Hadn't it been for the orange dye in her hair, I would've thought that she was a mermaid. In my heart , I knew it she had finally come to me the angel of my dreams , the one I waited for all my life . So it was true , what my inner voice had been telling me , the angel made for me, she did exist. Afterall it was no stupid fantasy .She quickly waddled towards the crocodile. Was she on a suicide mission?

She put her hands on the crocodile between its nostrils and stroked it gently. The crocodile looked at her like a kitty happy to be petted.

She leaned in closer to where its ears could have been and whispered something inaudibly. For about two minutes both of them maintained eye contact.
Then the crocodile looked at me and then back at her and seemed to ask,
'But mommy can I have atleast one bite of this hooman please'
Again she whispered something in its ears .
The crocodile closed its eyes as If it was sighing and slowly sank and disappeared under water.

I couldn't believe my eyes. What had just happened? How did she do that? They both seemed to communicate through an unknown language. A sane person would be terrified by what they had witnessed but I was only amazed. Just like my intuition has been telling me, my angel has magical powers.

Then, she waded past me as if nothing had happened and went to the young girl and began swimming towards the banks with her.

"How long are you planning to stay inside the water and stare at me? Till the crocodile comes back?", she turned towards me and asked. I felt my cheeks burning.

Embarrassed, without a word, I swam back towards the riverbank.

"Raghav, bro do you have any idea how dangerous it was? ". It was Vikram, his eyes were red and he looked pale. "You have no idea how anxious I was. I was literally shaking and thinking of jumping into this river not bothering that I would just drown". What he just said pretty much summarizes Vikram's personality __ Ready to die or kill for a friend, scolding you even in front of your patients suffers from anxiety disorder kind of person.

"C'mon bro it's chill. I am okay. You are okay. The girl is okay, and everyone is just fine now", I tried to reassure him. "Come let's go check if the girl has any injuries". Vikram walked giving me that bombastic side eye.

Vikram was like a younger brother that I never had. He was a genius but, he would never accept that statement because of his sincere modesty. He used to be the most optimistic person that I had ever known. But since he broke up with his ex, 2 years ago he was never the same. He started suffering from anxiety disorder since then. I wanted to talk to him and calm him down but right now the only thing running in my head was my angel.

I walked past the people in the crowd towards her. She was standing there close to the tent we had built for the camp. She had placed the girl safely on the bed we use to examine patients. I walk towards her as if I was drawn by a mysterious magnetic field.

Vikram came along with me and started examining the girl and treating her injuries. We would shift her to the medical college soon. She looked completely fine but a fall from that height needed an immediate MRI to rule out cerebral bleeds.

I went close to this orange-haired stranger. She was wearing a dark blue tracksuit with a vest that had 'Karapuzha Adventure Park' written over it. The vest and her pants were both soaking wet. The clothes were hugging her tight and she looked like a river naiad that just dressed up as a human.

I cleared my throat to get her attention she smiled without looking in my direction and proceeded to take a towel and dry her hair. She carefully wiped the amulet she was wearing, a violet light was emanating from it. She was beautiful. But not like those ordinary girls who dolled up and tried to stick to the so-called beauty standards. She was naturally beautiful. Her dusky brown skin glowed in the evening sun. Her chocolate brown eyes were fierce and were glistening with the water. There was something magical about her. Was it the violet pendant? Or her orange curly hair?

"How did you do that with the crocodile?", I asked coming straight to the question eating my brain.

"Oh, that's why you have been following me without even drying yourself or paying attention to the people who were vainly attempting to thank you."

"Thank me? They should be thanking you, not me, both I and the poor girl would be floating meat loaves if it hadn't been for your timely mantra in the crocodile's ear"

"Ha.. ha". Her laugh was lively and resonated inside my skull. "Apparently, it's only cool and heroic if a handsome doctor jumps into the water when a lifeguard does it, it is just their duty to save", she added.

"What? People can sometimes be a little too biased towards doctors but don't worry once we are out of these clothes, people will be more biased towards you", I said.

"Excuse me?"

I clicked my tongue. I realized the fault in my words. Ughh Raghav, you know how to create the best first impression with a beautiful girl. Now she probably thinks I am a creep. Vikram is far better with girls.

"I am so sorry I did not mean it that way, I meant to say that when we are out of our uniforms, I mean when you are wearing different clothes and I am wearing different clothes and people have no idea what our professions are. "

"Ha.. even then you humans judge people on fashion and the price of clothes", she said

"You speak like you are not a human?"

She threw the towel she was using to dry her hair straight at my chest.

"Who will take care of us if the doctor catches cold", saying that she turned her back to me and started to leave.

"You still didn't tell me how you handled the crocodile? Wait, at least tell me your name?"

"You will know when you know" " she said mischief evident in her tone.

"Okay so let me know today at 8 pm at the resort's dining hall?"

Her amulet slowly changed colour from violet to pink. She noticed I was watching it and hid it in her palms.

