Chapter 2: Birthday

Abhimanyu asked, "Yes, but how did this pen drive end up with you? Please tell me."

"Sagar looked at Abhimanyu and replied, 'I heard that this pen drive was found by a business person in Delhi, and he kept it locked in a safe with tight security.'"

"Now, I thought he had hidden something valuable and precious in the safe, so, out of habit, I managed to crack the security and opened the safe. But inside, I found this pen drive. Later, by the time I found out about this pen drive, it was too late, and now this problem has fallen upon me."

Abhimanyu asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

Sagar replied, "I have made a deal with a very prominent business person in Delhi regarding this. I will consult him to decide what to do with this pen drive."

Abhimanyu said, "Give me a copy of it, and then you can do whatever you want with it. But remember, this matter should not leak to anyone else."

Sagar agreed and after a while, he gave him another copied pen drive.

"Sagar asked Abhimanyu, 'You're at an age where kids go to school, hang out with girlfriends, and enjoy life, and here you are, sitting with a thief, dealing with all this mess?'"

Abhimanyu replied, "He's not just a petty thief, but a cunning one. Besides, due to my family background, I hardly find any decent friends; most of them are selfish. And anyway, I enjoy your company more than theirs. Alright, then, see you at the party tonight."

"Sagar asked, 'Do you mean your birthday party?'"

"Sagar said, 'But your grandfather will chase me away as soon as he sees me.'"

Abhimanyu said, "On my birthday, they won't do anything like that."

Sagar said, "They might kick both of us out."

"Trust me, brother," Abhimanyu said before leaving the place.

Abhimanyu, a 17-year-old boy, is the grandson of Brigadier Narsimha Pratap Singh. His father is also a military commander, and his uncle is the Chief Minister of Bihar. Abhimanyu is the only son of his family, and he also has an elder sister named Praachi. His uncle has two daughters as well, Lalita and Vishakha. Praachi is 12 years old and studies in the eighth grade, and Vishakha also studies in the same grade, while Lalita is in the tenth grade. All four children attend a military school where the rules are quite strict. However, Abhimanyu often sneaks out of school without anyone knowing, a fact known to very few. But his grandfather always knew about it, and he would scold and punish Abhimanyu each time, although few people knew about it. However, his grandfather knew that Abhimanyu wasn't just skipping school for fun but had faced several challenges, yet he never encouraged him to break the rules.

Therefore, Abhimanyu never escaped punishment, and it had become his daily routine to bunk school and receive punishment from his grandfather. Meanwhile, Sagar, a notorious thief known for committing major thefts, was rumored to have disappeared with millions of dollars from a sailing ship across the ocean. Later, he was caught in a robbery linked to terrorist activities, and Abhimanyu's father, Commander Lalit Pratap Singh, apprehended him. Afterward, Sagar collaborated with the military to track down the terrorists' hideouts. He participated in several covert military operations and met Abhimanyu at his previous birthday party. Initially, Abhimanyu perceived Sagar as an ordinary child, but later, Abhimanyu involved him in his mischievous activities, leading them to engage in various misdeeds together. As a result, Abhimanyu's grandfather grew up disapproving of Sagar.

After a while, Abhimanyu was near the rear wall of his military school. He immediately leaped over it and sneaked into his dormitory while avoiding the guards. Then, he plugged in the pen drive and started looking at all the data on his laptop. Just then, someone knocked on the door and said, "Abhimanyu, your parents have come to pick you up."

Abhimanyu replied from inside, "Alright, I'll be there in a moment."

Military school rules are quite strict, where children are given military training from a young age, and they are rarely allowed to meet their families. Today is Abhimanyu's birthday, so his parents came to pick him up.

Abhimanyu thought that he wouldn't be able to see it today, so he decided to check it later. He shut down his laptop and put it along with the pen drive in his bag. Abhimanyu is in 11th grade, and his 11th-grade exams have just finished. Now, he is about to enter the 12th grade, and during this break of one month, he will receive training in shooting and sniping, which he is very excited about. He is also excited about his birthday party because many high-ranking military officers are expected to attend, who often share stories of their missions and battles with enemies and borders, something Abhimanyu has always enjoyed hearing. Since childhood, Abhimanyu has aspired to serve in the military, and like his family, he is deeply patriotic.

