Chapter 46

A hand was raised to hit the cheek. It ended up choking the voice that held lies which drew the truth.

Kiara

14th May 2019, Tuesday
15:16

Skipping seemed like an easy way out, away from Nolan's questioning gaze, away from Ash's paintings, and far far away from the lion. It was difficult to carry the weight of a crime, especially when you assisted the killer in it. My arms wrapped themselves around my torso and comforted my body that I was innocent and the silent air moved with the authority of the wind and sliced open Vee's words that I had carefully locked. It was my fault to stop the help from going in. But I had no choice.

"Does anyone know?" she had asked. I would have a hard time calling her Ma'am again because teachers taught you things. I wanted to learn nothing from her. Nothing.

I had shaken my head, quivering with fear that day and the next, and the next, and after that too, until the fear manifested into the shallow shell that blocked it out. It was a glorified reason why Shay's words did not shake me as badly as they shook Nolan. And you thought I don't care enough for her. I don't care about the living anymore if they're not holding a place in my heart. Shay, I cared about her, just not enough. And it was okay, because I knew others are busy caring, someone had to keep a mind clear of her.

I paused a metre away from the police station and stared at Roy. He saw me and came forward.

"Are you alright, kiddo?"

I shook my head.

"Come on in."

We both walked inside in the all too familiar room. This was the first time I wanted to be here and speak the truth. When Vee had called me, I had been disgusted with myself.

"What is it? Your call was so sudden. Have you been crying? Hey, hey, hey," Roy said.

Tears began to flow out if my eyes. "It's all my fault. I–I didn't know she'd blame Ash!"

"Kiara, what are you talking about?"

I sucked in a breath. "Few months back, the body of a middle aged man was found near our school in the dumpster. He was one of the visiting guests for some competition Dandelion Presidency was holding."

"Yes, I remember that."

"Nidhi Mukherjee killed him."

His face fell. "Kiara, do you realise what you are saying?"

"I saw her do it, Roy. I was present when he interrogated her about manipulating results. One thing led to another and she attacked him. I was there when she removed the footage."

"Removed the footage? So the school lied about the cameras not working."

I shrugged. "I have no idea about that. After she erased the footage, I met Vee. We went to help the man but it was too late. I got scared and ran away. I forced Vee to run too. He–he wanted to help him. I wish I hadn't stopped him. I wish we had stayed and helped Ash."

"Ash?"

"After we left, she came to the school, went to Nidhi Mukherjee's office and saw the man. She... wasn't in the right state of mind."

"Drugs?"

I hung my head low. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe just alcohol."

"And Nidhi must've seen Ash."

I nodded. "I had no idea Ash saw all that until yesterday. It was caught on camera. A student saw it, told Vee and he told me. When Ash saw Nidhi Mukherjee, she said the man needed help. He was alive, breathing. Then, she fainted and well, obviously he didn't get the help."

"Why didn't Ash tell this to anyone? What was she scared of?"

I looked at him. "Her pen was entangled in his clothes. She wanted to help him, Roy. Nidhi Mukherjee convinced her the next day that she murdered him under influence, accident of course but she painted her as the killer."

15:40

As I parked my scooter, I felt this was what my life had become, going from one house to another, one door to another but none of the doors were leading to home. She called, as if she knew I was about to visit. I had barely pressed the bell that the door opened and she stepped out.

"Do you know why I like summers so much?" she said. "Because people are inside their houses with their TVs and ACs on. No one hears a darn thing."

I said nothing. I couldn't ever call her Ma'am, now.

"There was someone else with you." She took a step forward. "I kept on asking you and you kept on lying."

I stepped back, careful of the slippery stony ramp that was as difficult to walk on as this woman was to lie to. She grabbed my arm and pushed me back towards the raised pillar at the side of her house. My fingers tried to grip them as a screech escaped my mouth in retaliation but to no avail. My body followed the directions she threw me in. Finally, I was allowed to break free when my feet staggered and I lost my balance around the two feet wall that separated her ramp from the neighbour's. I steadied myself and sat there, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"There was no one." I lied.

She smiled and grabbed my face, her fingers dug into the skin inner my jaw. "No one?"

"You tell me who could be there. Everyone I know was in the auditorium," I said, struggling against the second hand that she used to hold my hands.

"Vicky," she said with a smile.

I smiled and almost bit her finger that was too close to my mouth. "He left way before. Do I have to remind you of that?"

She stared at me in silence, knowing I was right and still I was wrong. "You won't say anything to anyone."

"Have I said anything so far?" I asked. Her grip tightened around my throat and I wanted to laugh, roll on the ground and laugh until it hurt my stomach. Was she seriously threatening me with death? Shay would not be happy.

"How did you find the deleted footage?"

"I didn't," I answered. "Another student did. When I saw it, I realised my mistake. You manipulated Ash, threw her out of the competition she had been preparing for and then made her think she killed the man. You're a fucking psychopath."

She stumbled back a little. "I did no such thing."

I laughed. "Then explain why my friend's pen was entangled in that man's clothes."

It was only when I saw Vee's car, I realized he lived across this street, straight ahead and the second right would lead to his house. I cursed under my breath when I heard his footsteps.

"Step away from her," he said and pushed her hands away from me.

I did not miss the disgust on his face as his fingers wrapped around her wrist, possibly avoiding her hand that had taken a life. I wanted to correct him and say it was the mind.

"Are you okay?" He grabbed my shoulders and examined my throat, looking for a sign. My fingers pressed into my thighs. The mind, Vee. Not flesh, the mind.

"I'll call the police," his driver said to Nidhi Ma'am, walking up to us.

"There's no need. They will be here soon," I said. My

The psychopath's mouth fell open. Vee stared at me and I returned his shocked gaze with a placid look.

"I told Roy everything, what we saw that day and what the footages showed."

"Did you get the pen drive?"

We both turned to her.

"What pen drive?" Vee asked.

She feigned surprise and turned to me. As if on instinct, he blocked my way and repeated, "What drive?"

"The one that someone used to spread nasty things about Rishab."

"There's nothing nasty about being a gay," I snapped.

She shrugged. "The pen drive that Sameer owns and was somehow in my office. Wasn't it the same day you got a note, Kiara?"