They say forever is a long time but these thirteen years felt longer than that.

Drishti sighed heavily as she got ready for the first day of work. She should be happy. Landing a job at one of the most respected colleges in Mumbai was definitely not easy. But all she felt was sadness and guilt. A sense of dread bubbled up in her chest.

Her parents told her multiple times that she didn't have to work there if it was too painful but she refused every single time. Teaching was her passion. Being able to transfer her knowledge to others made her feel useful. Of course, there was another reason but she refused to see it as one.

This job fills the void of her sister. She was older, she was supposed to be tutoring her. Teaching her maths when the problem sum didn't make sense. But she couldn't do that, she never got the chance to. So instead she chose to become a teacher for older teenagers. Small kids brought back too many memories.

Although she can't deny the fact that going to school would remind her every second of what she lost. Her sister would have been the same age as the students she was going to teach. She would be eighteen today. She would have been running around the house shouting and screaming. But the only thing that was ringing in her ears right now was the silence around her. It was loud. so damn loud that it hurt her eardrums.

It's been thirteen years. Thirteen long years of waiting, hoping and wishing for her to come back. Every day she wakes up thinking that today would be that day. But by the time the sun drowns beneath the horizon, that shed of hope goes along with it. And then the rest of the night is filled with guilt and tears.

It's not your fault, they said. But it was, It was her fault. It was her responsibility to look after her sister and she failed. She fell asleep on her job. If I hadn't fallen asleep what would have happened? She often wondered. The guilt of letting her parents down and look of disappointment every night in their eyes when Divya never came home was woven in her mind. I let them down. I failed-.

Her self-patronising was interrupted as her mother placed her hand on her shoulder.

"What are you thinking about? bunny?" it was a statement more than a question.

"Mhm. I m sor...," she began only to be interrupted by the sudden hug her mother held her in but she doesn't protest. she hugged her back with just as much ferocity.

"It's not your fault. We've been over this. What happened was not your fault. No one is at fault. Let's forget about that," Vidya said, pulling away. "Today is your first day at work. And you're getting late," she added glancing at the clock.

"Oh shit! Gotta go now. Bye, mom." Drishti grabbed her bag and ran out of the house.

"All the best!" her mom called after her. She shook her head. Even after so many years, Drishti still felt guilty about what happened. Vidya meant it when she said it wasn't her fault. She never blamed her oldest for what happened.

But at the same time, she would be lying if she said she wasn't heartbroken. Every day she misses her little one. Misses the mischievous smile and innocent eyes that looked at her after doing something naughty. And today that emptiness felt even more apparent.

A lone tear tracked its way down the mother's cheek as the memories of her lost daughter invaded her mind.

---broken promises---

The wind was too cold for her liking but she found herself staring unwaveringly at the scenery ahead of her. Rows of mountains whose tips were blurred by the fog. The depth ahead of her didn't scare her, it merely pulled her in. she couldn't feel the edgy grass stabbing her thighs as she sat. She took in a deep breath through her nose, her body numb from sitting out in this cold since gods know when. But the thing wide awake was her mind, clouded with happy-sad, pleasant memories. Currently, she's seeing the one that keeps her awake at night. She's afraid that this same memory will seep into her subconsciousness and put her through the pain all over again.

She can hear the hiss of her skin as the acid seeps through the surface drip by drip; can feel the pain of her heart thumping against her ribcage; can see the smirk on his face that she so desperately wants to wipe off; can smell the alcohol that radiates off him.

Her breath stutters, her diaphragm leaps, fist clenched so tight that her knuckles turn white. the tears don't slip, she closes her eyes before they can in a futile attempt to get those flashes out of her mind.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that until she felt someone leaning against her back and running their thumb across her white knuckles. She sighed in content and leaned against that warm body. She would recognise that touch anywhere. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. I know you have a death wish but why are you choosing such a painful death? freezing doesn't suit you anyway." the figure said, removing her jacket to hang it on Divya's shoulders.

"Beating around the bush doesn't suit you Ragini. Why are you here? And if you are here to talk about what I think you are then you might as well leave now," Divya warned.

Ragini sighed. It was going to be a long day. she rested her chin on Divya's head. "I don't know what you're talking about," That was obviously a lie but Divya didn't seem to think so. "But, I came here because Anjali has been calling you but it went straight to voicemail."

