"I am not coming with you!"

I clearly heard her shrill voice in my mind, but pretending as though I haven't suddenly gave me a sort of uncomfortable feeling of perplexity.

I turned around to glance at her, keeping my face straight. She had her head down and probably struggling with kind of a dilemma she wanted to share. I walked back and waited till she looked up at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked when she finally did look up, giving me a clean opportunity to read her expression under the silvery moon.

Her brows were arched, eyes shining with tears and glaring at me unblinking, her lips- narrow and thin. Anger was flashing directly in her face, but to me she looked incredibly cute and adorable.

This is how she looks when she's angry?

She signaled very speedily. "I don't want to come with you."

"Why not?" I asked, pursing my lips.

I hated to grin at her, at this situation. Something was genuinely bothering her and I needed to give my best to cool her anger. But I was helpless. She was just too innocent and charming to watch, that it had power to crack me up even when I was too tired to move a muscle of my little finger.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her signally harshly.

"Doing what?"

"This meaningless adventures?"

There she goes, just like I saw her.

I awkwardly cleared my throat, looking down and quickly framed an answer I thought that might suffice for her to know. "Because Doctor asked me to. It's a job."

"Only because Doctor asked you to? That's all?"

"Yes," I replied and shut my mouth, only to keenly see her angry face I had never seen before and might never see anytime soon.

Filled with frustration, she walked a few step away and then immediately returned only to stand a little closer to me. "You were almost about to fall off the bridge, weren't you?"

So she was definitely watching the show. Finding me hang down the wood log should have scared her, and that she couldn't continue stand there to watch me go through the challenge.

"Yes," I repeated.

"Will you please say something other than yes?" she signaled quickly and her voice raged in my mind making me blink.

"Okay, listen..."

"I can't!"

"I mean, look," I corrected, pressing my eyes and realizing my mistake, "The Fest of Vrindahina, is a festival to you, to us in our universe. But to these Constellia, which are our extension, they have been suffering since thousands of years during this fest. It's no festival here. And it is difficult to explain, but I was told that only I can give them their freedom."

"How? By winning this dangerous challenges?"

"There is someone I need to fight, and he is here in this universe. I can only get to fight him if I win all these challenges. I thought Leena told you everything, didn't she?"

She lifted her hands to signal but quickly dropped it. I watched her face change to hurt and it only served to make her comeliness more appealing.

"I understand that I forced you into this mess," I continued, "without even asking you. You really didn't deserve to..."

"I don't care about that!" She signaled, "I can even live in a dumpster."

I sniggered, folding my hands. "Then what do you care about?"

"I don't want to see anyone else dying. I can't take it anymore."

I stared at her, now forcing myself to stop smiling. Tears began to run down her cheeks which she hurriedly wiped them away. Once again dropping my eyes down, I rubbed the back of my neck, finally understanding what was actually bothering her - my grandmother's death. The day before she was almost about to tell me what had happened between her and my grandmother but she couldn't. The conversation we had must have created an emotional impact on her, making her more vulnerable than she already was. But then I wondered who else she must have seen dying other than my grandmother.

"I won't die," I said, shaking my head.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, her eyes knitting watching me as if I was really a lunatic.

"Because I am a Samagraha and I cannot die until I have my stone safe in my pocket."

I felt my eyes slightly enlarging, as my own statement threw me into a deep contemplation. If the first two never had returned from Parallel universe, then how in the world the Cornelian got stabbed by the Shaatrumani?

"It's too complicated!" I heard her voice , that snapped me out of my new-born thoughts I tried not to mull over at this stage of my challenges.

"Tell me about it!" I whispered taking a deep breathe.

"How many more challenges you have to get through?"

"Ten more."

"Ten!" She gasped, raising her eyebrows, dropping her mouth and widening her eyes in complete aghast. "As dangerous as these two?"

Fear and curiosity in my chest was waiting to take over. But here she was, standing in front of me locking her scared eyes with mine, that surely and entirely helped me relax.

"Nazira, you have to come with me," I said, coolly yet firmly, "I know these challenges aren't going to affect me much, but if I leave you behind, Doctor and Pruthvi, both will find an alternative way to kill me once and for all."

She let out an exasperated sigh turning aside and stomping her leg. "You are leaving me no choice."

"We have no choice," I said quickly, "I told you it's too late. We are together now...I mean in this job."

"But I do have a choice to see or not to see you dealing with these challenges, right?"

"Right," I whispered giving her single nod, even though my insides wanting her to stay with me...until hell freezes over.

Her face expressed a relief of relaxed strain as she walked past me, slightly brushing my shoulder. Feeling extremely enticed with the conversation we had, the smile stained back on my lips as I followed watching her take frantic steps and pushing the bushes with a little difficulty without waiting for my help.

Tula for so long was having her hand held up in between the opened Gates. She moved aside a little and mentioned watching us approach, "Your next challenge with Vrischika within thirty-six hours."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh crap!" I cried feeling my feet sink down as soon as I stepped hard over, what it felt like a parched quicksand.

