Jo bheji thi dua.Woh jaake aasmaan se yun takra gayi, Ki aa gayi hai laut ke sadaa

New Cover credits to my lovely SupriiyaSingh Thank you so much! <3

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

I paced outside the auditorium restlessly.

It had been three days. Three days of a conflicted band, stupid fights and music here and there. As their manager, only I knew how I managed to keep them all alive long enough to get through the auditions which they were giving right now.

If they got through, the Fab5 would be one of the representatives of S.P.A.C.E. for Musicana. If they got through, I would've my ticket to Pune.

12.45. I glanced at my watch. Results were at 1.00. I wasn't allowed in the audi yet so I waited outside. Hoping and praying that they would pull through.

I clutched the red diary that I had been writing in earlier, a little tighter with my fears stronger than ever. They had to get through. They just had to.

"Nandini!"

The sharp yell of my name caused me to whirl around and to my utter surprise and horror, I saw Harshad striding towards me, looking like a raging mad bull. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Nandini!" He yelled again coming on to my face and I just backed off two steps, seriously worried now.

"What do you want Harshad?!" I spat at him, glaring him down and hoping to intimidate him. He wasn't supposed to be here! Not when there were just 15 minutes to go for the results! And Harshad seeking me out to talk to me wasn't a good idea at all.

"What did you do?" He seriously looked deranged. And scared. Very scared. Why and how, I had no idea but something told me that this wasn't good.

"Tell me what you did Nandini!" He was literally panicking.

What was he even raving about? His behaviour was confusing and it was causing the hair at the back of my neck to stand up. What was wrong with?

"Are you mad?" I snapped, fed up now with his mad accusations that I couldn't make any sense of.

"I've no idea what you are talking about." I said firmly and took a minute to assess him more carefully. He was afraid of something; I could see it in his eyes. And whatever it was, it was definitely something big. This wasn't the regular Harshad nonsense. My interest was piqued and my senses were on high alert. This had to be dealt with caution.

"Don't lie." He hissed angrily, "What did you do to Nyonika?!"

Wait, what? My eyes widened and I felt the blood freeze in my veins. What was he saying? Nyonika?

"What?" I asked him in shock. My mind was racing with all sorts of things. Nyonika. Nyonika. The damn key player of the game. Something had happened to her. But what? Why? And why would Harshad think that I did something?

"What happened to her?!" I could feel myself panicking now as I realized the extent at which the deception ran deep. It was no coincidence that this had to happen on the very day of the auditions. One day before the Qualifier. What was going on?

Harshad glared at me scornfully, "Don't act innocent." He growled, "Nyonika is hospitalized."

I felt like the ground beneath my feet had dropped and warning bells rand loud and clear in my head as it spun. Nyonika is hospitalized. There were definitely bigger and dangerous players in the game. Me being disqualified suddenly and Nyonika in the hospital. My gut instinct told me that none of this was random.

"Why?" My voice was a hoarse whisper with the fear clogging my throat.

"You tell me." He sneered, "She was found in her room unconscious. Ring any bells?"

"Shut up Harshad!" It was enough now! Was he really stupid? Why would I do something like that? This was in fact news to me. News that was freaking me out and here he was accusing me without any rhyme or reason.

"Are you crazy?" I snarled at him, "I know nothing about all this! Like seriously, how can I even do it?" I was really questioning his intelligence right now.

"Don't fool me." He growled, "You had that watch with you. I've seen you with Aryaman all over the campus. You got disqualified from Musicana. You willingly replaced your precious Manik with that Maddy! Why? You're up to something Murthy."

Dammit! Harshad was smarter than what I gave him credit for! And he was already on our trail. No. NO! His assumption about my hand in whatever happened to Nyonika was beyond farfetched but he wasn't off the mark when he said we were up to something. He shouldn't know! Divert him.

"Oh yes!" I said dramatically, "Aryaman and I, it's our hobby to plot murders! Actually, you are up next! And Nyonika? It was obviously me! I'm a Superwoman na! I can do anything!"

I ended my sarcastic rant with a ferocious glare and Harshad immediately took a step back. I could tell that he was beginning to see the stupidity in his accusation but still, the sheer terror on his face had not disappeared. Harshad was usually full of misplaced confidence and the fact that he felt so threatened about this had me on edge. I could sense that there was a lot more to the story here.

