AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello guys... I'm Suchita, Khushi's friend, and I'm writing the story as of now for the next few chapters (As her friend Sonali di must have told you). The reason is that Khushi hasn't been in her best of her health of late. So she has handed me the steering wheel to keep the story going. I've tried my level best to match her writing style, but if you find any mistake, please pardon. Constructive criticism is very much welcome ☺

Enjoy reading!
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Rescuer- Sir! Sir! Yahan dekhiye! (Sir! Sir! See here!)

Everyone started looking in the direction that the man had pointed at. And as they looked, they were left shocked.

It was something they feared the most...

*****

Next morning after bomb blast

I could not believe my eyes. It felt like my own eyes were betraying me. It was hard to believe what was in front of me. My heart broke in a zillion pieces and I could hear it break, literally. I slumped down to the earth on my knees as I looked into the oblivion. After seeing the sight in front of me, only a word, rather a name, left my lips in a slow whisper. 'Avni'... And then, the hollow silence resonated with my ear piercing scream. 'Avnii!'

There lay before us, a lifeless body of Avni. Avi. My Avi. My Miss Ajooba. All smeared in blood, the crimson fluid oozing out of the numerous cuts and wounds. Her face was battered beyond recognition- all bruised, her hair sprawled all over her face. No this can't happen, this cannot be true, I hoped against hope but the truth was in front of me, in the lifeless body of my Miss Ajooba, my heart beat, my lifeline.

She was gone...

I came towards the body with slow steps, sweat beads forming on my forehead and then bent down. Taking Avni's one hand in my own and putting her head on my lap, I let go of all the emotions I had been suppressing till then.

'Avni... Avni utho!! Tum mujhe aise chhod kar nahi ja sakti... Suna tumne... Nahi ja sakti!! Avni, Avni wake up!' Rubbing my nose roughly, I patted her cheek to gain some response from her. Continuing to pour out my emotions, I further said, 'Avni... Tum agar aise chali jaogi to mera khyal kaun rakhega? Meri sab cheezon ka khyal toh tum hi rakhti ho na?? Avni, please utho... Kuch toh bolo... Avni!!' Her body had turned cold. (Avni... Avni wake up!! You can't leave me like this and go... Did you hear... You can't go!! Avni, Avni wake up!!..... Avni... If you'll go away like this, then who'll take care of me? Aren't you the one who takes care of all my belongings?? Avni, please wake up... Say something please... Avni!!)

But she never responded.

And tears streamed down my eyes, not wanting to stop. Her radiant, infectious smile, her happiness on seeing the Poha made by me, her excitement when it used to be my birthday, our tussle as to who will wish Bebe or Dad or Mom or Ayesha Ma on their birthday and then ending up wishing together, all the memories came to my mind in a rush.

I could hear Mom and Bebe cry their hearts out in the distance but it felt like I still couldn't hear anything. And that was when Bebe collapsed. But I could not react. I don't know why but I just didn't have the energy to react to anything. Or anyone. I felt numb, empty and what not. I could hear Dad trying to wake me up from this sleep that I was in with my eyes open, but no matter how much I tried, I could not slip out of it. My eyes burnt with the unshed tears while my throat constricted. The vision around me blurred. No, this couldn't be true, it all has to be a lie... But no matter how much I tried to convince myself, the reality was in front of me. It was Avni.

But I knew, there was a little hope. I smiled reassuringly to myself. The DNA test. Yes, I'll tell them to take the body to the hospital for postmortem. But somewhere I couldn't bring myself to believe that it was Avni. Something was really odd. I know it's not Avni. I can feel it. The touch didn't feel like it was Avni's. There was a certain roughness in the palm, while Avni's palms were always soft and smooth, just like silk. I know what her touch feels like. This girl who's body they're all claiming to be Avni's is not her. And Avni didn't have a black patch on her face anywhere. There was only a mole just above her lips, and on this face, there was no mole.