"Hey, I am Dr. Vikram, a friend of Raghav here whose ass you saved today . Thanks for saving my friend from turning into crocodile poop". Vikram patted my shoulder. I was so focused on this woman that I didn't even notice him join us.

"Hi , my name is Mily and no problem, just trying to keep the water clean, don't want any human flesh floating around."

They both chuckled.

What? Why did she tell him her name and not me?? How is this fair?

"Ha ha not funny at all and Mily, why did you tell him your name but not me ?"

"Bro, women's intuition warns them and help them from becoming acquainted with creeps, and also to get a beautiful girl's name tip number one look like me ". Vikram dramatically ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, at least I am taller than you ?" I rolled my eyes.

"No short is the new hot" Mily chimed in and gave a hifi to Vikram.

"What? Okay Vikram might be the hotter one but tonight Mily is going on a date with not-so-hot me " and I winked at Mily. "And that is all that matters".

"I don't quite remember agreeing to come Dr. Raghav" Mily squinted to my side and raised one of her eyebrows, and that's when I noticed a scar on her right eyebrow. I pictured trailing my fingers across the scar. I barely knew her and I am already obsessed with her.

"Okay I will go check on the girl and her family", Vikram said sensing the need to become the wingman. "Oh-ho, Raghav Bhaiyya looks like you really found someone to swim next to you in these waters". Vikram whispered in my ears and went giggling like a little girl.

"Vikram, make sure that the ambulance comes soon and picks her up".

"Don't worry bro, I will go along with them to the hospital. I will make sure she is okay".

"I am sorry about him, he is just excited to see that his friend finally seems to come out of his vow of celibacy and is genuinely interested in a girl" I spoke looking straight into Mily's eyes.

"So you have never been interested in a girl before? I mean that's so surprising seeing that a handsome doctor has a lot of better prospects than just a lifeguard?"

I chuckled. "Trust me that's a really wrong stereotype, most of the doctors have no idea what they are doing with their love life. But wait did you just call me handsome?"

I batted my eyelashes at her.

Vikram would be so proud of me now .Or not.

She laughed. The happiness that you get when your love interest laughs because of you hits differently.

"Okay, I will get going now. Bye Raghav"

"I will be waiting for you, 8 pm"

"You don't even know me"

"That is why, I will be waiting for you, with red roses and red wine to get to know you"

"Oh, doctor are you planning to get me drunk, sedate me and steal my kidney?". She made a dramatic I am so scared expression with a gasp.

I smirked, "You never know until you come and see for yourself."

I traced her face with my eyes and drank her in inch by inch . A lone strand of hair was hanging on her forehead distracting me . I slicked it behind her ears with my hands.

"Mily, what I am feeling for you right now, I have never ever felt this before. You might be creeped out or thinking I am going too fast . But if you don't turn up tonight I am still going to come back and find you and come up with chat gpt trained pick up lines and my guy Vikram is a rizz master, he will train me. I will not give up until I am sure that I have tried everything there is."

She looked at me in the eyes and smiled and walked away without a word.

I smiled to myself and looked at her walking away. She was a really fast walker. I am going to have a hard time trying to keep up her pace in the future.

I saw the nurse running towards me panting.

"What happened sister? Is the girl okay?" I asked sensing the concern in her face.

"No doctor, the girl is seizing ".

God, that is really bad. The impact might've caused a cerebral bleed.

When I got inside the tent, I saw the girl shaking violently in the bed. All the muscles in her right upper limb and lower limb were twitching. Her leg was hitting against the railing. Left side was normal. Vikram was already giving an antiepileptic. We picked her up with the mattress and placed her on the floor on her side , to save from getting hurt from the steel railings or the wall.

"Give LEVIPILL STAT Vikram. And we need an MRI ASAP. How far is the medical college from here? Didnt you all call them already? "

"About 40 minutes from here. The ambulance is on the way, they got delayed by a wild elephant on their way. I will call them again", a nurse from the local area answered.

"Also ask someone to explain the mother and give her support", I told her.

Shit we don't even have monitors.

She was still seizing in spite of two shots of levipill.

"Bhaiyya we need Fosphenytoin"

Her vitals were crashing. She started gasping for breath.

"Vikram you go check on the ambulance's whereabouts and arrange for a ventilator as soon as they come, I will take care of her.

Vikram ran out. We had no Fosphenytoin, I administered another shot of levipill.

Suddenly the movements stopped and when I checked, her pulse was feeble and she began to gasp for breath. Her lips turned blue.

She was coding.

I started giving CPR immediately.

God, please bring the ambulance now.

At that second, she walked in, Mily, her orange hair bouncing. This time she was wearing spectacles.

I was still giving CPR. She pushed away my hands.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I was in utter disbelief but something made me trust her. The same trust I had when she appeared before me in the water. Definitely, she was no ordinary person. I really in that my trust wasn't endangering this girls life.

She removed her spectacles and placed her hands on the centre of the girl's chest.

That's when I noticed that Mily's irises had turned purple. I felt it . She was some supernatural being . Her amulet started shifting colours and the whole tent lit up with those changing colours. I felt some strange energy coursing inside. Outside the birds were screeching loudly. The air became thick and it was getting difficult for me to breath .

