Silent Bonds

Back at the hotel room, Ayan looked intently at Amelia. "Please, tell me everything you know about this card," he asked, his voice steady but filled with curiosity.

Amelia hesitated for a moment, then began slowly. "I actually forgot to apply for my visa and other mountaineering paperwork in time. When I went to Jaxon, he sorted everything out in just a few days, while others who were with us had to wait weeks, sometimes even months. I knew there was something unusual about him—he seemed to have connections everywhere. Every time we faced a problem, he would fix it like it was no big deal."

She leaned in, her voice lowering as she revealed more. "I did some digging and eventually discovered that he used a strange card to manage everything. And now, I found out it also works as an international ATM card, with no withdrawal limit."

Ayan frowned slightly. "Did you ask him about it?"

"I did," she said, nodding. "He was acting mysterious and said only few privileged people with international connections get to keep such cards and even president of a country may not receive one if he's not qualified for it. It seems there's some kind of secret qualifications required to receive this card."

Ayan's intrigue deepened. "Do you know how he actually uses it?"

Amelia smiled faintly. "I've seen him use his laptop or phone to open a site, r.com. He would show the card to log in, and then chat with an AI to get things done. Once, when one member of our group had his card blocked by the bank, Jaxon used his card and fixed it within minutes—something that would normally take days."

Her eyes lit up. "I have my laptop here, do you want to give it a try?" Before Ayan could answer, she had already pulled out her laptop and opened it. 

Amelia requested, "Can you let me hold the card? Pretty please!"

Reluctantly, Ayan handed her the card.

She quickly turned on the laptop, and the screen glowed with a bright 'R' symbol, identical to the design on the card. An AI voice emerged: "Please log in using the card."

Amelia allowed the camera access and held up the card, but a red cross appeared on the screen. "Authorization failed," the AI said flatly.

Upset, she refreshed the page and tried a few more times with same results. But at last attempt, a warning symbol popped up. "Repeated unauthorized attempts will not be tolerated," the AI cautioned.

Sonia, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "Maybe Ayan should try."

Amelia hesitated. "Maybe it'll work if I try with my phone..."

"But what if it's the last try?" Sonia interjected sharply. "The AI gave a warning. What if the card gets blocked? We don't even know how to unblock it. How will you reimburse him if it becomes unusable?"

Amelia's face fell. "I didn't know it required some special authorization," she said, her voice barely a whisper, her gaze falling to the floor.

Sonia sneered, "It's all because you had to do it multiple times just to get it in that thick head."

Tears welled up in Amelia's eyes. "Why do you always have to be so mean to me?"

She turned to Ayan, returned the card, her voice thick with guilt. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept trying after it failed."

Sonia leaned toward Ayan. "Your mother left this card for you. She must have known about the authorization. You should try it."

Taking a deep breath, Ayan approached the laptop. He held the card in front of the camera, and this time, the screen showed no error. "Authorization valid. Logged in successfully," the AI declared. "Welcome, Aria..."

"But, why didn't it work with me?" Amelia asked, puzzled.

"Maybe there's some inbuilt mechanism in the card itself—some new tech," Sonia guessed.

Amelia's eyes lit up and she hurriedly pulled Ayan to a side. "There's this new movie I've been dying to see! I couldn't get a single ticket for the next few days. Can you use the card to book three tickets for tomorrow?"

Ayan became stunned upon hearing her request. "I don't know if that'll work but I'll try."

He gave the details to the AI, and moments later, it responded. "Three tickets are available for tomorrow morning, though two seats are together, and one is separate. Would you like to proceed?"

Ayan booked the tickets.

Sonia looked at him curiously. "Ayan, have you ever been to a theater before?"

Ayan shook his head. "No, there's no theater in the village, and this is my first time outside."

Amelia gave him a sympathetic smile. "Poor boy. You must have missed out on so many things living in that rotten village."

----

The next day, they went to the movies. Ayan ended up sitting with Sonia, while Amelia chose to sit alone, eager to enjoy the movie she had been waiting for. As the film began, Ayan's excitement was evident—it was his first time watching a movie in a theater, and everything felt new and thrilling.

Sonia leaned closer, a teasing smile on her lips. "You think I'm more boring than Amelia, don't you?"

Ayan shook his head quickly. "No, not at all."

"Then come closer," she whispered.

Startled, he leaned in slightly. Without warning, Sonia took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "I always fall asleep during movies. I'm just borrowing your shoulder for a nap. Don't wake me up until the interval," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Caught off guard, Ayan's heart raced, this was the first time he was so close to a woman.

He became even more embarrassed when several men nearby gave him knowing thumbs-ups and winks.

He gently shook her off his shoulder. "You should watch this movie—it's really interesting."

Sonia opened one eye, her chin resting on her hand as she gazed at him. "What's so special about it?"

Ayan, flustered but trying to keep calm, whispered about the movie's intriguing details, trying to keep her engaged and avoid any more awkward moments.