"They say its food poisoning but I don't buy it." He informed me, gritting his teeth and I seriously wondered whose side he was on. Had Nyonika done something that had screwed him over?

"Listen!" He said, suddenly, leaning down to my level, "You don't even know what you're getting yourself into. I don't care less but trust me, back out of this before you regret it."

I stared at him in stunned disbelief. Harshad! Harshad was warning me? It all had come down to this? I wondered for a second if this was yet another trap to take advantage of my emotions and to lead me awry but something in his eyes told me that he was being genuine. Well, as genuine as Harshad could get. But that did very little to calm my nerves. A Harshad trying to be nice was deadlier than the usual Jerk Harshad.

"Nandini!" For the second time in a span of a few minutes a scream caused me to turn around and before I could register anything else, Mukti came bursting out of the audi's doors and jumped in my arms almost toppling me over.

"We did it!" She screeched in my ear, "We won!"

I could barely breathe in between her bony arms that almost crushed me and my mind had already turned into a mess for me to be able to form coherent sentences. Whatever Harshad had said just spun round and round in my head and I had millions of unanswered questions. I desperately looked for him through Mukti's mass of unruly curls for the conversation wasn't done yet!

But he was already gone.

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

"Finally." Alya said shaking her head, "After everything, we finally did it."

I was still thinking about Harshad and Nyonika. The Fab5 or should I say the new Fab5 crowded around me discussing their first ever victory which was technically my victory too but I was too preoccupied with Harshad's words to even register the fact that my chance to Pune was finally here.

"We got lucky!" Mukti rolled her eyes, "I had given up on us after that so called 'high note'."

She air quoted to specifically fire that arrow at Maddy and we all knew it had hit the target when he glared at her, "Oh yes! The judges were deaf."

"They went deaf." Mukti countered while Alya just laughed, "After the way you screeched."

Maddy looked like he was about to punch Mukti right in her smug, arrogant face when Dhruv intervened, "Guys, guys, stop it!" I observed the way he looked absolutely ecstatic. He was smiling wide, skipping around the place like he had won a Olympic gold.

"We all rocked it!" He said with a clap on the back to both Maddy and Aryaman. "I'm proud of us."

I felt the bile rise up in my throat at the way Dhruv could so easily throw these sentences for this made-up band which were all actually meant for the original Fab5. I just couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

Aryaman saw me looking at Dhruv weirdly and shrugged out from under Dhruv's arm. He gestured with his eyes for me to follow him and he led me up a short distance away, out of their earshot.

"Was it good?" I asked.

"Mind blowing." Even Aryaman had that look of excitement and triumph on his face, "We were awesome! The beat, the music, all of it just...and Maddy did a variation midway you know? I was scared of the scale but then he...."

He trailed off when he saw I wasn't particularly interested in Maddy and his musical prowess. It just brought back memories of him and made me sick that someone had actually replaced him. I had never yet heard the new Fab5 sing. In spite of being their Manager, I hadn't been at a single practice session. I couldn't bear it.

Aryaman cleared his throat, "Why do you look so tensed?"

And then I told him everything. He looked appalled at Harshad's accusation and stunned when I told him about Nyonika. For a few seconds, he just blinked at me, not saying anything.

"Unconscious?" He asked, "But why?"

"Food poisoning." I explained, "Harshad doesn't believe it."

From the look on both of our faces, I knew that we were on the same boat as Harshad's for the first time ever. We didn't believe it either.

"Damn!" I could see the fear I felt reflecting in his eyes too, "Something is wrong."

Talk about stating the obvious. "Obviously." I deadpanned, "We've to be careful."

"This is more messed up than I thought." Aryaman clutched his temples, "And dangerous. Dammit! Are you getting it?"

"Yes." I did. I really did. I had realized that there were more powerful people involved in this game then we had thought, the very day I was disqualified for a petty reason. And these people could put Nyonika down too. They had proven it.

She wasn't the most powerful player. There was someone else, someone more dangerous pulling the strings in this web of lies.

"What now?"

"We stay low." He said, "We don't know what we are dealing with."

He made sense, "But then-"

"We've two days in Pune." He cut me off, "And more if we don't get through."

"And if you get through?" My mind was working at a fast pace. Taking in the information and trying to form a concrete plan but unfortunately I was hitting a dead end. 'The what ifs' were far too many.

