Telugu love story modalindhi ma clg sagara end ayyindhi na life long lo



I can't stay silent for more than five minutes when we're drinking our drinks. I started talking with him again. 

I told him that, " You know at some point I feel like we have lots of similarities and also lots of differences in nature. Like I can't stay silent when I'm with someone. I love to talk and you're silent now. I think you love to be silent." 

He says " Everyone has different nature, still that's good that you find similarities between our nature. I love to hear more than to speak." 

I feel okay so he won't mind if I talk too much with him at least he will listen to me silently. 

We both are in the beginning of our friendship and still there are many things which we need to know about each other. 

I asked him " Tell me what you do in your free time. Other than listening to music and singing a song." 

He told me that, " I love to watch movies and webseries. Sometimes going out with my friends. Now you tell me what you do in your free time?" 

I replied to him that, " I read the Novels, watch movies, webseries, and sometimes go out with friends, roommates. Tell me which is your favorite movie?" 

He told me that, " In my favourite movie list it's more than two movies. Some movies I don't get bored no matter how many times I watch it. I love 'Arjun Reddy', 

'KGF' , All parts of Marvel, and this list will go long and long. Tell me about your favourite movie or movie list." 

I tell him that," My favourite movie is also not one it's list includes different languages movies like, 'Chello Divas' in Gujarati language, 'Geetha Govindam' in Telugu language, 'M.S. Dhoni' in Hindi, 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter' movies all parts in English language. This is my favourite movie list." 

He smiles and says, " Oh great Don't you like Marvel's movies?" 

I smiled and said " Well, I have seen some Marvel movies but not all. My favourite characters are Doctor Strange, Iron Man and Thor." 

He says, " My favourite character is Iron Man in the avengers series." 

Our drinks get finished and I take my pocket out to give the money. 

As I told him that this time the treat is from my side and next time he will give me a treat at his favourite place to drink tea. 

So I pay the bill today for our evening tea and coffee. 

After paying the bill we both come out from the cafe. 

I look at the time on my phone it's 5:35p.m. in the evening. 

We both are walking towards the car where it's parked. 

After sitting in the car he told me " So it's 5:40 p.m. and there is still time to go to dinner. Where would you like to go?" 

I was already thinking that now what next where we will go because we still don't have that much time. I was about to ask him what his plan was for going to the next place and here he is asking me where I want to go. After thinking a little bit I told him that, " We should go to the place which is in the city and a little bit calm where we can spend the time for dinner and our dinner place is also near to that place." 

He smiles and says, " I understand what you are saying and I know one place where we can enjoy together.So can we start our journey now?" 

I smile and say to him, " Okay, let's go. Can you tell me where we are going." 

He starts the car and also starts the music tape. 

He has a place in his mind and he decides where we will go. He asked me should we start our journey. So I said yes to start our journey and asked him where we should go. 

He smirks and says, " You will get to know when we reach the destination." 

I feel a little irritated because he is keeping things and said, " You can tell me at least name of place but I think you're not in the mood to tell me. I think we both are equally stubborn." 

He looks at me and says, "Well you're saying the truth. So there's something similar between us. You started knowing me." 

I smiled and said, " Yes , I've started knowing you. We have similarities between us and also differences between." 

He says, "Well with the time we will discuss more similarities and differences between us let the right come." 

Our conversation continues and he drives the car while enjoying the music. 

After a twenty minutes ride we reached our destination.

"What kind of love do you want from me?" Aarav asked Aarya. 

 " I want you to love me Till You Can. I don't want you to say anything in pressure. I want you to realize your feelings for me from your heart. I only want your love from your heart."
Aarya told Aarav. 

Aarav is a guy who doesn't want to fall in love with his friend Aarya because he is afraid of falling in love and to accept his feelings towards her. Aarya wants that he realises his feelings without having any fear about love. 

Aarya is a medical student who was always focused on her studies and she fell in love for the first time with Aarav. Aarya is a girl loved by all the people around her. 

Aarav is an Engineer student who is interested in making his career in singing. For other people, he is a kind of guy who can express only one emotion that's anger. Only people who are close to him knew him properly.


Will Aarav understand what loves truly means?



To know more about them read the mesmerising journey of Aarya and Aarav.

It's my first fiction novel if you love to read it please share it, give your review and vote to my novel.


* "Kurma Vyuhamunaku swaagatam, suswaagatam!" the girl welcomed the courtiers with a majestic tone that belied her age. "Dheerulaaraa! Dharma paripaalanaa dakshulaaraa! Saraswathi manasa putrulaaraa! Seela susampanna paamarulaaraa! Maa sabhaki venchesinandulaku dhanyavadamulu." She looked around the hall where everyone seemed to hang on to her words. Though she was a mere ten year old child, her voice rang with clarity. "Kurma Vyuhamu inkentha maathramoo surakshitamu kaadu." There was an uproar among the audience that was instantly silenced with a withering look from the child. "Twaralone manamu ee kotanu khaalee chesi surakshithamaina veroka chotuku tarali vellavale. Ee samaavesamu mana kaaryaacharana pranaalikanu nirnayinchutake. Pradhaana manthri varyaa, mee yerukalo unna athi surakshitamaina chotu yedi?"
A life form with the head of an eagle, the body of a human and the legs of a horse, rose up to speak. 
** "Thalli! Prasthutha paristhithilo Padma Vyuhamunaku velluta anni vidhaalaa sreyaskaramu, kshemamu, laabhadaayakamoo kooda." 
It had been long decided that Telugu would be the common tongue of the Union of Galaxies that were part of the Aakaasa Empire. So, though he spoke in a tongue that sounded like the call of an eagle, the universal translator device that everyone carried translated it automatically into the common tongue as well as the trillions of languages that the representatives and people of the empire spoke. So everyone present could understand the common tongue. 
 "Senapathi garu, mee abhipraayamu enti?" 
A life form resembling a swan spoke with a gentle female voice that belied the battle hardened bluntness. 
"Thalli, nenu kuda ekeebhavistunnanu. Padma Vyuhamunu chedinchina vaaru mana saamraajyamlone leru, undaboru kooda. Abhedyamu mana Padma Vyuhamu."
"Meeremantaru, Gurudeva?"
A being who was bent in every possible angle answered in a voice that sounded like stones put in a tin and shaken vigorously. 
 "Subhasya seeghram!" 
"Astu! Gurudevulu nirnayinchina muhurtamulo, mana payanam Padma Vyuhamunaku saagutundi! Jai Aadi Paraashakthi!"
"Jai Aadi Paraashakthi! Jai Aakaasa Rajyam!" the hall reverberated with the voices of the courtiers. The girl spoke something and the public disappeared with a flash of bright light. Each time the girl said something one of the courtiers would disappear. She did this 18 times and at last she was the only one left in the great Darbar Hall. She stood up and jumped down from the throne. She then walked towards the door with a face that was as calm as that of a playful child. She took confident, deliberate steps that belied her age. One by one the glow of the throne and the seats disappeared as she came closer to the door. When she placed her hand on the door to pull it open, the only light was from the broken windows. She stepped out into the desolate exterior of the palace. She then hurried along the roads that were still empty unaware that she had been observed by hidden eyes. Or perhaps she didn't care? 
Glossary:
*Kurma Vyuham is a battle strategy wherein the troops are arranged in a turtle formation. The enemy is lured into each part of the formation and then annihilated bit by bit. This is best shown in the movie Redcliff part one. Here it is used as a name for a secret strong hold that is protected like a fortress.
**Thalli – it is a respectful way of addressing a female child equating her with the divine mother Paraashakthi who is supposed to be the mother of all creation.
*** Saraswathi – goddess of learning as per sanatana dharma.
****Padma Vyuham – also known as chakra vyuham, it is considered one of the most complex battle formations described in The Mahabharata. In this formation the troops are arranged in a circle or like the petals of a lotus one petal overlapping the other. This means there are no gaps to exploit. One has to break a link to enter and unless one knows how to come out, there is no guarantee of a victory. Here it refers to the most secure strong hold. 
Translation of the Telugu conversation: 
"A hearty welcome to Kurma Vyuham!" ... "Warriors! Just, able, Administrators! Learned Scholars blessed by Goddess Saraswthi! Morally upright ordinary citizens! Thank you for attending our court"(Royal We) ..... "Kurma Vyuham is no longer safe." ..... "We need to vacate this fort soon and relocate to a safer place. This meeting is to decide our plan of action. Mr. Prime Minister. What is the safest place you know?" 
"Mother, in the present circumstances, it is safest, most fruitful and best to go to Padma Vyuham."
"General, what is your opinion?"
"Mother, I agree. There is no one in our empire who has broken into Padma Vyuham; nor will there be such a person ever. Padma Vyuham is impenetrable."
"What do you say Gurudev?"
"The sooner the better."
"So be it. At an auspicious moment decided by Gurudev, our journey to Padma Vyuham will commence. Hail Aadi paraashakthi!"
"Hail Aadi Paraashakthi! Hail Aaakasa Empire!"
 ...............&&&&................