While watching the movie, he had his attention on her at all times and said a few sentences whenever he felt her getting bored.

At the interval, the three united. Ayan quietly asked Amelia, "Can we exchange our seats?"

"Already tired of Sonia?" Amelia teased, refusing his request with a chuckle. "She might nap during movies, but she's still good company if you talk to her."

Amelia grabbed Ayan's arm. "Come on, I'll treat you to popcorn."

When she tried to buy a large one to be shared by Ayan and Sonia, Ayan stubbornly refused and took two mid-sized ones instead.

"You don't like sharing with me, huh?" Sonia huffed, puffing her cheeks in anger.

"No, no." Ayan stammered. "I'm just more concerned about hygiene, especially food. I never eat something partially consumed by someone else and prefer them untouched and pristine."

Sonia sneered, "You're such a food OCD freak."

Ayan went back to his seat with Sonia, trying to focus on the popcorn as the movie resumed.

He was enjoying the creamy tanginess of the cheese melting in his mouth a world apart from the simple popcorn he had back in the village. Sonia looked at him and chuckled. "Eating cheese popcorn for the first time?"

Ayan nodded, savoring the moment.

"Try the soda as well," she added.

He took a sip, feeling a sensation of fizz and bubbles dancing on his tongue with a refreshingly cold, mixed with sweet and tangy flavor. But he felt a prickly sensation and strangely a strong bitter taste in it which he strongly despised.

Sonia raised an eyebrow, amused. "What, don't like it?"

Ayan looked at the bottle with bubbles and fizz dancing and said, "It's sweet and refreshing but I feel a prickly sensation and a weird bitter taste in it."

"Bitter?" Sonia asked, surprised. "That's the first time I've heard of it."

Sonia looked at him from the corner of her eyes and said, "You made me watch a boring movie like it's interesting. Now, you should return the favor and finish the bitter drink like it's the sweetest thing you've ever tasted and I'll treat you to a good dessert."

"Deal!" Ayan said, determined, and managed to finish both the popcorn and the soda, even though the bitter aftertaste lingered.

After the movie, Sonia led them to an ice cream parlor. "So, what flavor would you like?" she asked, pointing to the colorful menu.

Ayan hesitated, overwhelmed by the list of flavors. The girls chuckled at his confusion.

"Why don't you try chocolate? Your village boys love it," Sonia teased.

He nodded, grateful for the suggestion. They placed their orders, and Amelia returned with three cups, each a different flavor. Ayan took a few spoonfuls of the chocolate ice cream, its cold, velvety texture melting on his tongue, rich and comforting.

A strange glint flashed across Sonia's eyes watching Ayan losing himself in the flavor and she grabbed his cup and scooped a spoonful.

"Hey!" he protested, but it was too late.

His mind raced, remembering a childhood memory about wedding rituals.

"Uncle, why do the bride and groom feed each other?" he had asked as a child.

Uncle Samuel replied, "It's a ritual where the husband and wife eat half a spoon of curd and feed the rest to each other, sharing the food. It's symbolic that they will share their life with each other. It's said that it helps improve bond between them."

Dawa leaned closer to him and whispered, "It's a kiss."

"What!" Ayan was surprised.

Dawa explained, "See, when you eat half a spoon of curd, some of your saliva will definitely be mixed with the rest. And when you exchange this, it's like an exchange of saliva—a kiss, albeit an indirect one."

Now, Sonia had taken that spoonful, and his heart raced at the thought. 'My first kiss,' he screamed in his heart.

"Why are you so worked up? I just took a spoon from your cup," Sonia said with a triumphant smile and pointed at her cup. "If you want, you can take this whole cup of mine."

Amelia chimed in, pushing her cup toward him. "Come on, Ayan! You should try other flavors. It's much more fun than sticking to just one."

"Sonia, let me try the chocolate one too," Amelia said grabbing towards the cup.

But Ayan swiftly snatched his cup back and said, "No thanks. I like to finish what I started."

The teasing continued, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the thoughts of Sonia and what Aunt Tsering had told him about her. A gloom settled over him, even as they returned to the hotel.

-----

Once alone, Ayan opened the mysterious website on his phone and used the card to log in.

"Can you find the location of Aria from IRIS?" he asked, holding his breath.

The AI responded flatly, "The location of Aria from IRIS is currently where you are. If you're referring to another Aria, please specify."

His heart sank. "Tell me about Aria's husband."

"There are currently no records of Aria's husband. However, there are rumors of her having a child," the AI responded, its tone unchanged.

Frustration mounted as he asked a bunch of other questions but received nothing useful. Finally, out of curiosity, he asked, "Can you help me find mystics?"

To his surprise, the response came quickly. "There are currently 21 confirmed locations of mystics, 5,235 probable locations, and many more rumored spots…."

His heart raced with excitement. "Give me a list of the nearest mystics."

The AI complied, and as the names and locations appeared on his screen, a sense of joy flooded over him.