NEXT MORNING...
Aanha wakes up with her stiff hand, still laid down on her bed holding her head with one hand. Then all the memories of last night flashes in her mind in just a second. She wakes up from her bed in a sudden [looking at her arm]. "Huh! that mark, here's nothing." She looks all around scanning all the room with her doe eyes filled with confusion. She saw the vase completely fine without any scratch which had shattered last night.
Still confused asking herself, "Was that a DREAM? not again... I've never dreamt of something like that before. And who's that guy Sai?"... [mumbling]. Then her mom entered the room,
Mom: Oh, you're already up! How are you feeling now? [checking with her palm on Aanha's forehead] "Seems like you had a fever again last night."
Aanha replied with, "Maybe..."
Mom: Okay, now get freshened up and come have your breakfast.
Aanha did her morning routine and came to the dining area, taking her seat. When she was lost in her thoughts, her mom placed a box wrapped in a shining wrapper and said, "Happy birthday, Aanha." Then Aanha snapped out of her thoughts and realized that today was her birthday. She smiled back at her mom and said, "Thanks, Mumma." She opened the gift box, getting excited, and found a key in the box. She went out and found a new scooter there at the front door, which was in a combo of black and grey. She jumped happily, hugged her mom, and said, "Thanks,Mumma! Thank you so much."
Aanha: But Mumma, how can I ride?
Mom: Aanha, now you're 18, you can ride it.
Aanha: Oh, yeah! But still, I need to have a license first, and that's all.
Mom: Aanha, do you know how to operate it?
Aanha: Yeah! [tongue slip in excitement]
Mom: How and when?
Aanha: [nervously] Yun taught me. Sorry, I didn't tell you.
Mom: [sigh] It's okay. Now let's go have breakfast.
This time, her mom fed her with her own hands until she had a full tummy. Aanha kept saying 'no more' because she was full, but her mom kept feeding her, saying 'just one last bite'. Then she goes back to her room to get backpack where she found the wooden box given by granny on her table. She remembered that granny has old her to open it on her birthday so she opened curiously thinking 'what it could be?' She found a bracelet with colourful crystalline beads, each five of different colours on both sides and a clear diamond shaped crystal in between. She wore the bracelet. Then she went to school as usual, but her mind was still preoccupied with the night's incident or dream, which had left her confused. She reached school, where Mika and Yun were standing at the gate, but she didn't notice them and moved forward, lost in her thoughts.
Yun: Um... Mika, did you guys fight?
Mika: Huh?
Yun: I mean, Aanha just moved forward without even saying hi to us.
Mika: No, we don't have any fight. I think something's up with her. Let's go find out.
In the classroom, both Yun and Mika had just entered when their homeroom teacher, Mr. Kang, arrived from behind. They didn't ask Aanha anything at that time because everyone feared Mr. Kang. he started the class.
In between the class
Mr. Kang: Aanha, stand up! Answer question no. 21 on page 98 of your book.
This was a sudden call for Aanha, and when she heard him, she stumbled a little, grabbed her book, and started flipping pages quickly. She reached the page, found the question, but couldn't answer despite it being a theoretical class because she was just physically present, but her mind was absent. She stayed silent.
Mr. Kang: [scolding] Where's your mind, Miss Aanha? I just explained this concept a few minutes ago. Despite that, you couldn't answer. Huh! Answer me.
Aanha: Sorry, sir. [low voice with her head low]
Mr. Kang: Focus on the class. Now sit down.
After 20 minutes, the class was over, and both Yun and Mika approached Aanha.
Mika: Aanha, is something bothering you? You seem to be lost from morning and now in class too.
Yun: Yeah, you can tell us; we're friends after all.
Aanha: It's nothing, guys, chill... I'm just feeling low a bit, and that's because I had a fever yesterday, and I threw up too. [hiding the actual thing that was bothering her because she wasn't sure about it herself, so how could she tell them about the last night incident, which seemed unrealistic to her.]
Mika: Oh yeah, you had a stomach ache yesterday. Is it fine now?
Aanha: Yeah, it's fine, Mika.
Yun and Mika: You should take care of yourself...
Aanha: Hey, hey, now please, you both don't start. I've already had enough from Mumma.