a princess is born again and again. she has a purpose she needs to fulfil before she can finally attain moksha - salvation - and freedom from rebirth. is she alone in this quest or is she assisted by anyone ?

Poonam convinced Yajna to join her in the competition. On the day of the competition, Nikhil was anchoring Job "Hello guys, Welcome to New Year Special Singing Competition…" 

Few Trainees sang a song. It was Poonam's turn. She sang from "Kuch khas hai kuch paas hai song from Fashion movie". 

Next was Yajna's turn. She started singing "Taylor swift Love Story song" 

"We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air
... 

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think"

Yajna continued singing surprisingly Nikhil started singing along with her
"He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
And said, "Marry me, Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say, Yes
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you"  

Yajna muttered to Nikhil "That was unexpected" 

Yajna said "Thank you" to the audience and left. 

A Tamil guy named Ganesh sang a Telugu song which is dubbed version of Tamil song "Yethi Yethi from Varanam Aayiram" 

Atshara said "He is Tamilian. He could have sang that song in Tamil" 

Yajna laughed and said 
"I heard it from him. He wants to marry Telugu girl, he believes Telugu girls are beautiful and he started learning the language for his future wife" 

After everyone sang the song. One of the judges said "I felt our anchor could sing well too. Why don't you sing a song for us?" 

Nikhil asked "Should I have to sing now? I didn't prepare anything" 

Nikhil started singing 'Phir Mohabbat song from Murder 2' without Karoke

Yajna looked at Nikhil in surprise. "Why do I feel he is singing for me?" 

"Jab jab tere paas main aaya, Ik sukoon mila
Jise main tha bhoolta aaya, Wo wajood mila
Jab aaye mausam gham ke, Tujhe yaad kiya
Jab sehme tanhapan se, Tujhe yaad kiya" 

(Meaning: Whenever I came near you, I got a peace,
The one I had kept forgetting, I got that existence
When the weather of sorrow came, I remembered you,
When I was scared with loneliness, I remembered you) 

"Dil.. Sambhal ja zara
Phir mohabbat karne chala hai tu
Dil.. yahin ruk jaa zara
Phir mohabbat karne chala hai tu
Aisa kyun kar hua janu naa
Main janu naa" 

(Meaning: O heart, be steady,
You're going to fall in love again,
O heart, stop here itself,
You're going to fall in love again,
How it has happened, don't know,
I don't know..) 

Everyone appreciated him after he finished his song. 

Judges have announced the winner of the competition "Poonam in third place, Ankit in 2nd place and Aayush in first place" 

Yajna congratulated Poonam on winning the second place. 

Yajna said to Nikhil "If you have participated, you would have won the First place of the competition"

Nikhil said "I know"

Ankur muttered to Nikhil "Did you just proposed to her through the song?" 

Nikhil said "Nooo.. Maybe"

A forbidden love story of Draupati and Karna in Mahabharata. This novel will not talk about actual mahabharata story. 

Additionally, the first part of the story talks about employees and Trainees experiences in Infosys Campus, Mysore.



Janani walked gingerly up the red carpet ,her fingers gripping tightly to Armaan's rock hard biceps . 

There was a huge crowd in the foyer and cameras were flashing in all the directions and she felt very uncomfortable 

They paused to talk to a couple who seemed vaguely familiar .They are foreigners and she had no idea how she knows them.Relieved to see atleast two friendly faces and trying to work out where she knew them from ,Janani smiled and chatted ,finding them surprisingly approachable .She definitely knew them from somewhere 

As Armaan led her away into the foyer, she was still smiling. 

"They were nice. I know I’ve met them before somewhere ,I can’t think where—. Do they work with you? What are their names? Which country are they from??" 

When he told her, she stared at him in mortified silence. 

"Right. Both of them Hollywood stars. The reason I know their faces is because I’ve seen them both in the movies. Now I’m embarrassed. Oh, my God—they must have wondered why I was grinning at them like an idiot." She cried in embarrassment 

"You were charming and not at all star-struck. And you didn’t ask for their autograph ,which is always refreshing " 

"That's because I didn't recognize them. If I had I would have definitely asked for an autograph" Janani tightened her grip on his arms "Do you think they realized?? What if I offended them??" 

"They enjoyed talking to you. There is no need to make holes in my arm" and she slackened her grip 

Armaan gritted his teeth. 

Finally he saw Janani Trivedi in action 

This is how she does her magic around people 

Janani was relieved when they moved into the event hall but the relief was short lived as she was forced to separate away from Armaan, the only person she knows here, by the hostess of the event 

She became even more apprehensive when the hostess made her sit between two old men roughly in their early seventies who appears to have a poker face. 

A while later Armaan was talking to Arjun Shastri the PRO of the hospital for which the charity event is conducted 

"I thought you are off the dating scene Armaan. I thought you would be coming alone for the event like you did for the last one year" Tanya ,the hostess said as she approached them. 

She stroked her long red fingernails on his sleeves and continued 

"So tell me what's it about her that brought you out of your self imposed celibacy??" 

"You need to ask??" Armaan asked raising his eyebrows 

"Well, she’s pretty, of course, in a slightly unsophisticated way that a man might find appealing—" 

There was a flinty glint in Tanya’s eyes and Armaan turned his head and noticed Janani laughing uninhibitedly with the two South Indian billionaires, both known for their arrogant refusal to speak English at social events. 

They were taciturn, remote and notoriously unapproachable and yet both appeared to be listening to Janani with rapt attention. 

How was she making herself understood?? 

From across the table, Armaan tried to hear what she was saying. She was chatting non-stop, her hands moving as she illustrated her point. Occasionally she paused to sip champagne or listen to their response. 