Straightening up my stance and keeping an eye on Nazira, I carefully looked around to check on to what and where the Gate has transported us to.

Dawn sent shimmering rays helping me notice that we were standing in the middle of the most desolate and lonesome singed-brown desert, sun rising from behind the never ending chain of sand dunes. Nazira immediately wrapped herself tight with the blanket when the silent chilly wind blew at us. This breeze was too arid and extremely cool to even to breathe, and that was making my lips chapped and dry. Only flora growing here were the large and spiny cactus plants. There wasn't a single Vrindahina as I hoped to see. It was as if I was transported to California Desert land, disregarding this wintry weather.

It was soundless and motionless, until a screaming hawk flew over our heads. I was still looking at the bird flying far up the sky, when a hissing sound suddenly sent a shiver down my back. It clearly indicated the existence of snakes in this wispy sand.

I intended to hear Naag's voice, just in case if I needed to receive any new instructions. But the terrible temperature did not let me wait. I turned my head in all directions and not far away from us, at an only non-cactus space, I found the hut being all lonely in this eerie realm of Vrischika.

Nazira was already looking at it and seemed desperate to get inside. I groaned softly, out of irritating that this sinking sensation was causing, and making it difficult for me to drag my feet through the sand to get inside the hut as quickly as possible. Nazira was careful enough to place her every step yet she was wobbling sometimes. I hoped to hold her hand, to give her some stability but she was still carrying that serious expression on her face that did not let me act as per my will.

I removed my sneakers and spilled out all the sand that had entered. I watched Nazira dusting her jeans right before we entered the hut.

"Thank you!" I wheezed satisfactorily, shutting the door that finally kept the breeze away.

My eyes instantly sought for the basket but before I went anywhere near it, Nazira's eyes bored into the side of my face.

"I'll go inside and sleep." She signaled, having her eyebrows knitted, but her lips quirking at the corners. She was trying too hard to stay angry at me.

"Okay," I whispered, unable to understand why she found it important to inform me.

"It's cold!" She immediately cleared my doubt, without signalling but shaking her hands to act as if she was shivering. And that made me break into a hearty laugh.

"Flame Formation!" I threw a ball of fire into the small fireplace filled with logs in Nazira's room. The cot in the center and a dresser at the corner was placed with a pack of papers and a pencil stand filled with brushes and sharp pencils. I turned around to walk out of the door but then my eyes involuntarily fell on the thing resting on the bed.

I looked at Nazira and asked hopefully, "Can I?"

When she gently nodded, I leaned over and picked up the three papers lying on the bed. Nazira walked over to stand beside me when I gazed down at the intricate paintings done by her. 

My eyebrows automatically raised on seeing the whole realm of Kanya painted in one sheet, fine details of the grass, the rays of sun and of course the Vrindahina tree at the corner. Mentally appreciating her observation, I switched the paper and almost gasped. The bridge I had crossed in the challenge a few minutes ago flashed in front of my eyes, the hills with detailed outlines of bushes and the running water, she has painted it exactly the way we had experience. I turned the page over and what I was seeing next left me motionless.

I was watching myself in action, sitting on my knee and throwing my fire attacks up in the air at Kanya. It was unbelievable that how she was just seeing and recreating them exactly the way they were.

"Nazira, these are amazing," I said, turning towards her, "You are such a..."

She yawned and wiped her droopy eyes. I put the papers back on the bed and unwantedly walked out of the door. This wait to talk to her about her skills would seem to be for a lifetime.

The squeaking sound of the hawk woke me up with a start.

"Oh!" I moaned and cringed when sudden pain shot up in my arms. Tula's challenge has surely taken away most of my energy. And with the routine food I was provided...for once I wished there weren't any long hours of gap between the challenges.

A few minutes later unable to sleep anymore with this pricking muscle pain, I jerked up to open my eyes. I moaned again stretching and straightening my arms. In the process I found Nazira holding the glass of water, gazing straight at me.

"How long has it been since you woke up?" I asked keeping my face straight.

"Probably a few hours ago. Bad dream woke me up. Are you in pain?" she asked.

"I think so, but nothing too much to worry about," I said, smiling.

Sighing softly, she walked over and sat in the chair looking a little sad and apologetic. "I am sorry I lashed out. I shouldn't have..."

"It's alright. Sometime it's completely normal to be scared," I said bending over, my hands automatically reaching out for the basket. "So, this guy who taught you painting," I continued, finally finding the opportunity I was waiting for, "he must really proud of you."

She smiled grimly. "Only if he is alive."

I stared at her incredulously, remembering the conversation we had before entering this realm. "Did you see him dying?"

She gasped and signaled swiftly. "Let's not talk about it, please!"

"Alright," I said, mentally accepting that it was better to keep my mouth shut and not to utter a word regarding any matters that might be concerning my grandmother's death. "But as a matter of fact, you and I have to be worried only if I fail to do for what I am here for before this month passes. Because I swear these challenges are not going to kill me."