Both of them chuckled. Then they attended their next two classes, and now it was break time. The trio sat in the canteen as usual at their place, having their meals with chit-chat. They attended their other classes. At departure time, they were going home. Yun had left, and Mika had stayed back, saying she needed to borrow some books from the library. Aanha was walking home alone.
Then, someone from behind covered her eyes; it was Mika. She dragged Aanha along with her closed eyes. They both reached their comfort corner of the park, as they were nearby.
Aanha: Mika, what happened? Where are you dragging me?
[Mika opened Aanha's eyes.]
Both Mika and Yun: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AANHA!
At this point, Aanha was totally shocked. She saw a little cute muffin with choco-pies around it on a plate, and there was a small candle on the muffin. She saw both Mika and Yun's faces; there were bright smiles on both of their faces. She smiled back and said, "Thank you, guys."
Mika: Now make a wish and blow the candle.
Yun: Yeah, otherwise my sweet little muffin will get spoiled.
Mika smacked Yun's head lightly, and Yun smiled in his usual fun way. Aanha blew the candle as she made a wish in her mind: "I know he's totally fine. I want to live happily with him like earlier." The corners of her eyes filled with tears unknowingly, but they didn't escape her friends' notice when she saw their bright smiles. Aanha cut the muffin into three pieces, which the three of them enjoyed. However, when Yun was about to pick up her all-time favorite choco-pies, she ran away, saying, "No compromise with choco-pies; they're mine." They started running round and round the benches.
Yun: [running behind her] This isn't fair... At least give me one, and you had a stomachache, remember that.
Mika: [with a fed-up expression] Seriously! Are you guys for real? Stop roaming around, and Aanha, Yun is right, after all.
Aanha: No, no, I know you also want my choco-pies. I won't stop.
Mika: Um... I think you're right.
Saying this, she jumped in between and blocked Aanha from the front, and Yun was behind her. Now Aanha had no other choice.
Aanha: Fine...
The trio sat on the bench, and there were only three choco-pies left out of five. Both Yun and Mika looked at Aanha. Aanha, with a nervous smile, said, "He he..." [She had eaten two of them while being chased by Yun.] The next second, they grabbed each choco-pie and enjoyed it. Afterward, they burst into laughter, thinking about their actions a few minutes ago.
Then Yun and Mika gave her gifts. Yun gave her a cute keychain with her favourite chocolate, and Mika gave her an earring with a little teddy. Aanha thanked them and told them about the scooter her mom had gifted her that day.
Now it was 6 in the evening, and it was getting darker and late, so they decided to go back to their respective homes. Yun had left, and now Mika and Aanha were walking together. On their way, Aanha felt like someone was stalking them. She turned back but found no one there.
Mika: What happened?
Aanha: Um... nothing. [shrugging off her shoulders]
They reached their homes. Aanha freshened up and changed her dress, as she was still in her uniform. She was alone, as usual. She grabbed an old diary from her almirah's locker and went to the store room, which was located in the backyard of her house. There, she slid a big box with all her force and removed the wooden plank from the floor, revealing a secret cabinet. She opened the cabinet and went in.
It was a secret underground room where her dad used to work on his research. It was a secret because only Aanha and her dad knew about it; not even her mom knew, as she always came home late due to work.
[Flashback]
7-year-old little Aanha: Hey! Sweety [her doll], come out. Now stop playing hide and seek. [in her sweet and cute voice] Are you angry with me? That I didn't take good care of you, and Mom sent you here?
Then she heard a creaking sound from behind. She turned towards the sound and found her dad coming out of the ground.
Aanha: Dadaa... 😲 How are you coming from the ground, just like a god-fairy from my storybook?
Dad: [totally shocked to hear her cute voice] Uh! 😊 Princess, what are you doing here at this time?
Aanha: I was finding Sweety. But how did you... and from where did you come from the ground?
Dad: Shhhh... it's a secret.
Aanha: A top secret?
Dad: Hmm... so don't tell Mumma or anyone about this, okay? [whispering in her ears]
Aanha: otay... I won't tell but you have to show me...
[flashback ends]
Now Aanha is at the door of the inner chamber. She opens the diary and take out the key which was embedded in the pages of the diary. She opens the heavy metallic door which opens with a loud creak sound and reveals.....