"Clever of you to find a woman who speaks both Tamil and Malayalam" Tanya said "given your business interests with them. Is that how you met? Is she an interpreter or something?" 

Janani spoke Tamil and Malayalam?? 

Unable to hear her above the noise from the surrounding tables, Armaan focused his gaze on her lips and realised that she was indeed speaking a different language 

His hostess was watching him. 

"You didn’t know, did you? Well, if she can persuade them to open their wallets when the charity auction begins, then she’ll certainly get my vote." She said and walked away 

Where had Janani learned to speak their language 

Why hadn’t she mentioned it when he’d told her that they didn’t speak good English and that she wouldn’t be able to communicate without an interpreter? 

 And then he remembered her responding that she wouldn’t need an interpreter. At the time he’d assumed she’d meant that she’d be using sign language and lots of smiles—not once had it occurred to him that she spoke their language. 

"Isn't that Janani Trivedi???" He heard Arjun Shastri asking 

Armaan stiffened 

How does Arjun knows Janani 

Did she have a fling with him too?? 

"You know her???" Armaan asked and held his breath 

Arjun looked a little uncomfortable and then answered vaguely 

"Through a friend. My room mate at university ,Vikram is from Janani's hometown. I have met her a few times" Arjun said avoiding Armaan's eyes 

Armaan tensed hearing the name Vikram 

"Dr Vikram Thakur??" He asked for confirmation and saw the startled look in Arjun's eyes 

"You know about Vikram??" he asked and then sighed in relief 

"That's good anyway. I'm happy that Janani has moved on finally, even though it took two years for her. Don't hurt her Armaan. She had been hurt pretty badly by Vikram. I know you are not into commitment. Don't give her hope" Arjun said and Armaan didn't know what to feel 

Two years he said? 

Wasn't it two years before she came for the surrogacy 

It was in the last two years only there were multiple crimes in her name 

Before two years, she had an absolutely clean chart 

What happened two years ago?? 

Was that heartbreak the reason for her to go off the trails for the last two years 

It seems a very convincing reason 

People behave differently when heartbroken 

Janani might have had a terrible one if she did things so out of her character 

And maybe having Advi brought her back to tracks 

Having Advi might have helped her to get over her heartache 

But the thought of her being so in love with Vikram Thakur brought a strange ache in him 

He sighed 

Now he is making excuses for her behaviour ,great!! 

He is definitely going crazy 

He came out of his mental discussion and saw Janani having a brief talk with Arjun after which she returned back to Rajath Pillai and Raghu Ramaswamy. 

Coffee was served as the auction began and there was a sudden flurry of movement as people swapped seats. 

Her cheeks pink with excitement,Janani swayed to her feet and found her way to the seat next to him. 

"I’m having such a nice time. Those men are so sweet. You should have mentioned how funny they were." 

Armaan tightened his grip on the glass. 

"Just as you should possibly have mentioned the fact that you’re fluent in their language " 

"You were being arrogant and I thought it would be more fun to just surprise you. I thought it might teach you not to underestimate people." Craning her neck, she looked over his shoulder towards the stage and the dance floor. "What’s happening now?" 

Armaan fingered the stem of his glass. 

"I do not underestimate people." 

"Yes, you do. But you probably can’t help it" she said kindly. "Is there going to be dancing?" 

"It’s the auction first. The bidding will raise money for the charity." Armaan was still watching her. "Do you speak any other languages?" 

"A little bit of Kannada and Telugu. So am I allowed to bid for something?" 

"You speak four languages?" 

"Six, if you count Hindi and English. How much am I allowed to bid?" 

"Why didn't you learn any foreign languages??" He asked sarcastically 

"Maa wouldn't allow me to watch foreign movies when I was a kid as they have so much kissing and all" 

"Movies??? Are you telling me that you learned all these languages on your own" he asked and Janani laughed taking another sip of her champagne 

"I'm a movie buff Armaan. And I'm a sucker for south Indian movies. At nursery age when my friends used to watch cartoons I was fascinated by movies and serials." 

Armaan brooded 

Everything about Janani Trivedi is so very contradicting and he is so damn confused 

He was dimly aware of Janani leaning across the table, coaxing the South Indian billionaires into bidding enormous sums of money in the charity auction. 

Even Tanyaa was looking impressed as Janani switched between Tamil Malayalam and Hindi, extracting more money from the billionaires 

If the circumstances had been different, Armaan would have laughed. As it was, he just wanted to leave. 

Armaan watched with a frown as Tanya made sure that Janani's glass was kept topped up. She was drinking the champagne as if it were soda, and he realised that if he didn’t remove her from this table quickly she was going to be drunk. 

As the auction ended and a band started warming up on the stage, Armaan drained his glass and turned to Janani. "We’re leaving." 

"No way. The dancing is about to start" Janani swayed in her seat 

"I’ve never known Armaan to dance. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he didn’t have rhythm." Tanya said looking at Armaan giving him a knowing look and he saw Janani's happy smile falter as she digested the meaning behind those words. 

And as it is an already established fact that he could do anything to make her smile he pulled her into his arms and made his way to the dance floor making people who know Armaan Verma look on in wonder 

"Smile." Armaan said as he slid his arms around her waist 

"What is there to smile about? She’s flaunting the fact she’s had sex with you. She’s vile. And you have no taste. No wonder you’ve never wanted to settle down with anyone if she’s the sort of person you’ve been seeing." Janani said 

She is definitely drunk 

She would have never said that if she is not 

"I have not had sex with her" Armaan breathed, bending his head so that he spoke the words in her ear and couldn’t be overheard. Immediately, her perfume wound itself round his senses. 

"She was trying to cause trouble. Trying to hurt you. Don’t let her. You’re just over-emotional because you’ve had too much champagne. Now smile" 

"Well, if I was really in a relationship with you as she thinks we are, I would have punched her. And I’m not over-emotional, I’m justifiably emotional." She said 

They swayed together on the dance floor on the romantic number 

Armaan felt every cell in his body getting alive as they are plastered to each other chest to chest ,hip to hip. 

Janani hiccuped and then looked at him apologetically 

"Sorry. I may have drunk just a little bit too much champagne—I’ve never had it before and it’s delicious." 

"You’ve never had champagne before?" He asked frowning suspiciously 

"Never." She said leaning her forhead against his chest 

He lifted his hand and removed a strand of hair that have managed to loop itself around his bowtie 

"I think I would better take you home" 

"No way. I want to dance more. I like it here and I have never been to a party like this before" she swayed forcing him to sway along 

Never been to a party like this before?? 

"There is another event tomorrow. I will take you with me for that. And I will make sure to not give you champagne " he muttered the last sentence under his breath 

"I don’t care about tomorrow. I want to live for today. I like this party." She slid her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, her breath warm against his neck. "Please, Armaan, dance with me. You know you want to." 

He locked his fingers around her wrists, intending to remove her arms, but then she smiled up at him and he found himself so captivated by that smile that instead of removing her arms, he slid his hands down her warm skin. 

Her back was bare, her skin warm and smooth and tempting and raw lust shot through him. Without thinking about what he was doing, Armaan lowered his mouth towards hers. 

"Teri Galiya....galiyaa teri..." 

