MN - Trapped in MAGIC. - Page 14

5. S[HE] BE[LIE]VE[D].

"Otherwise I am not responsible for whatever will happen to you family",

He said it in desperation and nupur's eyes turned wide and struck with horror. Seeing that his lie worked, he breathed in deep, "quietly sit and do as I say, otherwise u'll be responsible for the pain of your family."

Her wide eyes filled with tears and lips trembled.

"don't worry, they are safe", he licked his lips on this lie, but seeing the tornado in her eyes stalling in peace, he thought it was worth it.

"they are safe and if you want them to remain safe, stop creating useless scenes, come and eat", he said and observed her face carefully. His lie indeed worked. She was still scared, but that desperation and uncertainty was gone. She trusted him!!.

This was an unusual feeling for mayank, someone could be so innocent to trust him in one go, he felt warm and good, all his life he said the truth and no one trusted, but for the first time his lie was believed, when somewhere he was hoping it shouldn't.

"come ", he held her hand and again feeling that unusual tingling moving through his body, he wanted to entwine his fingers in her slender ones, but he stopped himself and left her hand, "sit", he signaled her and she quietly sat down.

She went unusually quiet, and feeling his heart contract unusually for her, he leaned on the chair, "kaunsa juice piyo gi?", he asked softly and nupur swollaed a lump in her throat, "koi bhi", she barely uttered and he felt something breaking inside him. She had surrendered so quickly!

"koi bhi kaise, kaunsa psnd hai tumhe?', he insisted, he couldn't give her anymore useless pain.

"grapes", she said, moving a bit away on the chair, and mayank realized he was leaning too much, "sure", he moved back and rushed to the fridge.

He looked back at nupur, who was nervously fiddling with her duppatta and trying hard to control her sobs, but was failing miserably, she was wiping her tears at a spree, but they were being compensated at an even greater speed and she was just sitting there, picturing pain and helplessness.

Mayank took a deep sigh, there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could to to stop those tears, DAMNIT!.

He closed the fridge with a force and this earned him an attention filled gaze from nupur.

Their eyes met ' her full of tears and his full of regret, but due to her own blurred eyes, nupur could see nothing except for terror in his eyes, and the terror was to threaten her. She lowered her eyes and clearing his throat, mayank quickly walked to back to her.

"Here u go with grape juice", he said, as the dark red juice lavishly filled the slender glass, "drink this and tell me what will you eat/", he sat beside her and again cuddling to herself unconsciously, she held the glass and brought it to her lips.

As the contents moved down her throat, she felt it being absorbed by her body hungrily, and there she realized how badly she needed that glass of juice, but then again it was a momentary physical need, which was soon taken over by the emotional turmoil that she was kidnapped, away from home.

"drink one more glass", mayank filled the glass again and placed the juice packet away and too scared to refuse him anything, she held the glass again and drank it.

"good girl, ab lunch karo gi or will u have some snacks", he asked sweetly, and was himself amazed at the sugar content in his tone, but it came naturally.

Without saying anything, nupur picked up an apple from the fruit basket and taking the knife she began peeling it.

Her hands were shivering and it was evident how hard it was for her to maintain her grip over the apple and due to those blurred eyes, she was losing focus over the knife and tears trickling down were making a simple task look like rocket science.

"mujhe do", he took the apple and knife from her hand, "already you have a cut in your toe, you'll injure your hand too", he passed her a gaze and started peeling the apple, 'here", he slid one piece in her plate and with shivering hands, she took it and started nibbling on it.

How the hell should I stop that shiver in her hands!!. He sighed loudly and kept on peeling, and she slowly kept on eating.

Her eyes were staring blankly at a point as she was nibbling on those apple pieces and in company with tears, she finished the apple.

"kuch aur khao gi", he asked placing the knife away, and nupur shook her head.

"okay, thori dair baad kuch kha lena, dinner main kiya khao gi?, kia psnd hai tumhain?", he tried being sweet, but he knew that was completely useless, how could he expect a kidnapped girl to tell him her food choices. It was impossible!

"soup.. I'll have soup",

her icy cold tone had him in shock for a moment, but he recovered soon, "umm, okay, sure", he smiled and nupur turned towards him, "aur kia kia karna hai mujhe?, you asked me to eat for my family's safety, what else do I have to do?", her voice was steady and realizing how difficult it was to keep lies, he took a deep breath.

"I am not asking for much, just eat properly, and don't give urself useless anxiety and pain, there is no need, everything is .. fine", he couldn't help giving that gap before fine, afterall conscious was there!

She nodded and wiped some more fresh tears, "and for how long will I have to stay here", this time her voice wavered and sensing what affect her tears were leaving on his heart, made him curse himself for ever meeting her.

"I don't know, and one more rule, you cannot question", he was stiff ' not to show anger, but to hide guilt, and scared, she nodded.

"go get some rest, I'll wake u up for dinner", he was about to place his hand over her shoulder, but she already stood up. She took a step and seeing her walking difficultly due to her toe, he followed her to her room.

She kept her eyes lowered, as he was walking beside her, making sure every step she was taking was landing safely and leading to another safe step.

They reached the room and nupur walked to her bed, and keeping her eyes lowered, she got in the blanket.

