September seven. I remember that day vividly. I always bumped into this boy at classes but all that we did to acknowledge each other's presence was this weird nod of the head. But, that day he came up to me, his hands were in his track pockets and he looked in me in the eye.

"I see you way too often to not know your name."

My lips raised partially as I looked into his eyes. "Lavanya," I replied.

He held out his arm for a handshake the very same moment I lifted mine for a high five. We moved our heads up and down, looking no where in particular before his hands ruffled his hair and his neck bent down and his lips tucked up slightly.

"I am Shyam. Uhmm" His head was moving from one side to another, his hair was now messed up and his loose t-shirt just made him all the more adorable. That was our first conversation, one that barely included words. Luckily for us the choreographer started his class right at that moment and we were spared the awkwardness. I however, couldn't help glancing in his direction every few minutes. His eyes never left the mirrors, he would perfect moves down to the position of his little finger. He was so graceful and at ease that I could see him smiling as he danced. His body was like a river, smoothly flowing where it was supposed to and sharp just when the music commanded it. But that was not what drew me to him. He seemed just so happy to be there that his face would quite literally glow up and a smile would surface on his lips as he studied the choreographer. It was almost as if his moves were creating the music, the musicality was let's just say on point.

And then he took the stage. That boy literally pulled all the right strings of my heart. His eyebrows creased and eyes twinkled as he gave life to the despair in the song. Throughout the song right when the lyrics commanded it, he made his eyes relax, the tightly closed eyelids that quivered opened up little by little. He ended his freestyle by wrapping his hands around his own body as he lowered himself down into a split and then bringing his feet closer together he held out his hand that now seemingly limp asking for help. The boy had made the piece his. The choreographer came jumpings towards him and ruffled his hair, making him bend. He flashed his teeth and his eyes softened.

Once we were done with our class, I dashed out the door. Shyam was quite literally running down the sidewalk. I called out to him.

"Hey Shyam! Wait up! " I said as I grabbed my knees with my back bent. My mouth was open as my chest moved up and down. The guy was so fast! And for God's sake we had just finished a two hour long class, I mean how?

"Umm..oh it's you. I am kind of in a hurry."

"You want to do a concept video together?"

"Umm..Sure."

"See you tomorrow then. Moves-zilla, be there at five."

I could see his back moving further away from him as his left hand held a thumbs up in the air. At that moment I was scratching my head as to why this teenager was in such a hurry for I didn't know that that boy I saw in front infront of me wasn't even supposed to be there. That boy was a on track to become a professional badminton player. Yet, sometimes I wonder how confused I'd be if he'd told me that fact right then and there without telling me his whole story. And although he is a crucial part of my life now, the reason I am in this room with you, our meeting was not the most important thing that happened that day, in fact the death of their mother as cold hearted as it seems wasn't either for that alone would not bring me here. The most important incident of the day was the introduction of this guy named Venkatesh. That was the day he met Ram for the first time.

Right about then, miles and miles from me, Ram was lying under the flyover with pieces of cardboard covering him. He was back in the witch's house. His mother's eyes were twinkling in the moonlight. The corners of her eyes wrinkled as she smiled, she had aged in these seven years yet she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Ram felt his lips tuck up as he ran into her open arms. His trembling hand touched her earring, still golden and shiny. He let his warmth seep through his body as he wrapped his arms around her fragile body. He was taller than her now. His neck bent low as he let his nose be buried in her hair. When he lifted his head up to look into her deep brown eyes so full of life, he couldn't find them. Lifeless eyes stared back at him. He could feel something sticky on his hands. He lifted them up to see blood dripping off them. Red, that was all he could see at this point. The sight made him move back a few steps and without a support his mother's body fell to the floor. She lay there in a pool of her own blood. Ram pulled his hair as a shriek left his throat.

"Ram! Ram! Are you ok? It was just a nightmare. Hush now." Ram felt Meghna's arms wrap around him as she placed her hand on his head and brought him close to her.

Ram however could not hug her back. His arms lay there, limp by his side. He just sat there staring at the vehicles that were moving all around him. The horns were piercing his eardrums as the blurry images of vehicles mixed together. He could feel warm liquid flowing down his cheeks, something seemed to be choking him perhaps they were his own tears. Yet he could not feel anything anymore.

They sat there in that position for what seemed like eternity. Ram could see the sun beginning to dip when Meghna finally let go of him. Ram just stared into her brown eyes, he was lost in them.

Meghna held him by his shoulders and searching his eyes said, "Ram, Piyush was supposed to be back by now. I have to go look for him. Can you stay here for me?"

There was no reply. He did not even blink it was almost as if he couldn't even hear her. Meghna heaved. She was starting to get worried about Piyush. What if the police had gotten a hold of him as he was pickpocketing? This was unchartered territory after all. Or more possibly so, what if someone had got to him? He wouldn't be late, he never was. Was she just overthinking? But what if...?

"Uhhh!!" Meghna said as she started pulling at her hair. She would have to look for Piyush without letting Ram out of her sight. She made her way to the other side of flyover while constantly glancing back. But those few seconds were more than enough for someone who had positioned themselves out of her sight.

"Ram, don't do anything. Not that I think you will. You had a nightmare about her didn't you? Did you kill her in this one with your own hands or was it like the last time when you just let the dirty work be done by someone else as you watched?"

Ram's breathing got deeper as his chest moved up and down and his eyes widened. It wasn't him! It wasn't his fault he wanted to yell out yet all that came out of his mouth was air. He felt the blade of a knife on his neck as the voice continued.

"Shh now. Look she is coming back with Piyush. Just know this, I know what happened at four am but you are not the one I want. The one I want is Atul and if you don't want to lose more of your family members, you will do what I ask you to. I mean Shyam should continue badminton and dance. He is quite good. It would be a pity if his life had to end now. Call me in a week and you'd better get a hold of yourself by then cause otherwise you'd be of no use to me and Shyam oh poor Shyam who knows what would happen to him."

Ram felt a piece of paper being pushed into the palm of his hand. Meghna and Piyush's figures were becoming larger by the second. Ram opened the piece, it had the letter V and a phone number scribbled on it. Ram crumbled it before putting it into his pocket. As much as he'd like to think that was just him seeing and hearing things, that piece of paper was proof that it wasn't. At that very moment his eyes noticed the words printed on the back of that paper.

'What do you think, would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds?' "Crime and Punishment," Ram said under his breath.

Meghna had a loaf of bread in her mouth as she offered another to Ram. Ram nibbled on it. He would need all the strength he could get.

**My dear reader, I love writing stories because they have the power to bring out emotions from people I miles and miles away from me. These words are my happiness and to know that it brought out the slightest emotion out of you would mean the world to me. Maybe it just lifted you lip a tiny bit or made lines appear on your forehead, please let me know for that is the sole purpose of these words. Leave a comment, your thoughts, anything. A vote would mean that you enjoyed reading it. It takes seconds and yet means the world to me, the teenager behind the keyboard