting Maithli to his house.
As Piya is talking, Abhay who has just kept the phone down after having a long soothing but strangely empty conversation with Maithli , he sees Piya and the gang having a serious conversation and he stops in his tracks. Sambhav? What is he doing with them? Then, he looks at Misha holding Sambhav's hand and he is relieved. Phew! Thank heavens. At least , I can breathe easy since their ceasefire seems real this time round. Abhay just stands there and watches them talk. He cannot hear what they are saying because of Sambav and Zeenia's blockout.
Abhay ( stunned )- Sam and Zeenia have blocked me out??????.....Why would they do that?... ( looks hurt )….i understand scheming Sam but Zeenia…why would she not want me to hear her thoughts? … ( concentrates again)….Piya, why can't I hear you either! What are they hiding from me?
Abhay goes off in a huff , furious.
Back to the gang's conversation.
Piya ( looking at Sam wide-eyed and her mouth falling open in shock )- Are you drunk , Sambhav? You want me to spy on him? He may have forgotten that he loved me but he still knows me like the back of his hand. He will find out in a minute what I am upto and serve me for dinner to Maithli.
Misha ( agrees )- Sam , you have to understand that this new and not-so-improved Abhay is not our Abhay. We can't endanger Piya to him.
Zeenia ( blowing her bubblegum)- Sammy boy, why do you want to make Pinacolada out of poor Piya? Spying on Abhay? Having known Abhay and his temper for centuries , are you under some memory-erasing drug too?
Sambhav ( raising his hand seriously )- CHILL! Do we have any other option? NO! Natasha is using that lovelorn Maithli to get hands on Abhay. They want to manipulate him and play with his mind to reach that freakin' ring which will snatch Abhay from Abhay forever. In that situation , the one who controls Abhay rules the world…..Abhay has no idea about the ring but he would be led to the truth. You don't know these Bolshva brains and don't forget Abheer is on his way.
Piya ( searching for Abhay in the crowd)- But even then, only Anushka knows where the key is, Sam. How can anyone ever find it , knowing the powers of her as a witch?
Sambhav ( shakes his head )- The day Abhay knows what the ring is , who he really is , the ring will call him and a like a hungry beast , he will go after it. We can't stop him, Piya, but we have to be ready for it. With it. … ( pleads with her)… do it, Piya. Do it for Abhay, please.
Piya ( reading the danger in his voice )- I will. To the last drop of my blood. What's the plan?
Zeenia ( reading Sambhav's head causing him a small headache )- The plan is that Misha pairs you up with Abhay for the dance competition , so you stay close to him. Maithli cannot enter the college , I am going to charm the entry …. Oh , I am so talented! …..How I lurve torturing that Matty-Fatty!...And in the meantime, I try to connect to Anushka to know where the ring is.
Misha ( puzzled )- Why? Is contacting Anushka a problem?
Sambhav ( slings an arm around Misha's shoulder looking at her lovely skin )- Mish, contacting the underworld is not like calling satan for chitchat on yahoo messenger or MSN.
Misha – Meaning?
Sambhav ( thoughtfully )- Anushka is a spirit right now. We have to arrange for a sance to call her and it is upto her whether she comes or not. Cutting through the dense walls of the underworld and that too summon supernatural souls is … well, tough. Not as easy as you see in books and films.
Misha ( holding Sambhav's arm unconsciously )- Alright then. Mission Abhay starts now, I guess.
Piya ( looks around ) – Abhay was around a little while ago . Let me go and see where he is.
Zeenia ( settling to dig into her pizza )- Yeah, yeah. Go. I better swipe this pizza 'coz I need energy to channelize my powers….oh and who are you pairing me with?
Misha ( tongue in cheek)- Kabir! He was nuts about Anushka .
Zeenia ( fluttering her eyes )- Is he hot?
Sambhav ( throwing a tissue paper at her)- You are such a shame to Anushka!
Zeenia narrows her eyebrows at him and Sambhav feels a hammer at the back of his head.
Sambhav ( going after her )- Owww! Zeenia! Nuisance! Just you wait!
Zeenia laughs and runs off leaving Misha in splits of laughter. Sambhav rubs the temples of his forehead .
Sambhav ( sitting on the chair rubbing his head )- Gah! I hate witches . And these keepers are even worse….
Misha sits next to him and chuckling pushes a glass of water towards him.
Misha ( naughtily )- Except for Piya, tell me the name of one woman you don't run into trouble with. Haha.
Sambhav ( drinking water )- Piya is normal. Not like you all… you, infact , have been such a wildcat to me!
Misha ( pouting )- And what have you been to me? Mother Teresa? …Wolfie!
Sambhav ( laughs )- I had never thought I'd be joking about the supernatural with a crazy human-being like you…. Strange. Life .
Misha ( nods )- Yes, strange. I mean we were friends first , then enemies , then awkward wannabe friends and now…. ( looks at him deeply)… friends?
Sambhav ( reading her eyes)- Is anything else possible?
Misha ( lowers her eyes )- No….
Sambhav ( grins and pulls her ear )- Then, lets not go there, Misha. We were attracted to each-other. Maybe we still are. It is difficult to define what we have , but, as much as an animal like me can understand …. ( holds her hands )…. I promise you that I will always come for you. I will never let you down. … ( softly puts her hair behind her ear )…. I don't know what we have between us , but it is FOREVER….
Misha smiles at him with tears of comfort in her eyes and pats his hand in approval. She picks up her bag and finishes rest of the water that Sambhav has left.
Misha ( getting her old spirit back )- Oka, Wolfie. I am off now. Miss.Dasgupta has failed me in a test and I need to go and brainwash her . Catch ya at the rehearsals at 5pm!