Armaan froze as she started to sing along 

"Janani" Armaan felt tension prickle down his spine 

"I like singing while dancing" she giggled merrily 

Armaan picked up a drunk Janani in a swift move making her squeal 

She wound her arms tightly around his neck and her face nuzzled against his neck increasing the tension in Armaan's body 

"You smell so good" she mumbled making him groan as he took long strides across the hall 

As soon as he dumped her in her room he could have a cold cold shower 

Driving with a drunk Janani in the passenger seat singing nursery rhymes to herself, he cursed under his breath 

He had no idea Janani had such a low tolerance for alcohol 

Once he dropped her in her room and turned to go he heard her wailing loudly 

"Where are my babies??" She asked looking around the room 

"They are sleeping Janani. You too go to sleep" Armaan said 

"Sleeping?? Without me?? I want to see my babies" she cried and he sighed in frustration 

What had he brought upon himself 

"You will wake them up Janani" he tried to make her understand 

"I won't" she said straightening up and placing her index finger on her lips indicating that she would be silent 

She is not going to lie down without seeing them 

So he took her to Ava's room where both Ava and Advi are cuddled together with pillow walls around them and Mrs Seth on her bed already sleeping 

They walked in without waking them and stood there looking contentedly at the children 

Armaan felt the scene too intimate 

He wanted this forever ,the unbidden thought rushed into his mind and Janani chose that moment to lean her head on to his shoulders 

"Don't take my babies away from me Armaan" she mumbled before passing out 

He silently picked her up and carried her to her room and placed her on the bed 

He unhooked the buttons of her dress to make her more comfortable without removing the dress and he covered her with the duvet 

He slowly tucked the wayward fringes of her hair behind her ears and bent down to press a light kiss on her forehead 

"Why are you so difficult to understand Janani??"

Janani Trivedi has something that is very very precious to Armaan Verma. So when Armaan storms into her life to reclaim what's his, Janani let's the forbidding businessman believe the worst of her

Though Janani Trivedi seems gentler that Armaan has known of, he's resolved to make her pay. 

Let's see what happens when Janani's secret is out!! 
Or how the formidable businessman works it out

PS : Inspired from Mills and Boon

"The moment everyone is waiting for. Let's welcome..... Super star Arjun Vishwa Aryan"

Clap!  Clap!  Clap!

Whistle!  Whistle!  Whistle!

"Arjun!"
"Arjun!"
"Arjun!" 
"Arjun!"
"Arjun!"
 .....
 ...
 ..

The sounds of thunderous claps, buzzing whistles, passionate screams accompanied by the background BGM shook the ground, creating a small earthquake. 

Tens of thousands people cheering at the top their lungs.

The celebrities at the front, including famous directors, star actors and actresses,  popular singers, choreographers, musicians... everyone stood up, and started clapping with admiring expressions; especially female celebrities.

The huge stage across the crowd is shining with myriad starry lights, as if welcoming a celestial being.

As the whole world is excitedly witnessing this long-awaited moment, an extremely handsome young man, named Arjun Vishwa Aryan ( in short Arjun) wearing complete silver white tuxedo started walking towards the stage. His whole being filled with majesty and grandeur, especially his charming handsome face. Short-jet black hair, pair of icy-blue eyes, jewel-like sharp nose, thin lips which held a light smile making young female fans' hearts flutter. Every part of Arjun's body potrayed his unparrallel handsomeness. Even if all the top male models combine, it might not be enough to compare with him.

 In the face of overbearing crowd, Arjun didn't show an ounce of panic. Step by step, he slowly but confidently strolled towards the stage.

Just as he is about to step on the first step of the stage, his foot lost balance and his body akwardly started falling back. The whole world started spinning before his eyes. The stage, lights, celebrities, fans, claps, whistles, the mc who was about announce the award, everything... everything became a blur and started disappearing.

.....
...
..

"No, no, my award, my beautiful award...."

Thud !

"Ouch, that hurt... So the whole thing was just a dream?" Arjun dazedly mumbled to himself while rubbing his hurting head with one hand and his butt with the other.

 Arjun was 20 years old, recently granduated from a first rate drama university. Yesterday he went to his 17th interview for a small role in a local movie. Though he had a handsome face and decent talent, just like the previous interviews, he wasn't selected. Reason? simple! He lacked money to bribe and connection for recommendations. 

Drowned in sorrow, he got drunk last night before coming back to his room. It's not his first time dreaming about the award and certainly not a second time either.

Arjun dazedly looked around and felt like something is different today.

'whatever. Must be my hallucination!' pushing the creeping uneasy feeling aside, he got himself up with the support of the bed.

Arjun suddenly thought of something and hastily pushed the pillow on the bed aside. There was an exquisite mobile phone under the pillow. 

A delighted expression appeared on his face. Wasn't this exact mobile phone he pickup by the roadside last night? he might make a small fortune by selling it. Thinking up to here, he laughed and gently took the phone into his hands and started checking it out. 

The mobile phone is 7.5 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width. it neither had a cover on it's back nor a safety glass on the screen. Its back is fully black and just like most of the other smart phones, it had front and back cameras, the start up button is on the right and volume buttons are on the left. As for the logo on the back.....

' 'Om' symbol (1)? A new company?' Arjun thought puzzlingly. As far as he could remember, there was no mobile company with that logo.

'If it is a new company, then there might be some new features...' with expectant look, he pressed the startup button. Immedialy the screen lit up. It didn't ask for any password but directly opened up the home screen.

There were only 2 apps on the home screen- Google, YouTube.

With a smile, Arjun swiped left
"....."
he swiped right
"....."
he swiped top
"....."
he swiped bottom
"....."
he shook the phone
"....."
 .....
 ....

A few moments later

With an ugly smile, he punched the phone
"....."

he bit it with between his teeth
"....."

 .....

 ....

A few minutes later

"What kind of shitty phone is this? It doesn't even had a charging bar" after trying everything he could, Arjun felt like crying. Except of those 2 apps, there was nothing else in there. How could there be a smart phone like this? Even a good old Nokia phone had more options than this one!
With a disgusted expression, he threw it onto the wall.

 The mobile phone flew off in the air and hit the wall. Unexpectedly it didn't break but bounced back and hit Arjun's head.

"F*ck" Arjun cursed loudly as fell down on his bed. His head felt like splitting off. Clutching on to it, he wailed at the excruciating pain.

 Suddenly some unfamiliar yet familiar memories rushed into his brain making his thoughts blurry and unclear. They started merging into his brain...

The pain didn't last long, it receded in just 5 minutes. 

As he regained his clarity, Arjun's eyes widened in disbelief as he once again started looked around in his room.

Damn !!!

No wonder he felt like something is off with his room today. This- this is not his room he slept in last night.

 Everything here is different.

The colour of the walls is not white anymore but light yellow.

The 3-winged fan attached to the ceiling became a 4-winged fan.

The hexagonal clock with a santa toy on the wall became a plain triangular clock.

The Sunny Leone's sexy posters on the wall disappeared.

The mirror that should be on the wall of the back of the bed is on the wall in front.

The reflection in mirror... it is still the same handsome and beautiful face of his previous self. Hmm, then it should be okay....

"...ok my a*s ! I f*cking transmigrated to a parrallel world" Arjun slapped himself thinking the whole thing is a dream. Transmigrate? How did he transmigrate? He neither hit by a truck-kun nor did he struck by lightning... How in the hell did he even transmigrate? His thoughts wandered as his head is in a mess.

