"Eww, not again!"

"It's the last dose, I promise!"

"Nazira, I swear I'll sleep in my next challenge tomorrow."

"I don't mind!"

"HEY, WE WILL BE FOREVER STUCK IN THIS WORLD!"

"How can you expect to win if you are not healthy enough to go for it?"

"I am off to bed, I am sleepy already."

"If you go without taking medicine, I will sit here and cry."

"Damn you Paramarashtrians, always drive a hard bargain."

"Yes, that is so us. Now think of this as Uilani and...what did you say that day? Yeah, bottom's up!"

And I shook my head in defeat.

Nazira wasn't just a sweet, innocent girl with a pretty face, but she was quite adamant about what she wanted and a stickler for the rules. That stupid paper with medical instructions included that I was supposed to take the horrid medicine at the certain time of the day. Nazira seemed to have read it by heart and was unfailingly ready with it a minute before I'd finish eating.

The bitter taste of the medicine was making me go nuts, at times it gave me urges to slit and throw my tongue away. However, its effects aftermath was actually coming in favour. Taking sound naps in the middle of every meal, helped me let my mind off the flavour lingering in my mouth for so long hours.

We have been living in this realm of Meena for more than a day. Nazira did go out quite a few times, but my pathetic condition wasn't allowing me to even stand for a few minutes, let alone to check out the environment. Moreover, just like the days after I had dealt with Vrischika, venom was slowly coming out of my body in the form of sweat. But today it felt slightly different. I was sweating profoundly, way worse than the last time. And according to Nazira, it was because of the change in the weather.

She kept praising too highly about the realm, her expressions and her voice reminding me of a two-year-old. Only if I could just keep both my eyes opened and have a normal functioning mind, I would have, by now, enjoyed the realm as much as her. Whenever I woke up from my deep slumber, I always found her sitting outside the hut with papers and paintbrushes in her hands. I knew she was bound to paint the whole realm before we moved on to the next one, and when I intended to check the realm at least on the paper, my droopy eyes perceived nothing but a few colourful dots.

Keeping everything else aside, there was something about Nazira worth noticing- a slight change in her behaviour. I was expecting her to complain about the challenges like always, but surprisingly she never once talked to me about it except occasionally asking me if I felt restored. Probably she has decided it was best to stay within limits after our impromptu quarrel at the realm of Kumbh. And for some reasons, I was immensely glad about it, not that she set her boundaries, but she was more outspoken now in a cheerful way. The way she was talking to me, I wondered when was the last time I missed my friends.

It could be Nazira's strict regime that I was back to being energetic right on the day of my challenge. I unintentionally woke up early in the morning to finally get out of the hut for a while. Rushing out of the bedroom, I felt contented finding Nazira already awaken, finishing her painting up. Perfect, I thought. This morning walk through realm was now going to get more beautiful.

Nazira stretched out her hand to touch the silky petals of the blossomed flowers- Dahlia, perhaps, not even she would know. They were in different colours-red, pink, white and blue, spread all over the knee length plants with dark green leaves. The grass beneath our feet was soft and dewy, and extremely short as if they were recently mowed. I turned to check on every direction. It took me no time to fathom that this whole realm was actually an exotic flower plantation.

I held my head high to let my skin bask in the morning sunlight. The aroma of the flowers diffusing with the pleasant breeze lifted my spirits. Winter season has finally gone, it was time feel like a real Floridian. There was low chirping sound resonating all through. Nazira mustn't have realised there were hidden birds in here as well. She looked quite happy, and I dared to remind her anything that could hurt her feelings.

The absolute jewels of the realm were the towering trees of Vrindahina, grown systematically at every lane and stood equidistant from one another. Their bronchial leaves looked bushier and greener. Its flowers, golden sparkling yellow in colour, had blossomed into a thick blanket of flowery bed over the leaves.

"Let's go," Nazira signalled suddenly while I was absorbed in figuring out how in anyway my challenge with the twins was going to be tougher than the previous ones.

"You want to go inside, already?" I asked, "I am sure there is still time left for my challenge to begin."

"No," she signalled, widening her eyes, her voice in my mind stretched a bit, "I have seen a place where we can sit and relax. It so beautiful that it took my breath away."

"Hmm..." I nodded, smiling at her brightened face, "I know. Anything beautiful takes our breath away."

"Sorry?" She frowned.

"Nothing. So...er...after you," I gestured politely, asking her lead the way.

Nazira walked past me, keeping her focus directly ahead. She strode quite speedily, taking long confident steps as if the realm belonged to her. We walked down one of the narrow lanes, colourful and vibrant flowers at our either sides gently fluttering with the wind and shining with little drops of dew over it. I haven't been realising but we have already walked quite a distance away from the hut. And to think that Nazira had come this far all alone...she must be really into this realm.

Finally coming out of the lane, Nazira gave a halt and I guessed if she wanted to rest a while. We were standing in circular free space, on the grassy land. Diverse lanes began from this very spot and I wondered if this place was located right in the middle of the realm.