Divya uncurled herself and checked her phone. seeing the number of missed calls, she quickly sent a text to her mom telling her she was fine.

"Good job. You can actually reply to calls and messages." Ragini commented with the roll of her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm so honoured to hear you praising me. Today is my luckiest day on earth. Thank you so much miss Khanna." Divya replied ever so sarcastic.

"You're welcome, Miss Singhania. You don't actually have to keep a phone if you never use it"

"I do use it. Just not most of the time."

"By that, you mean almost never expect when you need to make calls or check assignments on blackboard learning. Other than that, it's pretty useless cause you never answer."

Divya turned back to the cliff ahead of her and shrugged. "It was silent."

"It's always silent," Ragini said, pressing the numb sides of the girl in front of her to get the blood circulating again. "Though seriously at least bring a blanket or something if you decided to camp out here in the cold. Or tell Anjali and Adi where your favourite place is and that it also happens to be your go-to spot."

This was her safe place. A beautiful cliffside where there was no population around. Only three people other than herself knew about it. As much as she loved her adoptive parents, there was no way they would allow her near a cliff.

Divya laughed humorlessly. "I love my mom and dad. I don't want them to get a heart attack when they find out it's a cliffhanger. They would probably ban me thinking I would take a huge step if I lost control."

"Sure, let's go with that," Ragini replied, glancing at the wristwatch on her best friends hand. "By the way, we have homeroom to attend in the next hour and unlike you, I actually need to attend classes to pass my exams."

"Really? If that was true, you wouldn't be failing your classes now."

"Only science and I have been failing my classes because our previous teacher cannot teach."

"previous?" Divya asked, catching on the use of diction.

"Yup. there's a new teacher taking over our classes today."

"Really?!" Divya jumped up. All the dullness was gone to be replaced with excitement. She extended her hand to Ragini with a big smile. "Then why are we still here. Let's go have some fun!"

"By fun, you mean to scare the shit out of this new teacher to see if she can handle our class. And for the umpteenth time, that is not funny." Ragini huffed. She used the hand extended to pull herself up while dusting herself off.

"It is for us." Divya shrugged.

"Only you guys. Speaking of which, where are those 2 monkeys?"

"I don't know. Probably preparing for the fun."

Ragini clenched her jaw and hung her arm over her shoulder. "Jannu?"

"Yes?"

"When you guys land yourselves in jail, don't call me for help because I will not come to your rescue."

"That's a joke and you know it. You can never leave me alone. My little softie." Divya chuckled, pulling her cheeks.

She gulped seeing the look on Ragini's face. She whispered a sorry while backing away slightly.

"I suggest you start running," Ragini said, picking up her pace.

"catch me if you can." Divya challenged sprinting ahead with Ragini hot on her heels.

---broken promises---

Drishti tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she played the same lines over and over again. It's my fault. I promised not to let go. Why? people around had told her over and over again that it wasn't her fault. But the broken recorder in her head decided otherwise.

She used to hope miraculously one day she would come back. She would run home holding chocolates in her hands while having some of it smeared on her face. Her ears were begging to hear the word di.

As the years went on, that hope diminished bit by bit. Now she doesn't wait anymore.

All she feels is guilt and anger. Angry at her parents for leaving her alone that day. Angry at Divya for sneaking out. But the person she feels the most rage at, at one point even hate is herself.

She remembers the day like yesterday. Her parents coming home, her mom gently shaking her awake, their smile turning into a frown when they realised Divya was not at home. The excruciatingly painful night. And that question that still haunts her, "but where is she?"

"Drishti." her mom gently shook her awake while sarthak went to wash up. She smiled at the sleepy eyes that looked back at her.

"Hey, mom. Thank god you guys are back. Now Divya will quit bugging me for her chocolates." she laughed.

Sarthak had returned by now and was standing behind her smiling. Vidya didn't smile or laugh, however.

"But where is she?" she started looking around. Drishti's smile dropped as she realised Divya wasn't with her in the room. If she was in the hall, their parents would have seen her. Which means, she wasn't at home. The three of them exchanged worried glances before getting up in search of-.

She couldn't have hit the brake any faster before her car collided with another. The shock vibrated through her hands and up her head. 

A/N: Dont forget to vote and R&R!