Royal Institute - Next Series Link on Page 1 - Page 46

It wasn't raining. Sure, the air was misty and warm, but it wasn't raining. The stars weren't visible for a view tonight. They seemed to have been covered with blankets of wet, dark clouds. There should be a waxing crescent moon out there, but seems like the dark blankets didn't spare even the beautiful globe.

Ayush hadn't said anything because 1. In the van full of teenage hormones, it's hard to make a decent conversation. 2. Because even though I have been on dates before, and even on mission, I have never done both at once.

And 3. Because after walking for two miles in complete silence, we had reached the center of Kishori, where the streets were flooded with people trying to bargain on already marked Diwali sales.

"He looks good, Riddle." Panchi said in the comms unit, using my codename. We had codenames ever since we had arrived to school, and used them on almost every mission that required covering identities. "Cough if you think he looks good."

I stole a glance at Ayush. His hair weren't gelled up. In fact, his hair was rubbing against his forehead, giving him a cute look. He was wearing a black button down shirt and dark jeans with snickers on his feet. His hands were buried in his pockets as he strolled down the busy street.

9:17 hours: The operative noticed that the subject looked and also smelled good.

Ayush did look good.

And I felt suspicious about his intentions again.

"Riddle, you know you can talk, right?" Kiya said through the comms unit. "It's allowed."

But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. There was comms unit in my ear, and I was on a honeyplotting mission! Instead of falling for his mission, we had decided to try and retrieve information out of him. There was one to three seventy four chance that I might clash into my ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend.

"Do you want to do something?" I asked slowly.

"We can go to eat something." He suggested for the first time.. "Or we can go to movies."

"Okay." I replied.

"Or we can just--walk." He said. I had a feeling that maybe he was jut as nervous about this too. But that option seemed below consideration.

"Okay."

"Or we can let that woman put Mehndi on our faces and go rob a bank." He said in a serious tone, thinking I wasn't listening.

"No way! Last year they installed next generation 3mm sensor. It would take us at least forty minutes to disarm the security." I replied, not falling for it.

"Good to know!" He laughed.

And suddenly I wanted to straight out ask him everything. I wanted to know why he asked me out on a date on the last day of school. I wanted to know why he was standing before me in a cage of suspicion almost every time something happened. And more than anything I wanted to stop hearing Kiya telling me it's okay to like him, because sometimes not liking someone is a lot more easier.

Then Ayush grabbed my hand and led me out of the crowd, towards the quiet part of the town in a gesture that wasn't of an operative on a mission.

"So," He trailed off letting me lean my head back on a glass of a local office building. The street was quiet while on the other side there was a buzz of people moving in and out of shopping sprees. Hi didn't let my hand go. "Planted any bugs lately?"

His eyes were sparkling, but the way he looked at me didn't make me want to laugh. It gave me a weird feeling at the bottom of my stomach.

"Just so you know, Princess." He said in a soft whisper, stepping closer to me. "I am going to kiss you now."

And then all that crossed my mind was nothing. Zilch. I felt my thoughts froze, along with my body. For the first time in months, I wasn't thinking about my mission, or about my friends who can hear every word I utter. I wasn't thinking at all.

Ayush's hands were soft against my skin, his thumb brushing over my skin. His face inched closer, and I felt my breathing almost stop.

"OMG! Neesha, Ayush?" Piya's bubbly voice melted my thoughts. Ayush swore loudly (But I don't think Piya understood there because it was in Farsi.) Ayush moved his head to reveal Piya and Kartik standing there on the sidewalk of the empty street.

But that wasn't that mattered. Ayush had almost kissed me. I had let Ayush almost kiss me!

"I am so glad you came to the year festive!" She grinned. I forced a smile back and turned to look at Kartik, he didn't even say a Hi. I have thrown enough punches to know when it hurts.

"Hey Piya!" Ayush gave her a nod. "Enjoying the shopping?" A car passed through the street under the speed limit. I swallowed. I saw it in the car's window's reflection. I could see Kartik and Piya I the reflection behind me.

Ayush had seen them. Ayush had known they were there. Is that why he almost kissed me? He wanted to show it to Kartik...or Piya?

I ignored my running thoughts and greeted my normal friends with a smile.

And just then my attention was swept by another unorganized event. I notices a little late. The car that had just passed us, I noticed the number plate. I had seen it parked under a tree when we had stepped out of the van. When we were walking down the Diwali festive, it had been there by the "Chacha Manek's Sarees".

Mr. Saxena always say that once, it's a coincidence. Twice, it's a suspect and thrice, it's a trail.

"Hey, you are going to think I'm crazy." I whispered as Piya turned to talk to Kartik about something. They were safe distance out of our audible mutters.

"A little too late for that, Princess." He replied with a sly smile. I turned to glare at him.

"Mein serious hoon!"

"Mein kahan has raha hoon?"

"Ayush!"

"What?"

"Someone's been following us!" I said.

"Beside your friends?" He joked again.

"Ayush!" I cried. "The car!"

"Are you guys okay?" Piya asked. I turned to her. Kartik's phone rang, and he excused himself, walking away.

"Of course, why?" I asked, but she just shrugged. See? Normal!

"It's nothing, Princess." Ayush said slowly, making sure Piya couldn't hear us. "It's just another car."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to feel better that there was no car following us. But the ring in my finger vibrated, and I knew he had lost that one chance to let me trust him.

"I want to go to restroom." I said suddenly. Piya turned up from her phone, a smile on her face. Does this girl ever stop smiling?