Abhimanyu left to meet his parents empty-handed. When he reached there, he saw that Praachi, Lalita, and Vishakha were already present. Abhimanyu reached there and touched their feet, seeking their blessings, and then they all left in their car for the school.

Abhimanyu asked his three sisters in the car, "What gift did you all get for me?"

Praachi said, "We didn't get any gifts because you always like Grandfather's gifts the most."

Abhimanyu said, "No, it's not like that. Grandfather's gifts are splendid, but I like my sisters' gifts the most."

Lalita said, "What do you think of us? Last year, the sword Grandfather gave you, you carried it everywhere, and tell me, where is the laptop I gifted you?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Oh, it's in my room. I won't carry the laptop everywhere."

Lalita said, "usually people carry laptops around, not swords."

Vishakha said, "Our brother is quite peculiar. It's better not to expect him to be normal."

Abhimanyu said, "What happened to you? I've already worn the watch you gifted me."

Vishakha interrupted and said in between, "It has broken again, you must have repaired it 50 to 60 times. A normal person would buy 10 watches for that large amount of money, and you keep breaking this one repeatedly. I haven't seen it intact for even two days."

Praachi suppressed her laughter and said, "And the bracelet I gave him, I thought he would take it off the next day, but he's still wearing it."

Lalita said, "Perhaps he still has no idea that the bracelet is meant for girls."

Praachi said, "I gave it to him as a prank, but he ended up wearing it for a whole year, and seeing him, many boys also started wearing the same bracelet."

Abhimanyu said, "That's the charm of us Bihar boys. Whatever we wear, becomes a trend."

Praachi said, "Exactly, that's why Grandfather comes to school every day to give you personal training."

Abhimanyu's mother said, "Stop teasing him, all three of you. Today is his birthday."

Abhimanyu took out three boxes and gave them to all three.

Praachi asked, "Brother, what is this?"

Abhimanyu said, "These are fitness watches. With this, you'll be able to track your fitness every moment, and it's also a smartphone. You can make calls, browse the internet, even access YouTube and social media. The only thing is, you won't be able to take selfies because it doesn't have a camera."

Lalitya said, "But phones are not allowed in school."

Abhimanyu said, "That's why it looks like a fitness watch from the outside, so they will allow it. And besides, I can take the laptop inside, but you can't even take a regular watch."

Lalit said, "You may escape us, but don't spoil your sisters."

After a while, their car stopped near a mansion, which was Abhimanyu's house. The mansion was located near the military camp, and there were several soldiers standing around with guns in their hands.

Abhimanyu said, "It's not just difficult to catch me, it's impossible, leaving aside my grandfather."

After crossing the main gate, there were two guards standing near the gate of the house with a metal detector machine. All this security was only for the party because the guest list included many VIPs whose security responsibility lies in the hands of their family.

Upon entering the house, Abhimanyu and the others were also checked. After checking, as they were entering, Abhimanyu pulled out his air gun that he had bought online and said, "What's the use of so much security if they couldn't even get this gun?"

Praachi excitedly asked, "Is this a real gun? Where did you get it from?"

"Abhimanyu replied, 'Oh, this is called an air gun, which I bought online. Pretty cool, isn't it?'"

"Lalita said, 'It looks absolutely real.'

"Abhimanyu replied, 'Yeah, when this bullet fires, it packs quite a punch, but it doesn't kill.'

"Lalita asked, 'How did you hide it from yourself?'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'A magician never reveals his secrets. Actually, the gun was made of a different metal, so it wasn't detected. And as for hiding it, I cleverly changed the location of the gun repeatedly so that it wouldn't be caught, which I learned from Saagar.'

"After reaching inside, Abhimanyu first went to his grandfather and touched his feet to seek his blessings."

"His grandfather blessed him and wished him well. Then his grandfather said, 'I heard about your deeds today. Do you even realize how dangerous those people are?'"

"Abhimanyu replied, 'I'm not sure, but what I do know is that they were from Delhi.'"

"Dadaji said, 'How many times have I told you to stay away from Sagar? Look what happened today. I've heard so many people are after that pen drive, even the infamous organization, The Grim Reaper, is after it.'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'Saagar bhai didn't know about that pen drive.'"