Suddenly his eyes landed on the PC at the corner. There was a logo written "Dream" instead of "Microsoft", even the monitor's size is a lot different. The colour, design.... wait, PC? Arjun's eyes lit up. He hastily went to the PC and pressed the startup button. 

The screen lit up in a few seconds. 'AXcdffgd123' Arjun's fingers danced on the keyboard without any unfamiliarity. He typed the complex password naturally like he was very familiar with it before.

Before long, many applications Arjun unfamiliar with appeared on the window. Moving the cursor, he clicked the eye shaped application on the top right corner. From his memories he know it is a search engine.

After opening it, he typed "Titanic" and clicked the enter button.

Error!

".....!!!" Arjun's eyes widened in disbelief. Still, his hands didn't stop typing.

"Harry Potter series"

Error!

"Marvel"

Error!

"Gangam style"

Error!

"Despacito"

Error!

"Taare Zameen Par"

Error!

"Lagan"

Error!

"Bahubali" 

Error!

.....

...

..

Mess, A huge Mess. After two hours of internet surfing, he concluded that this whole world is a big Mess. 

The planet name is still "Earth", but it's size, it's a lot bigger than the previous one.

The seven wonders are still seven, but the seven continents are not 7 here, instead 5 :The Great Asia, Europe Kingdom, American Empire, African continent, Australian Island.

The economic and technology standards of this Earth rose by 100 years but the entertainment, literary standards fell by 200 years.

Ancient Epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana are still there, but their translations, adaptations lacked in quality.

Historical events like Freedom Movement, Salt Satyagraha Movement are still present but there no traces of many great figures like Bhagath singh, Jansi Lamxi Bai...

Prime poet of Telugu Nannaya, Sophistry poet Tenali Ramakrishna, Rabindra Nath Tagore, NandhaMoori Taraka Ramarao, Legendary Director Rajamouli, Great actress Savitri, Super star Mahesh babu, Rebel Star Prabhas, Power Star Pawan Kalyan, Great Movies like Bahubali, 3 Idiots, Race Gurram, Comedy show Jabardasth, Dance show Dhee, Daily Serials like Heart and Care ( Manasu Mamatha), the Pearl of a Wife ( Bharyamani)... disappeared without a trace. This world's entertainment industry, it's entirely different from his previous world.

'What a random mess! How did I even arrive to this world? Went to an interview, failed it as usual, got drunk, picked up a phone by roadside, sle-... wait, the mobile phone.' Arjun abruptly turned and looked around. His eyes landed on the mobile phone at the corner of room with no hint of damage on it. His expression brightened and his heart started thumping with unknown excitement.

Without hesitation, Arjun gently picked up the phone with care like a precious porcelain doll. The screen was still lit up with the only 2 apps: Google, YouTube.

He opened the YouTube app and started typing in 'search' panel 

"Despacito"

'Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee' with this title, a video clip appeared on the screen. It's the same video of 4:47 min duration with 6.9 Billion views from his world.

Arjun slapped his thigh hard and started laughing madly "Indeed. This thing does had access to the previous world. Doesn't that mean I can reproduce all the classics from the previous world here?

Hahahahaha...

I can see my road to become an ultimate plagiari- *cough World Famous Super Star!"


Author Note:

1. 'om' symbol - Om or Aum is a sacred sound and a spiritual symbol in Indian religions. It signifies the essence of the ultimate reality, consciousness or Atman.

Arjun picked up a strange mobile phone that only had 2 apps: YouTube, Google. The next day he woke up, he found himself in a parrallel world. Surprisingly, the phone also accompanied him to this world.

With the cheat-like phone and a handsome face, Arjun found himself the way to realise his dreams thus becomes an ultimate plagoriz- *ahem World Famous Super Star.


Note: Cover isn't mine, all credit to the it's creator :)

( Dropped )



Pravallika walked shakily into the garden full of red grass. Red grass? Why was the grass red instead of green? Where was she? She looked around her and realised she was in a sea of red grass; small neatly trimmed one, the medium sized one and the tall ten feet tall one that could hide an army in it. It was as if she was standing in the midst of fire. Where had she seen such grass before? She thought hard trying to recall where she had read about it. 

According to the lesson on Plains, Plateaus and Mountains in her 9th class (grade) geography text book, red grass was grown only in the Province of Aruna Darbha Seema which literally meant Red Grass Land. This province was connected to the main land by air and water. She had heard that there was also a secret underground route that was used only for special situations. There were a lot of security measures on this route she had heard. It was said that this secret route would open only to the truly deserving citizens of the empire – the true empire of Swargapuri – not the evil Sourabha Rajyam. Legend has it that Queen Vasundhara had used this land to train and transport her troops to the capital defeating the evil king Sourabha Raya. Had she discovered that route by chance? But she was a simple 18 year old girl. How could she be such a true citizen of the old empire if she did not even know about it properly? All she had learnt about the old empire had come through reading books in the Royal Shakteya Library near her house. 

How had she ended up here? She took a deep breath as she pondered on her next step. Since going back was not an option, she decided to move ahead. She was careful as she had heard that the red grass hid people as tall as 7 feet. She walked for a long time without encountering anything dangerous – not even a rabbit which was strange. Was this even Aruna Darbha Seema? The real one? How could there be no animals or birds in a place where there was abundant grass and where a cool breeze blew? A cool breeze meant there was a source of water somewhere. She was starting to feel thirsty. She ran her lips over her now dry lips to moisten them. She decided to keep walking till she fell down dead. It seemed better than nothing. 

The sun overhead seemed to add to her torment as she walked, increasing her thirst making her throat go dry. She wiped the sweat forming on her forehead as she kept walking putting one step in front of the other. She was slowly losing her will to walk. How nice it would be to just lie down and rest? Perhaps she had already died but hadn’t realised it yet. Why else would she be on a land that parched your throat and made you want to die of thirst? Where the hell was this source of water the cool breeze was supposed to lead to? 

She stumbled over a loose stone and fell flat on her face. She didn’t want to get up, so she simple turned her face and lay there enjoying the cool, wet embrace of the land. Wet? She raised her head to see where she was and was greeted by a pleasant sight that was a treat for her eyes. She was sitting beside a beach – a river bank that ran as far as the eye could see. She got up with a new energy that was born of joy and relief at finally finding a source of water. She ran the few feet to the bank dipping her head in the cool fresh water. She drank her fill of the sweet energising liquid and finally sat on the beach. How nice it would be if she could stay here permanently. She could catch fish and rabbit and cook them. Find some roots and tubers and live the life of a hermit away from the real world full of horny, sadistic, perverse males whose only goal in life seemed to be tormenting women. These were her thoughts as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. 

Pravallika turned in her sleep pulling the warm blanket tighter around her. Blanket? She had started with nothing but the clothes on her body. She had even lost her pallu. So where did the blanket come from? She sat up with a start and looked around her. She realised she was in some kind of hut that was beautifully painted. She could not understand what the paintings meant but she was impressed by the skill of the artist. Was she a prisoner again? She looked at her hands and was shocked to find that they were not tied to the bed. Where was she? If she was a prisoner why had they not tied her up? What place was this? Had she been kidnapped by the tribal people of Kiratha Rajyam? She got up and came out of the hut to see a lot of people sitting around a woman. She seemed majestic and graceful – like a Princess; maybe she was a queen. 

The women were listening to her with rapt attention. The lady paused speaking when she noticed Pravallika beckoning her forward. Pravallika folded her palms in greeting as she went closer. 

