Jayantika: The Yarn of Victory|Part 4|29/5 - Page 5

A Part of the Past

Jayantika looked startled with the words of the girl, who reminded her of herself and someone she loved dearly: her Mausi.

" Who are you?" she asked, unable to ease her curiosity without asking the question. The child looked offended at her question and made Jayantika question her own tone as she grew uncomfortable under the teary gaze of the child who addressed Jayantika as her elder sister.

" Swadhaaa! Here you are. Come let's go." There could be no mistake in identifying the owner of the voice which resonated in the huge room of the headquarters, which was possibly Pranav's as his name was being displayed on the wall behind Swadha, the child.

The owner of the voice tried to drag Swadha along with him while hiding his face, thinking that it might not be the best time to meet Jayantika, ignorant to the fact that the person from whom he was trying to hide had worked out his identity.

" Rahul? What are you doing here?" Jayantika was more than stunned to meet her college-time crush after years, in a place he was least expected - the headquarters of Praudyogischutz.

Rahul stopped mid-track and turned around with a guilt gleaming in his eyes, which only hiked Jayantika's curiosity. " Um-Jaya.."

That sentence was never completed and Jayantika could only assume that it was a message from someone which stopped Rahul from revealing the truth. The silence which filled the room soon turned deafening and Jayantika's patience began to deteriorate at a record pace and finally she burst out,

" Will someone kindly enlighten me about all this? She-" Jayantika pointed towards Swadha with impatience etched on her features and continued, "-calls me Didi and I find my college-time friend here. How many more revelations are to take place, pray tell me?"

Rahul was the first one to recover from the spasm of silence after the outburst of one of his best-friends. If his loyalty to Praudyogischutz cannot be questioned then neither can his loyalty to his friends be questioned. He stepped forward and hung his head low in guilt while Jayantika experienced tumultuous waves of emotions seeing him like that.

" I am really sorry to have kept you in the dark, Jaya. But I had to do it, we had to do it. Like Atharv had to keep a watch on you, there had to be someone who would keep a watch on you in the college. I had literally been brought up here, since my parents were a part of this and had died fighting. And when they asked me to do this, I just had to do it. I know you would be hurt to know I hid something as big as this but please understand that it was done with the best of intentions and for your own wellbeing."

The person on the receiving end of the confession looked appalled with it, but she didn't lose the grip on herself. If she had to find answers to every question of hers, then she would have to remain under the effect of patience, even if she disliked it. Also, a part of her learned about her importance to these people, who had to keep a watch on her to ensure her safety. That hinted towards the seriousness of the discussion which was left mid-way when they teleported from her home.

" And what about Sw-Swadha?" The child looked up at Jayantika at the mention of her name, wondering what was happening around her.

" Rahul, please take Swadha inside. Baby, please go with him." Swadha bobbed her head in affirmative while Rahul mouthed an apology before carrying out Pranav's orders but Jayantika's face remained firm and concealed her inner thoughts.

After three pairs of eyes followed the backs of Rahul and Swadha till they could not be seen, Jayantika turned to face Pranav, seeking answers to her questions.

" Now tell me, how is she? Why does she call me 'Didi'? She clearly recognizes me when I don't even know her. How is that possible?" Atharv looked at his leader, waiting for him to answer the question or looking for a hint from him, but he found none. Pranav appeared to be deep in thought and Jayantika's patience was melting away.

Pranav received a message when he was fighting a war with himself, and he knew who it could be.

" She deserves to know the truth, Pranav," read the message from Atharv and Pranav nodded in the grey-eyed man's direction.

"She is Swaha's daughter." Jayantika let out the breath she had unknowingly held. "She used to sit with me when I watched the videos of you sent by Atharv and that's how she recognizes you. I couldn't conceal the truth from her and hence told her that you were her cousin and since then she had been eagerly waiting for you to come and meet her."

Jayantika's world shook to receive another revelation and she wondered if there were any more for her to hear for the day. She had a cousin, about whom she never knew. A part of her Mausi, who had the same hazel orbs like her and her Mausi. Swadha's love for a cousin she never met showed her innocence, the innocence which was not tainted by war and the innocence she had an urge to protect. The war had taken away a mother's love from her and she could not let the war take away her ability to love unconditionally.

Jayantika's face gave away the sorrow which took over her and it ached the hearts of two men in front of her to see her in such dazed state.

" Swadha," she muttered inwardly and noting the unmissable similarity between her name and her mother's name. Amidst the storm of emotions which came along with the revelation, suddenly a question struck her.

"Wh-Who is her father? Is he still alive? Where is he?" It was the question which Pranav feared but he knew that answering that question was inevitable and he prepared for the unexpected as he answered her question,

" I am her father."