I rubbed away my tears harshly and stood up. Walking up to my father from behind, I put my hand on his shoulder.
'Neil,', my father spoke, even without looking behind his back. 'We've to complete the last rites of Ayesha ji and Avni beta.' Coming in front of him, I looked at the ground hesitating for God-knows-what-reason. Maybe he had figured out from my expression that Dad himself spoke, 'Neil, puttar kya baat hai? Bejhijhak bolo.' (Neil, what's the matter son? Speak without any hesitation.)

Gathering enough courage, I spoke my mind. 'Dad, aapko nahi lagta ki humein Ayesha Ma aur Avni ka DNA test karwana chahiye? Kya pata ki jin logon ki body ko hum Ayesha ma aur Avni ki body samajh rahe ho, woh ho hi na?' And with this, I drew in a deep breath. (Dad, don't you think we should get the DNA test done? What if the bodies we are supposing to be them aren't Ayesha ma and Avni at all?)

Dad spoke after a long wait which was actually just a few minutes. Maybe he was weighing the options. Or maybe he was thinking that I've gone mad thinking of the loss we've just suffered. 'Neil, main tumhare jazbaaton ko samajhta hoon. But Neil, agar yeh dono Ayesha ji aur Avni nahi hote hain, toh kya?' (Neil, I understand your emotions. But Neil, what if these two bodies are not of Ayesha ji and Avni?)

'Toh Dad yeh toh acchi baat hui na? Agar yeh Ayesha ma aur Avni nahi hote hain toh iska yahi matlab hoga na ki woh abhi bhi safe hain.' I said with a glimmer of hope in my eyes, involuntarily clasping my hands together, as if pleading to my father. (Then Dad it's a good thing, right? If these bodies are not of Ayesha ma and Avni then this actually means that they're still safe.)

'Hmm... Theek hai agar tum kehte ho to tumhaari tassali ke liye main bol deta hoon Inspector se DNA test ke liye body hospital panhuchane ke liye.' And in the last 12 hours, I smiled a little for a moment. 'Thank you Dad, thank you so much.' I said with a hint of hope in my eyes. Now all I had to do was just pray- pray that all that these people are saying is false, that Avni and Ayesha ma are safe, that I can keep my promise of a happy family to Avni. (Hmm... Okay if you say then for your reassurance I'll ask the Inspector for transporting the body for DNA testing.)

And soon we were at the hospital, waiting outside the lab for the report, praying every second, not able to avert our gaze from the plexiglass door. Bebe was sitting down in the temple in the hospital compound, praying for the well being of her children. Dad was strolling from one end of the corridor to the other end while Mom was sitting on the bench with me, her hand on my shoulder, not able to understand what to do. And that was when the doctor came.

He extended out his hand with two different envelopes and before leaving, said 'Don't worry, everything will be alright.' while keeping a hand on my shoulder. No one could understand why he meant what he said. And then I tore open the first envelope. It was Ayesha Ma's DNA report. And as expected, it came out to be positive. And I could not react. I really couldn't. That one string of hope I had been holding onto desperately seemed to be slipping out of my hand. I closed my eyes, as if trying to gulp down the sadness that was about to consume me. I was just wishing that the next thing I'm going to see should be something good...

Or I'll be doomed, forever.

And with shivering hands, I tore open the second envelope. I don't know how many times I prayed before unfolding the report, hoping for something sort of a miracle to happen. And the very next moment, I received the biggest shock of my life.

The report was negative.

And that only meant one thing. Avni was alive. She was safe. I let out a deep breath that I had been holding onto for God knows how long. I could hear Mom and Bebe offering their thanks to Mata Rani and Dad heaving a sigh of relief. Walking up to me, he said, 'Ab toh thik ho na?' I nodded, with a small smile that adorned my face, while a silent prayer left my lips. But then suddenly a question popped up in all our minds and we looked at each other at the exact same moment while an unknown fear gripped our hearts- If Avni is alive, then where is she?
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Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Don't hesitate to point out my mistakes in the chapter. Please vote and comment and give your love to Khushi and her stories- It means a lot to her.
P.S- Upper half of the chapter is written by Khushi while I've written  the other half.

Stay safe!

Lots of love,
Khushi and Suchita❤