“Had a good sleep?” 

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” 

“Are you hungry? Saru, bring her something to eat. Sit child.” 

Pravallika nodded her head and sat down. There were a lot of questions that she wanted to ask but was unable to gather enough courage. Who were these people? What will they do to her? They didn’t seem to be flesh eating cannibals but then who knows? No one had seen cannibals and lived to describe how they looked anyway. 

“You are curiously silent for someone so young. I see a maturity that is beyond your age. Don’t you want your doubts clarified dear?” 

Pravallika looked at the lady with wide eyes. How did she know? Could she read minds? 

“No, dear. I don’t read minds but I have enough experience to understand people. They call me Queen Sravya, though I sometimes feel I don’t deserve it.” She is so humble thought Pravallika looking at the queen with admiration. For an outsider to be accepted as a queen she must be remarkable indeed. “Please feel at home. We won’t harm a fellow human, much less a young one like you. Siri here will tell you whatever you wish to know.” She nodded to Siri who bowed to Sravya before leading Pravallika away. Pravallika folded her hands in greeting again before following Siri. 

The two women went to a vast mango tree and sat down. A basket of delicious ripe mangoes had already been kept there. 

“So, what do people call you young one? People call me Siri and I am the queen’s chief helper.” She said proudly. 

“I-I-M-my name is Pravallika. I am – have – am trying to finish s-s-school.” Pravallika stammered. What had happened to her? Why was she stammering? She took the ripe, juicy, mango Siri offered. Mmmmmm! She closed her eyes savouring the natural sweetness of a mango ripened on the tree naturally. She felt more confident as she took a second one taking her time to enjoy the fruit. 

“Er, Siri akka, where am I? What is this place? Have I been kidnapped?” 

“Chelli, you are in Shakti Peetham, the land of women. No, you have not been kidnapped. So don’t worry. Do you think your kidnappers would let you roam around freely like this?” Siri asked with a smile. 

“Sorry, akka. How did you find me?” 

“One of our scouting parties found you sleeping by the river Samhitha. So they brought you to the queen who ordered that you be placed in a hut. We had our doubts but since it was the queen’s order, we followed it. We trust the queen with our lives.” 

“Wow! She must indeed be a remarkable lady if she commands such loyalty and devotion from you. Please tell me about her akka. Please?” 

“Alright. But I warn you, it is a long story. I will not excuse you if you fall asleep in the middle of the story chelli.” She warned waving a finger at Pravallika who chuckled in good humour and sat straight, her attention on Siri. 

“We did not always live here.” Siri started telling the story of Shakti Peetham and how Sravya became their queen. 

Glossary: 

Akka :- a term used by native Telugu and Tamil people to address an elder female sibling or an older female stranger. 

Chelli :- a term used by native Telugu people to address a younger female sibling or a younger female stranger.

Sri Latha is has a doctorate in Ancient Earth History. She learns that she is a close relative of one of her professors. Does this revelation turn her life upside down? Is the professor so good as he seems to be or is there a hidden agenda behind his actions? Follow the journey of our protagonist as she unravels history that was not taught to the people. 
Warning: The book contains some chapters with descriptions that are not suitable for children. viewer discretion is advised. 
Rated 18+
Note: my fb author page link is given below:
https://www.facebook.com/vinthakadhawebnovels/?notif_id=1635869908127699&notif_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif

Read 8:04 am.

Alexis sighed and stared at the multitude of unanswered texts. It was a wonder Jackie hadn't blocked her at all. She was a terrible friend, she knew, and a cowardly one at that. Her approach to problems was always ignoring them. Perhaps if she pretended they didn't exist, they'd cease to exist. Alexis wasn't Aarav. She avoided confrontation like last season's clothes. 

Manipulation had never once been her intent. She never wanted to hurt anyone. Instead, she preferred to avert the worst possible outcome. Truth was an ugly and painful thing. It was better to whitewash it, wrap it up in pretty paper with a shiny bow, than to address it. Or at least, that was what Alexis always believed. Aarav disagreed and he made that crystal clear during their confrontation. 

She wasn't like him. Not at all. Being assertive was never a trait she owned. She never took charge and would rather let events run their course. All she did was sit back and watch. It was better to accept things the way they were instead of causing issues. Until it wasn't anymore. 

Lies were safe. Lies were fine. But only if they didn't come crumbling down. Times like this, Alexis wished she wasn't herself. If she had just been a little less passive, a little more bold, she would've spoken up the minute Liam and Mason made their wretched bet. But she was her and her inaction meant she was a horrible friend. She swallowed hard and wiped at her watery eyes. Jackie likely wouldn't forgive her and Alexis wouldn't blame her. 

Grabbing a tissue to dab at her face, she dialed Liam's number. The phone rang for a minute before going to voicemail. She grumbled and called him again. He had never been good at responding. 

"Alexis?" His voice was groggy from having just woken up. 

"Hey." The girl took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch. "I was just wondering if you've talked to Aarav or Jackie yet."

"Why would I?" 

"Well, both of them are mad about the bet."

"I know. 

"Aarav blew up at me the other day and Jackie isn't answering any of my texts."

"Some things can't be fixed. You didn't do anything. "

"That's the thing. I should've said something earlier about the bet. It's just…"

"You know how Aarav is. When he's mad, you don't push him further. His temper's a nasty thing." 

"He hit you in the face."

Liam scoffed. "He doesn't hit that hard." 

"Aarav might be blunt but he's not violent. He'd rather talk things out than start a fistfight. What'd you say to set him off?" 

"He figured out about the bet when I was talking to Mason." 

"And?" 

Something was wrong. She just couldn't place her finger in it. There was a piece missing from the overall equation. The blond was silent on the other end of the line for a moment until Alexis pointedly cleared her throat. 

"I kinda blamed him for Jessica's death too."

Alexis inhaled sharply. "Liam!" 

"Hey, he blamed me first!" 

"Now we're Aarav's two most hated people."

"You sure he doesn't hate Camilla more?"

Alexis groaned. "We have to fix this. You and me." 

"It's over. Jessica's gone. I can't be the only one who's noticed that our group's slowly been falling apart. It might be time to let it go instead of hanging onto dead memories."

"Maybe you're right. But friends forever or not, we have to make things up to them. Jackie especially." 

"There's no fixing this mess. Might as well leave it alone."

"You were the instigator in all this! You're not even going to try apologizing?" 

"Why would I? Neither are going to forgive me." 

"It's not about forgiveness. It's about setting the situation right."

Her grip tightened on the phone and she pressed her lips together. "I'm going to try, with or without you." 

. . .

Liam's betrayal had left a bruise, an emotional black and blue, aching every time she touched it. It was like when you kept poking and prodding at the injury, knowing it would hurt more but couldn't stop. Jackie had to stop herself from stalking his social media pages. Did he show any morsel of regret? She doubted it. People posted the most idealistic versions of their lives online. Even if Liam did feel sorry, the fact wouldn't appear on his Instagram page. 

So why did her fingers still hover over the link to his profile?

"Don't," Aarav said as though reading her mind. He might as well have. He could see through everything.

"I wasn't actually going to do it." 

He pulled to a stop at a red light and held out his hand. Long slender fingers, tips calloused from guitar. "Phone, now." 

"Fine." Jackie huffed but handed over her phone. It'd be better if temptation was removed anyway.