"Goa." He explained ruefully, "Next stop is Goa."

This was harder than I had thought. The further we went away from Mumbai, the more we lessened our chances of cracking through this. Pune was literally the last shot.

"Look," He said his voice urgent yet kind, "We'll try our best. Trust me on that. Okay?"

"Okay." I shrugged. It wasn't like I didn't trust him. But it was a fact that our stakes in them game were next to zero. I didn't want this to be another wild goose chase where I would end up with crushed hopes and a shattered heart.

"Till then," He smiled now, "Be happy. You're going to Pune. You're going to him."

I didn't want to point out the very big Maybe that he had left out in that sentence. His words contained an unfounded assurance and big dangerous hopes. But still, I would allow myself this small bit of happiness.

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

7:30 AM

Maybe I will find what I am looking for.

I kept the pen aside and shut my diary. I purposefully left that sentence vague to prevent myself from carrying a burden of big hopes with me. I had enough luggage as it is.

I glanced at the clock. It was time. In half an hour, Mukti would be here in her red 325i wrangler. It was the standard Fab5 vehicle and Mukti had insisted on taking the wheel after a big, very, very big fight with Maddy. I didn't want to think about the safety hazards of travelling in a open top Jeep all the way to Pune. If I managed to keep Mukti from pushing off Maddy from some cliff on the way there, I would be lucky.

I carefully placed the diary at the very top of my small bag and zipped it up. This was it. No looking back now. I didn't know what I would find but I swore a quick oath to myself that I will not return empty handed.

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

8:05 AM

The final echoes of his high note faded away in the distance and her claps rang in the room.

Manik looked up and rolled his eyes as Sara jumped down from her perch on one of his speakers. He hadn't even realized when she had gotten here. The girl was too good in her stalking game. Too damn good.

"Impressive." She said, striding towards him.

"Obviously." He smirked to prove his point.

Arrogance suited him. And it made hotter than he already was. Sara could spend her entire day watching him, he was walking, talking art but there was something completely else in watching him sing.

His passion radiated off of him in waves from his voice and his music just swept you away in a world of fire, sin and him.

Manik Malhotra was indeed a deadly mix.

"Hot." She just had to tease him and she chuckled when he gave her a devastating glare.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" He asked in exasperation. God, this woman didn't give up.

"Oh yeah, apart from planning the biggest music fest in the country which is just a few hours away, handling last minute emergencies, registrations, sound checks, mic settings-"

"Wait. What?" He looked at her in shock, eyes wide and disbelief written on his features, before he just burst out laughing, "Seriously you? How? You're planning Musicana?"

She had to be kidding him! Impossible. Who did she think she was fooling?

"For someone so arrogant, you really don't know the important details."

She came up to him till she was just a few inches apart and pointed at the lapel pin, nicely fixed onto her top on her right shoulder which had been there all along but he didn't notice her enough to see.

Sara Singhania. President. Academy of Musical Arts, Pune.

Fuck.

Sara had the pleasure of seeing his eyes flash wide open in true disbelief, shock and realization this time and she smirked when he took a step back, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"You think I have nothing in my life apart from 'stalking you'?" She air quoted to taunt him and his jaw dropped.

She savored the moment. It wasn't often when she had the Great Manik Malhotra cornered and dumbstruck, struggling to form coherent words.

"You..." He began saying but she cut him off.

"Yes, me." She said smugly and he looked even more stunned than before, "You aren't the only one full of surprises."

He narrowed his eyes glaring at her so fiercely that if looks could kill she would have been ashes by now. He was mad at her but for once, the entire 100% of his attention was concentrated on her.

She had really got him this time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He snapped, more annoyed than angry.

"I'm telling you know." She shrugged knowing that he was getting more pissed by every passing second.

"You are a-"

"Bitch?" She asked raising an eyebrow, "I know. I take that as a compliment." She smiled sweetly at the end of that and he just shook his head and went back to carefully setting his guitar in its cover.

"Which is why you should be nice to me if I'm being nice to you."

He glowered at her, already at the end of his patience "Leave Sara."

"Then you leave Musicana too." She countered smoothly and she instantly regretted it when the look of absolute fury in his eyes told her that she had hit the last nail.

He was on her in a second, eyes raging, and features contorted in ferocious anger.

