New ArHi FF: The Unpardoned - Ch02, Pg 06, 28/04 - Page 3

Originally posted by: ArhiAbhiya

That was awesome Emily:D...please send me future pms regarding this FF and ur other work as well:D...I added you to my buddy list:D...

Chapter 1:

Myriad of emotions surged through his veins when he walked towards the house. Every memory that he had bottled up for past seventeen years revolted in his heart and mind and erupted like an avalanche. The house that his family had lost during their bankruptcy stood before him in its naked glory. With every step he took, he felt calmness returning to him and his step got steadier. He increased the pace and took out keys from his pocket. Smell of dust air cooped in for more than a decade hit him strongly almost making him lose the stride. Yet somewhere he could smell the faint smell of his mother perfume.

He was home.

*******

Seventeen Years Ago:

"I am sorry to make you come like this Arnav. I hope you understand why," A man in his mid-forties told the young man in front of him.

"It was my decision to come here Shankar uncle," he replied solemnly. "Let's go." He said and slid into the back seat of the car. The older man sighed and got inside the car.

"Your relatives will be looking for you." He said as the car sped through the night towards airport.

"They won't miss me. I am sure they will be ecstatic to know that I am gone," Arnav replied with a hint of malice.

"Here you go," Shankar Raizada handed him a docket.

"My adoption papers?" Arnav asked. Shankar nodded.

"So I am Arnav Singh Raizada now," he said swallowing. "How my mother hated this name and now her son is one of them," he added sardonically.

"Arnav…" Shankar's voice warned.

"I know that you and my parents have history and for some reason my mother hated the very sight of you. Whenever I asked her, she told me that she would tell me about it when I was much, much older," he said looking out the window and swallowing bile that rose up his throat.

"She must have said that because when you are old enough, you would realize how petty the reasons for our enmity were. I will tell you about it one day son," Shankar said patting him awkwardly on his shoulder.

"We are family now, aren't we?" Arnav said leaning his head on the window and watching rain platter on tar road.

"Just the two of us, yes. But Arnav, I have always considered you as my family whether your mother approved of my presence in your house or not," Shankar replied.

"I know that uncle. That's why I agreed to come with you in the first place." He replied turning to look at his adoptive father. His face sported a hint of smile that was first of its kind in many weeks. Shankar felt a twinge in his heart remembering the boy's parents' and his sister. He wasn't being untruthful when he said he always saw Arnav as his family. Irrespective of the differences he had with the boy's mother, he had always been best friends with his father and the uncle figure of the small household.

"You will help me in destroying them, won't you?" His words were hard and were laced with steel. He shook his head and started his rebuttal but was bluntly cut off by the young man.

"You owe it to us – to me, my sister, my father and my mother; especially her," Arnav said in a final tone. Shankar sighed in defeat.

"Okay," he said. He was worried that if he refused blatantly, Arnav would probably leave him and make a life of his own. Like he said, Shankar owed the family a lot – including his life.

"I need that house back," Arnav said.

Shankar looked at him sharply. All traces of boyhood were wiped off from his face. His eyes held calmness and his heart set on a goal – complete destruction of Solankis'.

*******

He came back to country to execute the plan he was working for more than a decade. He had first ensured that the house was released from the bank and his adoptive father had done his duties faithfully.

His phone rang disturbing the stillness of the house. It was his father.

"The house is exactly how I last saw it father. Thank you for this," he replied sincerely.

"Arnav, are you planning to live there?" His father asked in trepidation. That would raise too many eyebrows and not to mention attract unwanted attention.

"No father, I will not. Your secretary has shortlisted half a dozen apartments for me to look at. I will choose one of them." He said picking himself up and taking a tour of the house. "But I guess it's time to get the house cleaned up and well maintained. I'll get someone to do this," he said distractedly.

"And one more thing Arnav," he heard his father add hesitantly.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Don't go looking for them," Shankar warned. "Whatever be the case, don't appear in front of them unless there is a business cause."

"I won't father. I have waited too long to play this game to spoil it by breaking the rules myself first. Things will go as planned, I promise you that," he assured his father.

"Don't stay in that house for too long." Shankar added one last thought and hung up without waiting for a response. He swallowed hard.

He locked the house and walked out of the compound breathing in the fresh air. He unlocked his car via remote key and walked a slow pace.

A blur of orange, pink and green flashed by him and got into his car. Seconds later two men who seemed like private security arrived huffing and puffing and stopped couple of feet away from him.

"Did you see a girl run past by you sir?" One of the men asked him trying to catch his breath. He discreetly looked through the window and saw the girl lying flat on the seat, folding her palms together and begging him to say no. He bit his inner cheeks to avoid laughing out loud and shook his head.

"No one came here," he said and looked at them sternly. It was an upper class neighborhood and most patrons naturally demanded respect and expected their orders to be followed.

"Did you just steal something and run?" He asked her once they were out of neighborhood. "Am I harboring a criminal?" He asked himself and looked at her strangely. She sat up straight in her seat and rolled her eyes.

"I was just running an errand that's all," she huffed. He looked at her blankly.

"Okay, it may not have been totally ethical and I may have been trespassing in someone's property but I promise you that I didn't mean that man any harm." Her voice had ended up shrilly. "No. Wait. I actually want to harm that man, castrate him and throw him to a pack of wolves and watch him suffer when the animals tear him apart." She ended her rant with a maniacal laughter.

"Or did you escape from a mental health facility? May be I should stop by police station," he said.

"That bas***d was cheating on his wife with some wh**e so I was taking some pictures of the two of them together, that's all," she offered an explanation.

"So you were snooping on them," he said.

"You make that sound so cheap and illegal," she said disgust marring her pretty features.

"Because it is!" He exclaimed.

"Whatever. Drop me off at the next signal." She ordered and readjusted her clothes. She checked her cellphone and loudly congratulated herself for taking amazing photos.

"We are at the signal," he said looking at the woman sitting next to him with a shadow smile. She was wearing half the colors in a rainbow trimmed in gold and he swore he never saw so many colors on a single person before in his life.

"Thank you Mr…"

"Arnav," he said.

"Yeah yeah…and I am Khushi. Got to run!" She jumped out of the car and broke into a run. He watched her disappear after few moments and revved the engine.

It was time to get back on the main road, alone.

Music Companion: Tom Dooley by Kingston Trio

Originally posted by: Prasanthi

Hi L!

Firstly, sorry for not recognizing that it is you here. I just read the prologue and commented not bothering to see who the writer is. I am sorry again.

Good to see you!

About the story till now. Slow, well-paced revelation of the harder facts and yet to be revealed painful pasts. Generally it is said that forget the past and focus on the present and dream about the future. Sadly, it is not so every time. Sometimes, it is the past that forms the foundation to the present and builds the future. Hmmm, I like it!

Hope to see you more frequent here on this. Take care.

Originally posted by: Prasanthi

Hi L!

Firstly, sorry for not recognizing that it is you here. I just read the prologue and commented not bothering to see who the writer is. I am sorry again.

Good to see you!

About the story till now. Slow, well-paced revelation of the harder facts and yet to be revealed painful pasts. Generally it is said that forget the past and focus on the present and dream about the future. Sadly, it is not so every time. Sometimes, it is the past that forms the foundation to the present and builds the future. Hmmm, I like it!

Hope to see you more frequent here on this. Take care.