ARAGYA

I can watch blood drip from every human on earth, including my father.

But when my mother bled removing the wooden box from shelf, lowly shrugged her finger with a slow inaudible yelp. 

I jumped from the entrance door to almost step inside.

Step inside room I never do, because it's not just mother's apparently someone called my father resides in the same.

What may the rage be anyway? I still thrive under his roof, one of many things I do to punish myself for existing.

I entered, holding my mother's wrist, "It's nothing!" She said before she made a smug eyes, "Look who stepped inside the room?" She said at my boots, letting her hands drop, I shook my head with heavy exhale.

"Where is the first aid?" I asked her, and opened one of her cabinet, digging through few files and cables until I found dettol and just bandaid, not even a first-aid box.

I returned where she was still searching in the closet and I snatched her hand back, opening the dettol bottle I rinse her entire hand, "What are you doing? It's all over the floor!" And this is what she yelled for?

"So what? It's not like your husband can't afford another carpet?" I said and then opened the bandaid but fumbled thinking how to keep adhesive bandaid on wet wound?

And she shook her head taking it from my hand.

"Father like son!" And the moment she said that, my rage spiked, and she dropped both her hand in air. "Sorry. . ." She shrugged, "But it just reminded me of the time when he had burnt himself in fire saving an old woman, and when returned, he didn't even knew how to look after his wounds! I had helped him," She clarified to me, and I tried not to get angry.

But the attempt was feeble because I can bare the torture my father proudly lays on men, myself but the pain of being called just like him is hundred times harsher than all those pain.

Children throb on the idea of being called 'Just like his father' 'Just like his mother'

But I would choose not to be like either of them.

Not a rapist like my father, nor weak person, enslaved to love.

"He must have set the fire," I shrugged in my taunt, and she opened her mouth but shut it, obviously he did.

Abhiraj Agnivanshi and good deed?

Its never without intention!

"Now will you tell me? What you are looking for so you can stop hurting yourself!" I walked inside her wardrobe door and digged into what she was looking finding something in a tiny pouch.

"Yes, thats it!" She took it from my hand and opened it. Once she checked whatever was inside, safe and sound? She tied the knot again.

"This you have to drop at Zehra aunty's house! Its very important that is why I am sending you!"

I took it from her and threw it in air before it returned in my hand and my mother looked like her life was on line when that hit the air.

I wanted to check, but watching her black eyes, trait I have possessed proudly, eyes that says fear me?

Because one must, I chuckled on those widen orbs.

"What is it?"

"Something. . . Just not important for you," She said and walked towards her purse on the bed.

She opened the nook and walking over removed cash from it in a small bundle and handed over to me.

"It's not your father's money. Its mine!" She said like every time she gives me money.

"I don't need it! I have money and when you do this, I feel like a mumma's boy!"

And walked back steps, she wanted to retort on that, but I ran into a chest,

It wouldn't take a genius to believe it was my father because how being near him digs revulsion inside of me.

I closed my eyes in annoyance and turned around finding him standing dressed in his perfect grey kurta piece.

He didn't say a word, walked around me and went over to my mother.

And the fact that I wanted to completely ignore a eye frame where they are both together standing happily, I never turned around and started to walk outside the door.

A slow mumble, "Learn to greet your father!"

He muttered, "I use to touch his feet when I use to see mine,"

His small attempt to be seen by his son.

One that he will never stop begging for, one treat I give myself everytime I defy him.

"And then you pulled the plug and trigger, I will follow your elite footsteps then!" I completed before diverting myself at the door dissapearing.

                              *******

My phone buzzed few times before down the alleyway I saw Aamira, and rolled my eyes walking passed equally repulsed. She did not even try for getting acquainted with me.

The man I presume never to call father hates this woman, which should lead me to loving her.

But knowing she had just carved my mother empty to fulfil her own belly.

I am never going to see her like the maa she expected Taara's twin to see her.

Devrat is a completely different nut case, hardly even mine and Tamanna's brother.

When I entered this cozy play area, my father had made for the children of house because he was tired of us walking inside his meetings of death, weed, manipulation, ruins. He use to get disturbed.

Expected, everyone of Agnivanshi blood were here.

Tamanna who was playing chess against  Harshvardhan stopped to see me enter, "Harshvardhan, you free today to play game? Aren't you busy plotting against Devrat?" I spoke in subtle taunt that he even dared to challenge Tamanna.

The match so intense that even Devrat was standing to watch. "No, it takes half the brain to win against Devrat than it takes to win against Tamanna!" He said, Devrat dragged, Devrat hurt, Devrat abandoned. And I only gave a bare twitch smile, while Devrat did an eye roll.

Tamanna raised her pawn and was about to keep it when Harshvardhan did a tsk but she kept anyway.

"I am going to your dear friend's house, running errand for mom. Do you want to join me? T-Rex?"

She shook her head, not even replying me.

Idhanth who was on his phone so immersed suddenly showed interest, "I can join you? Watching this two play pieces instead of people is boring!"

He stood before I could even grant him the invite, "Where are we going again?"

He spoke walking beside me,"Will there be girls?"

"None you should even lay your eyeballs on!" Tamanna warned,

Yes, no one in particular to lay eyes on.

"Oh please, I came all the way from London! Not to watch the only girl in form of rooks and bishops!"

"Who says rooks and bishops are girl?" Both Harshvardhan and Tamanna spoke at same time, and rolled eyes before returning to the board.