"Listen you," He spat clutching her shoulders roughly and she winced, "You might be the President for all I care but my father freaking owns AMA, do you understand?"

"So next time," He raged, "You'll remember that. You better remember that."

His glare hardened and she cowered. His anger was scary, devastatingly scary and she learned her lesson that she shouldn't poke a sleeping lion with a stick. Bad move. Totally bad move.

He released her and she gasped, clutching her arms, he redefined 'anger', he really did.

But she wasn't going to back out so easily.

"Your father can be anything for all I care too but that won't change the fact that your name isn't on the list!"

"Shut up," He rolled his eyes, "Can't you hear? He owns it! I can do whatever the hell I want."

"Wow." She said sarcastically clapping her hands, "What a plan. You're so smart."

"For the last time, don't test my patience. You'll regret it." He said, his nostrils flaring and she wished she could just smack some sense into his stubborn head.

"And you'll regret it too when your name won't even be called!" She snapped angrily, "Or wait, is your father gonna do the hosting?"

That had his attention and the look on his face told her that she had cracked through. He was finally getting her point and she understood that he hadn't thought about all that. He really hadn't.

"Sara-"

"No, you listen," She said firmly, "That's what I'm here for."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean?"

"I'll deal with all that." She said excitement coursing through when she finally found the opportunity to say what she had wanted to say ever since he had dropped the bombshell of participating in Musicana.

"I'll get you through all the process," She continued, "You'll need a playback too-"

"I don't."

"You do." She reasserted. He was more than amazing with just his vocals and his electric guitar but she had heard him practice and she knew he would just smash it with drums and a base by his side.

And she had selected the very best for him. Handpicked from her very own college at the cost of other AMA students.

The things she did for him.

"I got the best for you." She said softly.

She watched closely as he calculated the pros and cons of her offer. She knew that this was just his way of sticking up the middle finger to his excuse for parents but and that the competition was secondary, just a way for him to reveal himself back to the world but she also knew that the competitive person that Manik Malhotra was, he wanted to win it too.

Wining Musicana would be his ultimate strike. The cherry on the cake.

"There are just twelve hours left," He said and she could tell he was opening up to her now. He was beginning to let go of his prejudices and letting her be on his side.

That was all she wanted anyway.

"And you're telling me that twelve hours aren't enough for you?" She said incredulously, knowing that she would get a reaction.

He smirked, for the first time excitement shining in his eyes, "Challenge accepted."

She smiled back, "Trust me, AMA is gonna hate me for this." She laughed and she couldn't believe her eyes when he chuckled along with her. He really was letting her in.

He looked beautiful when he truly laughed. The laughter reached his eyes and they crinkled making him look innocent and cute. So damn cute.

Did he laugh like this with her? She shook those unpleasant thoughts away and focused on him.

She wanted to capture that moment but it was lost when his features hardened and turned serious. Her own smile faded away when he fixed her with a look she couldn't decipher.

"Why?" He asked simply.

Why are you helping me? She completed the question in her mind and she already had an answer.

"Because I care." She said frankly, "It's stupid and I know you don't care that I care but I still do."

He wasn't of course fooled. "And in return?"

She gulped. He had seen through it all and she realized with a sinking heart that this was what they would remain. Her doing something for his attention and him paying her back. Nothing more, nothing less. But then, something is always better than nothing.

"You'll need a manager too." She said and he frowned, "I want to be yours."

She stated her offer, omitting out how it benefited her and his frown deepened as he mulled over this new proposition.

"And why?"

"Rules are rules." She shrugged, "And you'll need me really. You're more than just a participant of Musicana."

She knew he understood what she was implying. Both of them knew how much of a big deal Musicana was for him. She waited for a heartbeat before his expression cleared and he said with a poker face, emotionless and void,

"Fine."

One simple word.

She wondered if he really knew what he was getting into.

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

2:00 PM.

There were problems. Tons of them. But the biggest problems among them were two people.

Raghuvir.

Harshad.

The former did not yet know that I was the Fab5 manager and yes, Harshad was the second representative of S.P.A.C.E. I was hell scared of Raghuvir because I knew he would kill me when he would find out that I cheated him anyways and got into Musicana in some way. As for Harshad, after his mad ravings yesterday, I wanted to say far away from him. And to add to that, he was a reminder of the fact that Nyonika was surprisingly and mysteriously ill at such a crucial time.