Sambhav ( gives her a hi-five )- You got me, chica!
Sambhav watches Misha go , hopping like a happy teenager , saying hi to her friends , hugging them on the way and disappearing into a corridor. Sambhav ,smiling to himself shakes his head , biting into the pizza that he just chased Zeenia away from. No, he should let Misha go. Whatever spark of feelings that he has for , he is moulding them into a rock solid friendship and understanding. A relationship that will not endanger her future , her human life. Besides, he was a Chief. He had the responsibility of hundreds of werewolves , his obligations , his duties. And he was strong. Stronger than Abhay on an emotional level. It was easy for him to pull himself out of emotional whirlpools. This friendship with Misha was for the best for both of them.
As Sambhav was thinking about his twisted relationship , he saw a girl walk into the college gates. He immediately straightened up. Tall, statuesque , fair , her silky brown mane flying in the wind and her whisky eyes fixed on the ground. Wearing a white summer dress and a red scarf , it seemed her skin was whiter than her dress. As soon as Sambhav saw her , his grey eyes grew darker and his jaw tightened. He tossed the pizza aside and got up from his chair. Tanushree just continued walking listlessly , unaware of the world around her and her eyes looking at her own pretty feet slid into a lovely frilly pair of white slip ons.
Sambhav saw her entering the building and gritting his teeth went after her. He looked clearly upset.
Girls' Washroom.
Tracker is standing in front of the mirror and trying new shades if hideous lipsticks as , Tanushree , her face scarily quiet , is combing her hair. Tracker is pouting into the mirror .
Tracker ( trying a neon orange )- T! How is this orange? Cute na? I love the pout. Angad would just jump and kiss me.
Tanushree ( tying her hair into a ponytail )- He will jump and run off , Ruhi. He won't know where are your lips and where is your skin. That neon orange is merging with your skin.
Tracker ( her face falling )- He will not kiss me, then? Humph.
Tanushree ( picking her handbag )- He will. If he loves you, he will. You don't need to try hideous non shades and scare him away for that.
Tanushree just smiles at Tracker's innocence and shaking her head , turns to leave. The moment she turns her head , the door of the washroom swings open and she is stunned to see who it is. Sambhav , his eyes fixed on T's drained out face , walks in , his hand on the door. Tracker's eyes go wide in shock as she dramatically puts her hand on her heart.
T ( stunned )- Sambhav?
Tracker ( horrified )- Sammy! You forgot your knowledge of the English language or what? This is GIRLS' washroom!
Just then, two more girls come out of lavatories and are shocked to see Sambhav there.
Girl – Sambhav? Don't you think you are at the wrong place?
Sambhav ( looking at all of them )- Except T , everyone leave.
The girls look at him stunned and T looks in no mood to stay back.
T ( furiously )- Sam, have you lost it or what? You can't…
Sambhav ( angrily )- LEAVE!
The three girls get terrified seeing his temper and scurry away. But he blocks their way to warn them.
Sambhav ( with his stormy grey eyes )- And nobody comes to know what happened here. Understand?.... ( they nod)… good. Leave.
The three girls leave and Sambhav locks the door. T gets furious and turns him around to face her as he locks the door.
T ( shaking him )- Sam! Will you tell me what is going on here? What's wrong with you?
Sambhav grabs her hands and shakes them off his collar. Eyeing her like an angry wolf , he growls and pins her to the wall, pushing her towards it with supernatural speed.
T ( writhes in pain)- Sam!
Sambhav ( angrily and close enough to feel her breath on his face)- No, you listen to me, Tanushree! … ( shaking her like a leaf )…..don't you know what is it about? For the past 18 hours , I have made 80 calls to you! DAMN YOU 80! ….where were you? You cut my call thrice! And me , your friend , worried like hell but unable to mouth a word to anyone because I can't open my mouth and tell everyone that am worried sick about a BOLSHVA! ….My focus is Abhay, Tanushree. Don't increase my problem, okay?
T ( putting her hands on his chest to keep him away )- I was somewhere , Sam. I cannot tell you where. You don't need to know, really. Look at me. How do I look?
Sambhav looks at her drained face and her pale eyes but his anger doesn't go. He locks T's arms with his and glares down at her.
Sambhav ( grabbing her face in his hands )- Don't play these mind games with me, T. I have dealt with a 1000 vampires like you. I am asking , I am bothering , I am worried because… ( draws her face closer as her whisky eyes look away from his face )… because I thought we had a connection. I thought we were friends.
Tanushree cannot handle the immense physical force of Sambhav, which of course , is supernatural strength of a werewolf. The blood transfused into her as a punishment is reacting in her body now and that has weakened her until her body adapts itself to this change. Suddenly, Sambhav realizes something and his expressions change from those of worried anger to horrified concern as he touches her face…
Sambhav ( alarmed)- T….why are you…. ( feels her neck and arms )…. What is boiling under your… your skin? You…..( realizing something)……Oh no!
Sambhav immediately pulls the scarf off T's delicate neck and he is shocked at what he sees. The five insert points on her neck and chest that seemed to have healed earlier look like septic now. Sambhav , clearly affected and hurt by the sight in front of him , slowly raises his hands to the buttons of the top of her dress. He looks at her and she looks back at him with empty eyes and a pained face. Without hesitating , without asking her another question or permission , he unbuttons her from the collar , to her chest , seeing her porcelain skin suffer under the septic. Tanushree , not moving an inch , shuts her eyes , not letting a single tear roll down her cheek.
Sambhav ( his fingers placed delicately on her bare chest and his eyes lowered to see his own wet cheeks )- You should have told me…….
TO BE CONTINUED…….
Cricket
Anupamaa