"I don't know, just seems so? No?" Idhanth, carbon copy of his father, my uncle Aadheesh, said standing in between.

I didn't entertain the nonsense more and I turned around walking away. Idhanth walking beside me, "By the way, Hi Cousin! We have been here two days and this is the first time I saw you!" Accused, "How are you?" He asked me, and I only looked his way.

"Doesn't it drain energy?" I asked him and he shook his head, "No I feed on it!"

I had my bike, coming outside of the haveli, I sat on my Duccati. He made a face but sat anyway and we hit the road.

He was trying to keep his hair intact in the models way he had before while I drove at speed, "Don't try! My baby wins even against the cyclone!"

I commented to which he dropped his hand.

Silently, we reached the area not far from Rajkot Haveli, where Daiwik, my father's right-hand man lives with his wife and my mother's best friend and their children with their entire khandan.

I got off my bike, cursing Idhanth followed behind.

"Try car man! They are good stuff too!" He said trying to perfect his hair in the small mirror.

I saw footsteps walking over to the main door when heard the bike.

Standing the little of Agnihotri's Eraya.

Devakshya and Inara's daughter, she didn't smile at me.

One because of my reputation, two because of my rage, three because, simply she is not very active person.

I am not bad till the end of counting.

I am bad to people, who are not in the count of people who matter to me.

Well, Agnihotries being one!

But I am not a wild animal to attack the moment I see human.

Maybe?

She walked inside, allowing me us to walk inside their house, Idhanth still tilting on the mirror, but immediately jumped, "Saw someone!" He said overly loud.

"Don't try, Agnihotri are off radar!"

"I won't hound like a bulldog! I just said, I saw a girl!" I didn't speak, pointless. I came closer to the open lawn area of their haveli.

There was a corridor to walk, then open veranda, which was entrance to the living room.

But closing inside the haveli, the music became louder, the song turned sweeter, the voice more clearer.

I know the voice, not the first time I have heard, in reality is not the only time I hear it.

My footsteps halted by the edge of corridor where she was perched on the floor with carpet, her music instruments and her teacher.

Sitting her legs folded backwards, with pushing her fingers like a pulling a thread in air, her back facing me, her hair open till the bottom of her back blade, visible behind her typical outfit, she follows style of her mother, in the house I see!

Not first time I came to their home, but surely the sight of her singing, lost in her perfect pitch, simultaneously singing with her master to the chorus of her classical song.

Them singing together was a sour sight to my eyes, but I bore it.

Nay, because of any unsaid reasons.

Simply because I want to hear just her sing.

The same way, she sings in my every darkest despair!

She sings in my nightmare.

When her mother entered the open Veranda to greet me, she stopped along with her coach, she looked behind, shadow of me? Or maybe shadow me?

Either way, we were before each other.

I, Aragya Agnivanshi, someone who everyone fears? Except, Daiwik Agnihotri's daughter. Raagyata Agnihotri sitting looked me in the eye, didn't smile, because why must she?

One, because of my reputation, two because of my rage, three because her eyes deserve a better glance than someone destructive like me.

She returned them to her coach, asked him for a break to help her mother greet us.

The old man, "Your family has enough people for it? You don't leave abhyaas in middle. A true singer will always know it!" He spoke in condensending tone with her. I made a fist.

Reminded, why I was here? Distraction. I took my mother's pouch and handed it to Zehra aunty who looked at it, "First come inside, at least sit! Have water and tea!" She insisted,

"Sure!" Idhanth said before I could have denied and I looked at him, trying to remember when had I told him he can come along with me?

"You are Idhanth! Visiting after how long!"

"Six years straight," He said walking inside sitting by the attached living room, involuntarily I moved my feet towards the entrance.

I looked at Raagyata and her coach, who was telling her all the notes she sang wrong and she was only listening head down.

He sat down, "This is my first time visiting your house though? Where is that. . ." He started, but halted, "That young girl who was nuisance as a child!" He said about Azariah, and I find no business into interrupting that accusation.

Her mother just laughed it away, "Oh, Aza is not here! She have changed, not much nuisance!" We both sat down on their four parallel set square couch, Eraya coming in front leaning forward offering the water with something sweet on the side.

I heard. . . I kept hearing the accusations, "Don't you know how to. . ." He started a demo, and then halted it, "You are illiterate! You should stop destroying worshiping of ragas with that voice,"

I looked at the glass in front of me, and picking it up, I abruptly stood walked over towards the carpet they were sitting at and threw the glass along with water on that coach.

Standing all the rumors about me with proud face. Short-tempered, violent, abusive, ill-mannered, possessive, twisted e.t.c. . . .

I yelled, "Motherfucker!" Before I hit him with my leg, another, and another until his teeth broke he bled from his mouth.

I held him by his rough cotton kurta collar while I made him stand on that force. I staggered a punch at his face and was about to hit another when the face that came behind him. . .

Raagyata standing, her family behind in the shock and surprise. She on the other hand, just standing.

I didn't hit him further, but I dropped him on the floor, across from Raagyata's feet, keeping my boot on his back, "Sing!"

I told him, and he looked at me in shock, "Sing!"

He started but Raagyata turned around and walked away inside instead of watching this real illiterate man show what destroying ragas is called.

She? She was divine.

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Comment as much! That even scrollstack has to block comments!

So many reveals of characters, upcoming plots, references from old books and what not!

I want everyone to point it all out!

Like Idhanth lately even I have learnt to feed on people's reaction!

I need it.

Give it to me readers!