Friendship, Love, & War Author's Note updated pg 97

Friendship, Love, and War

Chapter 1

Pratap really really didn't like shopping... And he disliked malls... no scratch that - he HATED malls. Especially the massive malls where it was so easy to get lost!! He was going to strangle Chak and Ven when he met them.

Initially, when his friends suggested this trip to Dubai, Pratap was all for it. After completing their year of education and grueling training at the Rajput Defense Academy , a vacation sounded perfect. BUT... he should have known better than to travel to Dubai with his friends to a place like this - he knew he should never have agreed to split up when Chak suggested it -

Flashback (3 hours ago)

Chak - Oh My!! Look at all the games... this is heaven, I tell you... heaven!!!

Pratap - What? Where?

Chak - Arrey... I was talking about the video games selection... It's amazing!

Pratap - NO! No.. no ... no ... (shaking his head) absolutely not!

He had just noticed the massive banner declaring this spot to be the entrance to the World Gaming Convention in big bold letters.

Ven - Oh come on Bhaujiraaj... just for a little while... We won't be long, I swear...

Chak - Ven is absolutely right (patting Ven on the back and nodding his head vigourously)... Besides bhaujiraaj, you can always go to level 5 and enjoy at the gaming arcade. There's LOADS of physically challenging activities that you can find there. I know that's the one thing you miss the most from our gurukul (he said smiling). Pratap and his friends had started referring to their school as Gurukul ever since their first day at the Academy.

Pratap (with irritation) - Chak, Ven - So this is why you suggested we come to Dubai and now to this Dubai Mall... it was because you knew they were having a video game convention. Why didn't you tell me?

Ven (sheepishly)- Because we knew you would never fly with us all the way to Dubai for a video game conference ...

Pratap - Great! Now what am I supposed to do while you drool over all the different consoles and new gaming tech??

Chak (with a wide motion of his arms) - Go ahead and explore the mall!! (as if he was encouraging Pratap to explore the world)

Pratap looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Chak drops his hands and straightens up. - I promise we will only be here for like half an hour and will catch up with you as soon as we have had a look at a couple of the games...

Pratap (giving in) - Fine... whatever. Call me. As soon as you are done. You know I hate shopping...

~~~flashback ends~~~

Pratap sighed in irritation. Half hour they had said... 30 MINUTES? It was now 3 HOURS since they went into the massive convention hall... He had walked through the mall multiple times and found nothing that he could buy for his Ma.

AND his friends were nowhere to be seen! What was it about video games?? Why did all his friends go crazy over them? He himself enjoyed playing a game or two once in a while but preferred the actual experience of physical play to virtual gaming. It was for this reason that he trained in MMA, sword fighting, horse-riding, and Krav Maga at his gurukul. Pratap smiled at the memory of his training sessions and suddenly realized that he had been walking, lost in thought, in no particular direction. Amidst his irritation towards his friends, the confusing displays at the MILLION shops, and his memories of the gurukul, Pratap Singh had managed to get himself completely lost in the Dubai Mall. This is precisely why he HATED malls and shopping... they caused him to go brain dead!! 'Uggghhh!!!!' thought Pratap.

Chapter 2

As he whirled around to take in his surroundings, he suddenly realized he had been walking down a corridor where there were no shops. No one was in sight. He could only see white walls and abandoned or 'under construction/repair' signs around him. 'Just my luck' thought Pratap and was about to turn around when he heard several voices and laughter through a door somewhere in the middle of the hallway. He cautiously walked towards the door hoping that he might find someone to help him but as he got nearer, he realized the voices had suddenly died down like someone had shushed the people who had been talking so loudly. The door was set inside an archway that was ornately carved. This is probably another one of the new shops that are still unfinished', thought Pratap. Suddenly, as he looked across the almost-shut door he noticed there was someone standing on the other side of the archway... no wait... the person was not standing... They were hiding... yes.. they were definitely hiding. Suddenly Pratap felt the need to hide himself as well, his instinct told him he needed to do what the other person was doing, he needed to make sure that the people inside did not see or hear him.

As he quickly hid himself behind one side of the archway, he looked through the carvings to see big brown eyes, lined with kajal, wide with fear. They held so much worry and fear that Pratap was compelled to try and hear what the people inside were saying, so he quietly looked through the carved archway and a gap through the door.

He could only make out the outline of two men sitting with their backs to the door. A single bulb was lighting up the space where the men sat. One of them whispered "..You fools!! This is no laughing matter! You are not discussing a game!! The news Hukum Singh has brought us is extremely alarming. The Rajput Intelligence Agency has been poking their nose around us for months. They have foiled so many of our plans. We have had to come so far just to have a meeting because their spy network is so wide-spread. If they have already got their hands on any evidence against us or our plans, we are in deep trouble! We may have to re-plan the whole attack on the Rajput cities!! No matter though... Uday Singh may think he has all the information, but I'm Shums Khan... he will never catch me red-handed. Our next meeting will now happen in Rajputana, India." Pratap could barely breathe... Uday Singh? This man was talking about his father???