"You sure you don't want to stay home?" 

She held out both hands with palms facing upwards as though weighing her options. "Between going to the amusement park and crying in my room while listening to Taylor Swift, I prefer the former." 

"If that's what you really want." 

"I can blast 'White Horse' later, but no way am I missing up the chance for a day of fun." 

Aarav glanced at her and raised his eyebrows. "That's… actually a reasonable statement." 

"I have all the time in the world to be sad. But happiness is fleeting so I'd rather be happy." 

"Is it really happiness if it's forced?"

She rubbed her eyes. "I'd rather try to enjoy myself. There's more chance of me genuinely having fun than if I don't try at all."

"You're allowed to be sad. That's not something you can turn on and off. Don't feel like you need to rush to get over what happened."

"Does that also apply to you with Jessica?"

Aarav gave an almost imperceptible nod. "I guess it does." 

"Who's Jessica?" Aadhira asked from the backseat. She'd fallen asleep during the ride and was now rubbing her eyes. 

"It's not important." He pulled into a parking spot near a bright blue car and tugged the key out of the ignition. "We're here."

"Okay," muttered Jackie.  

She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and looked blankly around the amusement park. Multiple shops and game booths lined the walkway while screaming children chased after one another with sticky hands. Popcorn kernels littered the concrete and people walked past with snacks in hand, dripping ice cream cones and Coca Cola cups and swirls of cotton candy. It was strange to think that though someone had just used Jackie for a stupid game, others were having perfectly happy days. The universe was unfair. 

"Jackie." 

She didn't have to look to know Aarav was watching her with one of his impenetrable gazes. 

"I'm fine," she said, moreso trying to convince herself than him. 

"You sure?" 

It was impossible to lie to him, not when he could pick up on every microexpression. She settled for changing the topic. "Let's go get tickets. You're still paying?"

"I'm keeping my offer. Besides, I doubt you have that much spare cash on hand." 

"Hey, I'm not that broke." 

"You mentioned your family struggling to pay the electricity bill."

"Funny you should mention that. You know how we were fifty dollars short? One day, I just randomly found fifty-one in my bag."

As expected, Aarav rolled his eyes. "It must've been money you misplaced from work. You're so scatterbrained."

"It's not!" she insisted. "I'm telling you that it's a miracle."

"Miracles don't exist."

"Yes they do." Jackie huffed, knowing it was a lost argument. He was never one for superstition and the supernatural. 

"I think they're real!" Aadhira clung to her arm, brown eyes steeled in certainty. In another hand, she clutched Flappy the elephant.

Mock offense flashed across Aarav's face and he smiled. "I can't believe I've been betrayed by my own sister." 

Jackie giggled and slung an arm around the six-year-old. She leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially. "We make a good team."

When Aarav returned with tickets, the group headed to the fairgrounds. Winter's wrath had begun to subside. This particular day was warmer than usual and the sky was decorated with candy-floss clouds. Screams sounded in the distance while the train shot across rattling roller coaster tracks, mixing with the faint music coming from open booths and the occasional groan or elated cheer. Jackie could almost forget about Liam and Alexis and the whole bet. Almost. 

Her fingers reached into her pocket for her phone until she remembered that Aarav had confiscated. He knew she'd want to keep checking their online activity. Of course he knew. It was near impossible to get anything past him. A small smile spread across her lips and she folded her arms. She couldn't deny that he was right. 

"Where should we go?" she asked. 

"Haunted house!" shouted Aadhira. 

She jabbed a finger at the purple and black building with fake skeletons dressed in dark robes and the name spelled out on the front in a decorative horror font. Under the bright light of day, it looked cheap and obviously fake. There was clearly nothing to be afraid of but Jackie gulped anyway. She'd never enjoyed scary entertainment whether it be horror movies or theme park attractions. 

"This just screams tackiness. The costumes and props aren't even well-made," Aarav grumbled but handed over tickets to the man at the front. 

Jackie thought it was endearing how he was so devoted to his little sister. Unfortunately, this meant that she too would be dragged along into the house of horrors. She couldn't disappoint Aadhira and Aarav couldn't leave her alone. The only other option was sitting outside alone in a crowd with a bunch of strangers. Being by herself with her thoughts sounded more terrifying than any monster in the dark. Besides, maybe the haunted house would be scary enough to further distract her from yesterday. 

A zombie popped up in front of them, making Jackie jump. His skin was painted white with smears of red and black around his eyes and mouth. She seized Aarav's arm and shuffled behind him. 

"Relax, it's just special FX makeup. Shoddily applied, might I add." Aarav patted her shoulder and she released her grip on him. 

The zombie scowled. "What would you know?" 

"Plenty enough to know this isn't worth my money." 

"Aarav!" hissed Jackie. 

"Fine, whatever, I'll stop." 

With one last glare, the zombie went over the rules and protocol before leading them and the following guests inside. They entered a room with a crackling fireplace that cast eerie shadows on expectant faces. Above it was a portrait of a tall bony man dressed in black that reminded her of Dracula. It didn't help that the place had red accents everywhere. Painted yellow eyes stared down at her, burning into her soul. Meanwhile, Aadhira was bubbling with energy when a booming cackle filled the air. Jackie sighed and rubbed her arms. At least one of them was excited about it. 

"From the speakers." Aarav pointed and sure enough, there were small black contraptions in the corner of the room. 

"Are you going to keep pointing out all the flaws?"

"If it makes you any less afraid, yes."

"It's not working. Fear isn't a rational thing."

"Worth a try."

"Come on, I want to find monsters!" said Aadhira. 

Jackie watched Aadhira's wild black curls bounce up and down in the dim red lighting while she headed through a creaky door hanging off its shingles. The floorboards were warped with water damage while the plaster walls were riddled with holes. Aarav stepped forward and set a hand on her shoulder to steady her. 

"Don't run off, okay? We don't want to lose you in here."

The six-year-old tugged impatiently on the sleeve of his jacket. "You two need to hurry up then."

Jackie bit her lip and followed after them, falling into step at Aarav's side. She stayed close to him, unwilling to let him out of sight. "I hope there aren't any jump scares."

"There probably are. Judging by the look of this place, the actors must rely on cheap tactics."

"You're not scared? Not one bit?" In her peripheral vision, his sister was happily skipping down the hallway, brown eyes wide in amazement at the spooky props. Lack of fear must run in the family. 

"Kind of hard to be. I'm surprised you are."

"I hate horror stuff."

"All of it's fake."

"It's still terrifying." Her hands wrapped around his arm again. 

"Just breathe. Neither one of us are going missing."

"You sure about that? Totally and completely sure? It's always the skeptic who gets killed off, you know."

"Just relax. Nothing's going to happen."

Nothing except for a man in a clown suit jumping out of nowhere. He was clad in bright stripes and polka dots with the signature crimson of fake blood splattered across his clothes. His face was painted bone white with a red nose and one thin line through each eye. 

"You said nothing was going to happen!" Jackie's heart pounded and she swallowed hard, using Aarav to hide the clown from sight. Her grip tightened on his arm, fingers trembling and knuckles white.

"He's not going to harm you. Remember, the actors aren't allowed to touch participants."

Aadhira immediately kicked the actor in the shins and folded her arms with a huff. "This isn't fair. I hate clowns! I wanted a grim reaper."