"Do you like it?" she asked probably finding me stand quietly.

Oh, this is the place she was talking about?

"Er, yeah," I said, shrugging, "Yeah, but I am not a flower, nature-loving kind of a guy..."

"Isn't it relaxing?"

"You know I am more relaxed on my bed sleeping."

She scowled and sat down on the grass pulling her knees up, indirectly informing me that she was going to stay here for a while. Not wanting to spoil her impressive mood, I decided to give her company and bend down to sit beside her.

"Let's play!" I suggested, wanting to kill some time until the twins showed up.

"Play?" she asked, sounding interested.

"Yeah," I said completely turning towards her and watching her doing the same, "I used to play this game with my mom and dad all the time. Of course, my dad was the worse..."

"Slowly please, you are speaking too fast."

"Sorry, okay, here it goes. I'll say a word and you will reply only with a word related to what I've said. For example, if I say paper, then you say pencil and then I say sketch. And finally, the one who gives up loses the game. Get it?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, I'll start," I said and looking aside, "Flower."

"Plant." She signalled quickly, smilingly

"Green."

"Parrot." Her smile faded.

"Bird," I said, feeling sorry.

"Beak.

"Red."

"Blood."

"Family."

"Mother."

"Love"

"Beautiful."

"You." I bit my tongue, that came out spontaneously and hoped she wouldn't mind.

"We," she replied and smiled again.

"Friends?" I said, questioningly.

"Leena!" she said, her face glowed remember her only friend she made in all these years. And we both broke down laughing knowing that names were actually not allowed.

"King Aghasthya." I said, simply following her convenient way.

"Grandfather!"

"Grandmother." I shrunk my eyes, and waited to see what related word she would think of say. But instead, it turned into a disaster.

She gasped, dropping her mouth and widened her eyes as if she was electrocuted.

"Nazira..." I said trying to hold her hand. But she immediately let her hand go.

"I give up."

I noticed her eyes moistening and she began to take long deep breaths. Before I could make her easy, to ask her to forget I ever mentioned the tabooed word, she lifted herself up and stood aside looking down at the floor quite. Margins of her lips become narrow and eyebrows curled together, reminding me of Pruthvi whenever he was angry.

She has never looked so irritated before and my heart sank seeing her struggling. Damn! I had to spoil her mood. I slowly stood up and moved closer to calm her down.

"Nazira, I didn't mean to..."

"Are you talking to me only to know about your grandmother?" she signalled very quickly, tears circling in her eyes. "Is that why Doctor asked me to come here with you?"

"Wha...No!" I wheezed, my own panicky voice made me shiver. I didn't quite understand where this was coming from. Did she mean that I shouldn't be talking to her since we belong to different clans? "I just want to know why are you so scared to talk about her."

"I am trying to get out of my past, live a life. Why don't you let me?"

I paused gaping intently at her. "Nazira if you really want to get out, then this is not the way. Tell me what happened between you and her?"

"I told you she died because of me!"

"Why do you keep saying that? Did you kill her?" I yelled, unable to contain myself anymore. My voice was too loud and threatening. I absolutely forgot that it was a disabled person I was talking to.

My eyes widened in fear. It was too late to realise that I have committed a blunder. Maybe I shouldn't have said it in that sort of way. It sounded straightforward and impolite. My patience was after all wearing thin, and it wasn't like me to lose it, especially on someone who I considered extremely special.

As expected, she burst out crying, cupping her hands against her mouth.

It squeezed my heart watching her cry so hard. I took a step forward in a desperate attempt to give her my comfort, to sooth away the past that whatever was tormenting her.

"I am so..."

"Leave me alone!" She snapped.

She did not signal me, but her voice in my head was so shrill and jarring that I was scared to death.

"Nazira, wait!" I shouted, feeling a lump in my throat watching her run away from me.

"Uh- oh!" A voice a male child suddenly startled me, stopping me dead from going after her. "Look sister, they are fighting."

I turned in a completely opposite direction, to figure out the voice, and then I heard someone else speaking in a different tone.

"Yes, my brother," said a thin girly voice, "And everyone calls us childish."

The plants and its flowers, on either side of a lane, jiggled side to side. It wasn't just happening in one particular area. There was a disturbance beneath the ground, something that was racing from one end to the another, swiftly trying to reach closer to me. I swallowed hard on watching out if they were finally showing up. But before meeting them, I wished to do something that seemed more important than the challenge.

I turned my head to check on her, wishing her to come back but she was already out of sight. Her painful face flashed in my mind and I wasn't able to settle on what came first. They were here, and it was about to begin. Probably it's best for me to finish this off before I went back to check on her.

I pressed my eyes shut and prayed for the negative thought cease to invade me. How was I going to make it up to her this time? We have just started to know each other better, apparently assuming a relationship building up. And then...I messed up, like always. I battled with my own conscience to not give up on her just yet. But her hateful stare and high pitched voice had pierced my heart.

Maybe it just isn't meant to be...