I didn't want to see them. Not at all.

There were just a few minutes to go before I would be face to face with them both.

Raghuvir had called a meeting for Team S.P.A.C.E. which meant all the representatives, their teams and managers in the Audi of AMA. I couldn't bow out of it, even if I wanted to and that was exactly why I was screwed.

This would be the first time I would be stepping into the prestigious college of AMA that I had heard so much about in the past few days. Keeping the inevitable problems aside, I was excited. From the moment we had hit the road to Pune, I had felt the adrenaline coursing in my veins. For, I was no longer a broken girl in college, I was out there, fighting and reaching for my destiny whatever it maybe.

"It won't be that bad."

Alya said as we pulled up in front of the massive gates of AMA. The boys had left way before after we all realised that keeping Mukti and Maddy within inches of each other was hazardous to health. They had learned to try not to bite each other's head's off but still, they couldn't stop running their mouths to insult.

Only I knew the rampage that had occurred in the two hours between Mumbai and Pune. Also, in the hotel when Dhruv had to physically restrain Mukti from punching Maddy when he purposefully took the bigger of the two rooms assigned to us for the boys. Chivalry be damned.

"Yup," Mukti seconded, jumping out of the Jeep, "What can he do?"

"Kill me?" I said wryly putting forth the most horrible scenario and Mukti frowned.

"Shut up." She said, "He's an asshole but he can't do that unless he wants me to set him on fire on the stage of Musicana."

She said that so smugly and easily that Alya snickered and even I had to crack a smile. It won't be that bad after all.

Alya put a comforting hand on my shoulder and we walked in through the grand iron gates of Academy of Musical Arts towards whatever that lay in store for us.

It was all colour.

That was the first thing I noticed when we walked through the straight paved road that led to the main entrance. I looked around and I could see every colour of the spectrum, the yellows, the reds, the pinks, all of it in the form of decorations, banners, posters and students themselves. And there were hundreds and thousands of them, spread about on the lawns all the way to the grounds where the First Qualifier would be.

Everyone I saw chattered and talked excitedly at the top of their voices and I couldn't help but be colored in their enthusiasm. The very air was thrumming with fever and anticipation and the cheer seeped into my own bones with a wide smile appearing on my face.

A few more hours and literally the stage would be set on fire.

"Fun, yeah?" Mukti asked me noticing my excitement and matching it with her own.

I nodded. "Come on!" Alya said, "It's Musicana! It's not just fun, it's freaking grand!"

I had to agree with her and this year it seemed like Musicana was gonna go down in history.

"Where're the boys?" I asked.

"There!" Alya side excitedly pointing ahead and I saw the three of them huddled together discussing and laughing about something. It did pinch me somewhere but I was glad that they got along well. Besides Aryaman being friends with Maddy helped me to keep a check on him.

"Hello Ladies." Dhruv greeted when he saw us and Mukti rolled her eyes.

"Screw you." She snapped, "This is the 21st century and I'm not a 'Lady'."

Aryaman and Alya laughed while Maddy smirked,

"Someone was complaining about chivalry before." He taunted and Mukti's jaw dropped.

"You-"

"Let's go!" Dhruv yelled eliminating a potential World War 3 between them. "We're getting late!"

Alya dragged Mukti and Aryaman went with Dhruv and to my utmost chagrin, I was forced to fall into step with Maddy.

Ugh. Where was Navya when you needed her? Oh yes, she was in the Organizing Committee and apart from meeting us in the morning when we had arrived, I hadn't seen Maatarani ever since.

It was getting awkward and I had to say something, I glanced around at the people running about and the stunning decor of AMA.

"Umm....this...this place is beautiful." Wow. Just wow. What was wrong with me?

"What? AMA?" Maddy laughed loudly and dramatically and I frowned. What was funny?

"This is a shitty place. Made by a shitty person." He spat bitterly.

WHAT. Why would he say that? I looked at him stunned, completely thrown off by the look of bitterness and anger on his face and my confusion increased. Was he just bluffing or there was something to the story?

I had to investigate. "And who made it?"

He paused in his step surprisingly and turned around to look at me incredulously, "Drop the act." He sneered, "No way you don't know."

Should I know? But I really didn't. I shook my head at him, this new information baffling me. "I don't."