"What do you mean a Samagraha can't die?" she asked and that was too sudden for me hear her say that. "My brother was about to die that day," she continued, probably noticing my hesitancy, "That...that man tried to kill him somehow...your friend's father, right?"

I nodded numbly, everything that had happened between me and Jyran flashed in front of my eyes.

"What happened that day?" she asked, a desperate sadness enveloping her.

"What did Leena tell you?"

"She wouldn't say anything. She said it isn't up to her to tell me but it should be either you or Pruthvi."

I blinked, biting my lip. I couldn't make up my mind if I was allowed to tell her anything about it. And if I chose to give her the information, I might as well have to include Tyrell in it and my conscience didn't approve of me talking anything against my friend.

"There is only one way a Samagraha can die," I said, "That man knew the way. And he applied it on Pruthvi. Only if Shourya wasn't there to help, I might have lost two of my friends in a single day."

"But he wouldn't have faced death if he never had come to find me in the first place," she signaled, her eyes shining. "He was going to die because of me, like everybody else."

"No," I gasped, my heart aching, "That's not true."

I shrunk my eyes and gaped at her few minutes. Her delicacy was beginning to show, her eyes filling. She had mentioned to me she was done seeing people dying, did she include her brother in it too?

"You have taken it all wrong. It happened because I was there, he chose to kill my friend because he couldn't lay his hands on me. But he still wanted to give me pain somehow. Shashi is after me, he is after my friends. I guess he is looking for you only because he wants to get to me through you."

"Through me?" she asked, frowning, and blinking her tears back, "How?"

"Doctor says Shashi, like everyone else from the Dakshinpur, thinks you are something like Zarina Khan, who can make dangerous predictions and stuff, because you are her great granddaughter."

Her features softened and she smiled humorously, "If that's the only reason for me to have such powers, then why wouldn't people of Dakshinpur think Pruthvi is anything like her. He is family too, isn't he?"

Point taken!

I sniggered closing my mouth with a fist.  At once I imagined Pruthvi making predictions, and sniffing for food, all at a same time.

"Have you ever met Zarina?" I asked, feeling contented seeing her smile again.

"No," she shrugged off, "But Shourya told me about her."

"What did he tell you?"

"All about the wrong predictions she made, that many people lost their family and friends because of her."

"You and I come under those people," I said, "Have you ever wanted to meet her?"

She shook her head, dismissively.

"Why not? I still remember, your brother was so eager to meet her. He wouldn't even listen to Doctor or King Aghasthya. He so wanted to know why she killed your family."

She looked away, dropped her eyes and did not signal to give me her answer, but I did not fail to hear her. "That's because he knows what a family is."

I felt the friendly smile on my face instantly disappearing. Beside all those beauty and innocence, I never knew that she was carrying this endless and immense pain in her heart, of not knowing what a family is. Right from her birth she had been alone, struggling for a right guardian. And I didn't had to remind myself to whom to blame for making her past so miserable.

I took a long sigh, and ran my fingers through my hair, trying not to fill my heart once again with the hatred, which at the moment was totally unwanted. I needed to relax myself and to bring her out of the melancholy she was drowning herself again.

"You know what," I said, when she looked back up, "let's not talk about it. So tell me, what is the worst picture you ever painted?"

"Your baby picture," she immediately responded, as if she just couldn't wait to give out the information.

"Huh!" I said, remembering the day I first met her, "The one you found in the scroll?"

"Yeah, I tried to recreate it once. But it was so horrible that it bothered me for days..."

And then she went on and on about the picture she had painted a few years ago. Her detailed explanation was embarrassing me to the core, and it was only because the girl I thought was the one, was talking about MY BABY PICTURE!

The next day before I met Nazira first thing in the morning, I warned myself to not to bring up any matters related to either Shashi or Zarina or anyone else that could easily once again remind her of her dreaded past. I was determined not to repeat my mistakes, and to deal with her delicately, atleast until I made her enough comfortable to talk about everything about her past.

An instant fond smile spread across my face. I have come a long way with her now, from the days in academy when we never had once talked to each other, to the present day where I was thinking of my ways to let her spent days with me, in this Parallel Universe, as pleasant as possible.

And surprisingly it was her who brought a genuine interesting topic when she told me she would love to know about Princess Sarakshi, whom she had seen only in paintings inside the palace and her American husband-my parents. It was my turn to not to stop describing my precious childhood days, my mother's meaningless rules she had set up to keep me and my father under control, and that how my father always had went against her only to piss her off. I even didn't forget to tell her about my Aunt she had met in the academy, that how caring she was to me just like my mother had been.

"How about your uncle?" Nazira asked, "Was he caring enough as well?"

"Oh no! He is just maniac my Aunt was surprisingly and happily married to," I replied, carrying a funny expression on my face, that made her laugh.

Watching her cheerful and gladly savoring these peaceful moments, elevated my spirit and rejuvenated my hopes that certainly helped me take a step forward with confidence.