"you are absolutely safe, trust me ", he smiled at her, standing by the bed side.

"and my family?", she asked back.

"they are safe too", he was now getting used to that flutter and shiver of lie., "now go to sleep", ending the conversation, he turned to the door and walked unusually fast to exit the room, but her voice did stop him,

"suno.", it echoed like a wave of warm air. He turned.

"tum sach bol rahe ho na?", she looked intently, and he nodded, "haan .. sach bol raha hon", answering crisply, he was gone, closing the door softly and crying, nupur snuggled in her blanket and closed her eyes. This had to be a nightmare!.

~*~

Mayank came to his room and switched on the lights. He wanted to move out of that dark haunting feeling of a lie. It was eating and corroding him from inside, it was so difficult, so damn difficult to give hope to those bewitching eyes of hers'. It was so difficult to keep her alive on a lie.

It was just one meeting, one question one desperate plea from her and he felt like losing on his strength. He knew there were many more to come, many many more,!! and he had to cope with all of them, just on a base of this lie, because no matter what, he couldn't see her dying, he wanted to stay close to her, he wanted to see her safe, in front of his eyes.

But why on earth was he feeling this connectivity?. She had something, different and magnetic, the touch of her fingers was so soft, how would it feel if those fingers would ever stroke his head ..

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes - Mayank never aimed for the impossible. Wake up mayank! - She hates you, she is scared of you - that is not possible.

He opened his eyes again - that is possible, she can do anything if threatened with her family, she would agree to do any damn thing of this world - but ofcourse he won't blackmail her. Never.

Things are indeed getting complex, and he had no idea where that lie would take both of them.

Lie provides an escape from the reality, forming an illusion to make you live, but illusions shatter one day and what remains behind is only the bitter truth.

He re-called one of his school lesson about lies and understood the real depth of it, he provided nupur with an illusion of what she wanted hear, to give her strength to live.

Was it unfair?, should she be informed about the truth?. Yes she should. Rationality and Practicality support truth, but still there wasn't any strength to say the truth - because away from the rules, he had a heart with was hurt seeing her tears and wished to see them never again. Never. It just wished to see that angelic sight of calmness again. The sight which he saw when she was sleeping in the car. He wanted to see that again, and this led him to go to her room again.

It was wrong, but .. well .. he was on his way to her room.

~*~

Baujiii ",

she shouted on the top of her voice.

"pari, noshi",

she shouted again, but there was no response.

She was running in the dark, calling out names but no response.

"nupur",

The soft elderly voice made her turn to left, she saw her father smiling, "bauji", she cried in joy and ran to him, "apna khayal rakhna beta", he said and vanished before she could reach.

"baujiii!!", she cried in desperation

"didi",

Sweet chorus made her turn again, "hum ja rahe hain, apna khayal rakhna", they said and nupur ran again, "kahan ja rahe ho .. mujhe chor k kahan ja rahe ho .. bauji .. pari .. noshi .. kahan ja rahe ho?

"kahan ja rahe ho .. kahan ..

Nupur .."

A deep masculine voice was interrupting her and turning around in dark she wasn't finding it's source, "nupur..', the voice came again and felt like it was tugging at her arm and pulling her out of that dark

"NUPUR!!';,

finally she opened her eyes, with breath panting, it wasn't dark. She looked around clueless,

"kia hua?, kuch bura sapne dekh rahi thi?", mayank asked searching her face and still under the shock of the dream, nupur just stared back.

"nupur.", he touched her hand and she withdrew it within a second. Her eyes and sweat beads on her forehead clearly told that she was under some nightmare effect.

He got up and brought a glass of water, "pani pi lo nupur", he said softly and taking a deep breath, nupur held the glass and took a sip.

"it was just a nightmare, relax", he tried saying softly, and was thinking that he succeeded or not, but was interrupted before.

"it was a not a nightmare", she replied stiffly, "I saw my family". She had pride and pain in her voice, and guilty mayank looked away for refuge.

"okay, now get up for dinner", he was about to get up when he felt a pressure on his palm. Those slender, milky white fingers pressing over his palm. He could just look at the sight and sigh,

"meri family thek hai na? .. tum apni family ki kasam kha k kaho k tum sach bol rahe ho",

Her voice made her look up and for the first time, he felt her powerful and himself totally clueless over what to answer her. She worshipped her family.

"I don't have any family to swear upon", he said - THE TRUTH! - it felt like bliss!.

Her eyes went wide, but he took a deep breath, "no need to get shocked, there are thousands of children who grow up without a family, not everyone is lucky like you", he didn't want to sound like that, but bitterness came.

She lowered her eyes and although knowing he dodged her plea, he didn't feel nice, "now get up for dinner", he said and searched her face.

Nupur for a moment, forgot her pain and pondered over the bitterness in his eyes, which he noticed.

Maybe he found a way to keep her mind occupied!. He had truth to support lies!.

"trust me nupur,", he said again, this time due to guilty conscious.

She looked up at him, and choking tears, she got down the bed and mayank took a deep breath while nupur wiped her tears.

She had no choice but to trust.

He had no option but to lie.

6. The fear wears out - Page 25