Then everything stopped. Mily's amulet became transparent as if it had exhausted it's battery . Suddenly Swarna's eyes shot open and her irises glistened in the same shade of purple as Mily's.
She sat upright with a jerk . Her eyes turned back to their original brown colour.

"Where am I? What is happening ?", the girl asked.

"Oh my god, you are alright!" I shouted in relief.

"Swarna, don't be scared. You will be okay now", Mily told the girl.

How did she know her name?

Mily hugged her. "She has had a really rough day today can we leave her here with her mother?"

"Ya sure!"

What had I just witnessed? Two miracles in the same day. Everything I knew so far in my life felt like a lie. What all is there to know about this strange world and this magical woman that is churning my heart.

"Mily? What just happened? What did you do? WHO ARE YOU?".

She just looked at me silently , she looked like she was in a lot of pain.

Vikram came running in with ampoules and an ambubag . He was visibly confused by what he was witnessing.

"What did you do Raghav, how is she up and fine"

"Your friend here is a great doctor ,Vikram please take care of the girl", Mily said. "Raghav and I will be right outside".

"What happened bro ?" Vikram couldn't hold back his confusion.

"Vikram you check on Swarna, I will be back in a minute". He reluctantly let me go sensing the seriousness in my voice.

Mily and I walked out of the tent and she stopped at the same spot where we were talking earlier.

"Raghav there are a lot of things you don't know about in this world. I am one such thing. I know you have a lot of questions in your head right now but trust me it is better when you don't know the answer to these questions. "

What?

She placed a finger on my lips and continued, " I have been searching for you a long time now . I am so glad that I finally found you ", she let out a soft whimper. Tears started flowing ,sliding through her cheek.

"You know I was planning on coming tonight. I wanted to know you too. And the plants keep telling me how you feel about me"

She can hear the plants speak?

"Mily, answer me who are you?"

" But you just witnessed what you must not see. It must always remain a secret and for that, we both should forget today. Anyway, we both could never be together. It is better that we end things earlier. I wish that you had never met me ".

Her words wounded me like a harsh stab into my ribs. She said that we could never be together. I had never felt anything like this towards any girl and when I finally did , she wants to leave me , because I she is a magical witch or something else. Maybe I was never meant to ever fall in love.

"Mily, whatever it is , it doesn't matter if you feel something for me , anything at all we should explore this. I will help you through anything that is problematic. Just stay with me for a week and if you don't like me, just leave . You don't have to even tell me who you are. Let us.."

Before I could continue, suddenly a purple leaf appeared out of nowhere in her hands. She gently swiped it around my ears. I felt all my insides tickle. A strange energy coursed through my whole body shutting my eyes and my fingers balled into a fist. I was paralysed unable to move.

"Forget me now", she whispered.

It took me about 5 minute to recover. When I opened my eyes, she was nowhere to be seen. Mily had disappeared. Where she had stood the tiny purple leaf that she used was lying. I picked it up and placed it safely inside my pocket.

If she had done a spell to make me forget her, it did not work.

"Bhaiyaa you have been standing here for a long time. What happened? Where is Mily di?"

I couldn't say anything to him.

"Bhaiya, are you okay? Say something na?"

"Is Swarna okay?", I asked.

"Yes, she is perfect. I shifted her to medical college for observation"

"Okay good", I replied.

"C'mon bro tell me how did you control the seizure? I thought that she would be coding you know"

I didn't tell him anything about what Mily did. If she wanted it to be a secret so bad so be it.

"Okay, you neurologist people always keep such things a secret. See next time you ask me a doubt regarding a cardio case, I will do the same"

Vikram sensed that something was wrong and was saying this to lighten my mood. Vikram knew that the last time I was silent like this was when my mother had died.

"Bro, can you please let me be alone for a while?" I asked Vikram.

"Sure", he said, the hurt evident in his voice.

Vikram hated it when I did this. He is the type of guy who wants to take away everyone's pain and cheer them up. He was literally a cardiologist, mending broken hearts Especially mine. When I was going through something he always wants me to share it with him and let him comfort me. But what do I tell him when I myself don't understand what I am going through? Do I tell him that a random girl popped into my life for a day and I am already brokenhearted? Or say that she did magic and vanished in thin air?

But the thing is even if I spat all this bull shit he will trust me totally. He trusts me so much.

"I am sorry Vikram , I really am. I don't want to be comforted I just want to feel this pain" I muttered under my breath. I wondered how he felt when he had broken up with Chaya.

I went to the dam authorities and enquired about Mily. Not to my surprise, no one had any idea of her. She didn't work there. She was no lifeguard.

I heard the distant clock chime. It was 8 pm.

I will find who you are Mily.

A/N : Disclaimer:- all the medicines mentioned in this chapter are purely for the storyline none of them must be considered as medical advice. In case of illhealth, kindly visit a registered medical practitioner. I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. This one is a bit longer than usual. Do you like it this way or were shorter chapters easier to read?