He scoffed, "Ranjeet Malhotra. The biggest business tycoon in the country." He paused and smiled as if to take special pleasure from this sentence, "Your boyfriend's father."

My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, trying to find words after the 100 Volts shock that he had just given me. I flash backed to all those times he had ever spoken about his father but I came up with nothing concrete. That was a fact. He had never spoken much about him.

Now that I stood on the grounds of AMA, I felt ashamed that I indeed knew nothing about his other parent.

I never asked him.

Maddy smirked at my horrified and shocked expression. He was probably getting a kick out of this.

"Seriously Veena Vadini," He taunted, "You never ran a background check on your boyfriend? He could've been a murderer, you know?"

That wasn't funny.

I scowled at him, "Shut up!"

He laughed, "You started the 'small talk'." I realized then that people in this world were jerks who couldn't appreciate something as simple as politeness.

He saw the look on my face and his eyes softened. He looked at me with an expression I couldn't fathom and said,

"Stop being kind to people you hate. This world is not made for that kind of goodness."

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

2:15 PM.

We reached the auditorium, thankfully in silence and I said a quick prayer to Aiyappa to make it all go well as Dhruv rested his hands on the gleaming handles imprinted by the Logo of AMA; a guitar in a peace symbol.

Music and peace. Ironic. Both the things that didn't exist in my life currently.

"Let's do this," Dhruv said, fixing us all with a penetrating stare and I frowned. I wasn't used to seeing Dhruv as a 'Leader' never.

"Together." He said, pushing through and we all followed into the magnificent hall. I would definitely say that I was beyond impressed. Drapes of flaming red covered the walls and golden lights all throughout the place gave it a Royal appeal.

It looked like it belonged to a business tycoon. It looked like it belonged to his father. And somehow, this fact made me feel closer to him.

The students of S.P.A.C.E. were already huddled together in the middle aisle around someone and when the crowd cleared a little and I got a chance to see, my blood froze.

Raghuvir.

"Stay low." Aryaman muttered in my ear and gestured for me to stay behind him as we all walked ahead to join the group.

"You're here to represent S.P.A.C.E." Raghuvir was saying, "The most prestigious music academy in India and I want you all to live up to the name."

He glanced at each and everyone and I shrunk behind Aryaman when his gaze swept over us.

"That said, I'll not tolerate indiscipline of any sort." He glared and he didn't have to raise his voice to make anyone understand.

"Don't damage our reputation," He continued, "Ms. Nyonika couldn't be with us due to some emergencies-"

Emergencies. I frowned and tried to read the expression on his face but he maintained his straight, poker mask.

"-but she wishes you all the best and hopes that you will make S.P.A.C.E. shine."

Dhruv in particular looked very excited at the prospect of bringing glory to his college and my frown deepened.

"We will Sir." He said with confidence and arrogance and I wondered when the quiet, sweet Dhruv got replaced with this Ambitious Machine.

"The famous Fab5," Raghuvir smiled in a way that gave me creeps, "Oops! My bad. The New Fab5."

His gaze raked over us and I blanched when for a nanosecond, I could swear, it landed on me. His face betrayed no emotion yet again and I didn't know whether to be relieved or more afraid.

My gut feeling told me that being afraid was a safe bet.

"Let's see what the Army does without the leader." He smirked as the taunt landed exactly where it should.

Dhruv looked like someone had punched him in the face and bruised him black and blue. Maddy clutched his shoulder to stop him from launching himself at Raghuvir's throat but I could still see him breathing furiously.

I couldn't say I sympathized with him.

Raghuvir continued with his speech. Thankfully, he had a crowd of two bands, one solo act, their managers and all the OC committees, sound technicians, lights etc etc, to address. I remained fairly unnoticed as even Harshad was too involved in his speech, where he explained all the rules of the rounds and the judging systems to bother about me.

Only once, when one of his assistants, took us three managers aside to sign a few papers and explain our duty in this, did Raghuvir look at me. It was fleeting yet sharp and I knew for sure now that he had seen me.

My heart was thudding in my chest and raw fear was creeping up my spine when I signed the last sheet of paper that tied up Fab5 to Red Entertainment for the entire duration of Musicana.

We weren't done yet. I was sure.

"And lastly," He addressed us all again, "Apart from all this, you were invited here for a very special purpose."

