Ignored, if not forgotten
Ignored, if not forgotten
The boys looked uncomfortable and shared a sheepish look amongst themselves, all except for Abhirath.
"You brat! You are suited for the Drama department rather than ours. How dare you try and put it back on us?" he said with a mock growl.
The truth was that the unexpected summons to come back to Gurukul before starting internship had surprised him. But that wasn't the end of it. He was the first one to reach the Gurukul and Saraswati had given him the detailed instructions regarding the next few weeks of their internship before shutting the Admin building and asking him to wait for the others outside it.
She had told him that the team was taking a small break and everyone including her, Prithvi and Ramanujam had travel plans at the moment.
His mouth had fallen open when he read the instructions regarding his teammates and Mriga's inclusion in it. Upon his enquiry, Saraswati told him that Mriga had always been a part of the team.
Hence the grilling!
"So, does anyone know why we have been summoned here instead of heading to our respective internships directly?" Mriga asked them.
Abhirath, who had been unable to control his excitement for all this while, finally said it out loud.
"As per the new set of instructions, all five of us have been asked to report to the Eastern zilla, instead of the previously allotted stations," his grin could be measured in miles.
This was a surprise! While Mriga was really happy that all of them would be training together, she couldn't help but wonder about the reason for the new set of instructions. Though the Admin department was not known for sharing the reasons behind the decisions but there had been too many new developments in the past few weeks for them to be purely coincidental.
For the rest of them, this was the only aberration and hence was not a reason enough to question the change. But since the time that Shaurya was ill, followed by his unexpected visit to Northern zilla, then her mother's taking leave and training him hard along with her and now this, there were many things which were out of the norm. She couldn't pinpoint to what was exactly wrong with this picture but her gut told her that a lot more was happening beneath the surface than what was visible.
"It won't hurt to keep my eyes wide open," she told herself as a sliver of premonition trickled down her spine.
She didn't voice out her fears to any of them and let herself be carried away in the boys' enthusiasm at the surprise reunion.
"Alright, lets head to the eatery to grab a hearty meal before the carriages arrive. We need to be ready and waiting for it sharp at 8pm outside the Gurukul gate," said Abhirath.
"Are we not meeting the teachers before leaving?" asked Mriga in surprise.
She realized belatedly that they were standing at the door of the Admin department and hadn't gone in till now.
"Apparently, the entire team is taking a break, a well-deserved one, if I may say so," Nirbhay chipped in.
The mystery kept deepening and Mriga couldn't help but frown. She was not the kind to build conspiracy castles in her head but something definitely didn't add up in this scenario.
"Oh, before I forget, I have something to share with you all," she halted in her tracks.
They turned to look at her with enquiring eyes when she dropped the bombshell on them.
"I have just submitted my application for the Queen's competition. Wish me luck!" she said cheekily.
Even though she had done it because of her mother's urging but now that she was in it, she was going to give it all that she had, irrespective of the result. She purposely shied away from the thought of confronting Vindhya because of the same. Somehow, it didn't seem to matter as much now. Even though it occurred only a few weeks earlier, the whole episode seemed as if it belonged to the past, well ignored, if not forgotten!
Abhirath wasn't sure about his reaction to this news and hence didn't display any reaction while the others ribbed her over it, questioning her suitability and competence levels. When he had gotten to know that he would see her much sooner than expected, he decided to take it as a sign of God's will. He was going to make an honest and sincere effort to win her heart, to be whom she needed!
Northern Zilla
"Mriga must have reached the Eastern zilla by now, right?" Raghu wondered aloud while eating dinner.
Bela nodded noncommittally and Shaurya continued to keep his head down and chew the food in his mouth. Despite having a couple of strenuous and exhausting days, he had managed to find enough time to brood over her absence. As a result, though the stomach welcomed the meal, the senses couldn't really register the taste or smell of it.
"Once you finish, take a five-minute walk outside to clear your head and come back. We are going to continue the discussion," Bela instructed him.
"Why don't you take a break tonight?" Raghu suggested softly to his wife.