But with a single acrobatic leap, Dhruv jumped up and grabbed the papyrus in a perfect catch and landed to the ground, rolling over the floor which knocked down Esperanza's table.

It took me a good amount of time to digest this. I took large, heaving breaths to calm down my heart which was kicking me in the chest like a horse.

Dhruv was lying on the floor crumpled, clutching the papyrus for dear life. Good old Dhruv!

Now I was hearing a yell.

'Why you stupid-

Sylvia rushed towards him in a rage to kick him, but Esperanza was too quick for her. She gave her a tight slap which sent her reeling.

'I'm ashamed to call you my friend, you filthy woman. Attacking little children! Shame on you, shame on you, I say!'

She still wouldn't give up and made a grab at Esperanza's leg. But this time, Samarth and Devika were too quick for her. They grabbed her arms and pinned her to the ground.

And now it was my chance to step in.

'Show's not over friends'

Much to everyone's surprise, I took out my Magnolia filled bottle and a syringe.

Sylvia stared at me, gaping.

'What!'

'Yes indeed, Magnolia' I replied slyly, filling up the syringe.

'What, what are you going to do?'

'You'll see' I replied slyly.

'NO! NO!' she kicked and sputtered violently. But she was no match for Samarth and Devika's iron grip.

And in that moment history repeated itself again.

I took the syringe and plunged the needle into her right arm, satisfied at the howl she gave from the prick. While releasing the liquid, I closed my eyes and thought of only one thing.

'Forget all your evil designs, Sylvia' I spoke aloud in my head.

There she was on the ground, trembling with rage. I went up and touched her forehead to release a word from my mouth that would change everything, forever.

'AMNESIA'

I opened my eyes. In place of the violent, thrashing Sylvia was now a docile, gentle creature. After all, this is what magic really is.

'Where am I? Who are you?'

But right now, I had to deal with other things. I looked to my right to find Dhruv standing on his feet, but bleeding heavily from the neck and face, blood staining his clothes.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine. Here you go'. He handed me the papyrus.

I was awash with joy and relief when I recalled his gigantic leap. I carefully placed the papyrus on a stand nearby. By now I was unable to take it any longer.

"My child..."  I ran up to him and threw my arms around him tight, heedless of the blood dripping on to my face and body.

'Maitreyi, you're dirtying yourself'

I couldn't reply. All I could do was hug him, tears falling freely from my eyes. Samarth and Devika rushed forward to join us. It was one big Bollywood moment as we stood there in a group hug like the Indian Cricket team. I don't know for how long we stood like that. I planted a kiss on Dhruv's forehead and broke apart.

'So what do we do now?' asked Devika.

'We use this little remote control of ours!' I winked at Esperanza. She winked back.

'It's your big moment, Esperanza. Just do it'

She looked really proud and a surreal look crossed her face.

'Why, of course! Watch the fun'

A huge grin spread across our faces as we watched her walk up to the bygone Sylvia.

'Sylvia, stand!' she ordered her like the master of a dog. She stood up obediently which made us all giggle.

'Do you know two children by the name Antara and Akash Singh?'

'Why, yes!'

'Where are they?'

'You meet them? Come, I take!' she trotted off exactly like an obedient little puppy.

'This is unbelievable! It is real magic after all' Samarth exclaimed.

'I hope now you know it's not trash' I smiled at him.

'I hope you know too' he replied, giving me a friendly punch on the shoulder. Even though in the beginning I was apprehensive about his loyalty, he changed everything with his extreme faith and presence of mind. He proved his point. And I was so proud of him.

We walked out of the clinic and followed our "remote" into a long, winding forest path.

'Er guys, where are we going?' Dhruv asked me, a little off guard on being covered three-dimensionally by a bunch of trees. Of course, these metro city kids weren't used to it. Even his sister looked frightened.

'Don't worry, it's the usual thing here. There's nothing to be scared about. However, do mind your step in case you trip over a vine or a large root' Samarth instructed.

I wasn't able to talk much. I was finally on my way to meet the two best friends I ever had in this world. Finally.

'Excited, Maitreyi?' Dhruv asked, now comforted by Samarth's directions.

'Yeah, very' I whispered.

We kept walking till we reached a steep slope. We climbed down the jagged, knife-like rocks with caution, helping Esperanza who occasionally winced with pain when the climb hurt her back. We had to; she was a true hero in our mission.

After a two minute walk, Sylvia removed a thick foliage of bougainvillea leaves and blossoms to reveal an old garage. The effect was so convincing that nobody could tell that there was a small shack behind it.

No, it wasn't a garage. There was a huge signboard on top, the lettering faded away from rain and moisture.

"Dharam Repair Shop"

I froze. It was the same shop I'd seen in the Amethyst. This is where I'd seen Anu! And no wonder nobody saw us that day. The shop was shut down and disowned!

Sylvia proceeded to take out a key from her apron pocket and inserted it into the huge padlock. And every time I heard the rattling of the key, my heart would spurt.