Part 11 Arnav's Move

Arnav walked out of the headmaster's room. When he came out, he slowed down his steps and looked at Khushi. She gave him a book. He opened it and saw Vivek's teacher's name written on it, Santhoshi Gaur. She collected it from Vivek in the morning. The school assembled in the front ground. Arnav ran his eyes in the school.

The headmaster gave a welcome address to Arnav. Arnav took the mike in his hand. The students became silent.

"Vivek..." Arnav called him.

Vivek came front like a hero all delightedly as he knew how sweet the collector was! Arnav shook hands with Vivek and put his hand on his shoulder, making him feel proud.

"I saw his invention. I was stunned. He made specs for blind people. He is a young scientist with amazing talent. It would be best if you guys were like him. Just do what you know... what you are interested in. Don't hesitate to bring your ideas into action. ok?"

"Ooookkkkk siiirrrr" the students said.

"Who is your teacher, Vivek?"

Vivek looked at him hesitatingly. Arnav looked at the headmaster and said,

"Call, Santhoshi Gaur"

The headmaster looked at the particular teacher and gestured to her. She came forward all smiling to get the credit.

"Is that you who helped him in the project?" Arnav asked.

She nodded yes shamelessly.

"Dear, students, now your teacher is going to explain the function of the specs," Arnav said and extended the mike to the horrified teacher.

She took the mike in her hand gulping down. She stammered... how could she say anything about the project knowing nothing about it? She stood, keeping the mike in her hand.

"Say something, Mrs. Santhoshi," Arnav said.

She was nervous.

"What happened? You said you helped him in the project?"

"I did, sir but..."

"But?"

"I don't know about it, sir"

"Then how did you help him?

She was silent.

"If you don't know anything, why did you intend to take the credit for his success?"

"I'm sorry sir"

"Did you help him?"

She nodded no.

"You didn't help him but you want the credit..."

She bowed down.

"Teachers should be an inspiration to the students. they should get courage from you. You may go"

The teacher left the place with a hung face. Payal looked at Khushi wondering who was smiling.

Arnav looked at the students who were standing in the sunlight.

"I would like to tell you something, kids...! How many of you like trees?"

Almost all the students raised their hands.

"How many of you planted the trees so far?"

Only a few raised their hands.

"All of you liked trees but only a few planted them? Why?" he asked.

The students were silent.

"I think you guys don't feel the need for trees. Are you feeling the hotness?" he asked.

The students were silent. A few kids looked at the sky shrinking their eyes.

"OK, don't stand in the sunlight. Move to the shadow"

The students rushed to the trees and stood under their shadows. Arnav waited until they settled down. The teachers made it happen faster.

"Who is the school pupil leader?" Arnav asked.

A boy came forward.

"What's your name?"

"Jai Prakash, sir"

"Jai prakash, why did the student go to the trees when I asked them not to stand in the sunlight?"

"Trees give us shadow, sir"

"So, if you want to save ourselves from the hotness of the sun, what do we need?"

"Trees, sir"

"Yeah... what else trees are giving us?"

"Fruits, oxygen, and..." he thought,

"Without oxygen could we be alive?" Arnav extended the mike towards the students.

"Noooo" they shouted.

"So, what should we do to be alive?"

"We should plant trees"

"Yeah... these sisters and brothers will tell you more about trees..." he said pointing at Khushi and her friends.

"What have you planned Khushi?" he asked.

"Sir, we decided to divide students into teams and give them saplings. They will grow their respective trees. All will be rewarded for that, sir"

"Good idea... go ahead. Continue your program. I'm taking leave"

"Thank you so much for coming, sir"

"My pleasure"

Arnav walked towards his car and the headmaster rushed behind him to send him off. The Davali tried to open the car door for Arnav but Arnav stopped him and he himself opened the door. The driver started the car and he left the place not before giving a final look to Khushi who continued the program.

As Khushi said, they divided every class into four groups and gave saplings to them. They planted with interest and watered them. The first awareness program was over with satisfaction.

