ALIZEH

"Oh, you poor thing. What happened to you?" an unknown lady received her at the doorway of her employer's house. The driver threw her a mock salute and sped off into the dark.

"I need some water," Alizeh whispered hoarsely. The shock of the night was finally dawning on her. She felt a coldness pressing down on her chest. Being brought up in a life of luxuries and bodyguards, these kinds of hassles, the con and the bad men, the gangs and the kidnappings hadn't been a part of her life. Slowly she was beginning to realise how naïve she was and how shielded she had been from all the dark.

The woman who introduced herself as Lydia, brought her a glass of fresh juice and informed that the mistress will be coming soon and that she had been really tensed.

"Alizeh is it then?" a familiar voice sounded at the other end of the room. A lady stood at the doorway, dressed in a pastel blue formal skirt suit. She had gorgeous skin like ground coffee and her luxurious hair was flowing below her waist in swathes of onyx cloud. Alizeh stood up abruptly, lowering her gaze, not willing to look like she was ogling.

"Arya Chakraborty," she extended her hands, "I heard you got kidnapped. I'm so sorry but these things happen around here really often."

They said Arya was panicking? There was no evidence of panic in her voice. It was cool and composed, just a tad bit concerned maybe. And she seemed used to the kidnapping thing.

"I know, ma'am. Actually it's my first time out in this situation," Alizeh blurted, fidgeting with her arms, extending them slightly as they shook hands, "Gimme a few seconds and I'll pull myself through."

She'd never know what would anger her employer.

"Aaa, Alizeh, we're employers, not barbarians. You take rest and meet me tomorrow then," Arya voice softened.

"Thank you, lady!" Alizeh finally glanced up at her. A jolt ran through her. She knew those eyes. Dark muddy brown like melting pools of chocolate.

"Someone will guide you through your itinerary," Arya's eyes moved to the door, seeing but not seeing.

The word came to Alizeh quickly enough. "Squint eyes," she mumbled.

"What?" Arya's head whipped towards her.

"I'm not working for a gangster," Alizeh got up from the chair.

"Sit down," Arya's voice was cold as ice. Alizeh dithered whether to run out from the door.

"Sit your ass down, lady," her employer's voice was now pure command. It wasn't Arya anymore. It was her alter ego — Lady A.

She got up from her place and slammed the door shut. Alizeh shuddered like a twig caught in a storm. She had angered the mafia boss. She'll probably take out her gun and shoot Alizeh at point-blank.

"How brave are you?" Arya asked.

"Uhh-huh?" Alizeh stuttered.

"I mean how ready are you to defy the government and act against the law — be an anti-national."

"I don't. I'm a law-abiding..."

"Rubbish!" Arya cut her off, "Don't you want back the right of free and uncensored speech? Don't you want the world to have the freedom of expression and the right to pursue their passions without being judged...?"

"And thrown into a God-forsaken malfunctioned cloud," Alizeh completed her sentence. It was all becoming clearer to her. This was what Mrs Maxton was talking about.

"Mrs. Maxton. She's one of you?"

"She's our agent on Cloud Nine." Arya shrugged.

"The agent of what?"

"I asked you a question, girl!" Arya tapped her foot impatiently.

"I'm willing to do anything to get my abilities recognized. I don't want to die as a no one, or live doing something I'm not meant for doing," Alizeh was shocked at the hardness in her own voice.

"Once you join us, there's no going back though. Are you still interested?"

"Who's us? And no. I'm not the kind of person to betray trust."

"Agent M picked up a good candidate...hmm" Arya mused.

"We mean 'The firebirds'. That's' what we call ourselves," Arya got up, "Come with me. I need to show you something."

"Nice name," Alizeh smiled.

"Well, we have writers, artists and all kinds of creators in there, so finding a name was easy," Arya chuckled, "but getting them all to agree on one...well."

"You must be ruling with an iron hand."

"No one rules there. They're all free to come and go as they like. The ones in the outer sphere, at least," Arya gestured to the door, "We're all free spirits working in unison towards creating an earth that is free and just and worthy of living in... A world that doesn't suffocate talent."

"So aren't you afraid someone will go out and speak?" Alizeh followed her into the hallway.

"Not exactly. The traitors just disappear." Something cold glinted behind Arya's eyes and Alizeh didn't bother asking how. "Besides we don't let everyone in into the inner circle or show us our hideouts. There are only a trusted few. But since we span across all clouds, betrayal happens." There was genuine sorrow in her voice.

"So why does everyone fear you?" Alizeh asked.

"Because I'm one of the leader figures out there. A leaderless gang is as dangerous as a grenade without a pin," Arya mumbled, running her hands along the gilded borders of one of the portraits on the wall. The canvas seemed to scream extravagance.

"You're a writer, aren't you?"

"Recognized the metaphor, didn't you? But no. I'm a fashion designer," to Alizeh's surprise, Arya winked.

"Damn straight. You are multitalented."

"So are you and that's why I need you, Alizeh. Mujhe tumhari zaroorat hai," she repeated it in Hindi, emphasizing her point. Alizeh wasn't satisfied though and she launched into a volley of questions.

"So I'm the outer circle?"

"Hmm."

"Don't your teammates know who you are in real life?"

"I don't like to mix my two lives until and unless absolutely necessary, so no," the reply came, short and crisp.

"Where does the funding come from?"

"Pioneers like us and volunteers that make anonymous payment to our cause. Some big officials wanting a platform to display their talents, aristocrats from Cloud One, even ministers that don't like the current government."

"Whoa! You have a huge planning behind those dreams of yours," Alizeh wondered out aloud.

"Lady A doesn't do a crappy job." Arya grinned as she moved to a set of polished wooden doors and threw them open.

"Welcome to Arya Fashions." she announced with pride.