This piqued my interest and all of us exchanged looks between us as he continued.

"You'll shortly be having the privilege of being addressed by Mr.Ranjeet Malhotra, CEO of the Malhotra Industries and the Trustee and Co-Founder of AMA."

The crowd erupted in applause only for the exception of us six that stood there like statues. Alya and Mukti looked wary, Dhruv was expressionless, Aryaman was confused and Maddy.

Maddy looked like he would love to stab that man to death on that dais.

And me? I was too stunned to react.

"Everyone!" Raghuvir clapped to get our attention, "Please take your seats!"

All of us moved in a single file and I followed with my head bowed and hiding behind the curtain of my hair, still too afraid to expose myself freely.

The Fab5 settled themselves in their seats and I was just about to follow when a hand curled around my elbow and yanked me behind.

The scream died in my throat and Raghuvir's ferocious expression was the last thing I registered as he dragged me out of the hall.

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

3:47 P.M.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He pushed me towards the wall roughly and a backed into it, truly scared now at the look of absolute rage on his face. My arm hurt from where he had dragged me but I knew that physically harming me wasn't his intention right now.

It was what he would do to ruin me that had the tears swelling up in my eyes.

But no. I had to be strong.

"I'm their Manager." I said with as much courage as I could muster. I forced the tears back with sheer willpower. I had to fight. "And you can't talk to me like that Sir."

"You idiot girl!" He raged and I observed that he looked more afraid than angry. What was he scared of?

"I told you to stay away!' He shouted looking truly deranged. No you didn't. You told me I was disqualified.

I understood that this wasn't a man who was angry. This was a man who was threatened. And unknowingly he had just revealed a very crucial piece of information to me.

Someone wanted me to stay away from Musicana. Who was he actually working for?

"But why?" I countered, feeling bolder and more confident, now that I knew he was as afraid of something as I was afraid of him.

"Why?" He spat, "You're asking why?!" He yelled at me and I cowered further into the wall.

"You'll never learn!" His voice climbing octaves, "You're stupid! You and that boy! Investigating around! You think this is a game?"

I stared at him stunned. What was happening? Was he even in his senses? He paced in front of me like a raging bull and my mind worked faster at connecting the dots as he said words he probably shouldn't in his fear and anger.

He knew about me and Aryaman. He knew about the phone call. He was spying.

"How do you know that?" I questioned. I didn't care anymore. Something told me Raghuvir was the key of the game and this time I wanted to win.

"You think you're smart huh?" He countered, chuckling like a maniac.

"You're a fool Murthy." He sneered, "A naive fool who doesn't know who she is dealing with."

I glared at him, my own anger roused at being talked to like that! He could be a teacher, he could be a spy or whatever but he had no rights to disrespect me!

"Sir, I will-"

He cut me off by suddenly grabbing my shoulders and pinning me down with a threatening glare, "You will do nothing!" He snarled.

"You'll listen to me and you will obey this time. Get it?"

Fear raced through me at the violence of his actions and the blatant threat in his words.

"You don't care about yourself. Fine." He hissed, "But I do believe you've a lovely family back home. Uncle and Aunt. A little brother?"

My entire body went numb and cold as the threat filled the empty air with venom and me with scalding horror and sheer terror.

Not my family. No. No. NO.

"Good," He smirked looking at my terrified state and shaking form, "So now, you will do as I say."

He released me and I hung on to each and every word with which he bartered my family's safety with me.

"You'll run and you'll go far way from here. So far that no one will find you. Do you understand?" He paused and I nodded, my heart throbbing in my chest.

"You'll not tell your friends! No one! And you'll not come back!"

I nodded again, the only thing driving me now was the assurance that my family's safety was still in my hands. I just had to obey him. Now, it seemed like a small price to pay.

"You'll make sure that no one sees you!"

"And," He took one threatening step and dropped his voice to a coarse, cold whisper, "You'll make sure that Ranjeet Malhotra doesn't see you."

I didn't have the capacity within me to ponder over the strangeness of this demand, for Raghuvir had already held his hand out towards the exit.

"Go!" He commanded, "Now!"

And I ran. Not for myself, but for the few people left in my life I couldn't risk to lose.

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

4:02 P.M.

Screw you Sara.

He thought that for the hundredth time as he walked or rather stomped in angrily through the gates of AMA.