On the other side,

Arnav ordered Krish, the driver to take him to the particular area. The driver looked at the Davali horrified but said nothing. They knew Arnav would not listen to them. He did what Arnav said.

Krish gulped down hard to see somebody gathering SAND from the river and filling it in the trucks that belonged to Dev Sinha, Payal's father.

"Stop the car" Arnav ordered.

Krish pressed the break. Arnav got out of the car and walked to them. The workers stopped filling the sand and looked at him horrified. They put down the instruments and ran away but the police who came there rounded up them. They dragged them to Arnav.

"So, you don't have a license... right?"

"If they have a license, why would they run away sir?" the inspector said.

"Check, whose trucks they are" Arnav ordered even though he knew whose trucks they were.

A constable got into the truck and checked the cabin of the truck.

"Sir, there is no book in the truck sir"

"Are you driving the trucks without records?" he asked raising his brows.

they didn't answer.

"Seize all the trucks" he ordered.

The truck drivers were arrested and the constables drove the trucks to the police station. The news leaked in the local news channels and telecasted in the late evening with Arnav's permission.

Arnav became the talk of the district for two reasons. One was the awareness program and the second one was seizing the sand trucks because those were Dev Sinha's trucks.

Arnav intentionally did that because he wanted to know whether he was going on the right track. It was a test for Khushi and her friends. He wanted to see what they would do in this matter. he gave them fame by his presence in the awareness program. On the other side, he seized Payal's father's trucks. Today, he would get to know what kind of social worker Khushi and her friends were.

Though he heard about the conflict between Payal and her father from Aman like a sincere officer he was not ready to trust it to the fullest because he believed there could be some hidden side to the issue.

But... Arnav didn't know how happy Payal was about the issue when she got to know Arnav seized her father's sand trucks.

Khushi saw the news and was shocked not because Dev was trapped. She was shocked because she knew Dev Sinha. He was a dangerous man who would not hesitate to do anything to get benefits. She was scared about Arnav. Dev would be angry with Arnav for seizing his trucks. He would feel insulted and would think of paying back to Arnav. This was what she feared. This was why she was hiding her identity from Arnav. She knew one day, Arnav would go against Dev Sinha. Keeping Dev in her mind only she created a fake ID because she knew he wouldn't leave her and her family if he got to know she was the one who passed the message to Arnav. What she feared happened. She didn't know what he would do. She called Payal. She attended it.

"Payal, did you know the news?"

"Yeah... Arnav Singh Raizada put a BLACK MARK in my father's record..." she laughed.

"What your father is doing?" she asked nervously.

"Who knows?"

"Keep an eye on him, Payal. He may plan to destroy Arnavji"

Payal was silent. She didn't think in the way Khushi did.

"I won't leave him if he does anything," Payal growled.

"After he did something, there won't be any use of getting angry with him, Payal. Don't you know your father?"

Payal became thoughtful.

"Ok, I will watch him"

Payal disconnected the call but she didn't know his father was not so naïve to do anything in her presence. He knew Payal. She would not bear injustice. So, he kept quiet.

On the other side, Khushi felt the necessity to send a mail to Arnav but she could not go to the internet center as it was late evening. She could send the mail only in the morning but she could not delay. She didn't want to. As she had no choice, she added REJOICE's ID to her phone and sent a mail to Arnav.

"Sir, be careful. Dev Sinha is a dangerous man. He does anything to REMOVE anyone from his path. You should be more cautious, sir. Please don't be careless"

Arnav smirked.

He dialed his friend Arun Prince who was an inspector of cyber crime. He attended the call.

"Hello, collector..."

"I need help from the cybercrime inspector"

"Anything for you..."

"I sent Email ID to you. Could you find the device?"

"Sure"

"And I sent a phone number too... find its device also"

"Yeah... will do it" Arun Prince disconnected the call.

Arnav waited for his call.

To be continued...