"That's against the rules too." Aarav pulled his sister away with his free hand. "You can't kick the clown."

"Yes please, get him away," Jackie whimpered. 

"You're not encouraging violence to my little sister!"

"I can if it's Pennywise 2.0!"

"Well, it isn't," he said firmly, still struggling to restrain his sister. 

The clown grumbled while stalking off, "I'm just a guy doing his job who does not get paid enough to deal with children."

Aarav sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jackie, you need to calm down and stop cutting off the circulation to my arm. Aadhira, don't attack anymore monsters."

"Fine," said both girls. Jackie loosened her grip but didn't completely release him. 

"Let's hurry! I can't wait to find a grim reaper," persisted Aadhira. 

"I definitely can." 

"If you really need to stop, there are exits all over this place."

"It's fine. I don't want to spoil your sister's fun. Let's just get through the rest of this." 

Jackie felt stupid. There was a six-year-old happily exploring through the haunted house like it was a beautiful fairyland, and she was clinging to Aarav like a scared little kid. The dark had always unnerved her, and she still couldn't sleep without her nightlight turtle to project glowing stars on her bedroom walls. The turtle also had three soothing colors options so the night could be a magical escape rather than a monster breeding ground. 

Thankfully, the rest of the haunted house went uneventfully. She managed to walk out of it without suffering a heart attack. After the ordeal, Jackie was sure she'd never set foot in such a place again. Aarav peeled her grip off his arm and smoothed out his sleeve. 

"I'm surprised my arm's still attached," he said. 

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. 

One good thing about the haunted house: she hadn't thought about yesterday's events for the entirety of the half hour they spent inside. The fake monsters had done their job of distracting her—if perhaps a little too well.

"I wonder if there are better haunted houses out there, one with grim reapers. I want to borrow his pointy stick thing," babbled Aadhira. She spun her plush elephant around, oblivious to the fact that Jackie had nearly dropped dead from fear. 

Aarav corrected, "It's called a scythe." 

Jackie sighed and messed with her hair ribbon, wrapping the ends of the bow around her finger. "I never liked Halloween, but it's officially my least favorite holiday now."

Aarav crouched down to look his sister in the eye. "Why don't you say we try something new?" 

"The Ferris wheel?" Jackie suggested.

"Okayyyyy," agreed the little girl. She started skipping in the direction of the giant spinning structure. 

Thank the heavens. Ferris wheels were peaceful, calming, and didn't resemble creepy monsters and ghosts. Jackie's shoulders relaxed and she let out a slow breath. 

"I bet it looks prettier during the night. That way, you can see all the lights."

"Really?" Aadhira's eyes lit up. 

"Yeah, it's always amazing." 

The little girl then tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Can we come back later then?" 

Aarav checked the time on his phone. "Maybe. We can't stay out too late since Amma(1) and Nanna(2) are returning today."

"Another business trip?" asked Jackie.

He nodded. "They tend to be gone a lot. The servants keep up with the household anyway, so it's never been that big of a deal."

"It's sad." She frowned. Even though Dì(3) Hiếu worked long shifts to make ends meet, she still made an effort to see Jackie and Joanna. The thought of often being in a large empty house without a parental figure sounded lonely.

"I guess. I'm used to it." 

"What about Aadhira?" 

"It's been like that since before she's born. My mom had nannies to care for her instead." 

"Don't you ever want them around more?"

"I guess anyone in my place would." Aarav shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "But it's work. Can't do anything about it."

The line was thinning as a worker helped people into the pastel painted capsules. Gradually their group was moving closer to the front. Aadhira swung back and forth on the metal railing, nearly kicking one woman and receiving a dirty look in response. She giggled and hurried to Jackie's side while clutching her elephant. Suppressing a smile of amusement, the older girl hugged the child to her and shielded her from the lady's burning glare. 

When they made it to the front, they were quickly shepherded into a capsule and the door clicked shut. It swayed gently back and forth while the wheel rolled them higher and higher. Jackie looked out at the people below, little dots with barely recognizable features. They reminded her of a doll set. 

"How are you terrified of a tacky haunted house but not afraid of heights?" Aarav raised his eyebrows at her. 

Aadhira hopped off her seat and scurried to the other side. The sudden movement caused the capsule to swing forward, making him flinch. His eyes were steeled forward, jaw firmly set. 

"Are you afraid of heights?" Jackie asked. 

"You could say that, but it's not to your extreme."

"I wasn't that scared!"

"You nearly needed to be revived with smelling salts."

"Did not." Jackie elbowed him in the side and fought back a giggle. 

His hands were folded in his lap, partially covered by his jacket. There was a small jagged line on the side of his finger in the shape of a lightning bolt. It was mainly pink and white at the ends. A little thing barely noticeable. No one would see unless they were looking closely. 

Maybe Jackie always had. 

. . .

1 — mother | Telugu 

2 — father | Telugu

3 — aunt, mother's younger sister | Vietnamese

Through the trials of high school theatre and teenage drama, an unlikely connection ties multiple teenagers together by the final curtain call.

"That's my boy." rejoiced aunty with a fist-pump with me. 

"Oh my good Lord! Kick some sense into this idiot. No way you're going to be doing that." Mom was really starting to get worried. 

"See I told you, he is gonna get married even before his school ends." opened up aunt, irking mom even more. 

"Now you don't complicate things. That girl is like moon to him. Stop giving him false hopes" Mom was trying to talk some sense. 

"Why do you think so?" aunt took sides with me. 

"My dear is equally good for any girl." Now that's something positive, at least aunt's on my side. 

But what exactly is mom referring to? Moon to me? I'm I that unworthy? Of course I may not have the 'cool dude' looks, still I'm worth something. 

"Ok let me brief. One! They are Hindu." Mom started to list out the reasons. 

"Even you were a Hindu, but you got converted. We can do the same." I asserted. 

"OK. I'm not really sure as to how you plan on making that happen. Anyways moving on. Two! They are Telugu." 

"C'mon. So were we. In fact we still are." Aunt echoed. 

Mom was a Telugu Brahmin before she got married. Well it wasn't a love tale, but an arranged one. Dad placed only condition though, to get converted to Christianity and mom agreed. The same goes with aunt too. Once mum and dad were married. Aunt who's my mum's sister and my dad's brother got together. Of course only one condition again, had to get converted to Christianity. 

"Fine. Three! Let me give you something that we are not, but they are. They are rich!" mom emphasised. 

The last point did make sense. 

"Yeah! But I will also be one day." I exclaimed without even realising the seriousness of the commitment that I'm making. 

I seriously had to consider the last remark. The first two? Nah, not a worry as far as I'm concerned. I have a living example right in front of me. My Mom. 

Somehow I feel I could do the same with Anshu, get her converted, or convinced at least. Even if not, I didn't want to hear a no from mom even before I took my first step, so tried to dispense the topic.

Hello. I'm Not A Writer. I'm Doing This Out Of My Love for someone. 

Someone who? You will know..once you start reading the book.

Thank you Yang Studio for helping me with this.

---------------

When did it all begin? 

Long before I could even know the difference between certain pleasantness of life. 
Long before I learnt to spell my name. 
Long before I could know anything. 

It was our kindergarten. We were those free birds, caring about nothing, worrying about nothing. An age where nothing matters, other than our toys and candy bars. But I still remember her toddle. Her cheekiness. 

I remember how beautiful a kiddo girl she was even back then.

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