His phone was clutched to his ear, calling that damned woman for the thousandth time but she wasn't picking up and already his frustration level was on boiling point.

When he had let her be his manager, he hadn't expected that she would make him go through all the lame and tedious processes that the other participants did. And this involved sitting through a welcome speech by his own freaking father.

He had zero interest in that shit. Zilch. Nada.

All he could get from it were the kicks of pissing of his father. He could imagine the shock on his face when he would realize that he had actually followed through with his threat and was here at Musicana, ready to bring his lies crashing down on him.

But apart from that he considered this as a complete waste of time. The time that he could have spent practicing with his new drummer and base guitarist.

They could never be Cabir and Dhruv. It was impossible. But he had to admit that they were freaking amazing and he couldn't wait to smash it with them on stage.

A part of him was thankful to Sara for that one. A very small part. But his gratitude was dissolving in anger at the stupid disappearance act she was pulling.

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath as the call went to voicemail yet again. He wasn't trying again! No ways! He was going to kill her instead.

Heads turned as he walked through and he glared at each and every one of them. It couldn't be helped though. His presence commanded it.

Girls stopped and stared at him shamelessly, which annoyed the hell out of him but then no one could blame them for he looked every bit of the Rockstar he was with his messy hair, shades, the arrogant set of his jaw, the leather jacket and the guitar resting neatly on his shoulder.

What set him apart though, was the glass jar of fireflies clutched in his hand. And to him, it was worth a lot more than his handsome looks.

He could never explain the feeling in his veins when he had picked that jar up in his hand today, the day on which he was set to change his life forever. All he knew was that, this was the only way of keeping his lucky charm close to him.

She couldn't be here with him but her fireflies, a reminder of her presence as the guiding light in his life was what gave him the strength for every step that he took.

He glanced up at the sky, hoping that her Aiyappa would listen to his prayer as well for a change and prayed for his life to be returned back to him.

Bring her back to me. Please.

He gasped when a speeding person collided head front with him and the jar of fireflies slipped from his hand and raced towards the ground. He cursed in anger, reflexively reaching out to save the jar from splintering into pieces.

She was as quick as him, bending down at the same time and together they held the jar before it crashed.

When their hands touched, the fireflies glowed.

Destiny played its hand once again, the moment freezing in time for the second time in their beautiful fairytale.

Before she shattered it all.

"Sorry!" She squeaked without looking up, without showing her face like she had been told too and ran away like lightening, disappearing into the thronging crowd before he could find his breath that had been robbed away from him by this encounter.

It happened so fast that he wondered if he was dreaming that if these two months without her had reduced him to madness, but his heart screamed at him, the fireflies had glowed.

He would curse himself for that one second of indecision for forever but something in him snapped, and he listened to his aching heart.

He raced through the crowd, he had lost his guitar somewhere but he didn't care, the jar of fireflies in his hand was all that mattered. The fact that they had glowed was all that mattered.

He pushed through random nobodies, looking at all of their faces, searching; wanting needing to see the face of his shining star, to make sure all of it was true. That, the one moment in which he had come alive was real.

She was here. Today. Now.

He ran through them, hating each and every face that wasn't hers, cursing himself again and again for being too shocked to react, for not reaching out to hold her, to stop her there and then, but it was too late now.

She was gone. Gone without realizing what had occurred. Gone like a fleeting dream, leaving him gasping and panting for air.

They all stared at him as he tore through the place in desperation and he was sure that if insanity felt like anything, it felt like this.

His heart was thudding in his chest, his veins burnt like fire and his legs ached from searching for her everywhere. He burst through the iron gates of AMA, the frustration leaving him breathless and shaking with anger.

He turned around to glance back for one last time at the grounds on which it had happened and even though it was filled with students, it looked absolutely, completely empty to him.

He fell down to his knees as he let the pain bursting in his heart spread through his entire body. It felt like an inferno raged inside him. He couldn't find her. He couldn't.

He threw his head back to the heavens and shouted, if shouting was what it took to bring her back to him.

"Nandini!"

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

Author's note: Reversing that moment was one of my first inspirations for the story. Sorry, I haven't proof read it because if I would have then I would have been too scared to publish. Forgive me for the mistakes.

I'm really excited for the next chapter. :)

Thank you for all the votes, comments and love. Means a lot. <3