"Dadaji slammed the table and said, 'But why did you go stealing without telling anyone?'"

"Abhimanyu replied, 'It was his fault, and I didn't know anything about that pen drive before trying to save him.'"

"Dadaji said, 'For now, we've kept your involvement hidden, and we've also caught those who fled from there. But you'll also face punishment for this.'"

"Abhimanyu calmly accepted the punishment."

"Grandfather took a deep breath and said, 'You will complete your 12th from a school in Delhi.'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'But Grandfather, what about my training?'"

"Grandfather said, 'You have one month to complete your gun and sniping training before leaving for Delhi.'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'Yes, grandfather,' and then went to his room from there."

"Abhimanyu was thinking why grandfather gave such a strange punishment and there must be something important about going to Delhi."

"Abhimanyu went to his room and fell asleep after setting aside his worries."

"Lalita came to wake him up around 8 o'clock in the evening and said, 'Abhimanyu bhai, wake up. All the guests have arrived, and everyone is waiting for you. And here you are sleeping with your horses.'"

"Abhimanyu opened his eyes and said, 'I had just fallen asleep. It's already 8 o'clock?' Then he stretched himself, got up, and went to take a bath. After getting ready, he came out."

"Abhimanyu opened his eyes and said, 'I had just fallen asleep. It's already 8 o'clock?' Then he stretched himself, got up, and went to take a bath. After getting ready, he came out."

"Abhimanyu looked very handsome with his light tan skin and six-pack abs, as he was into regular exercise. Despite being just 17 years old, he could easily defeat adults, thanks to his extensive martial arts practice since childhood. He had attained a black belt in several martial arts disciplines, but he never stopped his training."

As Abhimanyu stepped outside, Lalita exclaimed, "Brother, you're looking very handsome!"

"Abhimanyu said, 'Stop the false praise and let's go now.'"

"Abhimanyu's three sisters are also looking quite beautiful, and Lalita has started receiving marriage proposals. However, Lalita's father has postponed any decisions, stating that she is still very young."

"Abhimanyu is now 17 years old, and Lalita is just 1 year younger, meaning she is 16. His birthday passed last week, and many VIP politicians, military personnel, commissioners, and officers attended the party. However, mostly military personnel attend Abhimanyu's party. Most of the police officers used to get annoyed with Abhimanyu because he would solve cases before them and always take the law into his own hands. However, due to his grandfather's influence, he always manages to escape punishment."

"Abhimanyu asked, 'How many and who came to the party?'"

"Lalita said, 'All the military people, big uncles' friends, grandpa's friends, and some politicians and commissioner too.'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'There isn't any other officer with the commissioner?'"

"Lalita said, 'No, apart from the commissioner, no one else from the police department attends your party.'"

"Abhimanyu jokingly said, 'What will I eat them if they come to the party?'"

"Lalita said, 'Forgot what you did two years ago.'

Abhimanyu asked, 'What did I do?'"

"Lalita said, 'You asked such weird and difficult questions that everyone stopped talking. After that, you played so many pranks on them that no one came to the previous party, and this time too, they didn't come for the same reason.'"

"Abhimanyu said, 'But they came last week.'"

"Lalita said, 'They came because of my dad, but throughout the party, they kept avoiding you.'"

"Abhimanyu replied, 'But I was just a kid back then, and I won't play the same prank every time.'"

"Lalita said, 'By the way, the Commissioner's daughter also came.'"

"Abhimanyu asked, 'Karishma, and in as Bihar ?'"

"Lalita said, 'Yes, she's come to spend the holidays. She'll return to Delhi tomorrow.'"

"Karishma is Commissioner Vijay Khanna's daughter. Abhimanyu and Karishma have been friends since childhood and they've pulled off many pranks together. However, after passing the 10th grade, she shifted to Delhi because she had to start her own business there. Her parents still live here, and she stays in Delhi with her aunt. Her aunt runs a large fashion clothing company there, and she went there to get business training from her."

"On the other hand, almost all the guests had arrived at the mansion, and the cake was ready too, just waiting for Abhimanyu's..."