"I will walk you!" Ayush said quickly, but I walked past him.

"No." I said, taking Piya's arm, hooking them like she was my bestfriend. "It's a girl time." Piya giggled as I walked away from Ayush, and towards my friends. "We should go to the mall." She said, and I smiled.

"Let's go to the mall." I smiled back.

Kishori is a very small town. So a "mall" here is simply a little complex with ten or more little shops. We made our way into the mall, and I looked around for my friends.

"Neesh!" I heard a loud voice booming through the buzzing mall. I turned towards my Gen and waved back. She strolled towards me with Panchi and Kiya behind her.

"Miracle called." She said, waving a cell phone before me--which I am sure is stolen. Miracle was Gen's codename. "We have to get to school early now."

I turned to look at Piya with a sad face and sighed heavily. "I am so sorry! I wanted to shop a bit with you, but this stupid school rules!" I whined rolling my eyes.

She nodded and let me go after hugs and good byes. I turned on my heels and walked out with my friends.

"Ayush lied to me. There was a car following us, and he knew it was, but he lied about it." I said.

"We heard." Kiya said. "There has been no tail behind us, so I am sure it's not a test. But We did see a black Esteem following you."

'And I found one more thing." Panchi said, opening a cellphone sized electronic device. She tapped away on it's touchscreen and then turned it towards us. "I tracked down the breacher. It's someone in the Southern Wing. The breach was conducted in the Southern Vision."

That is where the boys lived.

"Shit!" Gen swore. I was about to say something, but the bright lights on the other side of the road blinded my sight. When it dimmed a little I noticed it was a Royal Institute van. What the hell was going on? We ran towards the van, wondering what was going on. In the driver's seat of the van sat Sakshi Sharma.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Why did you give us emergency Signal?"

"And for the sake of god, what are you doing in Driver's seat?" Gen said, standing beside me.

"I have no idea where other teachers are, but Professor Kumar is in the back. I don't know what happened, but he is injured."

I rushed around and opened up the van door. All the girls were inside already. Professor Kumar, our Advanced Encryption teacher was sitting on a corner sit, his eyes closed.

"What happened?" Panchi asked, pushing inside the van and settling down on the empty sit. We followed her actions.

"He is been stabbed." Juhi said. I turned to her.

"How?"

"We don't know, we found him on the street." He voice shook.

"Did he say anything?" Kiya tried.

"He said something about the alumni list. He said he stole it." She replied.

"Who stole it?"

"He just said that He stole it." She said again. Oh god!

"Do you think it's the boys?" Gen asked, looking at us. I sighed.

"I have got the lead. I had installed the tracker in Ranveer's shoes." She said, punching over her device screen. "On the Mahatma Gandhi street. They are moving quick!"

Shakshi pulled the break, and soon we were racing towards the wherever the 11^th grader boys were going.

When the mob of eighteen boys had first walked through the Grand Hall's gate, no one had expected them to be breaching securities for whatever the reason they were doing it. But as the clouds thundered above is, I couldn't help but think about how wrong first impressions are.

"They are moving towards Old Chandi Storage place behind the old church." Panchi said.

I stood under the roof, waiting for a signal from Gen. Gen and Panchi were sneaking in inside the building, while I was suppose to wit until I make my next move, The rain was thundering and pouring down with great force.

"Riddle, you're on." Gen said in my comms in a hushed voice. "Miracle, where is the tracker now?"

"Guys, this is weird." Panchi replied to her codename. "The tracker is somewhere around in the storage, but its moving in a very--covert way."

"Stardust, is their anyone on the left wing?" I asked Kiya. There was a pause before she told me there was none. Only the four of us had the comms unit, other four were surveying the outside and the church.

"Copy that." I said as I stepped out into the rain. The raindrops wet me in a question of seconds. I took a deep breath and jumped, catching the tiled roof in my palms. Using my momentum, I hurled myself and put my feet against on of the closed ventilators that lined up the wall. I put my arm around and rolled over on the roof. "I am up."

I turned around and stood on the dark roof, I could see the city lights in the distance, but there was barely anything visible on the roof.

"Princess?" I heard the faint voice and froze. "What are you doing here?"

Foot steps sounded below as a guard passed the place I had just hauled over from. Ayush's arms pushed my shoulders before I could react, and I laid silently on the wet roof with a boy I have come to distrust above me.

"Give me one reason why should I not throw you off this roof." I hissed once the footsteps faded away.

"Princess, I know I lied but it wasn't because of what you think!" He whispered.

"My name is Neesha!" I pushed him away. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kick you where the sun never shines!"

"God Neesha meri baat suno!" He said, standing before me. I could make out his shadow in the rain and that is all I could see. In that darkness, I wished I could see his eyes. "I told you that because I wasn't sure. I had seen that car but it is Dr. Desh's car!"

"What?" I managed to mutter out loud enough for him to hear beyond the roaring rain.

"I am not the bad guy Neesha." He whispered, and it was funny that I could hear him even with all the noise. "We are not the bad guys. He is."

"Copy that." I heard Gen say and almost smiled at how my friends were spying on me.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"When you went off with Piya, Kush came to me and told me about the car too." He said. "We followed it until here."

"Why would I believe you?" I whispered.

"He is such a sweetheart! Don't give him a hard time Neesha." Panchi said.

Ayush walked closer to me and held up my hand. "Look at it." He pointed to the finger that had my ring on. "I am not lying." He said. "Look at me." He held my face between his hands. Even in the darkness, I could see his face under the shadows. "I am not lying." He whispered again.