1 Chapter 1

Count on straight roads for sharp turns.

I blindly stared at the night above. Pitch black. Though it was the ceiling of a cave, as I had not seen the sky since forever.

"I am sorry. I didn't know about the protective shield. And even if I did, you wouldn't have listened to me for sure!" Trust me, I hadn't gone mad. Or maybe I had.

All that wild and lonely tiger could reply was a wild roar which I still didn't know why but felt as a 'shut up'.

This terrible incident took place just yesterday when that wild hungry couple discovered me. The tigress was the impatient one. She jumped at me roaring in hunger as soon as its eyes laid on me. Not to mention her hunger led her to death.

Yes, the sight of the tiger made my legs shiver so hard that I collapsed on the floor. But I was guilty of feeling a little relieved as well because anything was better than living in this ball, even death.

The tiger roared again and went away leaving me in this Bubble with my thoughts. My curiosity, more of my greed I should say, had confined me to this Bubble two months ago. It now rests in a cave where a wild couple, the tiger and the tigress came to live. This Bubble was so obsessed with my security that it would kill away anyone who touched it.

Deadly awesome!

So I stayed there alone, letting my eyes tour the place which they had done infinite times now. In the dark cave rested a glass ball, called the Bubble, confining me into it. Just beside me, laid six buttons coloured yellow, blue, red, pink, black and purple. The blue button turns on the plasma screen in its wall through which I talk to my parents sitting two hundred years into the future.

This cave in which this Bubble rests was too deep. The sunlight exhausted from discovering this cave's depth and as a result, only a few sympathizers came around to tell me its afternoon already. Morning ones were too young and weak to say hi. So my only resource about the days was that television screen through which sunlight reached me. My parents had put a light near the screen so that I would not freak out at night. I lived in a cave with a wild tiger two hundred years behind the time. Talk about freaking out!

I kept on thinking about a lot of random stuff. I also had this habit of imagining things when I get bored. Like if I become the president of the country then what changes I would bring to this country, or if I become a teacher, how I would teach so the students would admire me the most, or how I would experience my higher studies or what would happen when I would be getting married, and all that stupid teenager cute thoughts. But the most favourite of all was me saving my school from terrorists. It never gets old.

It was the 14th of February. I sat there in that cave in dark and cold surroundings. According to Anfa, I was supposed to be sleeping but he opened the window from where the bracing shine of old Sun penetrated through that room and into this cave through the plasma screen. He was pacing in the room, with a little tension without giving the slightest attention to the fact that I was awake.

"Hey, dearie Anfaaa….. Why so tensed? Share it with me and me will give a bag full of ideas." I said with the voice of three years old reciting a poem.

He looked at me. The way his eyes laid on mine said that there was a huge trouble paving its way towards my father. I saw that look only once when I got trapped in this Bubble.

He walked across the room and sat on the chair against me. His eyes peered through the screen.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I asked seriously this time.

"Nothing." He replied heaving and his eyes were shouting that there was something wrong. A lot wrong in fact.

"Oh really? This seriously is not a proper time to play this 'nothing' game." I ordered. He sighed and shifted his eyes on the table on which his computer screen laid. "I am asking you something!''

"Hey, you are giving me orders such as you are my mother and I am your son!" My father complained.

"Oh Come on Anfa! What other option do I have to get you to tell me what's troubling you so much that you skipped your yoga and breakfast."

"Yeah, you know that I skipped my yoga because you were awake."

"As a matter of fact, dear Anfa I can always tell if you missed your Yoga. This explains, I know you, somewhat better than mom."

"Yeah, speak this again in front of your mother and girl you are in a huge trouble, girl."

I shrugged. "Well? Now now. Stop your efforts to change the topic and tell me what the matter is."

"I am working on a very confidential project. Too savage. But yesterday I felt something suspicious about the place. Nothing was moved or changed and no one can come to the room without my permission. I checked the cameras and checked with the guard, but couldn't find the reason behind my insecurities."

"Hey, just chill. Maybe you felt it because the project is so confidential." I said, not realizing the matter of concern.

"I can't neglect these uncertain feelings." He said and with each word, his concern grew larger and louder.

"Hey, daddy, it's okay. Everything will be fine. Maybe you are imagining the matter." I said even though I perfectly knew the fact that his instincts were never wrong.

"Whatever. C'mon today we are up for history"

"What? Not really? Please no. oh! Wait! How did you know that something was wrong there? In that project room?"

"Nice try. But I am not going to be distracted by it." Said my smart father. Having a smart father was not always beneficial. "So to escape World War I, a Secret Escape Association was made by the group of people called Early Men….'' Only history can help me complete my incomplete sleep. The words such as 'World War I'; 'Early Men'; were dancing frantically in my mind and when my eyes were about to give up my father's "Glare! Are you sleeping? Seriously?" startled me up.

"Anfa, I already didn't get a good night's sleep and now you are contributing to my annoyance by narrating history stories.''

"Hey! That's my favourite chapter."

"But not mine. And I have already heard this like a hundred times." And one thing in which I could beat my father was my stubbornness. He eyed me.

"What do you want then?"

I was about to speak when his cell phone rang. He went away and the way he returned after five minutes, I knew that today was my lucky day. I was right. He said that history classes were postponed for tomorrow as he had to be somewhere urgently, and got me the laptop for movies.

**********

My father returned at night. He seemed so happy. So I tried to take advantage of it.

"Umm...'' I hesitated. "Will you satisfy my curiosity?'' At the word 'curiosity', his eyes widened. "Well, I mean, will you answer my question? How will you get me out of this thing?" I asked gathering courage for the first time because I could never muster the courage to ask him this question for some unknown reason. Perhaps the guilt of entering into his research room without permission hadn't left me.

"What will you do knowing about it? I said I will get you out of this and so will I, very soon, I promise."

"Dad, I know you will. But shouldn't I know?"

"Well, you don't have to do anything with it." He started. I shifted my face and widened my eyes which reflected my ardent desire to know.

"But.." he continued, puppy face always worked! "If you want to know it so badly then let me give you every detail about it.